Team Tanza 2 – Training Expedition

img_0283aThis is the part of the World Challenge experience where it suddenly gets very real.  After more than a year of fund raising and team meetings in school, bag packs are on, tents are allocated and setup the trekking begins.  And suddenly challengers think – “this is happening  – I’m quite excited/scared/nervous buzzing”.  Take your pick – it may be all 4.

Team Tanza 2 made their way to Aviemore with some brilliant weather considering it was October.  Team 1 will head up in November, and if they get the weather half as good they’ll be delighted.

img_0277Day 1 saw tents allocated.  The very tents that will be used in Tanzania.  This was also the first time that the team met Expedition Leader Lyndsay and to get the ball rolling with responsibility and team work the first task was to put the tents up – blindfolded.  Not a bad job done, with one member of the team giving instructions to 2 wearing blindfolds.

Next up it was packs on and up the hill.  In Tanzania packs will be carried day after day (including tents) as this was a great chance for the team to see where they were with their fitness.  Some work still to be done for sure, but with 8 months to go there will be nothing to worry about – as long as the fitness regime kicks in now.

Saturday evening saw the team cook up the meal that they had brought with them.  A great job done here with everyone working well together.  Another school were using the same training facility in Aviemore – they started cooking long before Team Tanza and were still at it long after Team Tanza had finished.  Super efficient!

Bedtime saw weary bones getting into sleeping bags and a cold night ahead. More lessons learned – get a good quality bag, liner and ground mat.  It pays to be comfy with more than 3 weeks in a tent facing challengers in Tanzania.

img_2561a

A 6 am start on Sunday and another efficient food service with the cooking team on breakfast sharply.

Today would see an easier trekking day with lots of stops to look at scenarios and consider isues that will be needed for the team in country.

img_1001a

Lunch at Loch Morlich and the leadership groups for Tanzania were announced.  The al important accountancy role going to  Morgan Spence.  Mess this one up Morgan, and the team will be going hungry!

The day flew in and soon it was time to say farewell to Lynsey – the next time the group wil meet her will be at the airport heading for Tanzania next summer.

Back down the road and the journey went quicker knowing a McDs stop was planned.  There will be none of that malarkey in Tanzania!

All in all a very succesfull training expedition.  The team will have learned lots about themselves, their team mates, their levels of fitness and what is expected of them in Tanzania.

It’s going to be epic.

 

 

 

 

Autumn Newsletter

Welcome to our first fully electronic school newsletter.

It’s full of 32 pages of luscious full colour awesomeness, showing everything from our new staff  to our head boys and girls: from  details on our after school clubs to our extra curricular trips it’s absolutely essential reading.

Here’s a preview.  Click on the link to download it now – you won’t regret it.!

newsletter

 

Newsletter Autumn 2016

Delivering the newsletter this way helps us to take advantage of colour, include more and higher quality photographs – thanks Morgan. – ensure that they don’t get lost in the bottom of bags and lastly help save the environment.

Despite these many advantages we would be interested to hear what you think both about the method and the new style.

Pupil Bulletin 7th October

Catch up with Mrs Hollywood and the soggy bottoms at Johnstone High.  Congratulating all the pupils of Johnstone High for doing so well in our recent non-uniform day where you all helped to fill 51 crates with food.

Helping hands at the foodbank

There have also been lots of other things going on. Fund raising by out S6 for St Vincent’s Hospice and the nominations for the schools young ambassadors. We still plan on being an ‘active’ school and there are plenty of after school clubs looking for volunteers and recruits. Discover more by reading the bulletin in full by clicking on the link below.

 

Pupil Bulletin 7th October

Shared Reading: S6 Support Development of Positive Reading Culture

Over the course of the session, S6 pupils have developed partnerships with S1 and S2 pupils and are enjoying the shared reading experience.

By reading and discussing texts in an informal setting, both senior and junior readers are realising that there is nothing better than reading and discussing a good story.

The focus is reading for enjoyment and our young people are certainly enjoying the experience.

I would like to thank our S6 shared reading team for bringing such enthusiasm and commitment to our initiative.

Angela Haggerty

Literacy Development Coordinator

Pupil Bulletin 30th September

Lot’s to read about in this bulletin.  Mrs Hollywood has been visiting all our related primaries with our Sixth years, spreading the good news about Johnstone High and its new school values chosen by yourselves.  Johnstone High is also an ‘active school’ and our new ‘Active Schools’ coordinator Mr Johnston is keen to get involved, starting with a girls football team and hockey club.  There are other extra curricular activities also announced alongside announcements abouts employability, careers and apprenticeships. Finally, drumroll please, the beginning of the School London trip. So make sure you read and catch up on the

Pupil Bulletin 30th September