Having managed successfully to get Miss Gregory back to WIFI civilisation, we hope you enjoy this last selection of photos from Prep VI’s time at the Conway centre.
Time for Prep V’s residential adventure to begin. After the journey we took part in our first activity which was bush craft. We all learnt how to use a flint to strike a fire. However our favourite part was roasting marshmallows over the fire and the teachers enjoyed the fresh brewed coffee with the water heated over the fire we built.
Having enjoyed our packed lunch we made our way to the quay to complete our next challenge. Having put on our waterproofs we were ready for raft building. This involved the three c’s – consideration, cooperation and communication. We rose to the challenge including some very tricky knot tying. We then tried our creations to see who was better . We saw which team was quicker at moving in a full 360 circle and which team could move across the quay the quickest.
We decided it was time to go and have a much needed shower and some dorm time before tea. Tea was a choice of Bolognese, spicy pasta with garlic bread and BBQ chicken and rice. There were also a range of fantastic looking and tasting cakes. After tea we made our way to the field to play games and run around. We then took turns in going to the souvenir shop where there were a tempting array of sweets, drinks, Welsh souvenirs, stationary and jewellery.
At 7 o’clock, it was time for the Goblin Trail through the woods! The goblin trail was an orienteering course with 16 clues. We looked at the question, counted our steps and looked for the clues on the trees. Some were harder then others. After completing the course we gathered for a debrief in the common room where Mr Rooney ran through the answers. We were then allowed to disappear to our room where we read, played top trumps and talked about our day. Finally, lights were out at half nine. The teachers went to check on the children and we were all asleep by 10 even the spiders (there may have been some snoring)! Most of us slept in till at least 7 when it was time to the most challenging activity of all. Stripping our beds and repacking our bags! Breakfast was much needed and we especially enjoyed the full cooked breakfast, the croissants and the fresh juice.
It was then time for our last activity which was canoeing. We suited with our waterproofs, life jackets and helmets and gathered at the quay. We got into three groups to tie our canoes together using our newly acquired knot tying skills and launched them into the sea. We tried them first first in the quay area to home our skills off rowing backwards, forwards and working as a team. Once we have figured this out we went further afield and thoroughly enjoyed it in the Welsh sunshine and blue skies. On our way out of the quay, we saw a jellyfish and a crab. It was time for lunch so replenish our energy. We are outside in the glorious weather and looking at the fantastic view of the Menai Straits. We then began the journey home- all excited to see our families but sad to leave the weather behind. Many thanks to the instructors, the staff, Mr Rooney, Miss Gregory and our parents for their continued support.
At last the adventure began for Prep IV on their first residential even though the skies were grey the mini buses were filled with joy and excitement. Finally we arrived at the Conwy Centre in Anglesey with the squeals of delight from the children. After leaving out bags in the common room we eagerly made our way to our instructors Chris and Steve who told us what lay ahead…
The children were very excited to find they were going canoeing on the sea. The first and most important thing was to get booted and suited with life jackets, helmets and waterproof entire. We then split into four teams and made our way into the edge of the sea to look at Jellyfish. We found some Lion jellyfish and Compass Jellyfish before going to a tunnel where we all squeezed in. After making our way out of the tunnel we pretended to be pirates looking for treasure and we had lots of fun in the process. We then turned our competitive sides on to see who could gain the most points by throwing a small ball into the other canoes. This was followed by looking for and throwing wet sponges at each other which we loved. As we took the canoes back to shore, the children decided who wanted to jump into the sea. Oh was the sea cold! Squeals of delight echoed around the quay.Â
Having dried off and changed our clothes we headed for tea. After a delicious meal we then  headed to the shop and sorted our rooms. The rooms themselves were a challenge. The children tried to make their owns beds which was a struggle. More excitement soon followed when we went to our night activity which was Nightline. We were blindfolded! Working in teams of 7 we had to hold onto the person’s shoulder in front and a rope to complete the activity. We had to crawl through some tyres, under a net, around trees, through a tunnel and over a massive beanbag. After that we decided for some of us a shower is what was needed and some dorm time with our friends before we crashed after a busy but fantastic day.Â
What a beautiful morning it was when we woke up- nice and sunny. We stripped our beds and packed up all our bags as it was our last day here. We then went for breakfast where we had a choice of a full cooked breakfast, croissant, toast and condiments. After refilling our energy, we were excited to try the climbing wall and see how high we could go. Some of us surprised ourselves! We completed varies different small games before we had a go at climbing. We decided that we were hungry for lunch and so we unpacked our lunches and enjoyed our last meal at Conway. We then began the journey back to school to see our families who were all deeply missed. Thank you to our instructors for an amazing time at the Conway Centre.Â
Prep VI will leave the Conway Centre as a very different group to the one that arrived just a few days ago. Every single child has overcome personal challenges provided by the various activities or just the the hurdle of staying in a new environment away from the usual comforts of home.
Children have described their pride of diving in to the sea, climbing high, working in the darkness or merely trying new food or staying away from hone for the first time. Thursday was an incredible day with children paddling through the sea, climbing rock faces and enjoying stories around the camp fire. Friendships have been made and a strong bond has formed between the class and Mr Grant for the coming school year.
Thank you to all the staff who gave up their time to make these trips possible and a special mention for Miss Gregory who has been at the centre for 5 days. She has been an integral reason for the success of the first ever combined Prep residential.
Wow, it’s September already! The month when autumn officially starts and … oh yeah. The beginning of a new school year. Every cloud has a silver lining though! Another term means new friends to make, different stuff to learn, fresh online trends to jump on and exciting new to play on your phone, computer or console. We’ve compiled a list of our top tips to ensure that – whether you’re going online to chat, research things or just have fun – you can do it safely.
In the guide, you’ll find tips on a number of tips such as how to spot fake news, reporting something offensive online and how to deal with bullies.
It’s been a beautiful day in the Menai Straits today, as Prep V wound up their visit to Anglesey with a morning raft building on the water while Prep VI arrived to maintain the Bridgewater presence. Again, we’ll get better albums on here once staff are back in school with the ability to download and share images, but here’s a few to tease you. Mr. Rooney got up especially early to take the sunrise pictures…
Prep IV’s Conway adventure came to an end today – you’ll be able to read all about their activities soon in our Conway diary – and Prep V’s started. Here’s a few more pics to tide you over (there will be plenty more when we manage to get Miss Gregory and Mr. Rooney to a better internet connection and get their photos from them!).
Prep III and IV travelled in convoy today to the Menai Straits to visit the Conway Centre for a day of activities. There will be a bit of a write up to follow, but we thought you’d appreciate a peak at some of the day’s pictures…
Lots of happy smiling faces this morning as our new term got underway… Be sure to follow our blog to keep up to date with all happenings throughout the Prep Department as we move on through the year.
We’re absolutely delighted to announce that Prep V’s Donya – soon to be Prep VI – has been announced as one of the 20 finalists in Radio 2’s Big Bee Challenge Garden Design competition. Whether she wins or not, we think Donya has done fantastically well to have her design selected as one of the final 20 from the thousands of children across the country who entered. Looking at Donya’s design below, we’re sure you’ll thoroughly agree that she deserves to have done as well as she has.
The winners will be announced on Zoe Ball’s breakfast show on Radio 2 on 19th August, so be sure to listen in!
