09 Sep newsletter
Newsletter 26 June 2011 - Last week 10-11
Dear reader!
Wow, no words better describe the last week at Ranum Efterskole. It has been nothing less than a fantastic, enjoyable, social and moving week.
Students and teachers have been together almost around the clock enjoying the last days and hours together. It has been a very special team of students and school year, and it was a very moving farewell yesterday, Saturday!
The week started for many students with a fantastic and active weekend, where they wrote memory books, baked and had fun in the kitchen, as well as made some excursions, including to the animal show in Løgstør and to the beach.
In addition to tests in physics and English, Monday was a record day. And the pupils went all out.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, the students finished the last oral exams and on Wednesday afternoon we played the traditional football match between the teachers and the students. The result was 3-2 for the teachers!!
After the football match, all contact groups were either at home with the contact teacher or on a final contact group trip. The last evening in the rooms was used to say a proper goodbye to the buddies and to hug everyone goodnight.
On Thursday, all the rooms were cleaned. The students were super efficient and got everything cleaned up.
In the afternoon and evening we went on an exciting trip to Livø, where we celebrated Sct. Hans. The trip from Rønbjerg to Livø took place in Rib boats, and lasted only about 7 minutes. It was great! The sailors sailed in Big Triss, and Matches 37, followed by the safety boat.
On Friday morning, the students rehearsed the lance in the hall, and in the afternoon they prepared the Gala Party. The menu was in a gastronomic super class!
Friday never ended for many students, nor did many want it to end, and everyone slipped past midnight into the very last day of great fellowship around the bonfire in the South Garden, memorial book writing in the Love House and chatting in the sleeping quarters.
On Saturday morning, the parents arrived and the packing started. At 11 am we all gathered in the Multicultural House for a big and moving farewell. Farewell speeches were given and the Parents' Council was highly praised and recognised for their great work at the student parties.
The President of the Ranum Efterskole Board presented 3 awards to the highest average, a remarkable personal development, and a special award to an international student. After singing the Tree of Life for the last time, and singing Kar's RE song, written for the end of this school year, it was time to let the parents take their chairs out and make room for the big hug, where everyone got the chance to hug and hug goodbye to each and every student one last time. With 221 pupils, it takes well over an hour, so in the meantime parents enjoyed refreshments and finished chatting to each other and the teachers. Tears were flowing...
We had the most amazing weather and it was a beautiful end to a wonderful school year, with some lovely kids! Thanks for the loan!
Best regards and have a great summer holiday.
Olav Storm
supervisor.
Letter from parents:
Dear Olav and teachers at Ranum efterskole!
Thank you for a "GOLD YEAR" for daughter - together with a fantastic team .
It has been a wonderful experience to be the parents of a student at Ranum.The feeling of handing over our golden child - experiencing the confidence she has had to go all out - to get involved - and then get tenfold again - and then come up and pick up a daughter who has transformed herself - and shines like a crystal - together with - and in shared emotion with 220 other young people - it is really great. We also shed a few tears. We can't give her that kind of fellowship as parents.
Thank you for daring! Nepal in particular has left its mark. But also Czech Republic - Greece and skill - and sailing !
Thank you for your solution months ago - with parental involvement - and a solution that allowed space for everyone.
Today with xenophobic tones in our country - it is so important that our youth also see alternative positive solutions that do not just moralize - and expel - but find solutions in the 3rd or 4th country - where it is possible to meet.
Nice well thought out event yesterday .Good to see and appreciate the parents who have provided good parties in a safe environment.
Nice way to hand out 220 certificates - without taking all the time away from what is important - that students and teachers and staff get to say goodbye properly.
North Jutland has a bright light - after we got to know RE.
TAK.
And we wish you happiness and success and exciting experiences and development also in the future.
Newsletter 18 June 2011
Dear reader!
It has been an eventful week on several levels. Each student has had several oral exams, and we have had visits from Minister of Education Troels Lund Poulsen and Member of Parliament and Education Spokesman for the Left Per Bisgaard. Alongside this exciting visit, a larger group of students found the time and energy to visit a fantastic art exhibition at Kunsten (formerly Nordjyllands Kunst museum) in Aalborg. In fact, the week is still in full swing as there are well over 150 students at the school wringing the last drop of activity and community out of the school year!
Visits from Minister of Education Troels Lund Poulsen and Member of Parliament and Education Spokesman for the Left Per Bisgaard are not everyday fare for us in Ranum. It is said that it has not happened since at least the 80s, when the seminary fought for survival in the first wave of centralization. This time, the visit was because the two politicians wanted to see and hear about the foundations of Ranum Afterschool's success. They met a group of very positive and happy students, watched a German exam and saw what an after-school room looks like on an ordinary Thursday afternoon. After the tour, a coffee table was organised as a dialogue meeting, where the audience sat around the "official table" and could contribute questions and comments to the conversation.
After a presentation about the school, a nice dialogue took place, especially between the students and the minister. The Minister wanted to know where the pupils came from in the country and was surprised that they came from all over the country. He asked about their motivation for choosing Ranum Efterskole and was particularly interested in the international profile. He got a great explanation from several students, who also had the opportunity to tell what they got out of taking a 9th or 10th grade year at Ranum. On a more general note, yours truly had the opportunity to draw the Minister's attention to the unfortunate economic impact the recovery package is having on many parents and schools. The students' positive statements about their benefit from an after-school year in Ranum must have given food for thought regarding the cutting of a success and directly undermining the goal of 95% to complete a secondary education.
We also had the opportunity to tell the minister about the inappropriate consequences of the Tvind law, which back in the mid 90s was supposed to stop the Tvind Empirie, but which today acts as a brake on the free schools' ability to develop in new directions of cooperation and among other things travel for more than 28 days in a school year. Troels Lund Poulsen wanted to hear more about this, and also invited to a dialogue about Ranum Efterskole's ideas for a broader cooperation with other types of schools. Before the politicians set off again for the city, they were each presented with 3 different Ranum Efterskole salt bags with spices for the fish, chicken and steak on the barbecue. And a memento of a good story from Ranum Efterskole. The minister was also presented with a newly published book Vesthimmerland through 60 years, by Søren Christensen, who also helped to start Ranum Efterskole. The book describes the start and development of Ranum Efterskole.
Thank you to all students, staff and board, as well as guests, for a rewarding and memorable day. Hopefully it won't be 25 years before we have another visit from the head of our area.
This week's oral exams have again gone off without a hitch. The general impression is that many people have done well. Unfortunately, we had to postpone 2 test days to the last week of school because a teacher fell ill. The students have taken it well and are only looking forward to getting the tests over with so that all energy can be put into getting the last social out of the community in the last week. The exams actually continue until Wednesday of the last week, which makes for a very busy office in terms of getting test certificates and statements written, etc.
Wednesday evening there was a basketball game between Ranum Skole and Ranum Efterskole. It was a tough match and fortunately the hard training up to the game paid off and we got a great win!
Thursday afternoon, after the minister had left, we played a great local match with Løgstør's Mester team. The result was a crushing defeat of 0-7. Now the students hope - a bit naively - to get back on track in the traditional football match against the staff on Wednesday...
Yesterday, Friday, we were visited by nature guide Lars from the Limfjord Museum, who presented prizes to the winning team from last week's visit and activities at the museum.
In the coming week, there are many activities and tasks to be completed before we reach the big gala on Friday. In addition to rehearsals, students will be cleaning up their classrooms, rooms and common areas. A bunch of students have emptied the old pavilions, which are now VERY cheaply for sale... One goal is to have the rooms cleared by Thursday morning, so we can do a joint main cleaning, and be ready to go on a joint last St. Hans expedition in the afternoon and evening. Students will sleep the last few days in a tented camp behind the Seminary House, in the Imagination Loft, and in the old gymnasium.The lower hallway of the Seminary House and the west wing of the Seminary House will be open for bathing and changing. We have tried this successfully in the past and moving out of the rooms brings everyone close together for the last two nights before we part on Saturday.
Another highlight of the week will certainly be the distribution of the Blue Book. Fortunately, it was finished this week after a few groups kept us all in suspense by throwing away their folders. They just made it! The Blue Book will be handed out to the students next week after they have cleaned their rooms and handed in their keys.
On Friday there is the Outro Galla party and in the evening there will be both dancing lance, and presented a number of honors. As something new, we have received the recognition from Rotary in Løgstør, that they would like to support an honorary award for the Comrade of the Year. The election is in full swing and will close this Monday at noon. Students and staff can nominate 3 comrades, and of course I hope that many will be nominated, even though in the end only one will receive the award.
Tomorrow, Sunday, there will be a Nepal story from this year's Nepal trip from 15.-17. The pupils will talk about their experiences from the trip in January and the group of old pupils who went on a memorial trip in February will talk about their benefits from the trip. On this link you can read the students' Nepal magazine, which in young people's words and eyes tells about the meeting with other young people in Nepal etc.
It is exciting reading, which again shows that young people can do a lot, as long as they are well equipped and given the opportunity to show it!
That was the message to the Minister of Education; that is the message to all parents and that is the specific aim of our school, to give young people confidence, respect and recognition that they can achieve their goals if given the chance. In a week's time, this year's after-school team will be finishing and it has been absolutely fantastic to follow them on their way!
Best regards and have a great weekend!
Olav Storm
supervisor.
Newsletter 10 June 2011
Dear reader!
The oral tests have gone off without any major problems. And examiners from all over the region have been coming to and from the school with lots of positive impressions and praise for the students. The teachers have their own classes up for testing and are on censor visits to both primary schools and other after-schools. The students have been busy with preparations and in between there has been time to visit Bacecamp in Kærhuset, where Ulrik, has arranged volleyball, walk-and-talks, and a lot of joint PC gaming. It has given a nice peace that the students could seek out of the rooms to be dispersed and get renewed energy for the tests and preparations through activity.
The week has also seen a visit from a primary school class from Aarhus, who were on a survival trip, and they needed that as they faced a serious beating in the football match against the after-school boys. On Wednesday, many of the divers went diving in the Limfjord and although the water still lacks a few degrees in comfort temperature, the equipment is in order and the divers brought home several lobsters for the barbecue.The teachers held a preparation day on Thursday evening and the framework is now ready for the last period and the start in August. Soon it will be summer vacation time and in the last weeks the teachers will write their personal statements to their contact students.
On Thursday, about 75 students visited the Limfjord Museum in Løgstør. They cycled off in the morning with black clouds over their heads, and ended up having a great day with lots of learning and activity by the Frederik VII canal, together with the Limfjord Museum nature guide. Other students took advantage of the good weather at the beginning of the week to go on their own little trip to Livø, where they went ashore and enjoyed an ice cream. At the weekend a crew went on a 3 day trip to the island and enjoyed being together on their own.
There have been some unintentional dropouts in the community gatherings, because more people are preparing for the tests on the same day and some do not consider it important to gather. But it's really important that everyone is together for the morning assembly during the rehearsal period, because until dinner everyone is spread out over a lot of activities and rehearsals. That's why we're putting extra focus on getting everyone together in the coming days.
Today we showed a preview of the afterschool presentation film the students shot last week. It was well received and will soon be shown on this site as well.
Pedagogically, it is important that there is quiet at night in the houses so that everyone can be fresh for their preparations and tests. This means that there will be extra attention around the night hours.
Tuesday saw the start of a major renovation of the roof of the main building. We are taking down two vent chimneys because their seals are tender and they are drawing water into the house. It made some noise and subsequently we moved the oral exams to a more peaceful location in the house.
On Wednesday afternoon we were visited by 55 50 year graduates from Ranum Seminary. They were given a short presentation about the school's current development and future plans. Afterwards, former Rector Hans Støttrup Jensen gave a presentation on the history of the seminary. It was fascinating to experience the enthusiasm of the older Ranum people for the school's new future as efterskole.
The coming week will see another full week of rehearsals. Many have completed most of their tests and will have more time for activities. It is also the last regular week where we follow the typical daily schedule.
Tuesday there is a Kanal race in Løgstør. Many students have signed up and will have a nice nature experience along the canal and the streets of the town.
Visit by Minister of Education Troels Lund Poulsen. And it's not an ordinary week after all, because on Thursday we will be visited by Minister of Education Troels Lund Poulsen and Member of Parliament Per Bisgaard, both from the Left. This is a good opportunity for us in Ranum to talk about our special interests in the international field and the special profile, where the students themselves help to shape part of the school's profile subjects and activities. At the same time, we have the opportunity to tell the Minister of Education about the consequences of the cuts in the school sector for both parents and the after-school school.
Invitation to Graduation on 25 and evaluation sent to parents: today we sent an invitation to all parents to the Graduation on 25 June. See link below. The letter also contains a code for the state website for evaluation of the learning environment, here we have the opportunity to make our own questionnaire for parents, as an experiment. Use the Student entry. The questionnaire is based on a larger study in the afterschool sector and has a parallel to the questions answered by the students. This will make it possible to match both pupil and parent expectations with the large afterschool survey that was conducted during the "Education that Works" research project.
Tonight there is a student party organised by the Parents and Student Party Committee. The theme is Caribbean buzz. And judging by the festively dressed students, it's going to be a hot evening and night. Pentecost has started and although Monday is a day off, there are 18 students at school who "refuse" to go home - they want to have that last community with them - every minute - every second counts. The last weekend will be fun and total afterschool community!
Best regards and happy Pentecost!
Olav Storm
Principal
Newsletter 2 June 2011
Dear reader!
We had a good start to the oral exams, and even though the house is buzzing with preparations and the running of the exams, there is a good sense of calm. Judging by the teachers and the pupils' own statements, most of them have done very well. It has been a short week. On Monday we held a general assembly in Ranum Efterskole's School Circle. In between the tests, the day's activities and the reading, we have been preparing for the last two days of family holidays for the elderly and siblings.
The family stay has just ended and it was a really nice afternoon and evening. First there were a lot of profile subjects. Dance in the Imagination loft, Adventure by the lake and on the lawn, Sailing on the fjord, and the creative hallway echoed with heavy blues and rock from the parent band. In the hardball center, several students hit on their parents and vice versa.
The Gastronomy team gathered around Nordic cookery and Design produced a modern interpretation of the Mona Lisa. With bruises and sweat on their foreheads, everyone gathered for dinner and afterwards the whole school went around the world with Crazyball, roundball, Volleyball and dancing. The evening ended with Nepalbanko, where the parents had brought a lot of nice prizes and a total of DKK 5.775,- was won, which was doubled by an anonymous sponsor to a total of DKK 11.550,-. Now only about DKK 4000,- is missing and the last part of the new school building at the twin school is paid for!
Next to the bank game, there was a bonfire and singing in the South Garden at Kærhuset, and the evening was rounded off with a bedtime story. Tired and full, parents and students crawled into student beds, tents and a few caravans. The next morning it was morning exercise, room cleaning, presentation of profile subject trips and evaluation of the teaching environment and well-being, as well as parent evaluation of the school year.
We did the parent evaluation as a workshop and the results will be published as soon as the final notes are finalised. There will be a formal online evaluation for all parents at the end of the school year. After the positive feedback on the Family Stay, it is an event that is here to stay!
In the coming week, oral exams will continue at full speed. Many teachers are out of the house as censors at other schools and many censors come here daily to assess our students. In between the tests, there is reading, activities and several students take advantage of the good weather to go sailing, playing football or diving. No pupil can participate in sailing in their free time without their parents' consent. Therefore, a text message with the pupil's name and agreement that they are aware that the pupil is sailing on that day must be sent to the head teacher's mobile. Students have proficiency signs, radio contact and a text message chain runs continuously during the sailing. It's freedom in a fixed and secure environment!
Have a great weekend !
Yours sincerely
Olav Storm
supervisor
This coming weekend there is a student party on 10 June organised by the Parents' Council.
Jeppe won the absolute hit of the year in the Nepalbanko game, thanks to everyone who brought gifts!!
Newsletter 28 May 2011
Dear reader!
