College Blog – 30th September 2022
To kick the blog off this week, a huge thank you to all students and staff for their hard work, commitment and dedication. A great effort; well done all!
This week, the College Parliament was established and we are looking forward to our first Student Council Rep meeting on Thursday 6th October 2022. This year, we have Student Reps from each pathway and group. Also, on Thursday, we look forward to Cathy (School/College Governor) joining us for the Council’s dialogue.
Activ8 Update
“This week, as always, it’s been all action in Activ8.
We made the trip to the NEC arena, Birmingham, for the Arnold festival. The Arnold festival is an annual celebration of all things fitness! This was the first time that the convention was held in the UK and our students and staff were buzzing to be in attendance!
We hit the road and headed towards the West Midlands. We arrived in one piece, right on cue, and full of anticipation. A number of world class body builders, fitness analysts and athletes attended the event, much to the delight of the Activ8 and NBC team.
With so much so going on, it was impossible to know where to start, so we split up and started to explore. Mr. Newton successfully lifted the Dug bone and won £100 in vouchers in the process! Top class sir, top class!
Declan.R, Bradley and Dan quickly turned their attention to the football rig. The trio were showing off skills that Cristiano Ronaldo would be proud of. The stakes were raised when Dec challenged the organiser to a game of Peña. Dec had his back to the wall, conceding two goals. One goal away from defeat, Dec pulled victory from the jaws of defeat; he pulled off the nutmeg and won the game!
Macaulay also had a wonderful day. Here is what he had to say:”
“I saw various weightlifting activities, event and competitions. The banner I saw illustrating Arnold Schwarzenegger’s life was a highlight. Many people were dressed up as movie characters; Predator was my favourite. I loved seeing how people exercised; I got to see the type of vitamins they take and what inspired them. The body building competitions were my favourite. It inspired me, seeing how hard they have worked. I enjoyed spending the day with different people. I loved the fact that I got to go out and experience this.”
“Also this week, the team attended Chadderton park. The group have worked on reading and understanding 4 and 6 figure grid references in recent weeks. We put what we had learnt to the test. I’m thrilled to say that each of our young people met the challenge head on!
We split up and each team was tasked with following their map and reaching different checkpoints around the park. Declan. R took the lead like an expert, showcased some epic map reading skills and supported his team to each checkpoint. Liam was also in fine form; Mr. Lawrence is ecstatic with the progress he is making. Liam displayed many fantastic leadership qualities and beamed with confidence. Connie, the captain and matriarch of the team, was at her archetypal, brilliant best! She ensured that each of her team members were prepared to take on the challenge.
Meanwhile, over in Activ8 two, cycling was on the agenda. Jayden was having a blast and Iona showed tonnes of endeavour; she is always one to give her absolute best efforts!
I must confess, Alexandra park is one of my absolute favourite destinations in the local area. What a fantastic place for our students to start their day! Of course, things started to get competitive as each of our students peddled with fury to reach the front and lead the pack.
On a Wednesday, the Activ8 family come together as both groups combine. The focus down at David Lloyd this week was components of fitness. Speed, cardiovascular endurance, power and agility were the components that we worked on this week. The bleep test was up first! Jayden, Dan and Iona gave a great account of themselves, giving their best and showing resilience in abundance! GREAT STUFF!
The Activ8 two team have worked hard on their Sports Leaders accreditation, developing the skills and behaviours needed to be sports leaders. This week, the team have emphasised the importance of teamwork and self-management, while preparing for their delivery of the ‘Multi station’ activities.
Finally, I would like to pass on a Massive congratulations to Connie and Alex. Both have been elected Student reps for ‘The Smart School Council’. The Activ8 team have full faith in them and are in no doubt that both will be a huge success.
We’ve had a jam-packed week and enjoyed being out and about!
Have a lovely, relaxing weekend!”
The Activ8 team.
Lumenus Update
“This week in Lumenus we have been settling back into college life and getting used to our routines again. We have also started our BTEC course. This term, we are covering the units ‘Being Organised’. The students have done some excellent work around time management, being organised and using digital devices.
Katie from Touchdown Dance has also come and paid Lumenus a visit. Students completed their weekly movement therapy session.
In Pathway, we went over to Oldham Theatre Workshop. Lumenus were split into groups, with each group given a picture stimulus which they then had to create a narrative around. To begin, our students created a freeze frame before completing a narrative to accompany it. All students produced the beginning of a devised piece, which they will continue to develop throughout the next few weeks.”
Girls Group Update
“Today in Girls Group we focused on sharing, turn taking and being polite using our calming voices.”
