College Blog - 8.11.24

Activ8

It’s been all action in Activ8 to kick off this half-term. The team have worked on an extensive range of topics and subjects. 

This half-term Activ8 have returned to our home away from home: ‘Isaan Gym’. 

Activ8 could not wait to get there and get back into the kick-boxing ring. 

Steve, the instructor, took us through our  paces, introduced new techniques and pad work. Jack was most excited to learn the push kicking technique and like his peers, he cannot wait to return next week. 

At the conclusion of this half-term, just prior to Christmas, Activ8 will be taking on the mammoth challenge of hosting a ‘Fitness Festival’ for the entire college population! 

So, over this past week, the team have mind mapped, discussed and collated all their ideas to begin the planning process of what we hope will be a highly anticipated, fun and collaborative event for the whole college. 

As we want to keep the contents and components of ‘The Fitness Festival’ a surprise for our participants and build the excitement and anticipation, I am afraid we can’t share too much more about our event at the moment. 

 

Activ8 loves to be out and about. The Association of College’s Football League and the Inclusion Football League were our next stops. We’re absolutely buzzing to tell you all about our fantastic start to the season, taking everything in our stride and giving everything for each other. We started with points on the board, as a Maddie and Yunus got themselves on the scoresheet. 

Robyn and Kyle have been keeping things tight at the back, while Ty has been pulling the strings and Liam has shown that he is Activ8’s answer to Premier League, Champions League and World Cup winner: Ngolo Kante. He covers every blade of grass, does the hard yards and leaves everything out on the pitch. 

Even in defeat, we’re always learning about ourselves. We took on Hopwood Hall College and we knew this would be a really difficult game, but one we relished and looked forward to. 

We knew that we would have to give everything! The match was made extra tricky as we took to the pitch with a player less than our Hopwood counterparts. 

Chris started the game on fire! He was Electric! The Hopwood defence could not handle him. He carried the ball down the left week, passed players with ease. He squared the ball to Tyler, who showed fantastic vision to pick out Kyle W and he did the rest! 

What a goal! We were in the lead, a player down too. Let's go NBC! 0-1. 

Hopwood Hall came flying back at us, showing their class. We were standing firm though. Shots were fired at our goal! We flew in with tackles, put any part of our bodies on the line to make blocks and preserve our lead. Kyle N made some great saves, Liam was everywhere. We made chances of our own but couldn’t find that 2nd goal. 

BANG!! Our resistance was broken; our defence was breached: 1-1. 

The minutes ticked by and the player advantage the our opposition held was starting to takes is physical toll.  

Stoppage time came and against all odds we were well in the game. A cross came in from our left wing, Tyler smashed the ball goal-bound, off the foot of the post, agonising! 

Hopwood came on the charge with a counterattack, played the ball out to the right, played first time in the middle…….. Heartbreak! As a deflected shot was diverted into our goal. A pile of Hopwood players quickly dived on each other in celebration. 

There was not enough time for a response. 2-1. 

We lost the game but learned that we can be resilient, work as a team and challenge ourselves. 

We can’t wait for our next fixture. A derby against New Bridge Learning Centre. 

Back in the classroom now, and we got stuck into our YMCA and BTEC qualifications. 

We’ve put our brains to the test, working on anatomy and physiology. We have been identifying muscles and bones in the body.  

We’ve been working on leadership skill, too. We can’t wait to plan and lead sessions for younger students, later this year. 

 

That’s all from us this week! 

Have a great weekend! 

 

The Activ8 team

 

 

Girls’ Group Challenge 

 

This week in girls’ group, we have been challenged with a task by our Executive lead, Dr Shirley Woods-Gallagher to design a bag for an awards evening that she is attending soon. 

We started off with a paper design of the bag. Shirley requested the bag to be on Neuro Pride. Once the girls have completed, we will ask Mr McKeown to choose. We will then make the bag and hand over to Shirley. We can't wait to see the end project and we are very excited. 

 

Girls' Group - 8.11.24

 

Lumenus

 

This term Lumenus will be devising and rehearsing. They will be working towards a performance at the end of November at the Oldham Theatre Workshop space in the Oldham Library. 

We have been exploring the features of Pantomime –  

•       Stock Characters  

•      Gender role reversal 

•      Narration  

•      Audience Participation 

•      Slapstick Comedy  

•      A storyline of Good versus Evil 

•      Likely derived from a fairy tale or nursery story 

This week the students have used Pantomime as a stimulus to devise their own piece. They have created storyboards and considered sound effects and music for their pieces. They presented their work to each other, next week they will decide which story to develop as a whole group. Parents and families will be invited to come and watch the result of all their hard work.  

 

Lumenus - 8.11.24

 

New Bridge Parliament – Election week 

 

It has been an exciting week for the students this week as this week not only America has casted their vote but the College has held its elections as we elect a new student President and council.

Pathways have elected their student representatives and the students has elected a president in a student vote. We announce the winner in our next blog! 

In association with the elections going on I have also edited a video in record time as it only took me to 10:40 am on a Monday morning to finish it and get it signed off, you can have a look at the video below. 

 

(Written by Max) 

 

 

Dr. Philippa Murphy's Visit: Raising Awareness on Annual Health Checks 

 

On Thursday, our students had the privilege of learning from Dr. Philippa Murphy, who brought attention to the crucial topic of annual health checks.

With her expertise in public health, Dr. Murphy shed light on the importance of regular health assessments, sparking insightful discussions among students. 

The session began with a group mind-mapping exercise, where students explored different components of health in small groups. This collaborative activity encouraged students to consider how various aspects of wellness, from physical health to mental well-being, are interconnected. 

One of the session’s most memorable moments was the practical demonstration. Dr. Murphy provided stethoscopes, blood pressure monitors and finger pulse oximeters, allowing students to experience firsthand how health monitoring works.

They eagerly listened to their own heartbeats and even checked each other's, making health topics come to life in a unique and engaging way. 

Dr. Murphy also provided students with letters to share with their GPs and parents/ carers, encouraging them to initiate conversations about annual health checks at home.

This initiative aimed to promote proactive health management and empower students to take charge of their well-being. 

We were pleased to see enthusiastic participation from various groups, including Future Finders, Pre-Interns, HSC, and Digi students, reminding us of the shared value of health education which is imperative within   RSHE. 

A huge thank you to Dr. Murphy for her time and insights. Her visit underscored the importance of prioritizing health and inspired our students to make annual checks a part of their routine.

We look forward to future sessions with Dr. Murphy to continue these important conversations. 

 

Have a lovely weekend! 

 

Mrs Sarwar 

 

RSHE Health Checks