Found some more photos on our iPod!

Group Photo

Final post...our group photo just before we left:

Day 5 Photos

Final Day Report

We've had a great time at Manor Adventure and today have finished the final activities. We've been so impressed with all the children, particularly those children who came away for the week for the very first time. You should be very proud of yourselves!

Although this week has been COLD, MUDDY and WET, everyone stayed positive and gave every activity their best effort- from talking to the children, the most popular activities were the high ropes, confidence course, BMX bikes and Hill Walk. Lifetime memories have been created this week and I'd like to thank all the children whose outstanding behaviour, attitude and enthusiasm made the week such a success!

Congratulations to Room 2; Lydia, Avneet, Iqrah and Anyah, who won the prize for the Room Inspection challenge, and to all rooms who earned a 'Late Light Licence' throughout the week.

A big THANK-YOU also to Miss Grosvenor, Mr. Browne, Mr Rai and Miss Haslam for all your hard work this week- you truly deserve your half term break!

For parents with siblings in Y2/3/4 there are still places available on the July Bockleton trip and we will  be planning the 2014 Feb/March residential for Y5/6 children to Condover Hall in the next few weeks!

Have a great half term...sorry about the washing we have created this week ;-)

Mr. Sansom

PS If you are missing any belongings, we have collected 3 dustbin bags of unnamed/unclaimed clothing/items. We'll wash these over half term and put them out on display when we return.

Day Four Photos

Day Four Update

Woohoo! The snow is gone and the SUN is out! It's much warmer today and the children slept well and had a good breakfast. We've just finished the first activity; maze/fencing and survival. Some have returned a little muddy but all seem very happy today! More later...

Day 3 Disco!

Manor Style

Snow and cold!

Lots of snow arrived today and carpeted the site meaning we had to cancel raft building and alter some of the activities. Children have been COLD today and although we are constantly telling them to wrap up warm, sending them back to get warmer clothes/hats/scarves/gloves etc, some still haven't realised that the more layers they wear, the warmer they'll be! This will hopefully be one of the learning points from the week- that they need to be more independent and not rely so much on the adults around them to do everything for them ;-)

We've done a range of activities today including high ropes, archery, BMX, obstacle course and blind trail, and the whole group is now in the disco. We've just had EVERYONE dancing to Gangnam Style- will post a short video tomorrow! More tomorrow morning...

Various photos from our school iPod...

Day 3 Photos

Day Two Activities

Day 2 Update

Second day update; groups have enjoyed a range of activities following the morning hill walk, including fencing, high ropes, BMX, archery, blind trail and rafting. Everyone has tried hard and many have beaten fears of height, although some have developed fears of falling into cold lakes off a raft! We have frequented the ‘laundry room’ a number of times today and have washed and dried various items of clothing for those who got wet. We will publish the photos tomorrow- for anyone struggling to view photo galleries they currently can’t be viewed on an iPad/iPhone as they need Flash to play- sorry! Check in with a PC/Mac and you’ll be fine!

Second night report- lights were off by 9pm in some rooms, although the tidiest rooms had a 9.30pm lights off time. All rooms quiet by 9.45pm and it seems like everyone was asleep by 10pm- much better than last night! I think we’ll be having to do wake ups tomorrow as we’ve burnt lots of calories today!  More tomorrow...

If you’ve been following our Twitter feed, we apologise for not replying to tweets- we are receiving them and passing them onto the children- they’ve been very happy to receive them- thank-you. Replying has been impossible due to not having any time between or during sessions and poor mobile coverage over the site. Please see the photo galleries on here and the daily reports instead- we’re sure the children will tell you all about it on Friday!

Update update: great night sleep for all! :-) 

Test photo

HIll Walk

Day 2 Report

We had a lovely breakfast of sausage, bacon, beans, tomatoes and toast, and/or cereal and fruit to set us up for our first two sessions today- the HILL WALK! We drove, by coach, to local National Trust land and began the long climb to the top. This was a challenging walk, up some very steep and rocky inclines but the view from the top was spectacular! 

The session was led by the centre’s Chief Instructor who said that Chad Vale children were the best group he’s taken on a session for as long as he can remember and that the children were a credit to themselves, their parents and school! We were particularly impressed with the lack of whinging (that we normally get when asking Chad Valers to walk anywhere!) and the excellent effort made by many children, who although found it difficult, persevered and completed the activity!

