The Thirty-Fourth Republic - Time to recharge our batteries and make the best of our festive break

[SantaAssociationRepresentitve]

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

It’s like that game you play with toddlers, where you look everywhere and pretend you can’t see them.
Oooh, where are you, naughty Covid? Are you hiding behind the curtains? Are you in the cupboard? Oh THERE you are, you were running round KS4 ALL THE TIME! Aren’t you clever!

🤣

@BreadSaucery

It’s like that game you play with toddlers, where you look everywhere and pretend you can’t see them. Oooh, where are you, naughty Covid? Are you hiding behind the curtains? Are you in the cupboard? Oh THERE you are, you were running round KS4 ALL THE TIME! Aren’t you clever!

Sooo true!

And I have a negative Covid test! Woohoo house arrest is over!

Fab news GleamingBaubles!

Brilliant, Baubles!

Hello clockspanner
Wondering how the testing plan could work in our three tier system ?
Lonely I understand how you feel , primary school rates are high but we are barely mentioned . I just want some mitigation measures and an acknowledgment that schools are not “covid secure”.
.When my class were isolating l had a crash course in teaching live . It was interesting trying a different approach . I have been a teacher for a very long time and enjoyed the challenge of zooming / looming but it is so hard for families and really not ideal for the little ones.

Great news gleaming

I might have a look at some planning today. Really have very little idea how to do an online lesson.

Fantastic news @GleamingBaubles :)

Yyy re toddler game!

Yes I'd been thinking about the Deeks testing of tests and how that worked with PCR accuracy or otherwise.

So things have quietened down this morning after all the headlines last night suggesting English lockdown might be announced today?

(DD's presents better arrive in the post today, altho I know it's quite possible they won't.....)

I'm going in guns blazing on the daily mail comments board. Probably fruitless but it's pissing down and there's not much else to do

So I might have accidentally opened and baked the pop out tin of croissants. I'll leave the not very many spares on the photocopier.
We have a mark in red, pupil response in green policy. I mark in pink and whatever comes to hand when my pen runs out
I once had a trainee tell me very earnestly that research showed that marking in purple was better for pupil progress. On further interrogation, it turned out that it was MAT policy, rather than research. I maintain that if I write in sky blue pink with rainbow sparkles, it will have just as much impact as if I write in red. But what do I know.

I might have a look at some planning today. Really have very little idea how to do an online lesson

The most successful ones we have done (English KS3/4) have been this format:

Introductory get everything you need
Content
Comprehension questions
Model longer answer
Children do longer answer
Self assessment grid

Really simple and straightforward.

Have just seen on Twitter that there is an updated webinar about the school testing for school leaders this afternoon?!!

Are they STILL going ahead with the plan to test close contacts of positive cases in schools AT school with these completely shite lateral flow tests?!!! Despite all the press reports about how they can’t be used as they are so unreliable!?

Fab news, @GleamingBaubles !

Can we gatecrash the webinar?

@SmileEachDay

I might have a look at some planning today. Really have very little idea how to do an online lesson

The most successful ones we have done (English KS3/4) have been this format:

Introductory get everything you need
Content
Comprehension questions
Model longer answer
Children do longer answer
Self assessment grid

Really simple and straightforward.

Mine are much the same. We use teams so I schedule the lesson in advance and tell them what resources they'll need and where they'll find them. We don't have to do full hour forty face to face so I let everyone log off in the middle and come back. Luckily, all my students went home with their books last term so I know they've got stuff to work from.

@noelgiraffe

Can we gatecrash the webinar?

Great idea. Let me know if you find a way in! Lorry drivers are being tested with lateral flow tests, so I imagine thet are still planning them for schools. I'd hoped it had been halted.

We may have some leaders on here?

A webinar is certainly going to be more than "We're not doing it." isn't it.....

Btw, when you inform students they have to isolate as close contacts, do they get a call home from an SLT member, followed by email with the official stuff (as our school), or just an email/text (as a neighbouring school)?

Various parents last night in our Zoom church group asking each other, 'Have you checked yr emails today?' 'Oo no, hope there wasn't one for us as DD's been out shopping today!'

I was a bit .

Heading towards the end of yet another thread - anyone know what the record is, time-wise, for a thread to fill up? This one's been 5 days.

I'm going in guns blazing on the daily mail comments board.

Haha - I do that sometimes just for entertainment purposes. Ridiculous really.

I'm off somewhere with no internet access until Boxing day, so have a lovely Christmas day if you can, and if it's a bit shit, then just remember that it really is only one day. Thanks all for being the voices of reason and ears of something else I can't think of right now!

Happy Christmas rule!🎄

Merry Christmas, Rule! Hope it's peaceful and relaxing.

Have a lovely Christmas, Rule. Sometimes no internet access is just what you need 🎄

Merry Christmas to you too, @RuleWithAWoodenFoot and enjoy your break!