Year 6 went on their weekend residential on the 19th May 2017. What a brilliant residential it was! Miss Rawat kept the parents updated through a blog. Have a read below-
Friday 19/05/17 12:05pm
I have just finished checking all the suitcases to make sure children haven't forgotten anything. A big well done to all parents and children for doing such a fantastic job packing! The children are just about to go for their lunch and then we will be setting off for our holiday. We are so excited!
Friday 19/05/17 6:25pm
We had a long journey here as there was lots of traffic on the way but we are all here. We are safe and sound and enjoying the lovely countryside and fresh air.
When we arrived, we settled into our tents, laying out our bedding and running around exploring the tent village. All the children are extremely happy with their tents and have spent some time setting things up, moving beds etc.
we had a quick tour of the grounds and we just can't wait to start out activities.
We've just finished our dinner and every single child loved their dinner of fish and chips! Now we are just about to go to shop to spend some money!
Friday 19/05/17 11:06pm
Just blogging from my bed! We had a brilliant time at the campfire, we sung at the top of our voices, danced along and ate yummy toasted marshmallows. We had a fantastic time! We walked back to the tent village and had time to relax and enjoy the tents. At 10 o'clock, Mrs Cooper and I went round to check that everyone was in bed and they were all ready in pyjamas and tucked away in their duvets and sleeping bags. It's not as cold tonight as it was last year so we're all happy!
I can still hear some whispering from the tent next door. They're all so excited to be sleeping in tents!
That's it from me today. We have an early start tomorrow as our breakfast time is 7:30am!
Good night,
Miss Rawat xx
Saturday 20/05/17 8:30am
Morning all!
The sun is shining bright and we have just come back from a very yummy breakfast. We enjoyed a selection of cereals, yogurts and had a lovely hot breakfast of eggs, quorn sausages, beans and toast. We've all eaten well and are ready to start our day. Our first two activities are vertical challenge and giant swing.
We had an early start today with children waking up and getting ready at 6:45am. We were nicely refreshed and all children said they were warm throughout the night.
The children are all getting showered right now and I've just had Sohail asking me for my mirror so that he could style his hair!
I will try and update you after our first activities.
Saturday 20/05/17 10:05am
I am just watching the children have a go at their first activities. Group 1 are doing the giant swing and what a brilliant time they are having. Shahid and Haris were very confident and went all the way to the top! Yusuf and Saajid have had a good go too. Although they were nervous to begin with, they had big smiles as they pulled the rope and soared like an eagle. Brilliant growth mindset by all the children!
Group 2 are just nearby and they are having a go with vertical challenge. I've just watched Affaan, Aadam and Sohail climbing. We are so impressed with the teamwork and the way they are all encouraging each other. I've just been told that Sufyan, Rayhaan and Ismail are natural belayers! The instructor is so impressed!
I'm just watching Sehar, Muneebah and Sanaa starting their climb! They look confident, let's see how far up they go!
The sun is still shining bright, we have lovely blue skies and the children are having a brilliant time.
Saturday 20/05/17 1:50pm
We've had two activities this morning, the giant swing and the vertical challenge. The children have been fantastic so far and the instructors have complimented them on their brilliant behaviour and teamwork. Rayhaan and Alyza were absolutely fantastic and managed to climb (with ease) to the top of the vertical challenge! All children set personal challenges and thought about how far they wanted to go and every child met their own target.
We had a delicious lunch of pasta with a choice of bolognese sauce, quorn sauce and tomato sauce. It is lovely to see the children opting for the healthy option and enjoying the salad and fruit.
Group 1 are with me, having a go at the high ropes course. I am high above in the trees whilst I write this blog, and am watching the children getting harnessed onto the rails. Group 2 are having a great time playing aeroball!
The weathers taken a bit of a turn now. We've had a couple of rain showers but the grey clouds seem to be moving away now and the suns started peeking through.
Saturday 20/05/17 6:35pm
I am just writing this as I watch the children finish their dinner. The chicken nuggets and wedges option has been very popular with the children whilst the adults have thoroughly enjoyed the Thai green curry! Some of the children have even had second helpings. I see Sehar and Sohail finishing their ginger puddings and Yusuf A, Ismail and Sufyan enjoying a cup of tea.
The activities that the children have completed today have been absolutely brilliant. The high ropes really tested the children but they have really done us proud! Yusuf Akudi, Affaan, Safura, Ahmed, Zahra and Ismail really conquered their fears and completed the whole course! Although apprehensive to begin with, they were so proud of themselves by the time they had finished.
After activities, they had some time to relax in their tents and a lot of children decided to have a hot shower.
The weather has been miserable at times today but it hasn't dampened our spirits.
It's time to go back to the tents now and get ready for our evening activity. We'll be going out to play Capture the Flag.
Saturday 20/05/17 10:30pm
Just blogging from the teachers lounge before I head to bed. We've had a brilliant evening playing Capture the Flag and the teachers had a go on the high ropes course. When we returned back to our tent village, we gave the children 20 minutes to tidy their tents and present it to the 'inspectors'. They did a brilliant job and we were very impressed. The winners of the tidy tent competition will be announced tomorrow in our awards ceremony!
