It's Friday!

[zigzag]

Jolly glad Friday is upon us again.  Really need to crack on and get my veg garden planted up this weekend. Off out to lunch with my son and his girlfriend tomorrow which will be lovely. No TDL this weekend (apart from learning journeys) Worked hard yesterday to make a real good start on the handover book so my head space is starting to free up! I am a bit concerned that when it’s free of pre-school stuff it’s just going to be an empty vacuum!🥴

Have a job offer on the table already, and another I have turned down as already do changeovers on that day and three more offers! It’s absolutely amazing what is out there if you are prepared to work. Just want to make the decision so not rushing in to fast.

Have a great weekend all. Xx

[Mouseketeer]

On 06/05/2022 at 14:22, sunnyday said:

That two year old funding beggars belief in those circumstances - anyway 'just give me the code' is the right answer 👍

Doesn’t it ever, and then miraculously they become entitled to 30 hrs 🤬 

[sunnyday]

On 06/05/2022 at 18:49, zigzag said:

Jolly glad Friday is upon us again.  Really need to crack on and get my veg garden planted up this weekend. Off out to lunch with my son and his girlfriend tomorrow which will be lovely. No TDL this weekend (apart from learning journeys) Worked hard yesterday to make a real good start on the handover book so my head space is starting to free up! I am a bit concerned that when it’s free of pre-school stuff it’s just going to be an empty vacuum!🥴

Have a job offer on the table already, and another I have turned down as already do changeovers on that day and three more offers! It’s absolutely amazing what is out there if you are prepared to work. Just want to make the decision so not rushing in to fast.

Have a great weekend all. Xx

Whoop - way to go zigzag - you are in great demand!

Have a great time with your son and his girlfriend tomorrow

[Froglet]

That is great news Zigzag!

Parents are definitely a mixed bag - some are amazing, some are very challenging.  I often find myself wishing that I could go out and say what I really want to them - I don't mean to be rude or aggressive but sometimes I despair at the lack of consideration for others that they show.  I am all for protecting your own children but they often don't seem to think that staff are real people too and might be hurt by their manner.  The number that also seem to think they don't actually have any responsibility for bringing their children up or that school should be at their beck and call all the time.  My new(ish) head is encouraging us to take a tougher line about our availability and responses to things we are asked.

My week has been mixed - one of my SEN children who has been really worrying me with uncharacteristic behaviour seems (touch wood) to be returning to normal which is lovely.  However, I am having to plan and deliver a very personal curriculum to try and engage him in any learning at all.  I may be coming for an EY dose of creative help to get some specific maths and English objectives into Thomas, giraffes, sunflowers and the gruffalo!

I've also been really struggling with sleeping through the night and have woken up at 3am most days - my brain is a little mushy as a result this weekend!

My TDL is even 'epicer' than normal this weekend as we begin to sort out transition and next week we have 'visitors' in school three days - not those who begin with O but people who are all focusing on school improvement.  It's going to feel like a very scrutinised week.

I am starting another crochet dog for someone and have used the excuse that as it's largely black I needed to take advantage of the bright sunshine we have this morning...  I must make myself do some school work soon though or I will regret it!

Have a lovely weekend everyone.

[Mouseketeer]

On 07/05/2022 at 10:05, Froglet said:

I often find myself wishing that I could go out and say what I really want to them - I

This weeks rants (among many) would have been “how many chances do you need to return the funding form”? and “for C**** sake how many times have you been asked to name things” …they must think we all have photographic memories and remember which top/jacket/hats/shoes each child took off when they came through the door, and just when you think you have it sorted they send them with new, un-named stuff 😭 

[sunnyday]

On 07/05/2022 at 11:24, Mouseketeer said:

This weeks rants (among many) would have been “how many chances do you need to return the funding form”? and “for C**** sake how many times have you been asked to name things” …they must think we all have photographic memories and remember which top/jacket/hats/shoes each child took off when they came through the door, and just when you think you have it sorted they send them with new, un-named stuff 😭 

Oh Mousie - I remember the funding forms struggle - what is that all about - I don't understand why parents seem to not appreciate how fortunate they are to receive funding and it's not a lot to ask for a completed form is it...

I might have once said to a parent complaining about the 'complexity' of the form "yes, you should try their portal, that's what I have to do to gain your child's funding" - I was having a bad day 🤣

Oh and the cost of printing the blessed forms, then being faced with half the parents saying "I don't know what I did with the form, can I have another one"

[Froglet]

On 07/05/2022 at 11:24, Mouseketeer said:

This weeks rants (among many) would have been “how many chances do you need to return the funding form”? and “for C**** sake how many times have you been asked to name things” …they must think we all have photographic memories and remember which top/jacket/hats/shoes each child took off when they came through the door, and just when you think you have it sorted they send them with new, un-named stuff 😭 

I quite genuinely had a parent asking me about a child’s missing jumper the other week and telling me it was “Age 6-7.” I couldn’t help myself and did reply with “Well, we’re an infant school - there are quite a lot of age 6-7 jumpers!”

