All posts by Mr Boag

S3 DofE Parents & Carer Information Evening – Monday, 10th October @ 7pm (online)

To all S3 Duke of Edinburgh students: Our DOFE Parents & Carer Information evening will take place on Monday, 10th October @  7pm.

All students should now have access to our new S3 DOFE Google Classroom (GC), and the online meeting will take place using the posted link in the Google Classroom.

The main focus of the meeting is to familiarise parents/carers with the requirements of the Bronze DOFE Award, including costs and timescales.

It is imperative that students do not attend this meeting by themselves. Typically, students that are supported at home, and in school, go on to achieve the Bronze DOFE Award. We, therefore, request that students join the meeting accompanied with a parent or carer.

Still time to join

If any S3 student has not had a chance to sign-up for DOFE, they should see Mr Boag ASAP. Our first student DOFE meeting will be held on Thursday, 6th October at 3.35pm. All S3 students wishing to undertake DOFE this year should attend this meeting.

DOFE Twitter

For up-to-date information on the Bronze DOFE group, please follow us on twitter @Barrhead_DOFE.

Duke of Edinburgh (S4 Bronze Award)

If you undertake DOFE with Mr Boag, please note the following:

 

 

Previous DOFE posts are here:

  1. DOFE post, 25th August

2. DOFE post, 19th August

Expedition – Kit List

If you are unsure what kit to bring on your expedition, then this Kit List might be useful.

Students should ensure they have clean dry clothes for both days. All clothes and sleeping bag should be put inside a plastic/rubble bag to keep everything dry. Students should note the weather, both for during the day and at night, and ensure they have sufficient warm clothes, including  waterproofs.

Students should be aware of the above, this has been discussed at the last two DOFE meetings.

2. Pick-up Points

After some negotiation, some students have asked if they could be collected from the Barrhead train station.  The minibus will leave from Barrhead High around 9am on Tues, 6th Sept, and collect the remaining DOFE students at the train station around 9.10am.  Students must let Mr Boag know which pick-up point they will be at.

 

3. Preparing Expedition Dinners/Breakfasts

Student should note all the information contained in the DOFE Presentation on 31st May 2022 regarding food preparation. Students have organised themselves into tent-groups (pairs or threes). Food should be pre-cooked prior to the expedition. One person in each tent should bring dinner for everyone in the tent, another should organise breakfast for everyone in the tent. Students should split the cost of this equally between them.

Each student should bring their own lunches for both the Tuesday and Wednesday, as well as snacks and water.

4. Returning Kit

All kit should be returned, clean and dry, to the Fairweather Hall on Thursday, 8th Sept between 4pm and 5pm.

Please note: The kit may well be handed straight back out to another school that same day, so please ensure all kit is returned at this time. £50 deposits should be collected to.

5. Following the DOFE Expedition

To get up-to-date information on how the groups are progressing with their DOFE Expedition, including the time we will return to the school, follow @Barrhead_DOFE on Twitter.

Duke of Edinburgh Award (S4 Bronze Award)

For all students attending the DOFE expedition on the 6th & 7th Sept.

Further to my previous DOFE post of 19th August, please note the following:

  1. All expedition kit will be issued from the Fairweather hall (G77 6BB) on Tuesday, 30th August at 5pm. Students should remember to bring their £50 deposit. Ideally students should group together and have one parent/carer collect kit for two or three students, rather than each individual student making their way to the hall.

Consent Forms

A number of students received their consent forms for the expedition prior to the summer holidays but have not yet returned this to me. Can all consent forms be returned to me by Tuesday, 30th August.  If a student has lost their consent form, they should ask at the school office for another copy.

Travel Arrangements

With a few students dropping out of the dofe expedition we will be able to travel to the Greenock cut by minibus rather than train.  All DOFE students should meet Mr Boag at Barrhead High School at 8.45am on Tuesday, 6th Sept.  We will return to the school by 4pm on Wednesday, 7th Sept.

Returning  Expedition Kit

I have been given Thursday, 8th Sept between 4pm and 5pm as the date and time for kit to be returned to the Fairweather Hall.  This will be confirmed during the expedition.

DofE Account Evidence 

Having reviewed all eDofE accounts this week, all students (baring two) need to put some serious time and effort into having as much evidence as possible uploaded by the expedition date.

Students were set a target of having all three sections (Physical, Skill and Volunteering) completed prior to going out on any expedition. As a compromise, all students must fully complete two sections before going on expedition.

A completed section would consist of 12 separate text pieces of evidence, four photographs and an assessors report. Students also  need to have had their section submitted for approval, and once all evidence has been uploaded, submit the completed section for final approval by Mr Boag.

Duke of Edinburgh Update (S4 Bronze Award Group)

The assessed DOFE expedition will take place on Tues & Wed, 6th & 7th Sept.  All students who are completing DOFE with Mr Boag will be out of school on both the Tuesday and Wednesday.

DOFE MEETINGS
To be ready for the assessed expedition, students need to attend the following DOFE meetings:
Meeting 1 – Tuesday, 23rd August from 3.35pm – 4.35pm
ALL DOFE STUDENTS SHOULD ATTEND.
 
Meeting 2 – Wednesday, 31st August from 2.45pm – 3.45pm
ALL DOFE STUDENTS SHOULD ATTEND.
Expedition Kit Issue
As this DOFE expedition includes an overnight stay, all camping kit will be issued from the Fairweather Hall (Barrhead Road, Newton Mearns , East Renfrewshire, G77 6BB).
The date and time of the kit issued will be confirmed shortly.
In addition, please bare in mind that a £50 deposit is required when the DOFE kit is collected. This can either be cash or a cheque made payable to East Renfrewshire Council, secured in an envelope with your child’s name written on the front.
More info can be found in the presentation, given earlier this year.
Expedition start and finish
The DOFE expedition will start from Barrhead train station. All DOFE students should arrive at the train station (time to be confirmed) with their rucksack and kit and be dressed appropriately for hillwalking.
Students will return to Barrhead train station around 4pm on Wednesday, 7th Sept where they can be collected.
Expedition Kit Return
On returning from the expedition, students will be issued with a date and time for when the kit needs to be returned to the Fairweather Hall. Students are responsible for washing, drying and returning the kit promptly.
Kit that is not returned at the correct date/time or returned dirty or wet may result in the loss of the £50 deposit, this is at the DOFE Managers discretion.
DOFE Twitter Account
To keep up-to-date with the progress of the expedition follow us on twitter @Barrhead_DOFE
Completing the Bronze DOFE Award
Successfully completing the expedition is the final part of the Bronze DOFE Award. A number of students are a little behind with the other three sections (Skill, Physical & Volunteering). I would encourage them to put some time and effort into updating their eDOFE account so they can gain their Bronze Award this year. All S4 students should aim to have all sections of their award completed by the October holidays.