The same may not be said for certain rooms who finally went quiet at around 1am, only to be wide awake and intent on waking everyone else up (in the boys end of the Lodge) at 4.20am. Some stern words were uttered by sleepy teachers and all went back to bed for another couple of hours. After today’s walk, we are expecting an earlier night’s sleep from all rooms, and our very early risers will be having their lights off extra early this evening (to ensure they awake refreshed and ready for Wednesday. ;-)

Top quotes of the day:

“The food is great here- can we take them back to do our Chad Vale dinners please?”

“I lose socks. My dad will tell me off if I lose my socks”

Will be sharing the tweets sent later with the children and will attempt some replies, however internet access is only available till 8pm here so I’m having to run down to the office to update the blog when I get a spare 10 minutes. Also have patchy mobile service but will try to text replies to your Twitter messages- please keep an eye out for messages on http://twitter.com/chadvaleprimary Thanks for everyone’s messages, if you haven’t seen it appear on our feed it because we’ve not had time (or connection) to retweet! How did we ever survive without t’internet?! 

We had a lovely breakfast of sausage, bacon, beans, tomatoes and toast, and/or cereal and fruit to set us up for our first two sessions today- the HILL WALK! We drove, by coach, to local National Trust land and began the long climb to the top. This was a challenging walk, up some very steep and rocky inclines but the view from the top was spectacular! 

The session was led by the centre’s Chief Instructor who said that Chad Vale children were the best group he’s taken on a session for as long as he can remember and that the children were a credit to themselves, their parents and school! We were particularly impressed with the lack of whinging (that we normally get when asking Chad Valers to walk anywhere!) and the excellent effort made by many children, who although found it difficult, persevered and completed the activity!

The same may not be said for certain rooms who finally went quiet at around 1am, only to be wide awake and intent on waking everyone else up (in the boys end of the Lodge) at 4.20am. Some stern words were uttered by sleepy teachers and all went back to bed for another couple of hours. After today’s walk, we are expecting an earlier night’s sleep from all rooms, and our very early risers will be having their lights off extra early this evening (to ensure they awake refreshed and ready for Wednesday. ;-)

Top quotes of the day:

“The food is great here- can we take them back to do our Chad Vale dinners please?”

“I lose socks. My dad will tell me off if I lose my socks”

Will be sharing the tweets sent later with the children and will attempt some replies, however internet access is only available till 8pm here so I’m having to run down to the office to update the blog when I get a spare 10 minutes. Also have patchy mobile service but will try to text replies to your Twitter messages- please keep an eye out for messages on http://twitter.com/chadvaleprimary Thanks for everyone’s messages, if you haven’t seen it appear on our feed it because we’ve not had time (or connection) to retweet! How did we ever survive without t’internet?! 

Day 1 Photos!

1st night update

Good journey here- no snow after we got out of Birmingham! Very little snow on the ground at Manor. We've done rifle shooting, abseiling and BMX this evening and had a lovely meal of chicken tikka, steak and mushroom pie (or veggie pie), mash and vegetables, followed by rice pudding and fruit.

We are struggling with Internet access but some photos will hopefully be published tomorrow from the office here!

Teachers are off to bed shortly now all rooms are quiet. More tomorrow!

Urgent last minute packing advice!

We missed pyjamas/nighwear off the packing list...ooops! Don't forget to pack something to sleep in- it's going to be cold I think!

Also remember to pack a lip balm/lip salve- we're going to outside a lot!

See you tomorrow,

Mr. S

Text from final letter

The children and teachers are getting very excited about the forthcoming Manor Adventure trip! Enclosed is a further packing list- please do label/mark every item of clothing with your child’s name or initials- this speeds up the final day packing considerably and has reduced the amount of lost property that we return to school with. Please note that your child will need to supply a pillow case, duvet and duvet cover or sleeping bag, towels and toiletries.

On Monday 11^th February please bring your child into school at normal time. Please bring your cases into the studio hall. All children will need to wear their Chad Vale jumpers for the journey.  We will be leaving at approximately 12.45pm, after an early lunch here at Chad Vale. If you want to wave us off, please meet us at the bottom of the drive.

The vending machines at Manor Adventure will be available at set times during the day, so if you are providing your child with spending money, we suggest that it is in a clearly labelled wallet or purse, packed inside the case. Please note that your child will be responsible for their own money throughout the week and we suggest that they ‘budget’ for a daily spending allowance of £2.00- £3.00.