Busyness and excitement leading up to the tests, as well as photography and the Blue Book, have filled the week's programme. New bunk beds have arrived at Kærhuset, and it's actually a bit of a revolution at RE. The music team was invited to Vestermarkskolen in Års and received a nice recognition afterwards. The whole staff gathered for an internal staff development day on Tuesday and were visited by the hottest name in afterschool development, Alexander Von Oettingen, for a whole afternoon and evening. The conclusion is that we are facing many exciting challenges both in the academic and social fields and we are moving in the right direction. On Wednesday, we were visited by a camera crew who shot the RE Film of the Year, which will be shown in the autumn on TV Danmark and other channels. The students were busy in all the profile subjects and many were interviewed about afterschool life and the community at RE.
Pedagogically it has been a good week, although it is still difficult for a small group to focus on the academic when the daily structure is looser. In the coming trial period there will be 3 activities daily: rehearsal, reading, activity, and of course practical tasks in technology and kitchen. All students have their own timetable with a test schedule and the timetable states when you have to be in activity or have preparation for test. The other day the exam training ended and there is good feedback on the course.
The new bunk beds replace the tubular bunk beds, which we purchased for DKK 5 each in 2004. The tube beds have been loved for their flexibility, some boys could build 3 tier beds, but most separated the beds and set them up as 2-4 double beds. The wide beds were a challenge to clean and the floors were ruined by the tube legs. And hated because the tube beds were very unstable and you disturbed each other sleeping, plus it was difficult to sit up in the bottom bunk. The new beds are really smart, stable and so high that you can sit comfortably in the bunk. A fixed ladder is fitted and one end is closed while the other is open, so there is also the possibility of both air and privacy. There will still be tube beds for the next school term, but we will probably replace the last ones over the year.
In the coming week, the main focus will be on preparing for the oral exams. On Monday evening there will be a general meeting of Ranum Efterskole's school circle at 7 pm, followed by presentations from the students about their school year and travels, including the international line. Tuesday is the last chance to take pictures for the annual photo at 10-11. On Wednesday there is a family stay with overnight stay. Thursday is a learning environment assessment for students and free time after lunch. Friday to Sunday there is extended weekend.
Registration for the Family Stay at Ranum Efterskole on 1-2 June closed on Friday, but we can handle late registrations on Monday. At the moment, about 100 visitors are coming to . See the information in the links below.
Have a great weekend !
Yours sincerely
Olav Storm
supervisor
Newsletter 20 May 2011
Dear reader!
It's been a really nice afterschool week with lots of projects, close follow-up and preparation for the oral exams. The 4 days have flown by and today, Friday, everyone is on St.bedtime holiday, except for the International class, which has written Cambridge exams this afternoon.
The week went by: on Tuesday afternoon, students prepared workshops for the 2nd class day, and the Imprint festival, as well as a new initiative called Slaranumland, where students do independent workshops and projects for each other. The same afternoon, the last 18 sailing students passed the practical skills test and were praised by the examiner for their calm and knowledgeable overview.
On Wednesday the whole school went on an expedition to Moubakker at the Kattegat. Here the kitchen provided an excellent barbecue dinner and the students had the opportunity to experience the stunning scenery out to the Vildmosen and the slopes down to the coast. A nature guide made sure that the pupils could explore the shallow waters and gave a vivid account of the area.
At the end of the afternoon, everyone went to the AFTRYK festival in Bælum, where more than 1200 other students from 14 after-school schools participated with different student bands. The music team gave a great performance and no one could doubt the support of the other students!
It was a very long and tiring evening, which ended with the band Powesolo firing it off in the darkness of the night surrounded by a beautiful light show. The pupils were not in bed until 1 am and therefore it was also rather tired pupils who already at 8 am welcomed more than 180 2nd grade pupils from all over Vesthimmerland to a different sports day under the theme Around the World with Ranum Efterskole. More than 70 pupils were responsible for tasks, posters and acted as guides for the small 2nd classes. Both pupils and guests had a really good day in the beautiful sunshine and the day ended on the lawn with sausage rolls, fruit and water. The 2nd grade pupils got a nice diploma and a good experience to take home.
Next week there will be a profile presentation from sailing and gastronomy on Monday, followed by planning for Family Day on 1-2 June. Tuesday is a photo shoot of all staff and students in the afternoon and blue book writing. The same afternoon will come and talk about a major research project in the Afterschool. The title is Education that works and we have made a workshop for all staff to have the opportunity to mirror our school in his theory. We can feel that we are moving the young people a lot, and it will be exciting to put common words and concepts on this process together.
On Wednesday, filming will take place in the afternoon for this year's TV Danmark film, and all students are involved in one way or another.
Remember to register for the Family Stay at Ranum Efterskole on 1-2 June - on Friday. See the information in the links below.
Have a great weekend !
Yours sincerely
Olav Storm
supervisor
Newsletter 14 May 2011
Dear reader!
The last tests in science have been completed and the international students have been up for the first Cambridge written test. A group of teachers have passed the Y3 test in sailing and in all areas we are making progress. In the Sildeløbet in Nibe, over 180 pupils finished and won the prize for the most participants from the same school!
Week in Review: on Tuesday afternoon, the banquet hall buzzed with travel and profile presentations, where students showed photos, films and talked about their experiences and achievements in the profile subjects.
On Tuesday night, a group of students went to the cinema to see Justin Bieber's "Never Say Never". The students had made a number of music videos which are shown in the hall before the show, and Ranum Efterskole's video won!!
On Wednesday afternoon, we were visited by Løgumkloster Højskole, who performed an unusual improvisation piece focusing on interculture and diversity.
The same evening about 180 pupils ran in the Nibe Sildeløbet. 20 pupils participated in the ½ marathon and many in the 10 km. Most of them participated in the big start at 5 km.
The chef was ready with a nice and healthy buffet, as well as cake for the exhausted runners. All students joined in, celebrating the runners as they crossed the finish line.
Thursday and Friday have been fully focused on the preparations for the oral exams, and the students are well underway with the various synopses for Danish and English.
Pedagogically, it has been a wonderful week, with happy and expectant students. Unfortunately, on Thursday, one pupil celebrated his birthday by smuggling another pupil, and so the birthday had to continue at home.
The weekend list is difficult to manage if students do not sign in or out on Sundays. Therefore, we urge all parents and students to make appointments for the upcoming weekends!
In the coming week, the test preparations continue, but on Wednesday we go on an Imagination trip to the East Coast and to the Aftryk concert in Bælum, together with about 1200 other efterskole pupils. Thursday we will be visited by more than 200 2nd grade students from Vesthimmerland schools, who will travel around the world with Ranum Efterskole and experience a different sports day with content and experiences, as well as a unique meeting with the big teenagers. On Thursday, the pupils are not free until 14.30 and everyone must stay at the school for the final assembly.
On St. Prayer's Day students are free, except for International students who are at school for Cambridge exams between 14.30-16.00.
Ranum Efterskole Family stay on 1.-2. June.
Parents and Siblings Day will be held as a family event this year. The programme ranges from Profile activities, Around the World Expedition, Nepalbanko, presentation of the Nepal trip for parents and Hardball for fathers. The next day will include room cleaning, presentation of the profile subject trips, teaching environment assessment, parent school evaluation and the opportunity to inspire each other and the school in a Ranum Efterskole networking seminar. Parents and siblings stay overnight in the students' beds as far as possible, and students sleep in the dormitories. You can also bring your caravan or tent. We hope that many parents and siblings will take up the offer of a taste of Ranum Efterskole and spend a day together with teachers and students, and other parents. Registration through your own student and no later than May 27.
Best regards and have a great weekend.
Olav Storm
supervisor.
Newsletter 7 May 2011
Dear reader!
The written tests were held in the large cultural centre and even though there were up to 120 pupils working at the same time, it went well. The pupils were admonished to work out the time and many did so. This put a lot of pressure on the printing in the last lesson. It is reported from the subject teachers that the test presentations were exciting and challenging, but that the maths tests were at the most difficult end.
During the tests, work was intense and in between the guards served refreshments and made sure that no other than legal programs were open on the computers. Fortunately, no one was tempted and everyone passed the tests, apart from one who was ill for the whole week.
Alongside exams, PE was compulsory even though several felt it was strict that they had to be active when they later had exams and their peers at home just had free time in primary school. But after being active, most were happy to have moved and it sharpens concentration.
Thursday evening there was a concert at Imaginationloftet and people relaxed and enjoyed the music.
Friday was New Student Day in the afternoon and evening. It was the biggest event we have held to date. A good 240 students arrived with an average of 1½ parents and siblings, so with our own students and students in the house, we reached over 800 for dinner, etc. There was plenty of room in the large multicultural hall. Current students sat on the left of the hall and new students on the right. The atmosphere was superb during the singing of The Tree of Life, with the students standing up at each chorus, and getting all the newcomers involved!
After being entertained by the music team, who played the school's own after-school song "Friends", and the dance team's New York-inspired dance show, the new students went out to meet their future contact teachers.
The current students had first welcomed all the guests at the parking lot and escorted them in and after the assembly they helped the teachers to talk about the rules and framework with the new students in the contact groups. Parents attended an orientation meeting on pedagogy and the year, as well as finances in the banquet hall, before going with their pupil to dinner or an orientation on their upcoming first profile choice.
The day ended with a joint orientation for the new RIC and REC students, and an offer to hear a bit about Nepal, as a profile subject in 2012.
We had a fantastic positive impression of the many new students and look forward to seeing everyone again on 7 August.
Pedagogically, it was a super week until Thursday night, when it was unfortunately necessary to pick up a small group who didn't feel they needed to be at the concert and played out negatively.
It is boring when a sub-group decides to opt out of the common events and at the same time it is important that we pedagogically focus on directing them into the fixed framework that needs to be for everyone to thrive. Two students from this group got into a fight after some teasing and one boy punched the other in the face. As a result, his last chance was used up and the remaining tests have to be taken from home.
We have encouraged other students to support this sub-group in becoming a positive part of the community. When negative sub-groups form in an after-school, it can be around smuggling, and the double-value game that is played out when you stand together on a forbidden secret. This does not mean that everyone in the sub-group is a smoker, and we are aware of the issue that the community in a sub-group can have followers.
It can be a harsh realization for some students to see this connection, and at the same time, learning to make your own choices and not be led in a boring direction for acceptance and community is also part of growing up. Now dialogue has been opened up and at the same time it is healthy for the community to be challenged and for students to stand together to wish each other well and to hold on to those who are struggling.
Sailing in Perdica on the Greek island of Aegina 2011.
In the coming week, the written tests and the preparations for the oral tests will start again, see the timetable under teaching.
On Tuesday evening, there is an offer for a cinema trip to Løgstør, where students can see Justin Bieber in "Never say never". The students have made a series of music videos based on his music, which will be shown in the hall before the performance. The school will provide transport and pay admission for those who have contributed a film, while other pupils will have to buy a ticket themselves.
On Wednesday afternoon we will be visited by a choir and music group from Løgum Kloster High School. And at the end of the afternoon, everyone will be off to the Sildeløbet in Nibe.
Thursday is the Cambridge exam in English as Second Laungage. It will be really exciting to see the results of the many months of intense training!
Best regards and have a great weekend.
Olav Storm
supervisor.
Newsletter 30 April 2011
Dear reader!
Students returned Monday evening after a sun-filled Easter holiday, and the joy of reunion infected their spirits all week. Although it was a short week, it was filled with activity and life inside and out. The weather has been fantastic and although the evenings can be chilly, the lawn in front of the Seminary building was packed the other day for a round ball organised by two students.
The week went by: on Tuesday afternoon, all students gathered in the banquet hall to write the Blue Book and, under the expert guidance of Niels and Carl, everyone had the opportunity to write about each other for the big memory book. The air was buzzing with nicknames, success/failure stories, scores - and denials, as well as future dreams and funny quotes from the last 8 months, 3 trips out in the world, lots of fellowship and activity. The Blue Book is a sensitive project and therefore everyone will have the opportunity in their contact group to work through it well before printing.
Wednesday night we had a great concert at Imaginationloftet with Rudolf Spencer. They created an intense and beautiful atmosphere in the attic that captivated everyone. They gave out over 170 free demo CDs afterwards, which got their tour off to a great start.
Thursday evening a group of students gave a talk about their travel experiences and stay at Ranum Efterskole, at the general meeting of the local Brugsforening.Friday the dance team was in Løgstør, where they danced for DD day, Dance Day in Denmark. On Sunday the dancers will perform again in Kildeparken in Aalborg.
In the assemblies, we have focused on singing and community, as well as given presentations for the upcoming written tests.
Pedagogically, we've had a fantastic week, except for a single case of night terrors where a birthday boy wanted to be celebrated in another house at midnight, and an educational move of 2 boys that had used up a pearl of educational talk.
In the profile subjects, students have completed their presentation preparations and are getting ready to tell and show pictures from the many expeditions. We have posted a number of pictures on the website and more will be added in the coming week.
The sailors are taking the practical proficiency test and several have also chosen to take a VHF test, and will also be taking exams in these subjects next week.
Next week the written exams for 9th and 10th grade will start. The programme is available on the website under Teaching. The students are prepared throughout the year and especially in the last days, and even though it is the first of May on Sunday, we cross our fingers that everyone is fresh for a good end of their schooling in the Danish primary school. Friday 6 May is New Student Day, where new students meet their future peers and teachers in the contact groups and in the profile subjects. This is the first time we are organising it on a Friday and we encourage all current pupils to stay after the common assembly at 4pm, and those who want to go home can leave after 5pm.
We are very much looking forward to seeing all the future students and at the same time it is also a mark for the current student team that their afterschool year is coming to an end as they cross their own tracks from when they themselves were at New Student Day last May.
Programme week 18.
Monday there are tests in Danish written production at 9 am for 9th graders at 1 pm for 10th graders see more details in the schedule - for those who are not at the test, there is physical education.
On Tuesday, the 9th graders will have homework and reading - the 10th graders with French and German will have a single lesson from 9th - 10th - the remaining students will be cleaning rooms etc. during that time.
At noon there are some individual lessons for 9th graders and for 10th graders from 2 pm there are profile lessons. On Wednesday there are tests for 9th graders in the morning in math for 10th graders there are tests from 1:30 p.m. When students are not in tests they have PE.
Thursday: 9th grade English exams at 09.00 - rest of 9th grade students work on extra-curricular activities - 10th grade PE
English tests in 10th grade 12.30 to 15.00 - 9th grade PE at the same time
Rock Band in the evening
Friday: from 9 am German tests for 9th and 10th graders, the remaining 9th graders have the remaining extra subjects History, Social Studies and Christianity.
Pupils who are not in rehearsal have "show classes" - and prepare for new pupils to arrive later in the day at 3pm.
Tonight there is a big wedding party at the school and all the weekend students have been given roles to play during the party. The embarrassing aunt, the deceitful uncle, the smug father, the envious sister, etc.
Best regards and have a great weekend.
Olav Storm
supervisor.
Newsletter 24 April 2011
Dear reader!
It's Easter break and all students and staff are home to relax and recharge for the coming months. The trips got everywhere expected - no accidents or serious educational stories. The teams came off scattered and landed again just as scattered, so it was really nice to have everyone together again for the 3 days before the Easter break. The whole school was buzzing with activity and stories from the many trips and over the next 2 weeks these, as well as photos and films will be prepared for the big presentation to the rest of the school and later to the parents group in early June. Some pictures have been posted on the photo page, so enjoy!
There is a lot to look forward to in the coming months. First and foremost, the preparations for the written exams are ahead of us all. We have spent several subject days preparing for the tests last week, but there is still a lot to do and it is important that the students have all their school things in order and that their computer is ready for the tests. Besides the exams, we are training for the Sildeløbet in Nibe, where we expect about 170 pupils to participate! And on 18 May there is the Aftryk music festival in Bælum.
In the profile subjects, there is intensive work to gather the impressions from the profile subject trips and to prepare a good conclusion before the subjects move on to complement the activity programme during the probation period. In sailing, all boats are now launched and students are training for the final practical test in proficiency. Several students are also taking a VHF certificate, again reaching a goal that few adult sailors have.
The bikes will be in good use - for all students - until the summer holidays, so everyone should have a bike and bike helmet ready for after Easter.
