Towards the end of term all of the first year in the senior school at Alton Convent went on a residential trip to Beam House in Torrington, Devon for an action packed weekend away.  This included a morning of surfing on the stunning beach of Westwood Ho, where we put on our wetsuits and had a lovely time in the waves in the sunshine.

 

We also loved climbing 30 foot up to the High Ropes where we completed a climbing wall, balance beam, wobbly bridge and a small jump whilst being suspended in the air.

 One of the highlights of our weekend was definitely the zip wire, which was a joy for all of us once we set off but climbing up to it was a bit of a difficulty for some. The challenge course was a trek through thick, gloopy mud which some of us enjoyed immensely while others found this incredibly challenging and revolting.

A residential school trip offers many opportunities for learning outside of the classroom. On the  Isle of Wight trip, Year 5 experiences encompassed  Art, History, Geography and Independent living skills amongst other things.

They experienced life as servants at Osborne House under the supervision of 'Mrs Pilkington' then had the opportunity to become lords and ladies at Carisbrooke Castle, (while also learning about the different arrow heads and what they were used for!). 

 Twenty nine excited Year 6 pupils all piled into the coach having had to get out of bed incredibly early! Though we had a long journey ahead of us we knew we had an exciting week to look forward to with lots of interesting places to visit.

Some of these were Notre Dame Cathedral, Sacre Cour Basilica, the Pompidou Centre and a Seine river boat trip. We also went to the Musee du L'Orangerie, Fountainbleau, a market and a French art workshop in Barbizon. However the best part was going up the Eiffel Tower, or 'Tour Eiffel' in French! When we we got up the tower I felt as though I was flying. I was stunned by the views as you could see for miles around.

On the 25th February at 6am all of the third year girls accompanied by four teachers set off from the school in high spirits with liveliness due to the excitement and adrenalin that comes from going on a school trip. At Dover, we made a brief stop to collect our tour guide Mr Watson, who we found out to be a very knowledgeable man. He also has been our tour guide for many previous years. We mainly visited the most signifi cant places to do with WW1, including Flanders Fields, British, French and Germen cemeteries, museums, trenches, the Menin gate and the Last Post Cemetery, with many more but just too many to mention. It was three chock-a-block and tremendously interesting days. We are all now working on a project and presentation about our visit with the main objective being whether or not we think the battlefields should be preserved.

We all know Frank Sinatra wanted "to be a part of it", but for four days in March that's exactly what a group of Sixth Form girls were - a part of "New York, New York".

The main focus of our visit was a conference on world issues at the United Nations, giving us the opportunity to broaden our views on topics such as Child Poverty in the 21^st Century and Environmental Challenges. Chaired by Peter Luff, the conference included speakers from the Departments of Political and Economic & Social Affairs as well as the UN Environment Programme, all of whom gave us the chance to explore ideas and question our own beliefs through enlightening discussions.

Excitement was high as the children of Year 4 arrived at PGL Marchant's Hill for their activity weekend.  For many it was the first time they had been away from home for so long but they soon settled into the cosy dormitories of Bethany House and the routine of activities, meals and more activities!

Saturday, Sunday and Monday morning were spent taking part in a range of challenging, exciting, activities including climbing, abseiling and zooming down a zip wire from high up a tree.  For many of the children the trapeze was the highlight.  This involved climbing up a tall wooden pole and then throwing yourself off a tiny platform while trying to catch a trapeze!  Many of the children also worked really hard as a team to make it high up the Jacobs Ladder - a huge ladder with swinging rungs a metre and a half apart!

The liberal attitude and easy-going nature of Amsterdam are features that this beautiful city will be eternally famous for. However our four days hopping on and off trams, strolling through the historic cobbled streets, trawling through markets and visiting museums showed us a more traditional aspect of the city. The Van Gogh Museum, the diamond factory, the Rijksmuseum, Anne Frank’s house and the historic “Church in the Attic” were entwined with plenty of coffees and hot chocolates in different areas of the city.

We arrived at school early on a crisp Sunday morning towing behind us our supposedly ‘small holdalls’. We had high expectations for this trip. Teachers and older years had set our hopes high and as we waved goodbye we wondered if the trip could live up to the stories.

After two and a half hours on the coach we finally arrived at Bath. We walked through the town, taking in the beautiful buildings around us. Our first destination was of course the Roman Baths. We met a Roman priest, looked at the sculptures and tried the water. Our next stop was the Fashion Museum where we couldn’t resist trying on the corsets and skirts. When we arrived at the youth hostel, (having just climbed up a hill), we were exhausted. After dinner Mrs Hoyes arranged games for us to play, including pass the parcel. With Mr Hoyes providing the music, ‘Our Lady of Providence’, we had a very fun evening!

On the 3rd January, 42 excited girls and 6 staff departed from Alton Convent School for the ski slopes of Zell - am - see in Austria. On arrival we were greeted by stunning scenery and a welcoming hotel. Throughout the week all the girls enjoyed fantastic skiing with the excellent instructors of the Austrian ski school. In fact the instructors even commented on the standard of the girls and said that as a whole group,they were of a very high standard. By the end of the week,even the girls who had never skied before were having a go at little jumps and bumps! We were blessed with gorgeous weather throughout our stay with glorious sunshine for the last three days.