By 10:00, the children were all tucked away in bed, ready for a good nights sleep.
Mrs Cooper and I have just gone round for our final checks and everyone seems to be tucked away and fast asleep.
It's a colder night than it was yesterday so we've told everyone to wear some extra layers.
That's it from me tonight. We have a busy day tomorrow with lots of exciting activities.
Sunday 21/05/16 08:00am
Good morning all! The sun is shining bright this morning and the skies are a beautiful blue.
Not a sound was heard in the tent village this morning (except for snoring!). All the children were sleeping soundly and looked cosy in their tents. We went round at 6:45am to wake everyone up so they could get ready for breakfast.
We are currently finishing our breakfasts of halal sausages, hash browns, beans and mushrooms. The children have had a hearty breakfast and this should keep them going through all their activities. We are going to go back to our tents in a bit and get ready for our day.
Zahra is sitting next to me finishing her toast, Aksa is enjoying her bowl of porridge and Shahid is delicately nibbling (Zahra's words) on his buttery toast.
Sunday 21/05/16 10:15am
Just blogging whilst I watch the children in their first activity. My group are having a go at the Trapeze and group 2 are fencing. I've just watched Zahra climb all the way to the top with confidence. She even managed to stand up and jump for he bar! Yusuf Dabhad was up next and he has really conquered his fear of heights today, challenging himself to get to the top. I had a tear in my eye as I watched him climb. I was so proud! Haris is having a go now and he looks very confident. He's managed to climb all the way up in seconds and even grabbed the bar! What a superstar!
I've not had the opportunity to see how group 2 are getting on but I'm sure they're having a brilliant time.
Oh I forgot to update you on the toast situation in my last post... Mr Everett is now an intermediate level toast maker. Well done Mr Everett but you still have a way to go to reach professional level! All the children were happy with their toast and he got Mrs Coopers seal of approval.
Sunday 21/05/16 12:00pm
Quick update!
The two groups have switched over and now we are having a go at fencing and group 2 are having a go at the Trapeze. My group are having an excellent time wearing their fencing gear and learning different moves.
Group 2 are currently at the Trapeze and I've just been told that Rayhaan managed to climb all the way to the top in 32 seconds. The instructor was very impressed and said he should take up climbing as a hobby.
It's nearly time for lunch!
Sunday 21/05/16 4:35pm
We are all just at our final activities on this beautiful bright sunny day!
I am just watching my group on the zipwire. It's Aksa's turn and she's just being strapped in. We've just had our rifle shooting activity and we really enjoyed aiming at our target boards. Zahra and Haris had a super aim and got then the most points.
We'll be going for our dinner at 5:15pm and then it'll soon be time to go home.
I can tell the children are now tired after completing all their activities but they have stayed so positive and enthusiastic! They'll need a good nights sleep when they get home.
Sunday 21/05/16 7:45pm
Prepare yourselves for the last blog of 2017...
I am just thinking about our weekend (even though it's felt like we've been away for a week!). What an amazing week we've had. We cannot praise your children enough, they have been a credit to you. The way they have worked together, encouraged one another, laughed with one another and played with another has been incredible. Parents brace yourselves, I am not bringing home the same children you sent off on that Friday afternoon. They have transformed into grown up confident children who can do anything they set their minds to. I have seen a child who did the high ropes with fear in his eyes because he was determined he could do it. The smile and pride in his face when he completed the course was enough to bring tears to my eyes. I currently have Alyza singing at the top of her voice at the back of the coach with Sehar, Aksa, Zahra and Muneebah being her backing vocals. I've just told them how amazing it is to see them so open and confident!
I have the most happiest 23 children on this coach right now and this trip has really allowed us to bond and create some incredibly strong relationships with one another.
We finished our PGL experience with an awards ceremony and we all had the chance to discuss their favourite moments. We announced the winners of the tidy tents. We couldn't possibly choose one as they had all tried so hard so we decided to choose 2. The winners were-
Shahid, Aadam, Rayhaan and Saajid
And
Maariyah, Aamina and Sanah
We also had some special character awards and those were presented to-
Zahra, Ahmed, Affaan, Safura and Yusuf Dabhad
Our special sportsmanship award went to Rayhaan Rafiq as he really impressed us with his climbing skills. One of the instructors said he should take it up as a sport as he is good enough to compete in the Olympics!
Now as this blog comes to an end, I'd just like to finish with a few words. Parents, your children have done you proud. They have been so incredibly well behaved and polite and they have made this residential truly special. They are a truly special bunch of children and as I said to the children in the awards ceremony, 'You have made it so much harder for me to say goodbye to you at the end of the year.'
A big thank you to all the teachers, Mrs Cooper, Miss Drewery, Miss Walton, Miss Daji and Mr Everett. This residential could not have happened without you. You are a truly special team!
Parents I hope you enjoyed my blog (I realise this is an extremely long one!) and I thank you for reading. I would love to hear what you thought, please leave comments on the welcome page of the website so I can read them!
Lots of love,
Miss Rawat