The Thirty-First Republic - oh the joy of on-line parents evenings

[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

The updated guidance is very much.

Masks in corridors in tiers 2/3 only (secondary). Be interesting to hear from any Cornish teachers if they stop enforcing them at their schools.

isn't much updated that should say.

After a few weeks now of tier 3 I'm finding it a lot easier to teach in a mask. (Can remove with 11-14 year olds).
There's a proposal to alter our Xmas a holiday dates (extending by a couple of days on each side, would be fantastic) being discussed in Scotland now. It might not be holiday, might be online learning, but still provides a buffer between term and Christmas.

Stepaway ignore your user name and have some and a bit more
Sorry it's all so shit.

Just did a 14km walk 💪 feel so much better for getting out and about and not working on a day off...

Wow 14k! 👏🏼 Just done a 7k walk and feel much better

@Mistressiggi

After a few weeks now of tier 3 I'm finding it a lot easier to teach in a mask. (Can remove with 11-14 year olds). There's a proposal to alter our Xmas a holiday dates (extending by a couple of days on each side, would be fantastic) being discussed in Scotland now. It might not be holiday, might be online learning, but still provides a buffer between term and Christmas.

I’ve just seen that on the BBC news app that they’re talking about doing this in Scotland-going back on the 11th, I think it was.

Sounds eminently sensible.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-funding-to-support-schools-and-colleges-during-covid-pandemic?utmsource=db6882e1-d8d7-4ba4-9d9d-3f64f4af8980&utmmmedium=email&utmcampaign=govuk-notifications&utmmcontent=immediate

Just dropped in my inbox

Looking at the new guidelines what would trigger this exceptional circumstance?

schoolsweek.co.uk/ministers-seize-control-in-new-covid-contingency-plans/?fbclid=IwAR1AH12zzV9DpOKSfKv8WCyAjYsjqzmIE3PhjLjqSRuBhSAHTOB_IG1xA3s

Thanks for the comments. I've had a chat with DH and we've agreed that I will do one more week full time, then start stepping down and after Christmas I will just offer one extra day a week if needed.

Hope the poorly DC is recovering quickly. The sound of vomiting is one of the worst sounds to wake up to!

My youngest has recovered from his snotty cold, but I have it now

I agree. So often at night.
Both of mine are rather prone to it. Last yr over 6m dc2 managed about 6 separate episodes! Even one in lockdown. I started to think it was maybe abdominal migraines (dh suffers with migraines). Always a one off with noone else getting it.

With the extra covid symptoms ive always thought sore throat and headache are odd ones as kids dont seem to get those. 8yo had first sore throat in march...

God knows riga. Bizarre read actually.

[quote RigaBalsam]Looking at the new guidelines what would trigger this exceptional circumstance?

schoolsweek.co.uk/ministers-seize-control-in-new-covid-contingency-plans/?fbclid=IwAR1AH12zzV9DpOKSfKv8WCyAjYsjqzmIE3PhjLjqSRuBhSAHTOB_IG1xA3s[/quote]
Zombie apocalypse?

I can’t see them ever triggering it.

www.gov.uk/government/publications/face-coverings-in-education/face-coverings-in-education

New email from DfE... looks like nothing's changed... again!

@Mistressiggi our place is buzzing with rumours about finishing on the 11th or 18th and then we heard the return on the 11th today. I really hope so.

Thank goodness it's Friday!! Never have I needed the week to end as much as I did this week

Hoping to chill out a bit this weekend!

DS birthday today so DH is going for chinese soon

Happy Friday everyone! Thoroughly well deserved with such a hardworking and fabulous bunch!
If only we had a regular pub we all went to like in the old days after the staff room!

cheers!

Happy Friday, everyone

I've actually ended the week in a better mood than I started it. Probably because it couldn't get any worse (actually, I'm sure it could!) and I've just stopped caring!! A few classes/bubbles at home at ours but no classes I teach.

Hope none of you are planning on working too hard.

We are awaiting with baited breath news of the test result of a TA which could see a class isolate (again).
My class remain an absolute delight, even with the trivial friendship tribulations they bring to me. Oh to be 7 again and have only that to worry about!
DS has managed 2 weeks in 6th form without being sent home to self isolate and finally submitted his UCAS form. The urge to check his phone for email updates is EXTREME. And quite ‘sad’ , apparently

Hope those who have had a shit week get chance to sit back and recover a bit of equilibrium

Stepping away from the Scottish schools having an extra week added to Xmas thread before I post a massive rant. I might be cynical but I imagine all the posters wailing about how an extra five days off will totally destroy children's life chances are more worried about child care once they're back at work for the new year

saucery when DS1 applied to uni I got all his UCAS emails...

I read that and laughed Cantaloupe. ‘They can’t miss any more of their education’.

Like the 21st and 22nd of December will be full of serious learning

@Piggywaspushed

saucery when DS1 applied to uni I got all his UCAS emails...

I don’t appear to be in that loop....... I don’t mind. I’m sure he will tell us when he gets offers. Not quite the usual path to university this year anyway, with all the uncertainty, but I do remember Offers being quite exciting when I went through the process, via snailmail. All that future promise! Bloody hell, I feel old

We started the week with no cases, now have two bubbles closed and 3 known adult cases, 1 known child case and who knows what else. We've got a TA off today because she's been a contact of a positive case. She's waiting for a test herself, but as yet doesn't have any symptoms. So, that might be another bubble closed on Monday. At the moment none of our SLT are in school, one of our extended leadership team is off, 7 TAs are off. Woohoo. We've all dialled back our class expectations and are just trying to keep things nice and chilled. Any violent behaviour from a child and they go straight home. No time for any softly softly approaches, nowhere to escalate major issues to, so home they go.

I've spent the last two days working like a fiend to get work packs put together for all the kids in my phase. I'm a prepper anyway, but just need to know that we won't panic if/when this happens. So many of them aren't working at age related stuff that we can't just plug them in to White Rose or Oak. Lots have no tech other than phones and a TV with youtube either, so trying to work out the best way to keep something going for 2 weeks.

Right now I'm going to drink gin and eat icecream. Had spaghetti hoops on toast for tea, because I know how to live.

I asked to leave at Christmas today and got told no. I'm now sitting on my hands trying not to buy shoes I really don't need but really do want.