This coming week, there will be a Tuesday afternoon teachers' meeting, during which students will work on Blue Book writing in a large workshop where anyone can write to and about anyone. On Wednesday evening, the Rudolf Spencer Band, an absolutely terrific band, will ensure a musical experience and movement for all. Friday is the day of dancing. DD day throughout Denmark and RE will be lining up with over 40 dancers in Løgstør. In the evening there is a "Wedding Party" at the school, so remember your dress and white, as well as the long party dress, and a speech to the happy "couple". The theme party is for the students who stay for the weekend. ( sign up Monday evening upon arrival).
The following weekend, Friday 5 May from 15.-20.30, there will be a New Student Day for the next cohort of RE students. This means that we would very much like to ask current pupils who are able to do so to stay at the school until 5pm so that they can join in the welcome. Dance and music must be included as it is part of their performance programme to welcome the incoming pupils.
Easter has brought great weather and it should continue into the coming week, so remember the sunscreen and enjoy life outdoors!
Best regards and Happy Easter!
Olav Storm
Principal
Newsletter 16.4.2011
Kaere reader!
The newsletter will be brief this week because I am on board a 43 foot sailing yacht in Athens harbour and with a miserable net connection.
Otherwise, there is a wealth of news and experiences to report from the many profile trips that are coming to an end these hours and days. Most of the travel groups have posted frequently on the profile page / see profile trips. And here you can read about the trips and the many experiences the young people have had on their expeditions around the world. For the sailors, the trip ends late Sunday evening and it will be a tough start to the next 3 school days. At the same time, it will be a great time, with the whole house buzzing with stories and pictures from the voyages. We close on Wednesday at 2.30pm- and wish everyone a great Easter week and holiday!
Yours sincerely
Olav Storm
supervisor
Newsletter 8 April 2011
Dear reader!
These days, everyone sets off on the 3rd and final profile trip to 7 countries and 3 continents. The anticipation has been bubbling in the house for a very long time and especially in the run-up to departure, it is amazing to feel the mood among the students. In recent months, the common theme of the school has been the Journey of Formation. The pupils are now much better prepared and ready to meet foreign cultures because they have prepared themselves thoroughly through the profile subjects and the experience of the first two weeks of travel makes them more confident and has taught them the strength of good camaraderie and openness towards others. As well as a journey into the world, the journey of formation is also a journey into oneself and a formation of character. It gives strength to prove that you are capable of achieving the goals set and working together to achieve them.
In addition to the academic lessons and the preparation in the profile subjects, the week has offered two exciting cultural evening events.
On Monday morning, we were visited by the dance caravan and the dance team worked hard to rehearse the community dance, which will be danced all over the country at the same time later this month. The guest instructors were very professional and were highly praised by the students afterwards.
On Tuesday evening we were visited by Kirsten and Marie, the two young musicians are upcoming stars on the youth scene. The music is quite unique and all students were shaken in the ear canals at Imaginationloftet.
On Wednesday evening we were visited by a Ghanaian dance group. The evening's programme was opened with an exciting photo presentation of Ghana by Søren Christensen, who has travelled to the country several times. The pictorial presentation was replaced by insistent African drums and the stage was filled with magical and impressive dancers from Ghana. Each dance was presented with its history and cultural significance. The students finally stood up and clapped in time to the rhythms so that the whole ballroom resonated. After a short break, there was an African dance workshop for those students who wanted to and once again many threw themselves into the challenge and found their inner African.
Educationally, it has been a good week, although unfortunately some students claim to have lost money from their unlocked rooms and lockers. When this happens we impress upon students to use the student bank, lock their lockers and doors so as not to tempt others. Despite these incidents, the students have worked really well together and are looking forward to next week's adventures.
In the coming week, you can follow the travel news that will be published on this site. We expect to be able to update in the afternoon and remember that no news is good news - because sometimes it's also important to be in the moment and soak up impressions and experiences, rather than writing home.
At the end of next week, the first students will return and it is important that the office is notified if students change the weekend plans noted at school. In week 16 there will be lessons and important subject days in the run up to the forthcoming exams.
Look forward to reading about the week on this site and to seeing photos and films from the trips later. The office will be open mornings between 9am and 12 noon next week.
Best regards and have a nice weekend
Olav Storm
supervisor.
Newsletter 2 April 2011
Dear reader!
The Open Day was a great and positive day for both guests and students. The school looked really good in the beautiful sunny weather and the students wore their new commemorative jerseys and all over the school they showed off and told about life at Ranum Efterskole. On the lawn in front of Kærhuset stood a giant Tipie and guests could enjoy refreshments while watching a world record. The gastronomy team and a total of 30 students were responsible for baking the world's longest garlic floret at a whopping 12 metres. The previous record was 3.81 metres, which means there is a good chance that Ranum Efterskole will join the Guinness World of Records.
The week has been spent preparing for the profile trips in week 15, as well as for the Open Day. The students had Monday off, so everyone came back refreshed on Monday evening, and in addition to the book learning, there has been a lot of outdoor activity. For example, a large group of boys have been playing American football.
On Tuesday and Wednesday more than 40 pupils took the theoretical proficiency test and except for a few, all passed. On the same days we held oral tests in Cambridge English - also here it went very well according to the teacher's judgement.Thursday morning everyone was invited to the dress rehearsal of Ranum School's annual musical "The Witch and the Wizard". Friday we had a profile subject day and gathered all loose ends for the travel week and the Open House day.
Next week, Monday is Dance Day, when 40 students will perform in a joint show.
On Tuesday there is a joint student meeting, and in the evening there is a concert with "a couple of beautiful whiners".
On Wednesday, we will be visited by a dance troupe from Ghana, and the students will be given a short prelude with pictures from Ghana. Afterwards, we will enjoy a fantastic dance show, which will be a great introduction to the upcoming cultural encounters on the profile trips.
On Thursday, Dan will leave for NY, and over the next 3 days, everyone will head out into the world for the last big profile trip.
In week 16, there are 3 teaching days and students can go home for the Easter holidays on Wednesday afternoon from 14.30.
Yours sincerely
Olav Storm
supervisor
Newsletter 27 March 2011
Dear students and parents!
It's been a great week, with students enjoying being together and it finally looking like it's getting brighter and warmer. Many pupils have charged up for the private pupil party organised in conjunction with the Parent Council and they all looked totally party ready. On the bus they were able to read the new profile newspaper which has just come off the press. The newspaper tells about Ranum Efterskole through the stories of both students and staff. It is filled with pictures from life at the school, the trips and the many events.
The week has offered lots of academic teaching, profile subject preparation for the trips and several small events in the free time. On Monday and Tuesday, a number of students were interviewed for the profile newspaper, and on Wednesday there was a contact group photo shoot in front of the "tapestry" forest that two students had set up in the science corridor. The pictures now adorn the contact group signs in the dining hall and are very imaginative. One pupil had to float, 2 wear make-up, 3 be dressed as the opposite sex etc. The sailing team has been hard at work preparing for the theoretical aptitude test which takes place on Tuesday and Wednesday. There are about 40 students to be tested and that is a record for one round of tests.
On Thursday afternoon, the profile subject Guide went on their tour of North Jutland and despite a rather windy day, it was a fine and educational experience, as well as the end of the course.
Pedagogically, we've had a quiet and peaceful week, with students enjoying each other and gearing up for the student party with tests of high heels and make-up of all kinds. The party theme was red-yellow-green.
We're also adding colour - and furnishing the Imagination Loft with 20 giant beanbag chairs, and in the hallways of the Seminary Building we've got some fun "pouf" furniture that you can both sit and float in. The idea is to create more life in the corridors and common areas.
This coming week, students will be returning from 5pm on Monday afternoon, and it is really important that everyone is packed for the profile trips in week 15, if they are not going home on Sunday 3 April. Parents and students should pay attention to the travel letters from the different profile subjects, with the travel programme, packing lists and practical information listed.
On Thursday we will set up a huge lavo on the lawn in front of Kærhuset. The idea is to try out a new form of community where we will use the lavo as a focal point for community across profile subjects, classes, houses etc. A place where we are a "tribe" and where there is room for lots of storytelling, socializing and activity around the bonfire. Students can sleep in sleeping bags in the lavo from Friday - Sunday.
Click on the picture to read Ranum Efterskole´s 2011 profile
We have an Open House next Saturday, April 2, from 1 to 4 p.m. and hope that you would like to spread the word so that friends and acquaintances also have the opportunity to become acquainted with Ranum Efterskole. We have places available from 2012-13. ( and some vacancies in 9th grade for 2011-12). It is a "blue day", but students can go home afterwards until Sunday.
Have a great weekend!
Yours sincerely
Olav Storm
supervisor
Newsletter 18 March 2011
Dear students and parents!
Then we have landed roughly again pedagogically. It's been an experienced and active week on all fronts. We have spent the week on pedagogical work and on professional focus. The English guest teacher Carl Bennison, who has been with the school in the autumn, has been employed as an hourly teacher until the summer holidays in music and English. This is a great advantage for the international class, who will be taking their final Cambridge English exams in just two weeks. The students have been given their reports from the project assignments and overall they have done very well! Today we had interviews with new students for next school year, and also 170 guests from the vocational schools in Års to a conference in Ranum Event. It's great that there is life in the house and the weekend team has helped really well with, among other things, telling about the international class, the Nepal trip and showing around the school.
In the profile subjects, preparations for the expeditions in week 15 are getting serious. The riding girls were in Herning on Friday for a big rider and horse fair, in a short while most of them will be going up to Ridermark 4 and the goal is set for Spain and the Spanish riding school. The divers have had swimming pool tests this weekend, and are now ready for the last theoretical tests before the trip to the Red Sea. The sailing team is getting ready for the theoretical proficiency test ahead of the trip to Greece. Dance is working on Zumba ahead of the trip to N.Y., and music is playing the Beatles ahead of their expedition to London. Gastronomy was at the food fair in Aalborg and has set course for Paris. The Adventure team is building up form for the rigours of Gran Canaria. Just as the students are learning the different safety techniques of e.g. klating.
Pedagogically, the week has offered a series of meetings. On Monday, for the first time at RE, there was a pedagogical meeting between two pairs of parents and pupils in front of all the pupils in the main hall. The confrontation showed that through dialogue and openness, we can resolve a difficult pedagogical conflict. Both pupils and the parents of the two youngsters expressed afterwards that it was a difficult situation, but that it was the necessary way to a constructive solution, where one of the 3 repatriated boys had the opportunity to gain new confidence in the community. Another boy has been asked to stay at home and the 3rd boy is yet to be settled.
The students who were sent home for night swirling met on Thursday evening for a joint student and parent meeting to discuss how this could happen and who had what role in the group. Clear arrangements have now been made for the further consequences and course of action for each pupil.
Again, it was a difficult meeting and at the same time it was important that both parents and pupils had the opportunity to get a mutual explanation of the process and build confidence that we can look constructively forward. There is much to learn and if I were to use an image of the process, we are in the process of cutting the grass short where necessary, but at the same time making room for the "forget-me-not" to flourish this summer. In other words, we're working to preserve freedom and avoid rigidity for those students who can function well within the common rules and framework we have at school, and rigidity for those few who can't quite - yet.
During the week we have been following the disasters in Japan. In the elective psychology we have worked on transactional analysis and communication, while the students in the elective swimming get exercise both on the bike ride to Rønbjerg and in the swimming pool. The running team is working towards participating in the Sildeløbet and we expect up to 150 students to participate.
In the coming week, the focus will be on academic teaching, and the Guide team will be touring North Jutland and guiding each other to new adventures. The divers have to pass the final OpenWater tests. The Hardball Club has called a membership meeting for Wednesday evening, and will be telling you about some exciting trips this spring. On Friday, the parents in the party committee will hold another student party and on the same day we will hold a staff party. The weekend of March 27 will see the publication of the new profile newspaper, for which we took joint photos on Wednesday. I wish it would be spring soon!
Yours sincerely
Olav Storm
supervisor
Newsletter 11 March 2011
Dear students and parents!
It has been a somewhat different week than we are used to at RE and unfortunately not on the positive side. The week has otherwise offered plenty of activity and academic content, as well as a really nice carnival party on Thursday evening. Unfortunately, the positive energy of the community has been sorely tested by some unfortunate educational incidents. In this week's community meetings, we have therefore had a necessary focus on the framework of the community at the school and asked the question "Can you have too much freedom?" That question continues to rumble with several students and especially those who are now at home for clarification. The picture is from Shrove Tuesday and apart from that night, we've all been a bit tied up!
It started with 3 boys behaving abusively towards a girl, where the line between play and fun was so seriously violated that the school decided to send them home to get some air. The case is not finally closed and has been a big challenge to handle because a group of pupils have been very active on facebook. Fortunately, there has been a willingness and openness among several of the families involved to engage in constructive dialogue.
The answer to the question "can you have too much freedom?" lies very much in the actions of young people, which is why we have decided to use more awake night shifts. Already that evening we discovered that a small group of students was having an alcoholic party in an apartment in the seminary building. These students have also been sent home for clarification and their families involved. At this point, we would have liked to have put a stop to it, but today, Friday, we suspected that there might be euphoriant drugs in a room in the Kærhuset, and with the parents' consent, we got an overview. Fortunately, no drugs were found, but it only takes a short time to break down trust and then we use control to rebuild it. That's why we asked students to take a test. We'd rather react once too often - than once too little to a drug scare.
A slightly "comical" side story: While this story was unfolding, a journalist and a photographer from Ekstra Bladet had invited themselves to the school and interviewed several students without permission. That might make a headmaster run fast, but fortunately the theme of the visit was to find out what young people in Vesthimmerland Municipality dream of for the future. They had been shown to Ranum by a local politician in Års, and after interviewing a drug addict in the town, they had shuttled randomly through the door to the after-school. I sold them the story of a town in development, under the theme, when an old tree falls, new life is given. Then I showed them on to the west, but we may have to read again in the newspaper about the decline and decay of Ranum in the supplement published with EB 26.3. I hope they will turn their eyes and look at the opportunities and dreams instead and ask themselves why the country's third largest after-school is located here in Vesthimmerland.
Nice Thai-themed carnival party. The two from Ekstra Bladet were annoyed that they hadn't come the day before when I told them about the nice and colourful Lent party with Thai food that we held on Thursday evening at Imaginationloftet. The atmosphere at the morning gathering was not at its best, but it is incredibly important that we focus on doing afterschool for the 95% who want us 100% and it was a lovely evening. The menu was quite exotic and included crayfish, frog legs and many different Thai variations of noodles etc.
Teachers have held a development seminar and discussed the school year ahead. It has given a lot of new ideas and a good footing. Students also offered exciting ideas for a Talent Show, a contact group indoor football tournament, and a girls' and a boys' night respectively. Although there have been educational headwinds, we have lots of energy and are looking forward to some wonderful spring months.
The horse girls are at the Stallion Show in Herning today, and it is an absolute highlight for the team. It unites and strengthens the group to be away for a whole afternoon and evening around their common interest. It's also the perfect time because unfortunately there has been a period of irregular lessons in riding, due to holidays and illness.
In Friday's assembly, I presented the common experiences of the week and the conclusion is that the students have at least learned something about the conditions for free debate, democratic education and life education, because they have experienced that even if trenches are dug and debates are lively on the Internet and in communities, it is important to accept that there are different opinions and norms, that we are different and that this diversity is also the lifeblood of the democratic community. It is a tough process and therefore many may need to vent at home, should you have any questions or concerns both the contact teachers and I are at your disposal! The final closure of the pedagogical cases will be communicated with the next newsletter or when it is timely given the progress of the cases. This will be done in a confidential manner and with respect for the fact that working with young people requires patience and an understanding of the case - also from the young people's point of view and norms.
This weekend the diving team is at school and busy with swim neck exercises. They are very happy to be able to come to the Red Sea after all, and we are working very consciously to put the political situation into perspective and include it in our preparations for the trip.
The coming week will see regular classes in all subjects and once again a wide range of exciting extra-curricular activities. There will also be interviews with new students on the afternoon of Friday the 18th and students who would like to are very welcome to join us for tours and presentations.
Some weeks it's nice to have a Friday and as the photos below testify there are lots of smiles and good cheer to be had! Have a great weekend!
Yours sincerely
Olav Storm
supervisor
Music on tour!
