Tag Archive for excursions

Monday

When I was on camp last week I changed my alarm from 6.00 to 7.30. I didn’t want to wake the kids up that early! Thursday and Friday mornings I woke up by myself before the alarm was needed, so I didn’t really bother to change it. This morning though, when the alarm woke me, the rush began.

I had an excursion today to Tarra Bulga National Park. I hadn’t prepared the night before because I was tired. So I was in a big rush. I had to get lunch to take with me and I missed breakfast because I simply didn’t have time. It’s was so busy with camp last week that I hadn’t prepared properly for the excursion and had left it till this morning.

I arrived in morning briefing just on time and waited for someone to start before being told that it was me. My turn had come up to chair the meeting. After giving the staff their usual 30 seconds to read the bulletin, I launched into a conversation with another teacher about the day ahead and had to be interupted to be reminded that everyone was waiting for me to continue.

Despite my disorganised beginning, the excursion, which had been very well prepared and planned by the teachers who had organised it, went off without a hitch. I work with some great people.

The trip to Tarra Bulga revealed to me the extent of our local bushfires. It was a horrifying sight and the bus driver who lives out that way took us down his street to show us the rebuilding. He said that 40 % of the people whose homes burnt down won’t be returning. The ones who were have new homes well underway.

The park itself was still as I remember it from my trip with Andrew years ago. The kids enjoyed the day and learnt a lot. I was surprised that although it is less than an hour away from where we live only a small number of students had visited before. It is a beautiful place. The air is different.

Popularity: 6% [?]

Unexpected…

Today went by in a blur. I was on the move the entire day. When I wake up in the morning, I generally lie in bed and run through in my head how my day will go. It looked nothing like that.

My friend got called to the hospital as her son had an accident at work, and mashed the top off his finger. Ouch!

I got an extra during my free period, when I was going to do a pile of work.

I filled in for someone at lunchtime and went on an excursion to our local park for lunch with the ‘Fashion’ project class. It was a pleasure to sit in the park with the girls who had delivered a very stylish fashion parade to a packed audience last Friday night.

When I got off the bus, the students in the playground informed me I’d won an ipod shuffle during my absence, so that was a bonus. The students who are going to Italy on Sunday, had a fundraising raffle and I won! 

After getting my laptop tweaked on our other campus, I made it back to school for another last minute appointment with a parent, who is a very energetic and intelligent woman.

The year 9s managed to raise the money required to book a local nightclub for their end of year social, so I dropped that in.

Tonight I went to the local Mexican restaurant with a family I love.

None of these events were on the agenda this morning.

Popularity: 6% [?]

Busy, Busy, Busy

I have been out and about these holidays. A great combination of getting practical things done and having pleasurable times. I’ve caught up with lots of loved ones. I spent a night with Dallis, my friend Wilma’s daughter. It was such a pleasure. When I met Wilma, Dallis was a toddler and I have known her, through her childhood, teen years and now as a beautiful young woman. She has a lovely partner, Nathan and they made me most welcome. Dallis spent a lot of time with me when she was a child. We easily fell into that closeness that was once more regular.

I had an evening with my younger sister Kate as well. We went out for dinner together and filled ourselves with scrumptious food. We laughed loudly. She is planning to go overseas in the next months, so my time with her lately is even more precious. I went into the backpackers again to blog, but couldn’t concentrate with all the activity going on and the mountains of email I had. I was very tired that night as well

I finished the course I’d started in the summer holidays and am pleased with the outcomes. I’m also pleased to be finished.

Tonight I have a feedreader bursting at the seems and a house full of young people. I have come home for a night to rest before taking off to visit some more friends tomorrow. My blogging has been irregular, but I will get back to it when I’ve finished making the most of my holidays.

Popularity: 7% [?]

Art Deco Exhibition – NGV

Today I went with a gorgeous friend to see the Art Deco exhibition at the Gallery. It was great. There are some really great peices and we spent a couple of very pleasant hours strolling around and taking them in. If you are interested and can’t get to Melbourne to see it, there is a Victorian regional festival and a series of events that may be more accessible.

I was aware of this design type, yet more in furnishings and to some extent architecture. It was a real movement that permeated through design in all areas from transport to clothing and there are some fine examples displayed at the exhibition. I admired particularly the spirals and stars in the designs as well as the craftmanship that went into the items. It has reawakened my interest in this period and there are plenty of things I want to check out as a result of all I’ve seen. A sign of a good experience for me to create some curiosity.

Popularity: 9% [?]

Visit to Melbourne

On Monday I went with a busload of year 9 student’s to Melbourne for the day. We toured the Arts Centre. It was interesting and there were a lot of facts about how much and when that revolved around the cost and trouble of building it and I can’t remember them all but I got the general vibe that it was very expensive and involved. Now it is there for all Victorians to enjoy, the tour guide said.
It is a beautiful building, but I doubt all Victorians are able to enjoy it. Take that one class for instance. Not one student had ever been there before. Victoria is a big place. I don’t know what I was left feeling about it all.
I guess catching the water taxi from Southbank to the Polly Woodside was another experience that left me feeling a little amazed. It has all changed so much from when I worked in the city in the mid 80′s. It is unrecognisable actually. I used to walk across the bridge to an annexe in Sth Melbourne and I don’t even recognise where I would go now. The landscape has totally changed.
Progress?

Popularity: 3% [?]