The Twenty-ninth Republic - lockdown light continues & good news for Welsh students

[StaffAssociationRepresentative]

You are most welcome to this school staff support thread to get us through stressful times. It is meant for school staff only – a sort of room of requirement. Baiters, haters, goaders, and bashers can jog on somewhere else.

If you are NOT staff and just have a general education query please start your own thread.

You can play here if you are a member of one the following groups-

-ABBA - anti bashers and baiting association
-SWAB - school workers against bashers
-SWOT - school workers opposing teacherbashers
-STARS - schoolworkers together against ranting + slurs

Do not give the staffroom password just in case it attracts the wrong sort

Other requirements for staff room entry include the ability to find the staff room, the ability to find a clean mug in the staff room, knowledge of the photocopier codes, and the ability to sniff out where the booze is stashed - Thirsty Tuesdays, Fizz Fridays now in operation.

If you come with a stick to goad us then that is not allowed in the staffroom and you will receive a detention

I think it was something like you have to open Ppt X, not the usual one.

My sister has just asked if she needs to isolate because she was a close contact with a positive case last week. Upon further questioning (as how the hell would I know without more info than that!?) It turns out that she's got a new boyfriend, as in 5 weeks new boyfriend, that she was as close to as it's possible to be (bleugh, I did NOT need quite that much info), on Tuesday, and his symptoms started on Friday. So no she doesn't need to isolate, but she needs a bloody great kick up the arse for breaking sodding lockdown rules!!!! She's in a tier 3 area as well, so literally NONE of their dates have been allowed under any of the rules. She's CV as well, and it's only a few weeks since she was stressing and telling me she really wishes she could shield as she's so scared of catching it. Bloody hypocritical idiot! (She's my idiot, but she's still an idiot)

MsAwesomeDragon, that is a lovely snowflake! I'm a bit envious, but I saw the class and chose not to attend, so can't complain.

I've finished for the evening, although it's so early I could look at a set of books, or do the homework that I've got coming in tomorrow .

I'm currently teaching a class and I'm feeling a bit out of my depth. Covering a topic, which I'm not that comfortable with, and kind of learn by rote in order to teach, so I could certainly answer A-level questions on it, but wouldn't be so happy waxing lyrical about it. We're doing the textbook out of order, so I need this topic to solve certain questions, before the class have seen it in an earlier chapter.

I've got a pupil who's much better at said topic than I am. Have spent the last 3 lessons trying to teach "my" way, trying to accommodate "his" (deeper, but not on the syllabus) way, giving him a bit of a platform to explain why "his" way is better. I've ended up feeling a bit as if I've lost the confidence of my pupils, and really wishing I'd found a way to say to pupil "it's great that you can do it this way, but you get on with it and let me get on with teaching the rest of the class", because I've ended up with kids who are confused when they wouldn't have been. Pupil said to me after class, "Miss, do you think they could pay me to teach this topic to this class?". I think he was joking, but not entirely confident he wasn't signalling that he thinks I'm crap! Laughed it off and said "you could teach me, if you like!", but have felt increasingly cross with myself about it over the weekend!

You might be able to adapt the format, but I think the content is very different between yr 3 & 5.

Hamilton trust might be worth a look for some ideas, their science stuff is free.

@noblegiraffe, I'm afraid we appear to have de-railed your BOFFINS thread with animal talk.

I can't see the Boffins thread any more. It ahs vanished form my posts??

I've looked at Hamilton tonight and I thought it said they needed a donation of £33 to access resources?

@DreamingofBrie hate those topics! I have a couple in further maths I can do, but because I don’t teach the full syllabus I don’t see the links like they do and I haven’t been practising tricky integration for months 🤣🤦‍♀️

I think that’s just for the English, maths & topic resources. The science planning & resources should be free.

It should be enough to get your head round what they need to know/understand and give you ideas for activities.

www.hamilton-trust.org.uk/science/year-5-science/forces-may-forces-be-you/

Hopefully this works. Although I’m not sure it’s the best unit of work.

Flu jab wont protect for gastric flu. Hopefully her covid test is negative.
MsAwesome-yourdsis could have given it to him though

Thank you, I've printed it out and it looks very similar to the lesson themes written on the termly plan. So will be useful to look at thank you.

As topics on forces go it’s got some nice objectives in it.

Much better than spending weeks rolling cars down ramps when all yr2 really want to do is play with the cars.

I have a gin problem. My shelves are looking a bit bare. Must buy more gin.

@namechangedyetagain - DM me an email address.

Don't roll cars down ramps. Drag things across surfaces - includes reading a Newton meter, means you can produce a bar chart and so on.

@Keepdistance

Flu jab wont protect for gastric flu. Hopefully her covid test is negative. MsAwesome-yourdsis could have given it to him though

Yes, she could have given it to him. That's a possibility. But he now has symptoms and she has not had symptoms. They both need a bloody kick for not sticking to lockdown rules. I wasn't blaming him specifically, they both broke lockdown. But she's the one with 2 kids and all sorts of medical conditions that make her more likely to have complications. He's fit and healthy as far as he knows, and has very mild symptoms so far. I'm furious at my sister, but if I say anything, even mildly, then she takes offence and accuses me of being judgy of her having a boyfriend. Of course I'm bloody judgy of anyone breaking lockdown rules!!

Positive cases in two year groups identified this evening, both years off tomorrow while we trace contacts. Parent emails flooding in, argh

Re:Christmas we have last few years when with DM had a bbq and fondue with a roast on boxing day. This year should be an in law year but weve decided to have Christmas just DH and I at home (which DM has been saying we should do since weve been married - think because we always had a quiet christmas day growing up). Both sets of parents are older and have health issues so best to keep them safe.

Weve just done forces at school, I know our nqt used some of the twinkl stuff and adapted.

If you’re not on the BOFFINS thread, I just posted this link about the ‘teachers only at same risk as keyworkers’ data. They may have fudged it to hide the real risk which is higher.
twitter.com/concernedofbri1/status/1327560058813689857?s=21

We have fondue or raclette for Christmas Eve with feuerzangenbowle, and then the other on New Years.
Missed my annual fondue and fireworks this year. I feel cheated of cheese.

So Boris is isolating as he had a meeting with a MP who has since tested positive.

Why was he not more than 2 metres away from him? I’ve worked with 3 members of staff who have tested positive. Just been told that as long as I stayed the magic 2 metres away I don’t need to isolate.

Fondue sounds amazing MrsH tragically there’s no way my family will go for it (heathens)

Was he not wearing a mask? FFS, I'm managing to avoid 30 of the buggers every hour, 5 days a week!

@WhenSheWasBad

Fondue sounds amazing MrsH tragically there’s no way my family will go for it (heathens)

When we've had our party on the hill and been to Egypt, you are all invited to mine for bubbling pots of cheese.