YPL: Our Exciting New Plans
Sep. 6th, 2012 01:15 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alt_umbridgeDear boys and girls, I am just so excited to be able to announce the wonderful new plans for the YPL this year. We of course welcome all of our darling new first years, but I also invite those of you in upper years who have not been as previously involved to return. After all, this is the best opportunity to learn skills outside the classroom, and become the best young witches and wizards in service to our glorious Protectorate you can possibly be!
We are going to continue with just a few of the arrangements that Professor Sinistra had already made, but we have so much other material that we simply must cover that we’ll be adding quite a few additional meetings. Full date lists have now been posted in all of your common rooms, but I just want to draw your attention to the highlights.
Our first meeting together will be on September 16th, from 2 to 5 in the afternoon. In that, we’ll be handing out your membership sashes, learning about all the exciting plans for this year, and practising some study skills to help you all get the best start on the coming school year. We’ll also talk about some of the ways that you can demonstrate your commitment, skill, and loyalty to the programme’s aims outside of meetings.
One of these little projects will be to improve our fitness and overall health. We will be beginning to offer regular sessions of running, flying, and other activities several times a week. We’ll discuss more of the details on the 16th, but CCF students, kindly plan to remain until supper, as I expect you will be eager to take the lead on organising these sessions.
Other events this year will include a lecture from some of our Protectorate’s foremost magical engineers, a chance to be of service to village schools, and a truly wonderful writing project and competition to honour the Lord Protector. And for our CCF students, there will be a special activity building on the work of the past summer. We will also have many chances to gather loyally, polish our social and study skills, and temper ourselves to reveal our best and purest potential.
A chance to discuss your hopes for the programme: Now, finally, I want to let you all know that I take my position as the chair of the planning committee most seriously. I wanted to give you all a teensy amount of time to settle in, but beginning on Monday, I will be arranging meetings with all the current CCF members, and with all the counsellors (so for those who are both, we will be able to spend two delightful hours together). I have planned this around your course schedules, and I am sure you will be glad to set any other plans aside just this once.
After those are complete, I will be looking to meet with as many other interested parties - students in other years, faculty, parents, and members of our wonderful larger community - about long-term plans for the programme.
Again, should you or any of your parents have questions, I would be glad to assist. Students, my door is always open to you, and parents, I am readily reachable by owl and journal.
We are going to continue with just a few of the arrangements that Professor Sinistra had already made, but we have so much other material that we simply must cover that we’ll be adding quite a few additional meetings. Full date lists have now been posted in all of your common rooms, but I just want to draw your attention to the highlights.
Our first meeting together will be on September 16th, from 2 to 5 in the afternoon. In that, we’ll be handing out your membership sashes, learning about all the exciting plans for this year, and practising some study skills to help you all get the best start on the coming school year. We’ll also talk about some of the ways that you can demonstrate your commitment, skill, and loyalty to the programme’s aims outside of meetings.
One of these little projects will be to improve our fitness and overall health. We will be beginning to offer regular sessions of running, flying, and other activities several times a week. We’ll discuss more of the details on the 16th, but CCF students, kindly plan to remain until supper, as I expect you will be eager to take the lead on organising these sessions.
Other events this year will include a lecture from some of our Protectorate’s foremost magical engineers, a chance to be of service to village schools, and a truly wonderful writing project and competition to honour the Lord Protector. And for our CCF students, there will be a special activity building on the work of the past summer. We will also have many chances to gather loyally, polish our social and study skills, and temper ourselves to reveal our best and purest potential.
A chance to discuss your hopes for the programme: Now, finally, I want to let you all know that I take my position as the chair of the planning committee most seriously. I wanted to give you all a teensy amount of time to settle in, but beginning on Monday, I will be arranging meetings with all the current CCF members, and with all the counsellors (so for those who are both, we will be able to spend two delightful hours together). I have planned this around your course schedules, and I am sure you will be glad to set any other plans aside just this once.
After those are complete, I will be looking to meet with as many other interested parties - students in other years, faculty, parents, and members of our wonderful larger community - about long-term plans for the programme.
Again, should you or any of your parents have questions, I would be glad to assist. Students, my door is always open to you, and parents, I am readily reachable by owl and journal.
Private message to Horace Slughorn
Date: 2012-09-06 05:31 pm (UTC)I do hope you haven’t taken offence that I’ve not managed to make time to see you for a good chat yet. I felt it most important, first, to have a little chat with those whose duties most directly affect the YPL work itself. But please, don’t think for a moment I’d neglect you.
Would you have time soon for a visit from me? I would so love to catch up, and of course hear all your lovely stories about how your students have succeeded in the years since I left school. Do say we can find a time soon, and of course, I’ll bring a little treat or two.
Dolores
Re: Private message to Horace Slughorn
Date: 2012-09-07 02:16 pm (UTC)Not at all, not at all, my dear. In fact, I was just about to reply to you last night when that pack of lies appeared and quite threw my evening into disarray.
The first week of lessons is always a bit of a jolt, but now that I've settled our fifth-year Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws in for the morning, I can (blessedly) spend part of the hour catching up on the correspondence I missed last night.