[louby loo]

On 07/05/2022 at 11:24, Mouseketeer said:

This weeks rants (among many) would have been “how many chances do you need to return the funding form”? and “for C**** sake how many times have you been asked to name things” …they must think we all have photographic memories and remember which top/jacket/hats/shoes each child took off when they came through the door, and just when you think you have it sorted they send them with new, un-named stuff 😭 

I don't let our funding form go home!🤣   

[Mouseketeer]

On 07/05/2022 at 16:14, louby loo said:

I don't let our funding form go home!🤣   

I refuse to fill in 42 addresses, mind you they can’t always manage that bit…and not because they can’t, just can’t be bothered 😕 there has to be a better way than this printing them all nonsense, back before Covid we didn’t have to do each term just add the next terms hours but then for some unknown reason it went back to termly 🤷‍♀️

[zigzag]

The paper forms are ridiculous, I don’t let them go home either.  What annoys me is when they have changed a session and you have to complete a whole new form, it’s really wasteful.

Have had a truly lovely day, it’s been the hottest most beautiful day of the year down here so far.  We had a lovely lunch then came home and sat outside chatting all afternoon. Very relaxed and lovely. Hope the weather has been kind to all today.

[sunnyday]

On 07/05/2022 at 19:14, Mouseketeer said:

I refuse to fill in 42 addresses, mind you they can’t always manage that bit…and not because they can’t, just can’t be bothered 😕 there has to be a better way than this printing them all nonsense, back before Covid we didn’t have to do each term just add the next terms hours but then for some unknown reason it went back to termly 🤷‍♀️

I am going to sound sooooo ancient now - when funding was first introduced parents were supplied with a booklet of vouchers, they then passed on the vouchers to pre-school/nursery - it was all so simple

[Mouseketeer]

On 07/05/2022 at 19:22, sunnyday said:

I am going to sound sooooo ancient now - when funding was first introduced parents were supplied with a booklet of vouchers, they then passed on the vouchers to pre-school/nursery - it was all so simple

I remember it well and the funding rate was higher than our fee rate (duping us in to it), we kept getting reminders from county that the funding wasn’t to be used to subsidise fee paying rates ….the joke was on us 😞  

[sunnyday]

On 07/05/2022 at 20:33, Mouseketeer said:

I remember it well and the funding rate was higher than our fee rate (duping us in to it), we kept getting reminders from county that the funding wasn’t to be used to subsidise fee paying rates ….the joke was on us 😞  

Oh yes I had forgotten that, we were quids in for all of ten minutes

[louby loo]

Does anyone have to actually do anything with the forms or are they just left in the filing cabinet like us?

I remember having to post them off years ago. (and they just went in the normal post box- no recorded/tracked malarky)

Zigzag that's a pain! Ours just have hours taken up- no sessions or anything.

[sunnyday]

On 08/05/2022 at 10:23, louby loo said:

Does anyone have to actually do anything with the forms or are they just left in the filing cabinet like us?

I remember having to post them off years ago. (and they just went in the normal post box- no recorded/tracked malarky)

Zigzag that's a pain! Ours just have hours taken up- no sessions or anything.

We had to produce our forms at audit time - but I know that we have discussed this before and some of you lucky people have never experienced any sort of audit 😂

[louby loo]

On 08/05/2022 at 11:40, sunnyday said:

We had to produce our forms at audit time - but I know that we have discussed this before and some of you lucky people have never experienced any sort of audit 😂

I dread to think what would happen if we had an audit now!  I don't think we've had anything near full attendance since the first lockdown 😳.... and as for the milk returns 🙀

I think many parents are making up for lost time and doing lots of outings/days out etc - or maybe even [shock/horror] they found out they actually like having their children and home with them!   Lots of them off on holidays in the next few weeks too.

[Froglet]

Does anyone hold you accountable for attendance or expect you increase it at all? I know that in both my schools post covid it is a significant issue.

[louby loo]

On 09/05/2022 at 05:44, Froglet said:

Does anyone hold you accountable for attendance or expect you increase it at all? I know that in both my schools post covid it is a significant issue.

Not really, but if I'm honest I recon it's because the LA is well and truly out of there depth setting wise!  We get a weekly (although that's becoming a more bi-weekly of late) email update - a couple of online 'discussions' per term, and that's about it. I'm sure if they were properly staffed it would be another story altogether.   They don't even push the online group meetings- if you miss the email or forget nearer the time that's it no reminders are sent out. 

[finleysmaid]

On 07/05/2022 at 10:05, Froglet said:

I may be coming for an EY dose of creative help to get some specific maths and English objectives into Thomas, giraffes, sunflowers and the gruffalo!

