The Sixty-Fifth Republic - The Covid School Phoney War under way so who will the gold medal and who will get the wooden spoon?

[Staffholidayclubrep]

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 for school staff to let off steam.

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.

Do not give the staffroom password to non-staff as it attracts the wrong sort of crowd.

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.

You can sit on chairs but keep the windows open. You don’t have to upload LFT results during the holidays. You do not have to wear mask - free choice

For to remember my Skype username. Used to use Skype to speak to my sister in law when she lived in Italy but that was 7 years ago!

Just set up a new account! Everyone has five million email addresses, right?

I literally have never used Skype. No idea.

@noblegiraffe Have done. Just PMd you. Couldn’t figure out how to change username though, just screen nam, unless that’s what you meant anyway! I’m sleep deprived.

piggy and any other scared ppl - it’s easy! And we’re only using its Chat function.

The confusion yesterday was just because it has a profile name, which can be (eg) MrsH even though there could be multiple MrsHs on the platform, so to be sure we were admitting the right person (and not some interloping U4T bod!) we need the username, which starts live:.cid

4 days to go ( I don’t work Fridays), cat just brought two not-dead baby birds in and I’ve just shut the kitchen door on him, I really can’t cope with that this morning 😢

Happy Freedom day everyone.

I'm on the Skype app, where can I find the username? I've got what I think is my username but it doesn't start with the live thing. It also has my real name on 😬

Ooh, freedom day!! I don't feel any more free than I did yesterday, in fact I feel somewhat more anxious about rates going up.

I'm definitely going to still wear my mask any time I have to go into a building. And I'll be avoiding going inside as much as I possibly can. Today I am walking my friend's dog because they are covid positive. I take my own lead and treats, knock on the door, they let the dog out without coming out of the house, I wait at the bottom of the drive for the dog and put my lead on her, then attempt to lure her on a walk with copious amounts of treats while she tries to go home because she doesn't really know me very well. It's delightful.

@Hercisback Edit your screen name to Herc so we know who you are. Noble had to tell me that!

Click on profile and there’s a pen icon so you can edit your name.

What we need to know if your Skype name ,which you find in your Profile

Ha, that used to be known as taking the dog for a drag in our house. MrsAD. She always wanted to be where my mum was which was not at all helpful if you are walking her while mum was at home.

I've made a less identifying account now! Will PM people now I have the right live thing too. Think my account was so old it didn't start the username with live.

So ,we are still supposed to have masks here today :kids weren't explicitly told, half the population have come without one ,and we have none to lend. Classic Piggy school move.

It is the school that keeps in giving, isn’t it. Just nipped to shop quickly. Would say it’s about 50/50 masks/no masks.

Suspect there’ll be a few more without masks once it gets to the middle of the day. Lots of the pubs seem to be shut as they have no staff. Not particularly free for them.

Happy freedom day. U.K. be like...

I have no idea re masks for drop off. I wore one anyway.

I feel so out of it, not having been to work (or anywhere really) for so long now. I have my midwife booking appointment later today - the excitement of seeing a person I don't live with!

Vaccination announcement later. No vaccines for 12+ unless 'vulnerable ' (not seen what that means yet) or they live with a vulnerable adult (again not clear whether that is only CEV or not as Zahawi uses the term with merry abandon).

Quite a few positive LFTs today and of course no mad rush to contact trace. Easy option to lie this week isn't it when it is a victimless crime...?

Did you PM Herc?

@noblegiraffe I’ve just PM’d you I think with Skype info!

Probably a controversial opinion coming but try not to, or allow others to, pathologise too quickly MrsHP.

Yes sometimes these things are a sign of deep seated lasting problems etc but sometimes not and sometimes jumping to that conclusion will jump the issue to that level if that makes sense?

Gentle conversations around why, what did it feel like, who else, what did them telling you that make you feel like, etc might uncover that there was an exploring of something brought into their radar rather than an organic occurring of something due to an existing issue. I just think that sometimes something can be a weird phase (I had plenty) that recognised as that and handled well does indeed just pass by but if it triggers massive reaction and attention can mushroom.

I feel like that sounds awful - I'm in no way trivialising the actions because they are serious but just saying don't assume the cause is AS serious or that it has to be some deep embedded problem.

Not really feeling the 'freedom' with dc2 class closed and then the whole school.
Then dc zoom call where the kids were saying what they were doing when supposed tobe isolating. 2 activity days, 1 garden party at their house, 2 sleepover when they 100% knew by sleepover time! That myst have been hard for the teachers. And only 1 poor kid who couldnt go to ballet. Really is hugely unfair on the kids whose parents adhere to it.

DS negative, phew.