There’s only a week and a bit of term 3 remaining and it’s jam-packed!
Following our students’ fabulous success at the recent athletics carnivals in Sydney, this Friday they will again have an opportunity to demonstrate their athletic abilities as they compete with four other colleges at Mingara. This particular carnival we consider to be more of a fun event. Students have been divided into three teams, each with a female and male senior student ‘Team Captain’ plus a teacher ‘Team Leader’. Each student will participate in a number of events during the day. I have to say that my team, ‘The Dream Green Team’, is going to be difficult to beat and we are looking forward to much success on the day.
Coming Monday, Years 5, 6, 7 and 8 are heading off to Myuna Adventure Centre, near Toronto on the coast south of Newcastle. We will enjoy three days of physical activities, challenges and adventures. Joining the camp will be Andrea, Brad, Rebecca, Shane and myself. For the remainder of the last week, students will be finalising and submitting assignments. On Friday there will be an Oz Tag tournament – the staff will also field a team (I guess therefore the outcome is a given) – this will be followed by a BBQ lunch.
For me this is a typical finishing off of a term. There is normally a rhythm to a term, not unlike the daily rhythm most of us experience: a slowish beginning, then our productive part of the day and finally the evening relaxing period. Similarly a college term begins slowly with the students being eased into their tasks, this soon intensifies into a highly productive period, which levels out and is maintained for several weeks, then over the final week or so, things relax, completed their work and begin to wind down.
Over the years I’ve occasionally heard parents comment on the length of term breaks. Understandably it can be problematic ensuring appropriate childcare, nevertheless these breaks are essential and a very important component in the rhythm of learning. The young adolescent is at a critical stage of their development, there needs to be a healthy balance between rest and activity, sleeping and wakefulness, learning and relaxing. It would be wrong to think that a student is only learning during the time that they are at college, or when they are active and wakeful. So much happens when what is learned during these active times sinks into the unconscious and subconscious. The term break is a time for students, and teachers alike, to refresh and to prepare for the new term.
As this is my last blog for this term, I would like to wish all IFS students and their families a refreshing, restful and enjoyable break.
Kind regards,
Rodney
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