MAP

MAP Graduation Camp

Toward the end of each year those Montessori students in their third and final year together attend a 3-day Graduation Camp to celebrate the time they have spent learning and growing together. It is a truly special event, and spending time with these young people is both a privilege and a rewarding way to reinvigorate towards the end of term.

We camped at Waratah Bay in Gippsland, close to Wilson’s Prom. The first day was spent travelling, shopping, pitching camp and playing on the beach. Students cooked a barbecue dinner for each other and managed to all be in bed by 8.30!

Thursday morning we joined a volunteer group called the Wednesday Warriors, a collection of retirees in Mirboo North who work on the Rail Trail and the Lyrebird Forest Walk. MAP students worked alongside these volunteers clearing the driving track into he Lyrebird Forest Walk. There were several mentions that these were the best and most hardworking students they had ever had. The Warriors then supplied us with a BBQ lunch back at their shed.

Thursday afternoon was time in the park at Mirboo North, kicking the footy, on the playground and flying fox, playing Blood on the Clocktower and generally hanging out. At dinner time we went to a local Sri Lankan and Pizza restaurant to all eat dinner together. We bused back to camp and recalled our three years together by playing Bingo – with all the clues being topics that students had studied over their three years.

Friday morning we visited a pair of local artists at their Magic Lantern farm studio, and took part in watercolour painting exercises, somewhat both aided and hampered by the extra water falling from the sky! Then into the bus, refuelled vehicles and bodies at Leongatha and back to TC.

THE AMAZING RACE

With MAP Humanities this term all students have been involved in a virtual Amazing Race.

This unit is designed to increase both geographic and cultural knowledge, covering many outcomes from the Vic curriculum.

Each week students are divided into random groups of three.

Each group then has to solve a visual clue to discover a location.

They then need to ‘visit’ that location and complete a challenge based in that country.

At the end of each week, each team presents their challenges to the rest of the class. This increases the knowledge of other students, facilitates peer teaching and learning, and gives students regular practice at oral presentation.

Each student also has to keep a record of their travel details, to fit within a predetermined time, budget and required modes of transport.

Students have ‘visited’ countries such as New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, North Korea, China, Belize, Bolivia, Lesotho, Benin, Croatia, Venezuela, Malta, Gabon, Mali, Benin, Libya, Afghanistan, Andorra, Dominica, Brazil, Botswana, Saudi Arabia, Sao Tome et Principe…

Challenges have included making dolls, hats, performing dances, building model houses, bridges and landmarks, researching historical figures and events, making masks, researching myths and monsters, playing music and preparing loads of specialty foods. We have eaten coconut dessert, Turkish delight, three varieties of African doughnuts, Turkish pides, dried fish soup and more. Two students both baked their first ever loaves of bread!