In week 9 the music team visited Lynghøj Efterskole. We met with their music team in the music room, where we greeted each other and took turns playing for each other the songs we had practiced. Afterwards, each team chose a song to teach the others. It went really well - and we had a really nice day with breakfast and lunch in their canteen, playing together and a tour of their after school.
We ended the day by all standing in front of the piano and singing while Fuglsang played along. After we had practiced the song a few times, we split into boys/girls and sang it again while it was recorded. Afterwards we watched pictures that Lynghøj's music teacher Rasmus had taken during the day.
While we waited for the bus to pick us up, we went to the music room and jammed with the other music team. It was really fun to get out and play for someone, and at the same time hear what they had been working on. Plus, we got to talk to others our age who have the same interest as us. So all in all it was a really good and nice day at Lynghøj Efterskole!
Written by Laura and Lea from the music team
Newsletter 4 March 2011
Dear students and parents!
The holidays were good for all of us, and the week has in many ways been a new start to the spring and the next profile subject period. In addition to the regular academic teaching, we have started a number of new profile subjects and electives. For example, on Thursdays the students are busy with swimming, climbing, zumba, football and on Wednesdays there are psychology lessons.
Although it has been quite cold, with alternating thaws and frosts, the adventure team is in full swing with the physical training for the relays on the expedition to the somewhat warmer Gran Canaria in week 15.
Pedagogically, we have followed up on the process we started at the beginning of February, and we are working purposefully to ensure that all students are given and provide space for each other's development. The few who have not grasped the importance of this are finding themselves under pressure at this time of year from both teachers and peers who are losing patience. It is a shared task to maintain the clear boundaries needed for everyone to thrive together. It is a project that must succeed and this week we are writing the memorial so we hope everyone will be fully on board for the summer holidays. For some it will require a new start and extra effort in the community. We are optimistic!
This coming week, we're having a carnival party on Thursday! Remember to bring costumes and make-up etc. All teachers will have assembly on the same night and we look forward to seeing imaginations flourish.
I'm at the annual meeting of the afterschools, the interest in Ranum Efterskole is great and many wonder why we have come so far in just 6 years. When I look at our students and staff, it's no wonder. We have a common goal and dare to make the choices that lead us to that goal. It is this process that gives us meaning in what we do and that allows us, both together in the larger community and in smaller communities of interest, to go beyond the edge and develop as individuals! Now is the time to jump out together with spring and enjoy it to the fullest!
Yours sincerely
Olav Storm
Principal
Newsletter 27 February 2011
Dear students and parents!
The winter holidays end tonight, when the students return between 5 and 9 pm. We hope everyone had a good holiday with time to recharge their batteries for the coming months. There are just under 6 weeks until we all set off on our final expedition. Some to gather inspiration and train for their profile subjects, and others to finish their skills tests for example in Diving. Together with the technical organiser, we have decided to go ahead with the original trip to the Red Sea and the organiser will indemnify us for the extra costs.
The diving trip to Egypt has finally fallen into place, with flights reinstated. Our travel times will be as follows, subject to change:
Departure from Billund: 08.04.11 at 07.15
Return to Billund: 15.04.11 at 22.15
We travel by bus to and from Billund, and there will be an opportunity to drop off in Viborg. More info to follow.
Next week we will start new profile subjects and there will be new timetables for all students. It will be exciting to follow the adventure team, which has a big challenge in relation to the winter weather. Content plans and objectives for the new subjects will be worked out with the pupils in the coming weeks and then published on the website - Teaching.
Mint shirts and RE school shirts can be ordered throughout week 9. The dance room in the creative corridor is open for clothing fittings every day between 12.30-13.00. Be sure to stop by to get the right size shirt. The hoodie is paid for and it is only if you want a different hoodie or other RE clothing that you will have to pay more.
There are interviews with the new students who could not attend last Friday 18 March and the invitations have been sent out.
We're all looking forward to spring because winter is taking its toll on the heating budget and we need to see green grass, blue water and light again!
Yours sincerely
Olav Storm
Principal
Newsletter 18 February 2011
Dear reader!
Just landed after a long afternoon and evening of parent talks, I can conclude that we are on the right track and on course in school-home cooperation. There was a good flow throughout the day and many also found time to enjoy refreshments or dinner in the canteen. It is now winter break and everyone has returned home for the holidays.
It's been a hectic week, mainly with OSO and project presentations. Judging by the teachers' feedback and the energy level among the students, the presentations were hard fought and there was good support from the audience. On Tuesday and Thursday evening, the profile subject Hell's Kitchen had invited guests from outside for the final between the two teams. On Thursday afternoon, TV2 Nord visited us and, in a rather unique event, the result of the competition between the two teams was announced.
Safety at sea! Another and certainly more serious topic for this week has been the capsizing accident at Præstø, and it has been important that we informed and talked to the students about what happened. The press has been busy putting the accident into perspective in general, and we have also had to explain our safety at sea. In a briefing below, we have compiled an account of maritime safety at Ranum Efterskole.
Bus past Ranum and a local political failure. During the past week we have had to fight for local politicians in Vesthimmerland not to support a regional closure of the direct bus route between Ranum and Hobro. Region Nord is working on a traffic plan that only operates between the big towns and bypasses the smaller towns. The change means that a "feeder bus" will be added between the small towns to Løgstør and Års, and this will mean 1-3 shifts for the students - before they reach a train connection, as well as almost impossible conditions for the employees and trainees who commute from the train stations to work at Ranum Efterskole. This is unsustainable and unnecessary!
Ranum Efterskole is one of the largest users of the affected route 57, and we see it as a serious deterioration of the infrastructure in the area. Therefore, it is very surprising and disappointing that the municipal council will not listen to a proposal from R and SF to recommend to the Regional Council that bus route 57 should run via Haubro Youth School and Ranum After School with a total of 400 students in the afternoon, especially on Fridays and Sundays.
Route 57 will run largely empty between the main towns once local schoolchildren have reached home. There has been no consultation process with users in the catchment area, but we still have the opportunity to have our say at the region's final meeting on the matter, when regional politicians are due to take a final decision later this spring.
The motto is therefore "don't bypass the customers! Break route 57 after 3pm on Fridays and Sundays". So students can get directly to and from the train in Hobro.
Next week is the winter holidays and in week 9 the new profile courses and new electives start. There are new timetables for all pupils and all profile subject trips should be finally in place.
We are still working on the diving trip to the Red Sea and are optimistic now that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs no longer discourages travel to the Red Sea coast. Please see the information below for the parents of the diving team.
1 March is an important cut-off date for choosing a programme after the summer holidays and student counsellor Ib Christensen will be happy to help if you have any questions. Fortunately, it seems that the vast majority are clear and have completed the process.
Have a nice winter holiday and we look forward to seeing you all again on 27.2. from 17.00
Yours sincerely
Olav Storm
supervisor
Orientation 14 February 2011
The accident at Præstø has raised questions from the press, parents and pupils. Therefore, we give here a thorough information about the safety of the maritime activities at Ranum Efterskole.
We are following the accident together with the students in the joint assembly daily and send many thoughts to all at the affected afterschool and their families.
Yours sincerely
Olav Storm
supervisor
Memorial shirt 2011 - and RE school clothing order before 8 March 2011
Students can book daily between 12.30-13.00 by contacting the Dance Room. Here they can try on the commemorative jersey and the other RE school clothing requested in the clothing selection.There is the possibility of having your name printed on the clothing and we recommend that you invest in this. We expect to have the school shirts ready before the last profile trip.
Newsletter 11 February 2011
Dear reader!
The OSO and project week has gone off with great energy and a very positive academic focus for almost all students. There has been a lot of tutoring and for several it was even close to the deadline before handing in today Friday. Working together in groups has been challenging and educational, with few groups experiencing significant problems. Teachers talk enthusiastically about the progress, about the students who really showed independence and hard work, as well as the few students who had to be carried over the line today. The energy is certainly contagious for the coming weeks of school work and we will see the results of the project week after the presentations next week. Tonight there is a huge student party - organised outside the school by the Parent Council and the student events committee. They deserve a great party!
The week got off to a cultural start on Sunday night with the Super Bowl for a dozen students. Not everyone lasted to the bitter end, but the mood was all American all night. On Monday night we had a visit from Hottrup Afterschool, who put on their annual play and the atmosphere was super in the ballroom. They stayed overnight at the school and also got a little insight into life with us. Wednesday evening we went to the musical at Fjerritslev Gymnasium and the students were totally high on disco dancing, singing and acting when they returned at the end of the evening.
Pedagogically, it was a challenging week for a small group of boys, as other students simply lost patience with their teasing and pranking and not very sociable behaviour. Therefore, they were interviewed about their behaviour and participation in the school community, and now other things need to be done to actively support the school's purpose and community. It is not unusual for boundaries - even within the student body - to be challenged at this time of year, but it is vital for the quality of the stay that the few who might spoil it for the other students are brought to the fore!
On Friday there are home school talks and all parents should have been in touch for an agreement on time etc. If you have not been in touch with the contact teacher, please call them or the school on Monday!
We look forward to seeing those who have the time and opportunity to come on Friday! Ib Christensen will also be able to help with tutoring, if there are any who still need it.
The divers' journey to the Red Sea is hanging by a thread because of the unrest in the country. The flights have been cancelled and we are working flat out to find a new location for training and education, as well as cultural visits in the south!
There are a lot of happy students at school right now, it's windy and freezing cold, but inside the rooms they're putting on make-up and painting for the big carnival. In the kitchen, carnival buns are being baked and everyone is gathering for dinner. After cleaning up, the many party dressed students are off to their private student party - and it's the weekend!
Yours sincerely
Olav Storm
supervisor
Newsletter 4 February 2011
Dear reader!
Then we changed month, at the same time the ice melted and the wind shook trees and buildings violently. In community meetings, we have followed closely the tense situation in Egypt regarding the people's struggle for freedom and democracy. It is also an increasingly topical question whether the situation will evolve so that our diving team can travel to the Red Sea in week 15 or we will have to find an alternative. We will only make a final decision on the trip after we have monitored the situation for a few weeks in consultation with our technical organisers, and we hope for a rapid transition to more peaceful reforms towards democratic rule.
Follow the travel information and departure times for the different profile subjects under the tab Profile subjects - profile subject travel.
In the collections we have had no less than 3 premieres of RE films. First we saw Jana's video for the Denmark collection. On Wednesday we saw a film from the Nepal team's rafting trip shot by guest teacher and journalist Erik Bjerre. On Thursday we watched a video diary from the Nepal trip, and there were both laughs and moans in the room.
This week we have laid the tracks for a hectic project and OSO week, and at the same time there has been time to recharge for next week. Last Wednesday, the Hardball club was back in action and once again it was a great success. Balls flying through the air and rushing through the blood, boys can be boys again.
Today, Friday, the 9th grade has been on a nature expedition to the North Sea Museum. They got up already at 6.30 am and finished late in the afternoon, so the tiredness shone out of them all when they arrived at school. Tonight and this weekend there is a football tournament in Løgstør and we have several teams participating.
Pedagogically it has been a good week, and on Tuesday there were contact group meetings where students and teachers talked about community and wishes for the coming months. A lot of good ideas came up, for example, Thai night, sleeping together in the party room and a carnival party.
There has been one case of contraband smoking and the person has been sent home for personal clarification within the family. One boy's room has been through the major educational tour with house and contact teachers, so we now expect the room to be tidier.
This coming week, the focus is on project and OSO writing for all students, with many teachers on hand each day to guide students through the assignment writing process.
We expect students to work hard during the day and therefore we offer two exciting events during the week.
On Monday evening we will be visited by Hottrup Efterskole, who will perform their drama in the banquet hall.
Wednesday evening we are invited to see Fjerritslev Gymnasium's musical Boggie Nights. It will be a blast of a performance, which will also provide an energy boost for the rest of the week.
On Friday, the Parents' Council and the pupils' party committee hold a pupils' party outside the school. The Parents' Council could do with a little help in the form of parent volunteers.
School-home talks on Friday 18 February.
We're now well over halfway through the school year and it's a good time to have a chat about how things are going academically and socially at school.
It is also now that parents and pupils must make a final decision on what will happen after the summer holidays. Therefore, we will hold a combined contact teacher and subject teacher meeting at the school on Friday 18 February. The contact teachers will be in charge of the main conversation and we will aim for the subject teachers to be available every lesson for 20 minutes. in between the contact teacher meetings. Over the weekend and before Tuesday, all parents will be contacted by the contact teacher either by email or phone to arrange a time for an interview.
Unfortunately, some contact teachers are unable to attend and will inform parents and pupils themselves and arrange another time.
The talks will take place in the Multicultural Centre and refreshments will be available in the canteen.
Yours sincerely
Olav Storm
supervisor
Regarding the situation in Egypt and the diving trip in week 15.
We are following developments in Egypt closely and wish for everyone a peaceful solution on the road to a more democratic model of society.
The students are naturally excited about the possibility of the April trip. We have just spoken to our tour operator and they expect the situation to be under control long before we go, so at the moment there is no reason to believe anything other than that the trip will go ahead.
We are of course very attentive to developments down there, and will find an alternative if necessary.
Newsletter 29.01.2011
Dear reader!
The week has been marked by teaching, grading, student assembly, Education Fair, Student Guidance, preparations for OSO and project writing. In and of itself an ordinary week at Ranum Efterskole, and yet a very special week in the 163 year old educational tradition of the town. Friday was the irrevocable last day of the first higher education in North Jutland, and the only higher education in Vesthimmerland Municipality. Ranum Seminary's last class of educators graduated and a huge party was held for everyone associated with the place in the evening.
We observe a minute's silence for an education that started at the same time as Denmark finalised its first constitution and which, despite wave after wave of centralisation, was allowed to live for 163 years. Ranum Efterskole took over the entire seminary building in 2009 and now we are moving into the vacant premises in the main building. The plan is to create an international language centre, as well as consolidate the administration at the school.
The week went by: on Tuesday, the students held their own assembly without adults and they said it went really well. The teachers held a subject group development evening and were then invited to eat in the profile subject Helvetide's Kitchen. Here, a dedicated kitchen team served a gourmet dinner in a designed restaurant atmosphere. 5 chef's thumbs up from here!
On Wednesday, more than 50 students visited the Education Fair in Aalborg to gather impressions for the future. This week and in the coming weeks, the educational guidance is in full swing and from the student counsellor Ib Christensen is a strong call to all current students and parents to talk through educational choices and the future in the coming weeks.
Friday was a professional day focused on OSO assignment and project writing in 9th and 10th grade respectively. The students should now be well equipped to take on the big challenge.
On Friday evening, 26 students went on a winter sleepover trip and had a great time around the campfire, including ghost stories, before crawling into their sleeping bags to sleep under the open sky and in shelters. The rest of the weekend team have been working on Lego Mindstorm robots and now it's time for a good time until the big handball final tomorrow, Sunday.
Tonight is the TV Show with Danmarks Indsamlingen.
We support the collection by a film directed by the student Jana.
Send a vote via "sms to 1212 text vote 86" and support with 20,-kr. and vote for Janas and the students' film.
Again this year, our overall priority is to support our friendship schools in Nepal, but this does not mean that we will not participate in the joint Denmark Collection.
In the coming week we will have mainly regular classes and profile classes, as well as evening clubs. Remember that registration for the upcoming weekend must be done on Sunday evening upon arrival!
Have a nice weekend and send a text to 1212 text vote 86..
Olav Storm
supervisor.
Newsletter 21.01.2011
Dear reader!
Norway, Nepal and the USA, stories from the cold north, the far east and the glamorous west have been buzzing all week. Students and staff have had cultural experiences with dimentary contrasts and it's a little surreal to hear the stories of cross-country skiing and snowboard crashes mingling with tales of the U country of Nepal and the rich super American that the international class has met first hand in Miami.
The week was first and foremost marked by the joy of reunion and while the winter frost and snow ran together in a gigantic lake in the basement of Kærhuset, it is also now that we can look forward to the last half year with renewed energy and a strengthened community.
During the week, students have worked intensively on the academic subjects and received feedback on their final exams. In the profile subjects, we collected the travel experiences and at the same time we are preparing and planning for the 3rd profile subject period. As teachers and students come together and talk in the new profile subject teams, goals and activities are being set more firmly, and by next week all teams and destinations will be set.
