Are we nearly there yet?

Leadership activities at Fordell mean challenges, and this year's tramp was no exception. Four hours of tramping up hill and down, well, was there any downhill? The rest of the Wanganui East Cluster were with us, and after an hour in the van to get to the tracks past Bushy Park, we were into it. All the class did really well, no tears and no serious blisters. Lunch was by the dam and some bright teacher chose the hilly way back. Never mind, we all made it, and that's one challenge to tick off on our Tuia Challenge. The Mountain Biking and Ballroom Dancing sound a bit easier....

Windy Weather

Last Monday saw the third week of sailing for Room 1. It was so windy we were only supposed to use the top end of the lake. Good plan, except once the wind is in the sails and it's only your third lesson, there's not a lot you can do about it. Plenty of shrieks, a couple of capsizes and a deliberate bale out (Bridie, not the water) and we were done. Wet and  wind-beaten, but still great fun. Roll on next Monday and the regatta in a few weeks time....

Great Fun, Awful Jokes

Learning, playing and swimming! Room 1 has leapt into term 1, eager to start learning.  This year’s Yr 7’s are settling into the new environment of the senior room and getting used to Mr Reddish’s jokes (which trust me are not funny, but we all just laugh to make him feel good.)

This term we have two topics: ‘Inventors and Inventions’ and ‘The Great New Zealand Flag Debate’. We have thought about what we would like to learn and study around inventors and inventions; like creating our own inventions and writing reports on famous inventors. The great New Zealand flag debate has become a huge topic all over New Zealand and in schools. Fordell School has voted on which flag we like best now and we will vote again after we have discussed what each flag means to us and once the New Zealand public have all voted. Learning may seem like all we are doing this term but we actually have a lot of fun things to look forward to. This leads me to my next subject.

Being in the senior end of the school means that we get to enjoy a lot more activities outside the classroom. This term we are doing technology. Today the Yr 7s  made delicious scrambled eggs, so we can’t wait to go back each week! We also get to do sailing, which I am really looking forward to and so are the rest of the class! Leadership camps are great ways to make friends, push yourself to do new and exciting things and to get better at working in a team. This year we are doing the Tuia Challenge which will include tramps, camps and the activities like ballroom dancing (which we will be doing in term four.) One of the best parts of the year is our class camp, hopefully we are going somewhere that the whole class will enjoy, but for now the only thing on our minds is getting through the heat!

Summer is the perfect time for swimming and on hot days, the air conditioning sometimes just isn’t enough. We have already jumped into the calm, collected water of the Fordell pool. My swimming group has practised our technique for lengths and my favourite part of swimming - lifesaving! In partners, we have helped each other get to the side of the pool. The swimming sports are still to come, as well as more fun in the sun!

Learning, playing and swimming! Room 1 has been welcomed back to school and are all ready to get started. At this stage we are all going to survive (only if Mr Reddish’s jokes don’t get any more ridiculous though!)

Sailing by Georgina

On Monday Room 1 went to Pauri Lake to go sailing. The wind was fairly strong but was forecast to drop, so we quickly rigged up the boats and set sail, making the most of the wind while it lasted.
We had a great time, sailing up and down the lake like professionals. After a swim in the cool water and some morning tea, Terry (one of the commodores) called some of us over to try to teach us how to sail up and down the lake as quickly as possible. To do this he taught us how to identify where the wind was coming from, and how to use the front of the sail to tell if you were facing too high into the wind. If the front of the sail was starting to flap, you were pointing too high into the wind and you had to turn your boat until your sail was full. He also taught us when to pull our sail in and when to let it right out.
Room 1 had a great time at sailing and we are looking forward to next week when we will hopefully learn more about the sport and how to do it.

Sailing a big Success

Room 1 had their first sailing lesson of the year today, up at Pauri Lake, courtesy of Wanganui Sailing Club. Conditions were well nigh perfect, a steady breeze and a little overcast. Bob and Terry, the two instructors, gave a thorough demonstration on how to rig the boat and some basic instructors for the first-timers, and then the class were away. Capsizing was at a minimum, mercifully few children ended up in the reeds, and the early nerves soon vanished. The verdict by common consent was that a great morning was had by all and Room 1 cannot wait for next Monday to come around.

Intrepid Journey for Room 1 Boys

Welcome back to a hectic-as-ever term in Room One. Activities this term include Leadership Camp, Tongariro Crossing, Technology, Swimming Sports, Cluster Swimming, Sailing, Duathlon, Army Museum and Wanganui Museum Visits, House Challenges and much more. Phew!

In the classroom our Inquiry Topic is 'Intrepid Journeys', where we will be learning about early settlers, James Cook, Antarctic Explorers (successful and otherwise), famous aviators and sailors, and trying to answer the eternal question 'Did the Americans really land on the Moon?'

An Intrepid Journey of a different kind is that being undertaken by Room One boys, who, for the first time in several years, are outnumbered in the classroom by girls by 2 to 1. Who will cope with the more fragrant atmosphere? Who will talk more? Who will work harder? Who will be more organised? Who has the funnier jokes? For the sake of all us males, boys, make sure by the end of the year the answer to all of these is you!

Have a great year, Room One

Mr Reddish

Leadership Camp

Last month the Room 1 students departed from school for a fun 2 days at Green Pastures. To start the day off we did kayaking, classroom work, and team building with the other cluster schools. But you cant forget the mud run. Waist deep in mud, the wet brown liquid finding places you didn't even know existed. It was great. Soon after that the other schools left leaving us with the entire camp to ourselves. To finish the day off we had a great game of spotlight and got the kayaks out again. The next day we were onto raft building with ours failing miserably. But we still had a good time. Overall we had a fantastic camp.