In the classroom

Book Week was a real highlight of the last month with a number of pretty special activities that the students participated in.  The Richmond Football Club staff were incredibly accomodating in making time to come up to the classroom and share with the MITS students the books they love.  Our students reciprocated this sharing with their own favourite books.  The week was topped off with Alex Rance coming up to the classroom to talk about the books he has written.  The students were fascinated and barely asked a question about football.

In the classroom this past month the students have been working diligently on their story writing.  They have been following a Writers Workshop format to help them with their ideas. As they get them down on paper they are then using their classmates to help them edit their work.  This process has been really great to watch as the students are sharing their ideas and helping support each other as they add colour to their stories with a range of more descriptive language options.  When they have finished these stories I'll share them via this newsletter.

Once again it has been super busy in the and out of the classroom.  A couple of weeks back the students travelled to Mt Buller for the now annual MITS Snow Trip.  The students had a ball and were greeted with heaps of snow and great instructors that had them barrelling down the hill by the afternoon.  While there was not great control in many cases the students have returned with stories of downhill skiing excellence.  

The 2019 MITS students have recently returned from a week long Outdoor Education Group Camp at Lake Eildon in Victoria.  The students canoed, hiked, camped, cooked, climbed among other things and challenged themselves to get out of their comfort zone.  The students have talked positively about the experience over the last week.  A massive thanks to Thuy and Brady for leading the group over the 5 days.

Last week Ms. Sally and I were travelling around the Northern Territory meeting the students who have applied to come to MITS in 2020.  It was the best week and we met some incredible students and their families.  I did a similar trip with Patrick Bowden a few weeks before that and from the students and families that we have met I am incredibly confident that this next group of students will be as special as the 2019 group.  

Ryan Martin