Sailing is planning a trip to Greece, Diving has everything in place for the Red Sea, the Adventure team has its eye on Gran Canaria, while the dancers are working on getting to New York. Music is aiming for London and Gastronomy for a floating gastronomic river trip in Holland with the Imagination team.
On Friday and Saturday, we interviewed new students, asking about family and school relationships, as well as interests, to gauge expectations for the coming school year. The interview with the new students also marks for the current student team, the intersection where they themselves met for interview prior to their stay. The 60 or so students who stayed at the school this weekend deserve huge praise for their efforts in showing around, giving presentations on International Class and the Nepal trip.
The new students received a belated Christmas present in the form of a new RE backpack to gather their expectations for the start of school on 7 August 2011.
This coming week is mainly about the book subjects and the preparations for the OSO and the project assignment in week 6. Pedagogically, we have had a bit of a romp with some night owls, and then we have a night elf who only wears underpants and a Santa hat and plays tricks in the corridors. Well... elves aren't always very nice, but now that Christmas is over, go to sleep!
On Tuesday there is a teachers' meeting in the afternoon. The theme is competence clarification and development in the subject groups and afterwards we are invited to the final dinner in the profile subject Helvedes Kitchen. During the last months they have been training for the final, where they will make a professional restaurant in Kærhuset and serve ala carte for each other and the teachers.
On Friday it is irrevocably the last day of the VIA University College teacher training in Ranum and a glory of 163 years of teacher training, HF and teacher training in Ranum is over. This is not good news for Vesthimmerland and Ranum, but when large trees are felled, air and space are created for new ones to sprout. And soon the main building will be a central part of Ranum Efterskole, including a unified administration and a new teaching environment for the international line and language subjects. We wish the pedagogical education all the best for the future in Viborg.
Yours sincerely
Olav Storm
Principal
Newsletter 16.01.2011
Dear reader!
Having just returned from Nepal and having received the students from Norway, I can once again state that it has been 2 incredibly successful trips with lots of content and experiences, and fortunately without any serious accidents. Now we are waiting eagerly to hear more from the Miami group, who will be back on Thursday. There are lots of exciting stories to be told in the coming weeks and we are collecting photos and stories for the website so you can follow along.
The trip to Nepal went beyond all expectations. We had a packed programme with lots of challenges and experiences. The visit to the friendship school was a success, with the students independently responsible for a varied programme including renovation of the playground, building windmills, pencil case and school bag project, T-shirt and painting project, etc. At the other friendship school, the High School at the top of the mountain, they practised folding ball, taught geography, talked girl talk and did team building. Close bonds were formed between the students and children at the Meetche friendship school, so it was hard to say goodbye when, after a few days, we moved on to the rafting trip and visit to Chitwan National Park.
We got very close to both the Nepalese culture and nature, and the students spent the last day gathering impressions for their big article project, which will result in a magazine about the young people's cultural encounters and journey. The students will also give presentations on their travel experiences and if you would like to visit the local school or have a workplace breakout session, please contact the school.
The trip to Norway was also a great success, and judging by the students who got off the bus on Friday at RE, they had spent all their energy on the ski slopes and on the great community at the hotel. Although several students were struck down with the flu and a few suffered minor injuries on the ski slopes, 210 travellers taking on skiing and winter life at the same time was a good deal. Evenings were spent playing games, enjoying the fireplace and gathering together. Both the hotel and the ski area at Skarslia are perfect for after-school use.
This coming week, the focus will be back on book learning and we look forward to having the Miami team back home on Friday. Friday and Saturday are Interviews with new students for the 2011-12 school year and we encourage current students to stay for the weekend and help show and tell the new students about afterschool life at RE.
Yours sincerely
Olav Storm
Principal
News from Miami.
January 19.
Dear RE
The last few days have been a wonderful mix of company visits, alligator nesting, beach walks and a visit to the Miami Museum of Science.
On Friday we visited DSV, a very large Danish freight forwarding company with branches around the world. The students were treated to Dunkin Donuts and talked to three Danes who had all made the trip across the Atlantic to a job with DSV in Miami, with all the pros and cons that entails. There is plenty of material for the OSO assignments if some write about international job opportunities.
Then we drove to The Everglades - the huge swamp area that covers all of South Florida. It was a very unique natural experience. We airboated (maybe not so good for nature) in a seemingly endless area that actually looks a bit like Vilsted Lake when you subtract alligators and exotic birds. Then we went to the alligator show. Alligators can't do much like killer whales and dolphins, the show basically consisted of them crawling out of the water and opening their mouths, which they then left open. Very fascinating primordial animals.
At the Miami Museum of Science we tried flight simulators and watched a 3-D movie about dinosaurs plus tried a lot of experiments. A ride on a go-kart track was perhaps the highlight for some after a full week of beautiful cars everywhere you look. Gas was definitely in the blood after the three heats on the track.
Today, Monday, we're going to the Keys. You'll hear more about that later - lots of good photos will be taken.
Love to us in Miami
January 14.
Hello RE and RE parents,
Miami Vice, 2nd episode
Today the sun has shone from a cloudless sky and we are enjoying a bit of summer in the middle of winter. We have been on professional field trips today - first to a Danish company SBS, Scandinavian Boiler Service, where we were shown around and heard a lot about what it is like to work abroad and especially in the US as a Dane.
We were then picked up by Jon Rosenthal, the Danish consul in Miami. Ashley in particular was very impressed with his car - a nice Jaguar - which we agreed was pretty classy. However, we followed him in our own minibus to the court change in Fort Lauderdale (just north of Miami itself). Here we watched some court hearings and spoke to a very nice judge, Judge Ginger Lerner Wren, who was very excited to have a visitor from Denmark. She is married to a Dane and talked to us about the differences between the Danish and American legal systems. And there is a big difference. We saw, for example, a girl in her early twenties who had been in prison and was now attending the hearing in a prison jumpsuit, handcuffs and leg irons because she had been driving without a licence. Judge Ginger Lerner Wren is working for a more humane justice system, trying to get criminals off the streets instead of focusing only on punishment, and she told us we were "very fortunate to live in Denmark".
Tonight we went to the cinema, where most of us saw the comedy "Little Fockers", while others chose "Tron".
Yesterday we didn't get to Key West - we're going this weekend - but instead went to Miami's Seaquarium, where we saw impressive killer whale and dolphin shows. We're thinking of introducing some of the training principles into the classroom, because those animals were extremely talented! 🙂 Last night, after many requests, the students finally got to indulge their shopping urges at the megastore Savgrass Mills Shoppingmall/outlet, or whatever it was - it was certainly consumer America at its finest.
After the evening's film, which was seen in another mall, that's simply where the cinemas are, came today's remark. Thea dropped to her knees to beg for another shopping spree, saying, "We haven't even been to this mall in 2 days!" (I think she would have said 2 minutes...) But there was no mercy, we had to go back to the Motel Blu, so we are fresh for another day in Miami tomorrow.
Sincerely yours, the Miami team
January 12.
Hi RE, We have arrived well in Miami. It was a very long trip, but all went well. After a stopover in Paris, we got on the plane to the US. The flight across the Atlantic Ocean took almost 10 hours. We arrived at 15.45 local time (i.e. 21.45 Danish time).
We stay in a real American motel in North Miami (a bit worn and with rooms around a corridor, just like you see it in the movies). This morning Louise and Caroline got up extra early to shower and get ready, and they had plenty of time, as it was only 2am. They only realised this after they had had a shower (they had forgotten to set the clocks back, of course).
Today we have visited the Montessori Middle School ? a new public school with fantastic facilities. It was a very interesting visit, where RIC made presentations to two different classes about Denmark. Especially the first class where the students were 11 years old participated very interested in the presentation. The equivalent of an 8th grade class from the school made an exciting presentation to our students about the United States and Florida and then served Key Lime Pie to us ? a special dessert from Key West, the southernmost point of Florida. By the way, tomorrow we are going to Key West ? a trip of about 250 km, which goes over a number of islands and bridges ? including the famous 7-mile bridge, which as the name suggests is 11 km long.
Many loving greetings from the RIC Miami team.
News from Nepal
13 January. The plane in Kiev waits 2 hours for us. According to plan we have 20 min. from landing in Copenhagen until the train leaves and hope we could make it. Otherwise we take the first through train.
January 13. Hi! We are on our way from Delhi to Kiev. But have landed in Azerbaijan to refuel. And because we are already 4 hours late, we hope that the flight from Kiev to Copenhagen is waiting for us. Otherwise we will come home later. More information to follow. Everyone is ok, even though we have now travelled 24 hours. Mvh Olav.
January 12. The Nepal team is ready to return home after an indescribable trip and many impressions to process. The 1st team is expected to be home on Thursday evening and the 2nd team on Friday morning. Everyone is in good spirits, a few with tired stomachs. See you soon from the Nepal team.
January 12. Hello. Last day in Kathmandu. Sightseeing, temples, culture and this afternoon the students have been working on their own projects and articles. Tonight we will say goodbye to our friends and guides at a dinner. We have only a few tired stomachs and hope everyone is ready to leave tomorrow. Greetings from the Nepal team.
January 11. We are now back in Kathmandu after an exciting trip to the national park. The students have rescued elephants, seen a wild tiger, rhinos and visited the elephant feeding and baby centre. Tomorrow is culture day and own projects. Greetings everyone! Mvh Olav
January 10. Hi! We are now back in Kathmandu after an exciting trip in the National Park. Students have ridden elephants, seen a wild tiger, rhinos and visited elephant birthing/baby center. Tomorrow is culture day and own projects. Everyone is ok but pretty tired. Greetings to all! Best wishes from the Nepal team.
January 9. Hello! So we are on our way to the National Park after a nice tent camp by the river and exciting rafting trip. Tonight we will stay in a lodge in the jungle. Everyone is still healthy. Have a nice trip to Norway everyone. Many greetings from us in Nepal.
January 7. We are back from the village and heading back to Trisuli river, west of Kathmandu. Everyone is well, no one sick and everyone in good spirits. Tomorrow we will be rafting down towards Shitwan National Park.
January 6. With wet feet we reached the village where we were warmly welcomed by the happy Nepalese children. After a few hours of fun and games, we unfortunately had to leave the school to go up to the village where we would spend the night. Today we are working on projects in primary and high school, where we presented our projects with great success. It was a great experience. Everyone is having a good time. Tomorrow, unfortunately, we have to leave the village and the schools. Best wishes from the Nepal team.
January 4. All have arrived 4 hours late to Kathmandu
Hi. We are about to take off from Copenhagen. We are flying with the smallest jet I have ever flown in to Kiev and on to Delhi. Everyone's fine. Mvh Olav
A little from Norway
January 14. Everyone is well on the buses and looking forward to going home. We expect to follow the plan and be finally home in Ranum at 14.00
January 12. With high sun, high spirits and no injuries (almost) the ski tour is coming to an end. There has been skiing and skiing. Praise has come from others who find themselves in the Norwegian snow landscape. So it is with pleasure that we all send greetings from Norway.
January 11. All students are still doing well. The first 2 days have been completed without any major injuries ( There have been a few sore legs, a few scrapes, a simple trip to the doctor's)
Everyone has been in high spirits despite the snow and challenges.
January 10. All students have now arrived and settled in at Skarslia.
Everyone is well and has been skiing. There is some snow but we could use a little more.
Today it has snowed - so it was nice. Everyone is ready for a good and cosy evening. (If we can stay awake after a long bus ride.)
Newsletter Friday 18 December 2010
Dear reader!
The Christmas holidays have just begun and mark an important milestone in the school year. We have come to a good end of the first half of the 10-11 school year, with a very low drop-out rate and with a lot of positive and expectant students who can now look forward to travelling to Norway, Nepal or the USA in January, as well as starting their 3rd profile subject period in the spring.
We had a great end of term week, which was naturally marked by final exams in all subjects, room cleaning on Thursday and especially the Christmas end of term on Friday. There has been a really good atmosphere during the week and on Friday the school was bubbling with Christmas spirit, joy and a lot of anticipation for the evening's big student Christmas party.
The week has also been busy for clubs, with Hardball in particular enjoying tremendous success and now up to 55 members, many of whom have their own weapons and protective gear. There are quite a few bruises and although the andrenaline numbs many small scrapes, you can hear that the participants are totally spent after a few hours of intense battle in the former swimming pool.
Early in the week we received the sad news that a student who was ill at home had been admitted on Sunday with meningitis and we immediately started informing students and parents via emails. It seems that the pupil has escaped without serious injury and with the scare. We also urged pupils to spare close contact - including at Friday's pupil party, but it is unlikely that this recommendation was followed!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!
Yours sincerely
Olav Storm
supervisor
Newsletter Friday 10 December 2010
Dear reader!
The performance project this weekend was a great success, which we all lived long on the following week. Normally, the energy will quickly turn and there will be a downturn after the upturn, but this week, there has been really good energy among the students!
In the book classes, we look ahead to the upcoming term test and the message is clear. Now is the time for everyone to show what they can do! Today, Friday, we have no lessons and the students are at home to recharge for the final exam.
This week we also had elections for profile period 3. Many exciting ideas and thoughts have come forward and on Tuesday we held a presentation of the ideas before the contact teachers interviewed each student about their interests, wishes and dreams. Only a few ballots remain to be handed in and we are very happy to do so on Monday. See the ballot at this link:
In the conversation with the contact teachers, there was also an opportunity to briefly give a personal evaluation of the first half year, and although there are still a few who are unsure, it sounds like we are on the right course and that expectations are super high for the spring's many challenges and experiences.
Wednesday we got a whole stud of about 250 kg. And all afternoon the students in the Helvetia kitchen worked on cutting and packing the meat for the freezer. It was a great experience for many to see how it is really done before looking into the freezer counter of a supermarket. The meat is organic and has gone to a large nature plot.
On Thursday, the students went home after a short day, which ended with an assembly where the theme was preparation for the final exams next week, see the schedule under Teaching. As many people had to take the buses to Aalborg and Hobro, and did not have a bus pass, there was a considerable delay for the bus. And I have promised to ask parents and students to buy bus passes either on the bus or at a ticket office, so that the driver can avoid delays in the future.
Pedagogically, it has been a good week, and as mentioned in the introduction, the energy after the performance project this weekend has been high. The trip to Christmas decorated Aalborg was a success, which despite the cold and lots of snow, set the right mood for the week.
We always feel a certain house restlessness around project weeks, and this has been felt by some students who have not slept as much as they should. This leads to other pupils wanting more supervision on the night shift - and this leads to a pedagogical discussion about where we use our resources. We will discuss this with the pupils next week.
This coming week, the focus is on two things: Christmas cheer and final exams. It may sound like a contradiction, but funnily enough, term time is also a time when everyone does the same thing at the same times, and has free time at the same time, without having homework too. As a result, the community becomes closer and many pleasant moments occur around the rooms, in the common rooms and in the classes. Besides the term tests, there is also vocational guidance for the 10th grade, Christmas cleaning of classrooms and rooms, etc.
On Friday we end with a Christmas tradition, where the whole school goes to Ranum church for Christmas service. After a traditional Christmas lunch, we dance through the whole school and finally around the big Christmas tree in the banquet hall. So Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!
Most students will be attending the evening's Student-Parent Council Christmas party, so they will stay at school until 5pm - and students going straight home for the holidays can leave from 2.30pm. Christmas refreshments will be available for parents picking up in the canteen between 2.30pm and 5pm. During the Christmas holidays, the school office will be open on 21 and 22 December.
Best regards and have a great long weekend.
Olav Storm
supervisor
Information on sharks and diving - 8.12.10
After the terrible shark attacks off the tourist town of Sharm el Sheik in recent days, we would like to make a few comments before the profile diving course starts up in the spring.
When we go to Egypt, we will stay and dive off the African mainland near the town of Marsa Alam about 300km south of Sharm el Sheik, which is on the Sinai Peninsula - a completely different place from where the shark attacks are currently taking place.