I'd be delighted to meet with you, of course. My door is always open. May I say, it's remarkable to see you devoting yourself so passionately to the preparation of our young people. Particularly after your skills have been so valuable to the Ministry, for so long, I do hope your presence here means we might have more of a, well, a direct line, as it were? Not to fault the Governors, of course, or Minerva or even Septima, she does what she can, but it is good to know that someone with real influence in New London is only a few metres away.
Shall we say, Sunday afternoon?
Re: Private message to Horace Slughorn
Date: 2012-09-07 03:09 pm (UTC)Quite the night, yes. I do hope the dear students weren't too much upset by it? Sunday would be lovely. Your office? Mine? Perhaps at three, and then we'd have plenty of time to catch up well and properly.
As to that lovely compliment, well, I certainly hope to do what I can. It's more than clear already that a little extra in that area certainly wouldn't go amiss, and Latimer Caldwell - Division Director for Education, you know - has proven most willing to listen to my little suggestions.
It is so good to catch up once again.
I Solemnly Swear That I Am Up To No Good
Date: 2012-09-06 05:35 pm (UTC)Re: I Solemnly Swear That I Am Up To No Good
Date: 2012-09-06 05:51 pm (UTC)I think I may have just vomited in my mouth a bit.
Sashes? I say.
Though one could never object to more chances to 'gather loyally,' what? On top of all the homework we've already got, of course. It's dashed considerate of her to give us so many opportunities to prove ourselves.
-Justin
Re: I Solemnly Swear That I Am Up To No Good
Date: 2012-09-06 08:25 pm (UTC)I have a really bad feeling about this. Starting with those meetings she wants us all to have with her, yeah?
Re: I Solemnly Swear That I Am Up To No Good
Date: 2012-09-06 09:01 pm (UTC)I don't know, nothing she says here seems really awful. Perhaps she won't be so bad?
Re: I Solemnly Swear That I Am Up To No Good
Date: 2012-09-07 12:23 am (UTC)Re: I Solemnly Swear That I Am Up To No Good
Date: 2012-09-07 12:56 am (UTC)I suppose I'm just trying not to base my judgment of her on things like her off-putting way of talking to students as if they're really not bright, because she hasn't been a teacher before so she might not really know the best way to go about it yet.
Re: I Solemnly Swear That I Am Up To No Good
Date: 2012-09-07 01:12 am (UTC)And I don't like what happened with Professor Siz, but that might not have been her doing either.
She is incredibly annoying, though.
Re: I Solemnly Swear That I Am Up To No Good
Date: 2012-09-07 02:50 am (UTC)He's written again, did you see? Sirius.
-Justin
Re: I Solemnly Swear That I Am Up To No Good
Date: 2012-09-07 03:01 am (UTC)Re: I Solemnly Swear That I Am Up To No Good
Date: 2012-09-07 02:47 am (UTC)HOURS
Ugh.
I went up to Siz's office tonight because I wanted to know if admiring her kitten plates for two hours would keep her diverted. She wasn't sure. She gave me some other advice, it's rather generally applicable so I'll share but I need to organise my thoughts first.
You should all know, though, Professor Siz has all sorts of wards on her tower and if you want to talk to her privately she can be pretty sure no one's listening in. And if we want to talk to ONE ANOTHER privately -- or other students -- she has spaces we could use. She can't stop Umbridge from walking in but we'd know she was coming in time to look like we were revising astronomy or whatever.
Private message to Padma Patil
Date: 2012-09-06 05:40 pm (UTC)You are one of those whose opinions about the programme I am particularly interested in hearing early on. Looking at your schedule, would it be possible for you to meet with me tomorrow? (As I see your Monday is very full indeed, and Tuesday not much better). Either at 11am or at 4pm seem possible - do just let me know which you’d prefer.
Do come by my office, if you would, where we can be quite private.
D. Umbridge
Re: Private message to Padma Patil
Date: 2012-09-07 01:56 am (UTC)Thank you very much! It's such a surprise to be singled out from all the students like that.
(I'm sorry I didn't answer sooner but of course, I had my homework and then there were a few first- and second-year students who needed help from a Prefect. I hope you understand.)
I'd love to come and talk. I'm not sure what sort of ideas you're looking for, but I'll be happy to do what I can to bring people together through the YPL and CCF. I think they've been really amazing so far and I'm sure they're going to get even better.
I think 4 would be better, if that's still free for you, because then I'll be done with lessons for the day, and I'm not in Creatures, by the way, so that's perfect because I'll have had a couple of hours to start on homework already.
Thank you again! I'll try to live up to the opportunity to help shape the programme.
Re: Private message to Padma Patil
Date: 2012-09-07 02:27 am (UTC)Ah, thank you for that, dear. I'm still getting the knack of sorting out all of your individual schedules. And I certainly do understand and admire you tending to your other commitments.
4, then, tomorrow? And that way, if we need to talk a little longer, we'll have the time for it. Do have a thought, if you've a moment, to things you enjoyed, and things you wish had been done differently this summer, and to topics that could use additional time this school year.
I did want to compliment you, as well, on the idea for the code sessions. Really most delightful to see how clever you and some of your fellows were at solving some of those puzzles. If you had more ideas along those lines, I'd be glad to see if we could arrange something.