Thursday 2 October 2014

A wee review.

Tomorrow afternoon will no doubt hear the sounds of suitcases being unpacked, washing machines groaning under the strain of a few muddy clothes, kids snoring, staff snoring and many, many tales of what happened this week. Perhaps it is a good time to draw a close on what has been a fantastic week.

This week has seen an awful lot happen which the P7 team can be proud of. Each teacher witnessed children pushing themselves to the limits. Those who might be a little quieter than others still managed to get themselves to the top of the climbing tree - no mean feat and one which drew on some serious reserves of resillience and courage. Pupils who might not be the most organised at times followed weekly timetables, got themselves to meeting points, wore the right equipment at the right times and managed to get it all back to the centre at the end. Teachers and pupils shared stories about what they had done, jokes were giggled over, temporary terrors talked about and friendships made.

One thing that the Lagganlia class of 2014 can be proud of forever was their amazing ability to 'be there' for people in their team.  Instructors commented on it, Sciennes staff saw it and pupils felt it.  From pushing themselves further than they may originally have expected on the climbing tree, to offering a helping hand to someone who was slipping in the gorge, our P7 pupils were a credit to you.  Their ability to look out for each other and, in turn, for many of them to know that someone was going to help them when they were stuck, or motivate them when heads went down, was something that adults can be proud of and this fact was consistently proven at Lagganlia, our P7 pupils can be proud of their many adult moments, their many mature, empathetic and sympathetic thoughts towards those around them.  Well done.

We follow the Curriculum for Excellence in school but did the four capacities mean anything at Lagganlia? Was the P7 team actually working just as hard at camp as they would have been at school? Lets see shall we...

http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/curriculumforexcellence/whatiscfe/purposes.asp

1/ Successful Learners - 'enthusiasm and motivation for learning' features here, amongst other things. We opened ourselves to new ideas, we pushed ourselves to new limits - the tree climb being a great example of this , we communicated dangers on night lines to others, sometimes we worked independently (archery), often we worked as a team (gorge walking).

2/ Confident Individuals - we won't list the breakdown here but my goodness did P7 develop their confidence. New skills were learned, old worries about activities moved to one side in the bid to succeed. For some even being away from home, setting tables and being organised would have been a challenge - a challenge which was met and surpassed.  We hope this bodes well for high school in June!

3/ Responsible Citizens - 'respect for others' starts this capacity - I don't think there is anything which gives you more respect for someone than when you are standing at the top of the (very tall) climbing tree, cold, wet and scared and you look down and see one of your P7 pals holding onto your safety rope, encouraging you to make that final push. Responsibility was a key element to many activities, from equipment checking before hand to helping spot dangers on the other.

4/ Effective Contributors - 'Solve problems' need we say more?

So a big well done to everyone in P7, from the parents and guardians who encouraged beforehand and got all the resources together, to the Lagganlia staff who provided the most excellent level of tuition and encouragement to our ultimate stars, the pupils who made the week so enjoyable...Well done all of you!

PS More photies to come...
Yours,
Mr Howie

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