RAID Yr9 Program
RAID - Respect, Achievement, Innovation, Diversity
RAID Day 1 - 8th February
Student reflection written by Elly.
Wheelchair basketball
Today we did a variety of activities, the first one we did was wheelchair basketball. I expected it to be a lot harder to get use to, but surprisingly it was quite easy and a lot of fun. Everyone had a good laugh and it was super interesting to learn different skills and how to use the wheelchairs.
| Respect | Achievement | Innovation | Diversity |
We were mindful not to crash into anyone on purpose. We noted that it was everyone’s first time and may not be amazing so to not be rude to those who were struggling. | In the game towards the end, I got hold of the ball multiple times and even scored a basket. | Spinning in different directions to the ones I had practiced. | Wheelchair basketball is meant for anyone who likes it, no matter who they are. |
Archery
This activity was very exciting, we learnt how to use the bow and arrow and had lots of fun trying to hit the opposite team. My team won 3/5 games and personally I thought I was pretty good.
| Respect | Achievement | Innovation | Diversity |
We were respectful by not trying to hit each other in the head. And not to get mad when you got hit. | I hit 3 people and the medic helping our team to win one of the rounds. | I tried to get multiple arrows so I could try and hit lots of people, didn’t really work but oh well. | It wasn’t boys vs girls, it was all genders against each other. |
Fizzics Education
This was a good learning experience, we learnt about liquid nitrogen and different explosions. The instructor did around 7 different experiments and it was very cool and interesting to watch.
| Respect | Diversity |
| We made sure to be respectful by listening to the instructor when he was speaking and demonstrating. We made sure to only use our phones to take pictures and not for any other use. | Science and interest anyone in a wide ranges of ages. |
RAID Day 2 – 22nd of February 2023
I’ve got to give a massive thanks to the Gisborne community for helping us provide what I thought was an excellent RAID day for our second one of the year.
Noeline and the team volunteered their time to teach GSC year 9s how to play croquet at the club near Dixon field (just past the soccer clubrooms), some with more success than others. I was particularly impressed by the respect our students were showing the volunteers. A few of messages the croquet team were keen for me to pass on:
- Please wear hats. Many have had personal experience with skin cancer and were very concerned to see so many of our students hatless under the extreme UV midday sun.
- Come and play croquet! If you are interested, the hyperlink above shows their website and contact details. Rumour has it that they may be starting a junior league soon, so keep an eye out for that.
The Victorian Space Science Exploration Centre
VSSEC taught our students how to build and launch a rocket using nothing but water and air pressure. There were some very impressive attempts, particularly by Danny, Riley and Jaime from 9C whose rocket went so far and flew so majestically with perfect aerodynamics. What innovation! Massive thank you to Kathy and the Gisborne Soccer Club for allowing us to use their facilities for this activity.
Garry and Brett shared their knowledge of martial arts to teach our students how to defend themselves at their dojo above the Gisborne Bakehouse on Aitken Street. Some students felt a bit awkward recreating potential attack scenarios, but learning proper technique is a great way to build self-respect and confidence. Anyone interested in getting more involved is encouraged to get in touch via the link above.
Once again the bowls club has been so kind to our school with members volunteering their time to spread their love of the sport. I witnessed our students achieve great improvements, from the first bowls that went the wrong way, or ended up in the gutter, to parking the bowls right in the target zone.
Finally, a massive thank you to Hollea and Louise and the team at Gisborne Body Blitz. They handled a timetabling error I made with aplomb. Located in the business centre behind McDonalds, anyone keen to get more fit is welcome to join. I embarrassed myself again this year by going too hard in the spin class session. Needed to lay down after that.
We are so lucky to have such supportive and friendly people willing to support our students from the clubs and businesses above as well as the wider community including staff at McDonalds that tend to get over-run at lunch time (despite our encouragement to explore a wider range of food).
Next RAID day we will be at school all day except for the lunch break where they will be allowed into Gisborne again (except for a few people that need some punctuality re-training!) They will be doing some work with the careers team, to start preparing to join the senior school next year and wheelchair basketball and African Drumming are returning so the groups that missed out last time get a turn.
Thank you,
Daniel Ralston – RAID Coordinator