Normally sharks are quite peaceful to dive with, but none of the times we have been to Nakari have we seen sharks. In general, shark attacks in Egypt are extremely rare ? According to tv2, there have only been 4 shark attacks off Sharm el Sheik in the last 50 years, which is a small number compared to the millions of tourists who visit the resort every year.
At the moment, the world's leading shark experts are in Sharm el Sheik to find out what is behind the unprecedented aggressiveness of some sharks?what they conclude will be exciting for future trips to Egypt.
However, we do not consider that going to Nakari in April increases the risk, but we are of course following the matter closely.
It was a fantastic Performance and Event. All students were in full swing on stage, in exhibitions and in Hell's Kitchen, as well as in Martial Arts. The pupils worked well together to make the day a success for the many visiting siblings, parents and grandparents. A total of around 550 guests saw the play and were moved by the Beatles theme of the play "Will It be?". See and read more in the next Newsletter.
Yours sincerely
Olav Storm
Newsletter 3.12.2010
Dear reader!
It's been a great week with a lot of creative projects and preparation for the two big events: the Performance Project and the Christmas Party!
It's almost impossible to describe the atmosphere that has filled the school with good humour, great energy and an inventiveness that will play out tomorrow, Saturday, on various stages around the school. The best way to get a feel for the big project is to come along on Saturday to one of the two performances at 1pm and 3.30pm in the Festival Hall.
And I highly recommend that you check out the above link to reelev.dk, where the Media Team has designed their own RE website and is showing videos from the week!
The week started with walking a new morning exercise route - it follows the school path and is lit and cleared of snow. The assemblies have focused on strengthening personal space in the community and this has led to a lot of hugs afterwards.
Socially, the week has been top notch - only the snow has caused washouts and fights.
We also have a new medium within the school, as a group of students have started radio REtard. It broadcasts every afternoon and evening - in room primetime!
This week, the focus is on the elections for the 3rd profile period: many exciting and new ideas have been put forward and are being worked into a ballot paper. The first round of elections will take place on Tuesday and the final round will take place during the week, so that we can probably put the new profile subject teams in place on Thursday. It's a good idea to talk through the election in terms of interests and finances - read more on this page on Tuesday.
We're really looking forward to seeing as many people as possible at the performance project tomorrow, bring lots of spare change and try your luck in the lovely Nepal Tombola before heading into Hell's Kitchen to taste the countless dishes that have been rehearsed and prepared throughout the week. See you there, weather permitting!
Yours sincerely
Olav Storm
supervisor
Newsletter Friday 26 November 2010
Dear reader!
Winter with frost and snow already at the end of November, has given an early Christmas spirit and we are pretty much ready. Yesterday we lit the candle in the Christmas tree on top of the Seminary House. The tree can be seen all the way to Rønbjerg 4-5 km away. It stands as a landmark and harbinger of the Christmas season for everyone in the area. The tree in the Great Hall by the banqueting hall is also bright and in front of Kærhuset the tree is already decorated with lights. In the dining hall, the big Advent wreath hangs and is ready to be lit on Sunday.
The Christmas spirit is everywhere, even in the rooms, where it has become really cosy. Unfortunately, the mice have moved in too - everywhere! We have always had problems with mice after the harvest of the big field next to Kærhuset. But this year there are a lot of mice and even though we have traps everywhere, it is causing problems. The pest control companies have been called in and several students "evacuated", those who put out crumbs and named the mice have been overrun- by mice, so hopefully the mice will move back into the wild again...Enough about mice!
This week, in addition to the book classes and profile subjects, we have had several exciting activities. On Wednesday, Hardball finally started with real games. The renovated hall has been approved by the police and there are just over 50 students enrolled in the club. We have hired a guest instructor. And hired Kurt Andersen as IT and service technician, he is the mechanic at Hardball and manages the teams.
On Thursday afternoon and evening we held a contact group day, where most contact groups visited the contact teachers at home. A few stayed at the school and had a good time with delicious food, chat and games. Two buses transported the students to the contact teachers' homes in Aalborg and the surrounding area. This provides proximity and strengthens both the contact with the teacher and the cohesion of the contact group.
On Friday we had a professional day in citizenship, where we were visited by a resistance fighter from World War II. A group of students were in Aalborg, where they attended a trial.
International class had test day and got tested the level.
Pedagogically, it's been a good week, except that on Monday we had to send two boys home after they smoked in a bathroom in their apartment. The case is not closed yet, but one has been reported by the parents. The darkness and cold have made morning exercise a challenge for several. We have discussed several alternatives, as it is clear that getting out for a short trot/run before breakfast makes a good start to the day. On Monday there will be no morning exercise, instead we will walk a new route together. It is paved and lit and a bit shorter than the summer walk. It ends at the dining hall and breakfast is extended to 07.50 so you can go straight to breakfast and on to class.
The coming week will see the start of the Performance Project, where all students will be engaged in different projects, working on interdisciplinary creative and imaginary projects. The overall theme is space, and musically it is framed by a Beatles. There are two performances and activities, so there is the opportunity to have an enjoyable afternoon.
The students will be busy with the project all Saturday and Sunday will be spent relaxing and recharging for the following week. There will be no classes on Friday 10 December, so students can go home from 2.30pm on Thursday.
We know that many people get Christmas calendars in their rooms and we would like to encourage you to bring a small Advent gift for each other as a surprise, it is completely voluntary!
We look forward to seeing you on Saturday!
Best regards and have a great weekend.
Olav Storm
supervisor
Newsletter Friday 17 November 2010
Dear reader!
In many ways, it has been one of the best weeks for many and a tough week for a few. The Master Fatman theme on Monday night was a resounding success, the kitchen team provided a terrific Tahi-inspired dinner with both sweet, and particularly strong impressions for the taste buds. Afterwards, the students went for a pep talk in the hall and proceeded to their rooms. For the next few hours, 99% of the rooms were a total blast and the students had a great chat. All the teachers were at work for the teachers' assembly and after the assembly we joined the room talks. At the final evening assembly the atmosphere was lifting in the banquet hall and there was great praise for the organisers of the Master Fatman theme. We'll definitely do it again at some point, and maybe we can have Master Fatman "himself" along - it would be right up his street!
In addition to this lovely evening, we have had a normal school week with profile subjects and lessons. It's great to feel that there is a real positive focus and engagement in lessons, and this bodes well for the upcoming term tests in week 50.
On Wednesday morning we had a visit from education editor and journalist Jacob Fuglsang from the Danish newspaper Politiken. Jacob participated in the 2010 expedition to Nepal and subsequently wrote several articles about the trip and about travelling with Danish after-school students in a developing country.
Jacob Fuglsang brought a cheque for DKK 20,000 from Politiken's Reader Service, where readers could choose to donate their holiday newspaper to Ranum Efterskole's Friendship School in Nepal. Jacob then gave an exciting presentation to the Nepalese team about the journalistic tools and forms of communication on a journey.
Pedagogically, we have had a good week overall. But on Monday I decided to send a student for testing because of a suspected drug use. Unfortunately, it turned out that the suspicion was justified and the test was positive. We have decided that the pupil should stop and have spoken to the pupils about the matter. It is a joint student and teacher responsibility to keep drugs and smoke out of school, and it is irrelevant whether it is weekend abuse or here at school. After this experience, we are increasing our awareness of substance abuse and have invited a consultant in this area to give a presentation to both pupils and teachers. We strongly hope that we have shown a clear boundary and will not be challenged further on this.
The weekend list is an important resource for us in planning the work and staffing for a weekend. And as we have experienced that several students and parents are too late or do not notify us of changes, I must remind you that it is Sunday upon arrival that you must fill out the weekend list for the upcoming weekend. We do random checks every weekend to see if the pupils who say they are going home are actually going home and we
contacts the parents whose student signed up to stay on the weekend list but went anyway. So therefore dear current parents: Would you please make clear weekend arrangements - by the Sunday before!
The return journey on Friday can only take place at 14.30 - after the assembly, and no exemption can be granted for an earlier return journey. There may be consequences for the state contribution to the parental contribution and the school if a pupil leaves earlier. Thank you.
Remember that there is a weekend of RE Performance Project on 3-5 December. And we look forward to seeing as many as possible for an exciting project and performance on Saturday 4 December. See above for registration and programme.
Also remember that there is no school on Friday 10 December and students can go home on Thursday from 14.30.
In the coming weeks, students are welcome to decorate their rooms and from week 48 we will be running a Christmas room competition. More about this in the following Newsletters.
Here's wishing you all a great weekend!
Yours sincerely
Olav Storm
Newsletter Friday 12 November 2010
Dear reader!
Despite the snow and strong winds, we have had a nice week and are back on track after a somewhat turbulent last week with Bridge Building and Project Week. We have had a great week with lots of new initiatives and profile subject activities.
This week has brought a new timetable for many students with new profile subjects. The new profile subjects have got off to a great start and there has been a fantastic atmosphere at the school, with the new gastronomy subject "Hell's Kitchen" attracting a lot of attention from the other pupils.
The Nepal team is also well underway and was visited by journalist Erik Bjerre, who participated in the Nepal trip 2009. He will participate again in 2011, and made a good presentation about communicating the personal experience in different media.
Martial arts, design, media, duality theory, dance and music, are also well underway, along with the new profile subject in Digital SLR Photography".Alongside the many profile subjects, a first aid course runs and all students must undergo the 4-6 hours of intensive teaching.
Today, Friday, we have a Street Trip with the theme "On the Run" for all the Nepal participants and the weekend students who want to participate. In total, 46 students are out on a long hike, as refugees. They have been detained in a camp indefinitely, being tested both on endurance, courage, speed and cultural knowledge. Now the 8 teams are hiking around Vilsted Lake, about 21 km, through rain and pitch darkness. During the night they will experience being chased, sent from one camp to another and tomorrow morning they will be tested in a pool in Rønbjerg. The toughest will be allowed to continue until Sunday noon!
The theme "On the run" is topical, because on Sunday we participate in the Danish Refugee Council's national collection. The Nepal participants use the road trip to prepare themselves for the many challenges they will face on the journey in weeks 1 and 2 to the guest schools in Nepal.
In the coming week, students will make their final choices for the various tasks and projects in the upcoming Imagination project in week 48. There will be lots of activities and the theme is again Space. Remember that there is a performance on Saturday 4 December. Programme and registration will be published here in the next newsletter.
This coming week, Monday night will be a teachers' meeting followed by the premiere of a new theme: a Master Fatman evening, where the aim is to get in balance with yourself, your room and after-school life. All teachers will participate and we will talk about the core of the community and have fun in the rooms.
This week, the pupils' party committee was voted "pupils of the week" with great support and this honour was translated, together with the parents' council, into a Christmas party - organised outside the school on 17 December - it is reported.
To current parents, please remind your student to fill out the weekend list on Sunday evening. It is only wonderful that so many people want to stay at the school and we need to have a definitive overview from Monday for staffing and kitchen purposes.
Have a great weekend and week ahead everyone!
Yours sincerely
Olav Storm
supervisor
Newsletter Friday 5 November 2010
Dear reader!
November and winter-after-school time came at the same time... And it has been a challenging week for both students and teachers. The week has been marked by the 10th grade going to Bridge Building and the 9th grade having a big theme about Space. They have been in their own worlds and only in the evening, they have been able to gather again about after school life. This disrupts the afterschool community and unfortunately also causes more unrest. On Thursday evening we were visited by 25 musicians from the Nordjysk Music Academy. They gave a terrific concert with many genres in the festival hall and it was thus a fine end to the first week of November in the winter darkness.
Bridging the gap: the alarm clocks went off at 5am, and just after 6am the buses left for Aalborg and Års with all the 10th grade students. Here they spent 5 days in a bridge-building programme and got a taste of their future education. After a long school day away from home, they came back with very mixed experiences. Some quite high from having been allowed to screw, bake and experiment. Others were disheartened by a dull and unmotivated course. There are at least as many experiences from the week's activities as there are students, but the bridge-building is a compulsory part of the after-school programme for Year 10 and we have to send many teachers on training or time off during that week, as the government subsidy goes to the bridge-building schools. This also means that more contact teachers are away during the week and together we find that we need to bring the student body back together.
Space project for 9th grade: While the 10th grade has been in bridge building, the 9th graders have had a theme week around Space in addition to the regular classes. This basically involved students deciding which elements were important in building their own moon cities. As a prelude to this, the pupils watched the film Planet of the Apes on Monday, which helped to create wonder in the pupils about how we humans affect the forces of nature. The Tuesday was then spent with the students in small groups getting expert training on the five topics of Light, Transport, Energy, Atmosphere and Health, which are fundamental to creating life out in the Universe. The whole of Wednesday and Thursday afternoon was devoted to the Moon City, where the students in new groups had to use the knowledge they gained on Tuesday to come up with their own idea of a Moon City. Although the presentation was the same, four completely different ideas for a future moon city emerged. Friday was spent on presentations from the different groups. These, together with the written reasons for the students' choices, will produce a winner, which will be made public, at a community assembly next week.
Next week, a new chapter in the after-school year will start: the 2nd profile period.
The students have chosen new profile subjects until week 9 and at the same time they all go through a first aid course. Several students have been given 2 profile subjects, as a new experiment. These could be, for example, Duality Theory in Sailing and Media. Martial arts is starting up with 2 teams and we are buying new equipment. However, the students will have to buy their own mouth guards.
In the club subjects we start Wednesday Hardball on the expected approval of the rebuilt swimming pool from the Police. This means that students interested in Hardball must join the RE Hardball club and bring a signature from a parent/guardian to school.
The Nepal team also starts up next week. The team and weekend students (volunteers) will be going on a "road trip" from Friday to Saturday afternoon. The idea is to try living like in primitive conditions and with modest diet (maybe soup 😉 It will be both really cold, wet and surely a camaraderie experience for life! On Sunday 14.11 the team will be collecting for the Danish Refugee Council in Ranum and Vildsted.
Read more under the tab Nepal 2011.
The morning exercise will be the classic Sea Ride, but from Tuesday morning a common gymnastics-dance-sports class for ALL students will start from 08.-09. in the big sports hall. It will be really fun to be all together around the same activity. Afterwards there will be cleaning of the rooms and assembly.
That's all for this week, and while it might sound a bit annoying that some students don't understand how to respect the common rules and framework, it's a small number and therefore manageable for everyone to help each other back on track. Now we look forward to getting after school life going after Bridge Building Week and hope you have already ticked your calendars to come along on Saturday 4 December for the Performance performance. Also, remember to prepare your Christmas parcel calendar now and bring a couple of candles to your room (should be on a non-combustible surface e.g., glass).
As Henrik Nordbrandt wrote in a poem, "The year has 16 months: November, December, January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, November." It's nice then that "an after-school year is equivalent to 7 human years", and from that I would deduce that November is also coming to a quicker end at RE, so we can get into the Christmas spirit!
Best regards and have a great weekend.
Olav Storm
supervisor
Read the latest profile magazine from the profile trips in week 41.
Newsletter Saturday 30 October 2010
Dear reader!
What a week! First we inaugurated the new canteen in Semianriehuset on Tuesday, then we joined Denmark's biggest choir for Game Day on Thursday, that same afternoon the profile class presented their travel pictures and stories to all students in the banquet hall. Thursday evening we had a Halloween party including a rap concert. On Friday after the Danish day, there were professional school-home talks and in the evening the student party committee and the parent council had organised a big (the biggest to date) student party outside the school. While the students partied, parents could participate in the Parent Parking with teenage dilemma games, cheese table and the evening ended with teenage movies and chips in the World Room. It has been a hectic and exciting week for everyone at the school and a great start to the next chapter of the afterschool year.
Exciting new canteen in the Seminary Building: on Tuesday we opened the new canteen in the Seminary Building and from now on all students will eat dinner at the same time. The canteen is completely refurbished and freshly painted. There are 3 different buffets, a coffee/tea bar, fish corner, cheese table, fruit bazaar and 2 large free standing salad bars. In the future, students can drink organic milk from coolers, so the milk is always fresh and we avoid a lot of bottom chatter. In future, dinner will be served on tables by the table chairmen, who will arrive 10 minutes later. before the contact group. This means much less waiting time and a nice calm atmosphere in the dining room, where we can also play nice music on the new speaker system.
