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!)