 

OOh my sort of challenge!!!!

i am currently adding penguins and a small plastic pirate to most things !

[finleysmaid]

We get parents to print all their forms ...most are fine with this but we keep spares. All print out the funding forms with their initial pack and we get them to do the basics....then when they are funded we go out and attack them and get them to sign ! they never leave our hands😂

[finleysmaid]

my beef with parents at the moment is sessions...we offer 5 mornings 5 afternoon or five full days...most pay nothing for this. We cannot afford to have empty sessions. Why then does everyone feel they can argue with this and get me to change the rules for them!????

[sunnyday]

On 12/05/2022 at 06:49, finleysmaid said:

OOh my sort of challenge!!!!

i am currently adding penguins and a small plastic pirate to most things !

Oooh - sounds interesting!

On 12/05/2022 at 06:51, finleysmaid said:

We get parents to print all their forms ...most are fine with this but we keep spares. All print out the funding forms with their initial pack and we get them to do the basics....then when they are funded we go out and attack them and get them to sign ! they never leave our hands😂

That's very organised of you!

On 12/05/2022 at 06:55, finleysmaid said:

my beef with parents at the moment is sessions...we offer 5 mornings 5 afternoon or five full days...most pay nothing for this. We cannot afford to have empty sessions. Why then does everyone feel they can argue with this and get me to change the rules for them!????

Because you exist solely for their convenience! 

[sunnyday]

Morning all - tis Friday again!

Hope everyone is okay?

Very much looking forward to a family 'pizza party' this evening at youngest son's house (they have a pizza oven) - he has gone up to collect my eldest granddaughter from Uni, it will be so lovely to spend some time with her...

Tomorrow will be gardening, gardening and a bit more gardening! 

Hope that the weekend is kind to all x

[louby loo]

On 13/05/2022 at 09:28, sunnyday said:

Morning all - tis Friday again!

Very much looking forward to a family 'pizza party' this evening at youngest son's house (they have a pizza oven) - he has gone up to collect my eldest granddaughter from Uni, it will be so lovely to spend some time with her...

 

The weeks are certainly flying past!

Have fun a the pizza party- hope the weather stays good ☀️

We're doing the fall on family Sunday dinner - looking forward to that.

Have a good weekend everyone!

[Froglet]

Family pizza party and Sunday dinner sounds lovely - enjoy!

I had what can only be described as a true Friday 13th!  Let's just say that retrieving peas from my underwear was the high point - I was feeling slightly hysterical at the end of the day.

I have just hung the washing outside and I could really do with doing some serious tidying in the garden which, as it's so tiny, probably won't take that long!  I have various new planning formats to work on today, reports to write and transition arrangements to make.  I am currently wide awake so I am going to see if I can get going and stick with it today and take tomorrow off.  

[sunnyday]

On 14/05/2022 at 09:03, Froglet said:

Family pizza party and Sunday dinner sounds lovely - enjoy!

I had what can only be described as a true Friday 13th!  Let's just say that retrieving peas from my underwear was the high point - I was feeling slightly hysterical at the end of the day.

 

The mind boggles young Froglet 🙃

The 'pizza party' was very special, lots of laughter, I didn't realise that eldest son and family were attending too - what a bonus! 

Today - I am busy gardening, I have just come in for a five minute break

Poor Mr S is struggling to start the tractor mower - how frustrating for him...

Anyway - back to the gardening!

[Froglet]

Updating - why is it that the moment I write that I’m feeling wide awake and planning to get lots of work done I immediately feel overwhelmingly tired and have to take a nap?! So frustrating!

Edited May 14, 2022 by Froglet

[louby loo]

On 14/05/2022 at 12:39, Froglet said:

Updating - why is it that the moment I write that I’m feeling wide awake and planning to get lots of work done I immediately feel overwhelmingly tired and have to take a nap?! So frustrating!

Why not spend 30mins or so in the garden? That may help clear your head and the fresh air might motivate you, maybe even set up a small outdoor working space 😊

[sunnyday]

That's it for today - I am 'done in' - have been planting out Sunflowers, dahlias, rudbekia, cosmos, marigolds and petunias - loads left to do, but tomorrows another day 😃

Mr S managed to get the tractor mower started so he is happy!

Eldest son paid a visit to see where he needs to carry out a bit of fencing - we have his beautiful Sprocker coming to stay from Thursday and through the weekend, the last time she was here she 'escaped' from the field 🤦‍♀️ she came straight back when I called her, but it was still a 'heart-stopping' moment...

[louby loo]

On 14/05/2022 at 15:22, sunnyday said:

 have been planting out Sunflowers, dahlias, rudbekia, cosmos, marigolds and petunias - loads left to do, but tomorrows

Otherwise know as slug food in our house! 😭   although last year the cosmos did really well.  Have you grown them from seedlings?

 

Edited May 14, 2022 by louby loo