If your child has any regular medication that you need us to administer, you will need to fill out an additional Medical Form, available from me on Monday morning. If you have signed the agreement for the administration of paracetemol, ibuprofen or anti-histamine, please provide this in your child’s case. We will collect it on arrival and keep it safe for the duration of the trip. We return to Chad Vale on Friday 15^th February at approximately 3pm.

Our activity programme

Packing List 2013

Luggage: large suitcase + one piece of hand luggage if required (the children do not have to carry them far!)
Bedding: sleeping bag or duvet and a pillow case

Indoor/Activity Clothes:
5 T-shirts/long-sleeved t-shirts
3-4 pairs of warm trousers- jogging bottoms/cargo pants (please note that jeans are NOT ALLOWED for many activities)
5 jumpers/sweatshirts/cardigans/fleeces
8-10 sets of underwear/socks
2 towels
Deodorant/toothpaste/soap/shower gel/shampoo
Slippers for indoor use

Outdoor Clothes:
Strong, warm and waterproof walking boots
3 pairs of thick socks suitable for wearing under walking boots
1-2 pairs of old trainers
Hat/Gloves/Scarf
Warm and waterproof outdoor coat

Optional
A set of thermals or a ‘base layer’ (Highly recommended!)
A set of ‘Disco Clothes’
A torch

A drinks bottle
2-3 disposable cameras or a cheap digital camera
Swimsuit for wearing in shower (if required)
Waterproof over-trousers

You DO NOT need…
Rucksack (unless children want to take a small pack for carrying drinks/waterproofs or need to carry any medication)
Please note you SHOULD NOT pack any items that are valuable or precious e.g. mp3 players, expensive digital cameras, handheld games- neither school nor Manor Adventure can be held liable for items that are damaged or lost.

NO MOBILE PHONES please.
PLEASE NAME OR INITIAL EVERY ITEM OF CLOTHING FOR EASY RETURN TO OWNERS AT THE END OF THE TRIP!

Update letter to Parents 09/01/13

Dear Parents/Carers,

Manor Adventure is drawing near and the children (and teachers!) are getting very excited! Thank-you for sending in payments for this trip. 

A final packing list is enclosed on the reverse. If you wish to send your child’s normal bedding e.g. duvet and pillow (with pillow case), you may pack this outside of their luggage in a separate black dustbin bag, labelled with your child’s name.

In addition to the packing list items below, could you please arrange to pack a lip salve/chap stick/vaseline for your child. Sore lips are a common problem at Manor Adventure due to the cold weather!

Children should bring no more than £2-3 a day spending money in change. This is for daily snacks and drinks to be purchased from the vending machines on site. Your child will need to keep their spending money in a safe place and will be responsible for looking after it and ‘budgeting’ throughout the week! Please do not send sweets and drinks in your child’s bag.

Please remember that valuable, personal items are not allowed; no mobile phones, handheld gaming consoles, digital cameras. Finally;

1.       Please label every/all items of clothing and belongings before departure. (Your child could put their initials on all clothing labels with a biro as they pack!)

2.       Please remember to pack any medication that your child needs- if you gave consent for us to administer painkillers/anti-histamine, please pack this in your child’s case and we will collect it on arrival.

3.       Our coach is booked to leave at 1pm; therefore your child will need their normal school dinner or packed lunch on Monday. If you wish to wave us off, please meet us at the bottom of the drive at 1.15pm! We should return by 3.30pm on Friday.

4.       Enjoy a peaceful week next week! We’ve set up our Manor Adventure blog, which we’ll use for updates throughout the week: http://manoradventure2013.blogspot.com/

5.       If you aren’t already, we also suggest you ‘follow’ us on Twitter http://twitter.chadvaleprimary.com and ‘friend’ us on Facebook (http://on.fb.me/Q83o5a) as we’ll be using these websites to send messages home throughout the week. I can help if you need any advice with this before we go! 

Welcome!

Welcome to our Manor Adventure 2013 Blog! We will be publishing information, photos, videos and news from Manor Adventure this year. If your child is going to Manor Adventure, please bookmark this page so you can stay up to date. We will also be using the Chad Vale Twitter account to send messages home, and if you reply to these messages we can pass these onto your child while we are there!