The OS Doorstep - a helpful and supportive thread in these tough times

maryb

Fuddle, it's a VERY long time since the Catholic church in this country was about bells and smells (now it's usually bad guitar playing, lol) and the school won't try to indoctrinate them so don't worry about that. It will probably be just the sort of nice, close, kindly school with sound values you would have designed for yourself if you had a blank bit of paper but they will mark the seasons of the Church year. However they will also follow the National Curriculum so the children will learn about other faiths as well, just as they would in a secular school

kezlou

lobbyludd i wouldn't be worried every school has to do it once a child falls below a certain amount of attendance or is late so many times in a row.Just be firm and explain clearly to them why your children were off. Say they were both ill and unfortunately they had to stay off school.
We had the officer this year when ds2 was off 8 weeks with measles and a broken arm. The officer was very apologetic and said i'm sorry its a government guidelines. She stayed for a cuppa,some biscuits and a little chat, then left saying hope ds2 gets better soon.
Fuddle so pleased dd enjoys her school, fab
Its hard finding places on the road, i find it easier walking half the time! But then i'm a nightmare lol

Well boys have both been off again, ds2 spewed up last night again, when is it ever going to stop. He's coughed today but no sock whoo hoo. So tomorrow he is going back to school even if i have to drag him there!


Have to say mine aren't fussed with the adverts, but then we don't watch live tv only the iplayer etc
They both write a letter, ds1 (13yrs) hasn't this time, and we don't buy everything on it, just a few. Have to find the stockings which are still in the garage, so shortly be filling them p.

I've never brought in the greenery, instead we buy a outside wreath and hang that outside. We don't have lights at the window, but we do have a real christmas tree that looks a tart (OH's words). Its a big mish mash of various things.
We make home made decorations and hang them all over the place so gawd only knows what it looks like but love it anyway.

Pooky

Afternoon all

Ginny - sorry to hear about all the work related hassles your family are going through, hope they all sort themselves out soon.

Glad to hear the girls are sorted with schools Fuddle - a lovely time of year to join a school as there's so much going on.

I'm not sure who responds to all the Christmas adverts because I certainly don't know anyone buying new furniture and electrical items or redecorating their house from top to bottom.

Our Christmas is very simple, we use the decorations and trees we've had for years, I normally make a few new decs every year and the girls always get to buy one new one each every year too, then when they leave home they will have a lovely set of decorations they've picked themselves. It's funny how their tastes have changed over the years from the "pink and fluffy" to the "black and chrome" to the more traditional stuff.

I've put my decorations out toay, 3 trees (main one still to be decorated - will do that as a family this evenings, we light the fire, stick on some cheesy Christmas music, everyone has to wear a tinsel hat and have a glass of something cold and white). My kitchen tree is covered in handmade felt decorations I made a few years back, my advent calendar is felt too, I loved making it and we get a great deal of pleasure getting it out each year.

Beef stew in the SC, will throw some dumplings in later but it smells ruddy gorgeous and I'm starving as I didn't get round to lunch....can't wait.

Hollyberry

MrsLurcherwalker wrote: »

HOLLYBERRY there is a lady living not too far from here who regularly in the week before christmas cuts holly with berries from her tree and puts them outside her front gate in a rickety old wheelbarrow with a notice on it saying please help yourself, merry christmas!!! I love to walk past and see people take just a few small branches, never greedy and always appreciative. A far cry from the rotten greedy person who last year overnight cut every single berry bearing branch from a tree used by the whole village and left none for us. You could see the marks of lorry wheels by the tree and I suspect it was sold in the markets, such a mean and coldhearted gesture just before christmas, Lyn xxx.

That's an inspired idea, Mrs L. Will get my secuteurs ready in a week or so, and leave a selection. I can even manage the old barrow!

That's sad about the greedy person/s. I once took a load of greenery and berried holly to the local craft centre, who had asked for some for decoration...next thing it was all being sold in the shop. I did suggest they might want to donate the money. :mad:

ETA - to charity, of course, not to me...

fuddle

Thanks so much for sharing your views and experience on the schooling. I feel a lot better now much appreciated.

I will moisturise my mitts this evening Lyn. It's getting chilly too. We're off to find an Asda for uniform for the girls. Bit upset that eldest needs grey and youngest needs blue gubbins - I bought black in September didn't I! Doh! I've ad to invest in logo'd book bags and jumpers but the rest is able to be sourced elsewhere thank goodness.

Had my council tax bill in. We're band c but because the first payment isn't due till January it's upped the monthly payments till April. At least I know and can put aside for it.

kidcat

Fuddle you can make a payment earlier if it helps. At least in oyr council and the neighbouring ones as well. The January payment will be due to their slow system but they usually accept any payment in the meantime.

mardatha

Fuddle I'm a rabid heathen but my 2 older kids went to catholic schools, because I think they're better. Now all 3 of us are terrified of nuns...

ivyleaf

Fuddle -So pleased you are happy with your girls' new schools. What a shame their uniforms are different colours, but at least once the older one is at middle school you'll be able to start putting her outgrown middle school uniform away for the younger one to have later.

No way are you two-faced! If those were the only school places available, then they are the ones "meant" for your girls. That's what I believe anyway.

Mar - We moved around quite a bit due to my Dad's job, but I went to a couple of Catholic schools along the way (I wasn't a Catholic then, I converted later) and must have had nicer nuns than you got landed with All the teachers in our local RC schools around here are lay people, I think. When my DD started at the local RC girls' secondary school in the late '80s her form teacher was a nun, but she wore trousers and jumper rather than a habit

maryb

There are hardly any nuns left these days. They were all getting on a bit when I was at school with not much fresh blood coming along. The nuns at my primary school were overly harsh, but I think that may have been a general thing in the 1950s? I remember being slapped far too often for minor things by all the teachers, not just the nuns, and my mother as well. I'm not one of those who look back at the 1950s as a golden age!!

Nuns at my senior school were OK for the most part and they were kind to me when my mother died and I had to board in sixth form.

But I think it must have been a general rule that there was always one nun who looked like a poison dwarf with a temperament to match. And she was always in charge of domestic science or school dinners. And she was usually called Sister Gertrude

mardatha

The nuns were actually ok, but very tough. You can't get anything past a nun...not the tiniest teeniest littlest fib. LOL!