At the inauguration, the students received a short presentation from Chef Lars Jeppesen about the many new ideas and the layout of the canteen and then they walked the red carpet together to the dining room, where in addition to refreshments there were also sweet surprises on the tables. In the evening, they had beef stew with baked potatoes and various sauces. The pupils have taken to the new surroundings well, as have the kitchen staff, who now have no stairs to climb and can work in a unified working kitchen with more efficient workflows.
Professional conversations: the conduct of professional school-home conversations went smoothly, with parents arriving about 30 families per hour. The logistics are hyper-complex, but within the allotted time, parents and students made arrangements with the teachers they wanted to have a professional conversation with. In between, there was time to visit the new canteen and enjoy the homemade chicken soup, the salad bar, or taste the rib roast and the raw fried potatoes. Judging by the atmosphere and the teachers' experience of the talks, it was a good and constructive afternoon and evening, where of course many targets were set and agreements made for the academic performance further in the school year.
New homework time and homework cafe: As we have gathered all students for lunch at the same time in the new canteen, it has become possible to have homework time for all students at the same time in both buildings between 5-6pm. It is now possible for pupils to do homework in groups across the houses in, for example, their class project groups and they can sit together in the main dining room in the Core House as long as they let the teachers know. Otherwise, homework is still done and students are in their rooms during homework time. Every afternoon there are also academic homework cafes with homework help specifically in 1-2 subjects Monday to Thursday.
Socially, there was great reunion between both students and staff after the holiday, as everyone has been away from each other for 2 weeks on travel and autumn holidays respectively. Travel stories, rumours and news swirled in the air and it took a while before there was a night's sleep on the first evening. Monday saw the start of the normal timetable again and throughout the week the students have been working on the completion of their profile subjects.
The first week after the autumn holidays is always very sensitive to homesickness and uncertain students, but against expectations, few students found it difficult to break away from their home habits and get back into the swing of things. During the holidays, 2 girls who had been insecure for a long time signed out, so there is room for 1-2 new students if you know someone who has grown cold in their school and needs a new challenge.
This coming week there is a bridge building for 10th grade and all students are off to Aalborg or Års from very early morning until late afternoon. The 9th grade has a science theme with Space and there will be many different activities. Please see the timetable under teaching.
The transition to the inshoe season also went well. Few had not remembered. Remember that this weekend is the changeover to winter time, so there is one more hour to sleep in and get ready for a new week after the student party. Have a great weekend!
Yours sincerely
Olav Storm
supervisor
News: Parental parking at Ranum Afterschool!
Professional school-home talks friday.:
Student grades prior to interviews are sent out by email to parents who have provided functional addresses. Others are sent out by post for receipt on Friday.
Newsletter Saturday 23 October 2010
Dear reader!
It's the last weekend of the autumn holidays. We are looking forward to seeing all the students again and to a busy week with lots of fellowship and activities until Friday, when there will be professional -school-home talks and when the students will have their first "private" student party in cooperation with the Parents' Council. During the week, the sailing team will also take their practical aptitude tests, and after a long autumn and preparations in France, they are ready!
This week: Although the school has been closed during the holidays, several activities have been going on. Technical staff have been working hard to get the new canteen under the banquet hall ready for the opening on Monday. The roof of the Multicultural Hall has been replaced. The roof of the old swimming pool, now the Hardball and Skate Hall, has been sealed.
In the coming week the following will happen:
Monday - inside or slippers must be used everywhere indoors..
Profile subjects must be ready for presentations on Friday: photos, posters, articles, films etc.
Tuesday assembly with focus on the profile subject trips and preparations for sing Danish day on Thursday.
Thursday morning 11.00 - 11.30 we participate in the nationwide Game Danish Day with all students and staff in the Festsalen. We sing together with DR P4 and many other schools, and those who have time and want to join us are welcome!
Thursday night is Halloween night, and one feature will be rapper group Aros Records- google them on facebook. Remember to dress spooky...
On Friday there will be professional school-home talks from 14.00 and in the banquet hall you will have the opportunity to see pictures and hear about the many profile trips.
On Friday evening and night, the students will hold their first student party and we have offered to provide "parent parking". What this entails is yet to be decided, but it could be shared films, educational debates with the headteacher, "sign and guess" for teenage parents, a nap in your pupil's room until it's time for pick-up after the pupil party. Hopefully you'll have time to sleep in on Saturday morning. The programme for "parent parking" will be finally posted on Wednesday - on this site.
Remember to be well rested before you come back to school tomorrow Sunday, and remember your indoor shoes and winter clothes!!
Best regards and have a great weekend!
Olav Storm
supervisor
Newsletter Saturday 16 October 2010
Dear reader!
We're all home again after some fantastic travels. Some 275 students and teachers have been on expeditions to the Czech Republic, Berlin, Turkey, Wales and France. And there have been no accidents on any of the trips!!
The messages in the incoming text messages tell of positive young people, great experiences and not least a fantastic camaraderie. As the last ones, the sailors arrived at midnight and we had a great trip. Everything is still rocking after 5 days on the boats and the autumn holidays are welcome!
Over the next few weeks, students and teachers will put into words and pictures their experiences on the many trips and you will be able to read about them here on the site. Along the way, students and staff have sent text messages home to the school and they are posted on the profile trips page. Here you can get a quick overview and a few snapshots of the trips
During the week, more than 15 staff members have been working at the school to transform the canteen in the Seminary building into a new and exciting dining hall. And although there is still a lot of work to be done in the coming week, we expect to be able to inaugurate it on Monday 25 October at lunchtime.
Pedagogically, the trips have a positive effect on the relationships between students and teachers, and we have very positive expectations for the coming autumn.
On Thursday 28 October, we will be having a Halloween party - so all students should bring "spooky" costumes!
On Friday 29 October, there will be professional school-home talks from 14.-21.See programme under Teaching.
On Friday 29 October, the student party committee, in collaboration with the volunteer parents' council, has decided to hold the first student party (outside the school). The Parents' Council and the Students' Council will meet on Sunday 24 October for a preparatory meeting. (After that I will announce a possible parent programme as many will probably want to wait at school until the party is over).
Enjoy the autumn holidays, the many travel stories and we look forward to seeing you at the talks on 29 October.
Yours sincerely
Olav Storm
Principal
Newsletter Friday 8 October 2010
Dear reader!
Today, more than 26,000 have joined the campaign!
Students and teachers are heading out into the world for the first time this school year and they have many challenges and experiences ahead of them.
This morning the students of the international team went to Wales to Yale University College, and this afternoon the bus with about 70 divers left for Billund. They won't arrive at their destination in Turkey until early tomorrow, so it's a bit of a road trip for them. Early Sunday morning the boat leaves for France via Copenhagen and they can look forward to 6 days on the Mediterranean in 4 identical charter boats. Sunday afternoon Adventure and Riding set off together in a double decker to the Czech Republic and finally Media, Dance, Design and Music set off very early Monday morning to the vibrant cultural life of Berlin.
The destinations and projects are very different, but what they all have in common is that they come home with a backpack full of strong camaraderie experiences within and across their profile subjects.
Those interested can follow us on this page and on the Facebook page, facebook.com/ranumefterskole, where we try to bring news from the trips regularly.
Remember, nothing new is good news - and a little new is more exciting!
The week went by: all profile subject teams have been very busy throughout the week preparing for their departure and working on theory and exercises regarding destinations and activities.
During the week there have been a lot of visitors. We have had visits from the entire Vesthimmerland Fire Brigade on both Tuesday and Thursday. Thursday evening there was also an exciting lecture by the long-distance sailor Asger Hunø, where he told about his trip around England and back to Rønbjerg.
It has become dark in the evening and it can be felt that the students are enjoying themselves more indoors. Homemade cakes and buns are being baked and although some boys played a little too much with brown cake batter in some toilets and caused a bit of a panic, it has been a pleasant few evenings.
In the clubs there has been boxing training on Tuesday and Zumba dancing on Thursday evening.
The majority of the students have had an academic assessment with their teacher and the results will be emailed or sent to parents after the autumn holidays. Although there has been a lot of new learning for most students in terms of moving away from home and living with many other young people in a busy after-school life, we also have the impression that most have worked purposefully on their school work.
There are always several cultures coming together in the first classroom, and not all students come from schools where it's cool to be good and learn something in class. We are ultimately aiming to strengthen the positive and appreciative learning focus in classrooms and have come a long way!
The two international exchange guests have now moved on to other schools after 4 weeks at Ranum Efterskole. It has been exciting to have 2 young people from Croatia and Brazil respectively staying and they have actively participated in several classes with their special focus on Human Rights. They were responsible for part of the lessons in the international class, while the two permanent teachers were in Cambridge for a seminar.
In the next 6 weeks, we will have 3 trainees from the teacher training college in Aalborg. They will participate in the profile trips to get to know the students well, and two of the interns will also live at the school during their internship. This means that there are more young adults available for the young people in their free time.
Teacher talks on 29 October 14-21.
We have now opened the booking of interview time for the professional interviews with teachers on the Friday after the autumn holidays. On the Teaching page, in the left menu, there is a registration form which we encourage parents to use as soon as possible.
Read more about the talks and the schedule on the Teaching page and the schedule.
Slippers make the interior cosier and cleaner. That's why we're repeating last year's success and declaring the school a "slipper zone". All pupils should therefore bring a pair of indoor shoes, sandals, slippers, knitted socks for after the autumn holidays.
We're all really looking forward to travelling with the students and you can look forward to following us on the website as students and teachers bring home news. After the trip, there will be an opportunity to hear about the trips and see pictures in the banquet hall, among other things during the professional talks. The next newsletter will be on Saturday 16 October at the earliest and Ib will write about the trips in between.
Best regards and have a nice weekend
Olav Storm
Principal
Newsletter Friday 1 October 2010
Dear reader,
It was a great weekend, and many people visited Ranum Efterskole, both for parents and siblings on Saturday and for Afterschoolers' Day on Sunday. The students received a lot of praise and recognition for their great exhibitions, activities and especially positive tours. The auditorium was filled four times for the presentation on the school's values and we ended the day with a record number of enrolments for the coming school years.
Thank you to all students, parents, visitors and staff for a wonderful busy weekend.
A little unconventional newsletter speech:
Judging by the great interest this weekend, the future is bright for Ranum Efterskole. But we might need a little extra help to convince the politicians NOT to cut the parents' subsidies. Now this is politics, so everyone can speak their mind, and must fight this. So, if you think that the next generation of pupils and their parents should also have the opportunity to go to afterschool - whether you come from a better-off family or not - send an email to a politician and tell them - preferably before 5 October, when Parliament opens!
It costs nothing now - but it can cost a lot for the free school tradition in Denmark and for the future generations of parents. After-school education has proved that it provides young people with the ballast we need in Danish society, and it must be strengthened rather than weakened.
On Tuesday night we also had a concert with one of the upcomming bands that the Danish Rock Society, ROSA, sends out on demo tours. The band Drone played progressive-grunge-pop, so the whole party hall was blown away. On DR P3 the band was described as: "Sharp precision from one of the most tight and spetacular bands in Danish upcomming music. Surprisingly catchy". Every year we have 3-4 bands visiting us, and this time the students' listening senses were challenged to the limit, and there should be room for that at the afterschool.
Pedagogically, it has been a good week, although several have expressed that they were somewhat used after almost 12 days of after-school life in a row, and several have not been home for many weeks. This is only natural, and there has been a lot to experience and keep up with over the last few weeks!
We dealt with some nattering Saturday night by Sunday having conversations with those involved and their parents. And there's full support for them taking on cleaning and washing up duties throughout the week, as well as risking having to think at home about the purpose of the stay if it repeats itself before the profile trips in week 41.
In the coming week, in addition to the academic subjects, there will be a number of preparations for the profile trips. The first teams will leave on Friday and the last on Monday morning. All information about the trips can be found under the tab Profilfag - and in the side menu Profilfagsreise.
All students are home this weekend, giving all staff a well-deserved rest. We look forward to seeing you again on Sunday, refreshed and ready to set off on adventures with your peers and teachers the following week.
REMEMBER your passport and health insurance if you haven't already handed it in!
Best regards and have a nice weekend
Olav Storm
supervisor
NB: Ranum Efterskole has its own official facebook page.
There are a lot of other pages, but in the future we will try to gather the pages on the main page. See the link on the front page, and Like it if you want to follow more than the Newsletters.
The pictures at the top are inspiration for the new profile subject in Photo Art.The picture at the bottom is from a race last weekend, where the team finished first.
The Afterschool Association urges: it is crucial for the efforts to limit the savings demands that the schools and their backyard also come on board.
The Afterschool Association is therefore calling on all schools to find 10 former students to contribute to a coordinated Facebook event on Tuesday 5 October, when Parliament opens. It will further our cause if the former pupils choose one or more politicians and write on their ?wall? on Facebook about the importance of after-school education in their lives and careers. It is important to keep a good tone and only talk positively about the importance of after-school education. Negative messages will damage the afterschools' cause.
Thanks to all visitors at the Parents, Siblings Day on Saturday
- and the 1200 guests on Sunday!
We have never experienced so many positive visitors! And both students and staff are very happy about the great attention.
There was activity all over the school, both with the profile subjects, the international lines and in the dining hall, where the gastronomy team served samples from their World Kitchen.
Guests to the Open House started pouring in early in the afternoon and even with around 60 tour guides, we struggled to keep up.
We got a lot of registrations and we are very happy about that, but there is still room in the 9th grade next year, but don't hesitate too long to make an appointment and send a registration because we still get a lot of inquiries after the weekend.
On the Parents' Day Saturday, there was plenty of time and calm to conduct contact group talks and a convivial atmosphere throughout the school. Some parents wondered why there were no chairs in the main hall, but there was no room for that when we were dancing vaga-vaga...
After the gathering in the main hall, there was a great programme of adventure, climbing, diving, sailing, dancing, media, music and ball games, as well as a hike to Vilsted Lake.
Best regards and thanks for the support!
Olav Storm
Newsletter Friday 23 September 2010
Dear reader,
Today the school celebrates its 6th birthday. Peaceful morning without morning exercise, profile day all day and lots of pretzels after a nice assembly. And the present? - A cinema trip for all pupils. We're going to see The Avengers at Løgstør Cinema. It's a Danish drama by Susanne Bier. A film about friendship, revenge and infidelity, which draws traces from the brutal everyday life in an African refugee camp to the postcard idyll of a sleepy Danish provincial town.
We split into two groups as there is no room for 230 in the cinema. It's definitely a film both students and adults can reflect on - especially when you're at afterschool. We look forward to welcoming around 500 parents and siblings tomorrow, and on Sunday to be visited by hopefully many interested families on Open Day.
The week has been spent teaching the academic subjects and preparing for Parents' Day and the travel week in the profile subjects. The evenings were spent in clubs and in the apartments.
Pedagogically it has been a good week and we can feel that the students are getting closer together.
Ranum Efterskole has its own official facebook page. There are a lot of other pages, but in the future we will try to gather the pages on the main page. See the link on the front page, and Like it if you want to follow more than the Newsletters.
Programme on Sunday 26 September:
13.00 Gathering in the banquet hall with a joint welcome and singing.
13.20 Tours and activities throughout the school.
Meet and experience the students telling and showing pictures from:
Diving, Sailing, Horse riding, Adventure sports, Martial arts, Golf,
Media, Music, Dance, Gastronomy and Design.
Presentation of the school's values, profile and teaching.
Every full hour 14-15-16 in the banquet hall by the headmaster.
13.-17 Refreshments in the canteen and dining room.
Also visit the profile exhibitions in Kærhuset and try climbing in Multikulturhuset.
We look forward to seeing you!
Yours sincerely
Olav Storm
supervisor
Newsletter Saturday 18 September 2010
Dear reader,
The newsletter is a bit delayed because last night we were visited by some 130 young people from last year's student team, who were on their way to their RE-union party. It was really nice to see them again and positive that they still feel a strong community.
Next Sunday, September 26th, you will also have the opportunity to meet some of the former students who will tell you about their stay at Ranum Efterskole.
This week the students have had a normal schedule except for Tuesday morning, when we had a visit from Anders Kofoed Pedersen from Travelape. He gave a great and inspiring talk to all the students about his experiences in life and as several students expressed it afterwards. "It could be useful". It takes a lot to talk about personal development, self-esteem and self-confidence to a large group of teenagers, but Anders managed to keep everyone captivated and hit the spot with his questions: "How do you get to live your own life and achieve the goals and dreams you have?"
On Tuesday we also had a visit from the 9th grade of Løgstør School, who got an "afterschool" activity day and insight into our school.
On Wednesday we held a big assembly with all teachers and students, where the new profile subjects for the 2nd period were presented and there was an opportunity to ask questions about content and course, then all students received a personal choice card and on Monday the last new profile subjects should be almost ready for presentation.
On Thursday evening, all students had to try the first activity under the gastronomic theme "Wild days at Ranum". And it got pretty wild as the students had to catch, kill and cook their own trout on the grill. (Photos coming to the photo page Monday-Tuesday). If you're used to tank freezers, nature moves pretty close in this experience. The biology teacher, along with the kitchen staff, assisted with the killing and cooking, and in this way the students also got a professional look at the anatomy, etc., of the fish.
On Friday we had professional days and ended with a nice gathering. There are only about 40 students at the school this weekend, so there is plenty of room for the old students.
In the profile subjects, students are busy this week and next preparing their activities and presentations for Parents' and Siblings' Day on Saturday and Open Day on Sunday. There will be exhibitions and activities, as well as the opportunity to take a tour. As something new, there will also be a group of former students who will talk about what they got out of their afterschool years at Ranum Efterskole. See the programme under Open House.
Pedagogically, it has been a very nice week. The teachers had a meeting on Wednesday evening with the theme "the role of the contact teacher". We had a visit from a former colleague, and through his reflections and experiences we had the opportunity to mirror our own experiences and practices. The conclusion is that we have a good common ground and a good collegial support, and this is the most important thing when interacting with young people. The students did not have clubs on Wednesday evenings, which meant lots of fun and fellowship in the rooms and common rooms.
Yesterday we said goodbye to our German AFS exchange friend, Erika, she has become a part of all of us in the 4 weeks she has lived and worked here. And we will miss her lovely smile and positive mood both in German lessons and in the kitchen, where she has helped throughout the period.
Two young students from Croatia and Brazil started on Monday and will be part of the school's daily life and teaching until the trips in week 41. In addition to cultural and language exchange, their purpose is to discuss Human Rights with the students and teachers.
In the coming week, the focus will be mainly on the academic subjects and in the profile subjects on the preparation for the coming weekend.
Tomorrow, Sunday, there will be a talk by Cecilie Myrhøj, who has been living and working at our Nepalese Friendship School for 3 months. The lecture is free and starts at 2.30 pm in the banquet hall.
On Friday we celebrate the school's 6th birthday with the students. It will be quiet, as there is a lot to do this weekend.
We look forward to seeing many people at the Parents and Siblings Day on Saturday. See the programme under registration and remember to send in a registration form with your choice of one activity by Monday.
We also look forward to your visit on Sunday, when there will be an Open House from 13-17. and where you can register for the coming school year at Ranum Efterskole. There are still places available for the coming school year 2011-12. And as something completely new, we at Ranum Efterskole have created a Europe class, where you can combine a 12-week stay abroad in a European country with an afterschool year in 10th grade. For the first time we will also have a guided tour of the main building, which after the summer holidays will serve as the International House for language teaching and will house the Ranum International Class and the Ranum Europe Class. The world is getting bigger... at Ranum Efterskole and we hope that you will recommend and invite interested young people and parents to come and visit!
Best regards and have a great weekend!
Olav Storm
supervisor
Newsletter Friday 10 September 2010
The big experience of the week for most has undoubtedly been the sailing trip with Håbet, but in addition to this experience, all the profile subjects have also worked on their goals and there have been a sea of trips and experiences:
The adventure team started their profile days with a schooner trip, and then they drove to Tingbæk limestone mines, where there was a midnight visit to the limestone mines and later a mountain bike race.
The Dance and Media team was in Aalborg on Wednesday evening to see and experience the dance film SET UP in 3D., and Toy Story3 ( media team)
The riding girls visited their riding instructor Poul Hove in Thisted.
The divers were in the fjord for OpenWater tests before the trip to Turkey.
Sailors also got on the water in the smaller boats. Extreme low tide in Rønbjerg meant that Matcher 37 could not get out, and instead they prepared the voyage to France.
The design team has created an art happening that creates wonder and opens new questions in the afterschool life at RE. Experience it for yourself when we hold Parents' Day and Open House on 25-26 September.
On Friday, the 10th grade teams in design and personal development visited Aalborg to get inspiration and education in architecture and design by visiting the Utzon House and Nordkraft.
In addition to all these exciting experiences and projects, the students have been attending the normal classes Monday-Tuesday and Friday, as well as participating in clubs and the weekly chores.So it has been a really busy and hectic week, but still we are well over 120 students at the weekend and right now there is both a parachute course and game night at Kærhuset.
The week ahead offers a variety of activities:
On Monday, the football team travels to Borremose Youth School to get worthy opposition, and to win over their football team.
On Tuesday, globetrotter, freelance journalist and lecturer Anders Kofoed will give a great talk entitled "Everyone has a life - worth living". We have had Anders visit us the previous two years, and it can be said very briefly: he makes a difference because he manages to set an overall agenda for conversations about self-esteem, self-confidence and personal development in interaction with other young people and adults. The lecture is central to the overall theme of this term's Content Plan: People, Morals and Ethics.
On Wednesday, students will gather for the presentation of new profile subjects at 16.30, and the choice will be made in the days that follow. Pupils are given first priority for the choice they made before the start of school. However, this is only indicative and it is possible to choose again if you would prefer one of the exciting new subjects we offer. For example, SLR photography, or a Guiding course. Alongside the next profile subject, students will undergo an 8-12 hour first aid course, culminating in an internal first aid test.
On Wednesday evening we have a teachers' meeting, where we work on the theme of the contact teacher role.
Parents of students interested in the Nepal trip in January 2011.
Come to the Nepal Lecture on September 19th at 14.30 - 16.30 in the banquet hall with Cecilie Myrhøj, who has just returned home after having lived and worked for 3 months at Ranum Efterskole's friendship school in Nepal.
We are holding an Open House on 26 September and will be doing a lot to advertise this to interested parties in the following weeks. However, there is nothing in the world better to make others want to experience Ranum Efterskole for a year than your experiences and stories. So tell your stories, maybe you will be the one to make a big difference in another young person's life with a year at Ranum Efterskole. The 10th grade is about to be admitted next year, but there is a good possibility for a place in the 9th grade. We are starting a new European class next year, REC, where there is the possibility of a 12 week stay in another European country with the exchange organisation AFS. After the 12 weeks you return to RE and finish the school year with a 10th grade exam. There is also the possibility to finish with an international Cambridge English exam.
Best regards and have a great weekend!
Olav Storm
Principal
Newsletter Friday 3 September 2010
Dear reader,
The field is mown and the hay is harvested - in clear September air with a hint of autumn coolness, we held a successful harvest party on Thursday evening. It was a festive end to the first of the 10 months and once again the atmosphere was top notch. The students all contributed in different ways to create a super good atmosphere and a lot of activity.
Monday to Thursday we have been running a regular academic timetable with profile subjects and even though the students have been busy all day, many still like to join the clubs in the evenings. The golf club had as many as 14 on the course in Løgstør and on Wednesday evening the sailing team took part in a race in Rønbjerg.
Pedagogically, it has been a "real" after-school week, where we have fortunately managed to have a constructive dialogue and a forward-looking cooperation with the few students who stepped over the boundaries of the common rules. On Wednesday evening we found ourselves in the difficult situation of needing a camera and a computer and some money. Fortunately, the computer and later the camera turned up again. But the story provided a reminder that it is important to look after your things and not tempt others, as well as locking larger valuables in your cupboard.
Professionally, we feel that there is a good drive in the teaching. In the 9th year of Danish, a 5-track system will be created in order to have a more appropriate distribution of pupils across the 4 levels.
In the coming week, there is usually schedule Monday and Tuesday, while Wednesday and Thursday great Limfjord sign. We have hired the schooner Håbet from Svendborg and all students will participate in their profile subject group in a 3-4 hour schooner trip on the fjord. Along the way they will learn how to set sail and navigate the ship, as well as solve various tasks about the geography of the Limfjord, the aquatic environment and cooperation on board a ship. In addition to the trip, they will also spend the days immersing themselves in their profile subjects and preparing for the upcoming parent event on 25 September and Afterschools Day on 26 September, as well as the upcoming profile subject trips in week 41.
On Friday there is a professional day for citizenship and personal development, with an excursion to the Utzon house and the Art in Aalborg. In the afternoon the parachute course starts and if the weather is good, the students in the team can jump already on Saturday. We therefore hope for plenty of wind for the schooner on Wednesday and Thursday, and calm on the weekend!
Best regards and have a great weekend!
Olav Storm
supervisor.
Nb. We are doing various PR initiatives leading up to the Open House on 26 September, including a campaign in Aalborg, where fewer primary school pupils attend after-school education than in other parts of the country. See the link.
Newsletter Friday 27 August 2010
Dear reader,
Great atmosphere, wind over the Limfjord and Himmerland, and a fantastic profile day Friday with sun, smiles and activity all over the school. In short, a very good afterschool week with very few bumps in the educational circuit.
And on top of that, a big gift for the Adventure team in the form of 24 new mountain bikes on a trailer - just for riding in the woods!
The week went by:
Sunday evening was the first meeting of the volunteer parents' council, and it was really positive that so many people showed up. There was a good debate on several points, including the role of the Parents' Council in relation to a possible student party outside the school.
The Parents' Council's lead person and contact person for the Headmaster was Tina Englyst, who answers the Parents' Council's email: see more about the Parents' Council in the menu on this news page.
On Monday, all teachers held a long teachers' meeting and strengthened the common focus on pedagogy in the house and the process of subject leveling of students. We are well on our way, but will work on putting extra teachers in our 9th grade classes in Danish and English, so that we can better overcome the dispersion in the classes and get a better distribution of students in the classes. For a period of time, there will be an extra track in Danish and English.
On Tuesday, all teachers participated in the room cleaning, so that both staff and students together could set the bar at a satisfactory level. Of course, besides being a serious matter, it is also both cheerful and fun when everyone works together on a common project in the same time - even when it is cleaning.
On Wednesday evening, all students were taught line dancing in the Multicultural Hall and now they are ready for the big harvest party next Wednesday.
On Thursday there was a film club and a good time, several students were involved in making the new advert for the Open Day on 26 September.
On Friday, the sun was shining and the wind had died down, making it ideal for outdoor activities such as sailing, horse riding, adventure sports and diving. Throughout the day, all students were busy with profile subject activities, including dance, where the team was visited by a talented street dance guest teacher.
In the coming week, in addition to regular classes and profile subjects, as well as clubs, the focus will be on the Harvest Festival on Thursday. Students should come as farm girls and boys - preferably in rubber boots and ( shoes to dance in). There will be line dancing and other fun indoor and outdoor activities.
This weekend there is a town festival in Ranum and a diving weekend, so there are over 120 students in the house, and therefore a lot of activities going on. Our gastronomy team will prepare the world's most expensive beef in collaboration with chef Lars Jeppsen, which will be sold for 1 DKK per gram at the town festival. Another group of students will defend the school's honour in a street tournament of 7-man football. It's going to be a party!
Educational: we have been doing a good job of cleaning the rooms in the morning all week, except for Thursday morning, when we had to collect the mobiles - see last week's newsletter. This caused some frustration, but also respect from the other students regarding the agreement that the mobiles were handed out in the confidence that everyone was agreeing to take a nap for each other in the room in the morning. This will probably improve after this experience.
The 4 students who did the night end last week have cleaned up the old swimming pool considerably this week, and with a really good mood and support from student volunteers.
2 students have been in conflict with the IT rules and uploaded or shared illegal movies, the Uni-C IT provider has tracked down and we have taken a serious talk, and sent the computer home for a clean. That kind of experience will make a lot more people smarter than those 2!
Near future: We will inform you in the near future about the upcoming profile trips in detail. Each profile subject prepares the information for parents and students and this is uploaded here on the site, under profile subjects. In addition, information will be provided about the special offers in the 2nd profile subject period so that students have the opportunity to decide on the conditions for the trip to Nepal as an alternative to the Norway trip. Regarding. Nepal project, a special orientation day will be held on Saturday 25 September.
Remember that registration for the autumn skydiving course is closed before 1 September. See under Teaching.
That's all for this week. Thanks for reading along so posted and have a great weekend!
Yours sincerely
Olav Storm
supervisor
Newsletter Friday 20 August 2010
Dear reader,
The stay weekend was a great success, with all students moving closer together and having a little more time to bond across houses and in smaller groups. It has been a really good induction period, with no serious accidents and strong pupil engagement.
The gala party, on Friday night, provided a strong bonding experience and it was a good idea to pull a "date" in a bucket, because then both boys and girls were mixed across the houses too. The party had drained most of the energy for Saturday's nature sports trip, so several groups didn't know all the items, but most got around to kayaking, golf, biking, etc. Saturday ended with a movie and a good time in the ballroom.
On Sunday, IT was connected to the wireless network and many students disappeared behind the screen for a while. Over lunch there was a beach trip to Rønbjerg. It was a bit windy, but spirits were high. A father offered to come with his speedboat and under the shelter of Trendbugten a large group of students had a flying walk in a rubber ring. Such an initiative is very welcome.
On Wednesday evening everyone was invited to a Picnic by the lake. Wind and weather were with us and the delicious grilled burgers were a huge hit! The chef and teachers challenged those students who were brave enough to a swim in the lake and entertainment was guaranteed for the rest of the evening.
Thursday we had assembly in the morning, where we crowned the first Student of the Week, with the right to go to the buffet every night before everyone. There were lots of stories of good comradeship and heroics, from handing out sweets to the needy, scalp massages, helping with the cleaning and taking a stranded horse girl on the back of a bike all the way to Ranum. This is a small tradition that we usually have every Friday, and it makes for a good and positive end to the week.
Socially, we have had a very good week and intro period, and overall we are very expectant and positive. We may have had an episode with night owls again, but tackled it at eye level and believe that the two girls who invited a couple of boys to watch a film on the terrace at midnight, and who laughed so loudly that the night watchman spotted them, may have learned from the agreement to totally clean the old swimming pool over the next many afternoons and evenings. We'd rather not spend any more resources on awake night guards, as that would be to the detriment of the year's other activities, the pupils are told.
The mobile phones were handed out yesterday, Thursday, after a small gathering in each house. The students were highly praised for their strong community and way of taking care of each other.
It's really hard for some to deal with being with very different young people, but the preludes to crises have more or less gone away, and the students have really shown us and each other that they want the community across types etc.
Therefore, they have been rewarded with the confidence and recognition that they can now keep their mobile for the rest of the school year. (Unfortunately, this does not apply to the few students who do not get their room approved in the morning, then they have to hand it back in until they have learned)...
Mobile phone masts glowed and text messages from 10 days flooded into the Dining Room and World Space. But in the future, it's important that students understand that mobile phones are a private matter and therefore not used in common areas, classrooms and the dining hall. We believe that the students have passed the mobile-free test and that the community can support the fact that they now have extended contact opportunities back home. We have the same hope that mum and dad can cope with not texting all the time even though the option is now there again. Nothing new - is usually the best news. Please continue to send a letter and a package once in a while.
In the coming week, there is a normal schedule of academic lessons, profile subjects and physical education, etc. Clubs will start in earnest and students who want to skydive should make sure to sign up - see under Teaching. Friday is profile day and the coming weekend is become weekend for the divers.
We expect a lot of students to take the opportunity to have fun together at school. There will also be a Multicultural House Party, where students can participate in various activities, as well as the opportunity to join the gastronomic team that prepares refreshments for the Cultural House Party.
Remember that the weekend list must be filled in on arrival on Sunday evening - before 21.00.
Best regards and have a great weekend!
Olav Storm
supervisor
nb. Voluntary Parents' Council meeting at 7pm on Sunday in the Dining Room at Kærhuset.
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