04 Dec Christmas spirit, project writing, bridge building and term tests

Dear reader,

Even though it has stormed and rained so much that the river to Ranum house went over its banks and both power and heat went out for several hours, we have had a very good start to the Christmas month. Students have been busy with term tests and OSO assignments in Year 10, and Year 9 students have been writing project assignments. A number of students have also been on a bridge-building course in Aalborg and one team has been in Sweden at Utsikten Gymnas. We have held assemblies in the afternoon and we sing Christmas carols in both Danish and English. Ranum Efterskole the elf is again teasing and every night he leaves his elf hat somewhere in the school, so the lucky finder can get a little finder's gift.

"As an OSO teacher, you are exposed to many different professions. One of them is the chef training.
Here is scallop in three different ways; salted, smoked and fried." 
Tjalla Elsborg, Teacher at Ranum Efterskole.

On top of the world

This week we also had a visit from the Danish professional mountaineer Bo Belvedere, and he told us very vividly about his many expeditions to, among others. Peru and Nepal. The students of these two cultural subjects were inspired and got good advice about training and how to manage at altitude.
Last week we had a fantastic talk by Jesper Steckmann, world champion freediver, and this week we heard Bo Belvedere talk about how to reach the top of the world's highest mountains. Both speakers focused a lot on how to build up your psyche and physique to be able to do more than you dream of and how working on yourself and your goals can strengthen your self-esteem. For both, it is also true that getting to the goal is the primary experience and joy of the activity and that getting back home - back to the surface or back down to camp - is vital.

New profile subjects for 3rd period

Next week, students will vote for the last time on which profile subjects they want to attend in the 3rd period. The new profile magazine is ready and can be seen here!. Here you can read first of all about how the choice is made and how you as parents confirm your child's choice. In addition, you can of course read about all the exciting profile courses that the students and the teacher have jointly proposed. The expected co-payment for the profile course trips can be found under the course descriptions in the magazine.

During this period, the following profile subjects can be chosen (the website pages will be ready next week):

Read more to open the profile magazine for period 3.

Christmas spirit throughout the school

Both students and staff are getting into the Christmas spirit, and all the houses are crowded around the TV rooms from the first to the last Christmas calendar. Our foreign pupils don't understand much about the Christmas calendars, but they are crazy about all the Christmas decorations and our many "strange" traditions. Our Nepalese visiting teacher got a Haribo Christmas calendar and is happy with it, although it was a long story to explain what happens on December 24.

Christmas is a celebration of hearts

Christmas socks hang in front of the principal's and vice-principal's offices. Everyone is welcome to put little greetings and sweets in the socks and at some point we will be in such a great Christmas mood that we will hire Santa Claus himself as a teacher at Ranum Efterskole! All in all, we want all students and staff to share Christmas cheer, goodies and good deeds with each other during the dark weeks of December so that everyone has a great time.

Final exams for 10th grade

Students have been in full swing all week with term tests in the morning and OSO assignments in the afternoon. There has been good concentration and many have sat out the tests. The end-of-term exams give us important experience of which pupils just manage the tests without any problems and which need to be trained and helped to achieve a good result.

The coming week: Bridge building, final exams and OSO

In the coming week, 226 10th grade students will be on a bridging course at 11 different secondary schools in Himmerland and Aalborg. The bridge students eat breakfast and make lunch from 6.00-6.45 in the Seminariehuset dining room. The buses to the bridge building leave from the Kærhuset parking lot at 7.00 am. Bus lists etc. are posted on the boards by the student office in the middle building. The 34 10th graders who have been in bridge building this week will have their final exams and OSO assignments next week. They have all had a plan for this sent to them in the School Plan and the plans are also posted on the boards by the student office.

• The 9th grade students, international IGCSE and Danish course and will present their project assignments on Monday and from Tuesday morning and the week after do final exams. The plan for the week is posted in the School timetable and posted on the notice boards by the Student Office. On Wednesday afternoon there will be a study session for 9th graders in the banquet hall from 1:15-3:30pm. The morning routine is as usual, morning exercise and breakfast, only breakfast is in the Seminary dining hall.
• Year 10 IGCSE and AS-level students are due to present a cultural project on Monday and have final exams on Tuesday to Friday. The individual plans for their end of term exams have been reviewed with the international students and handed out.

Week 50 is a bit special, so we've decided to make it even more special. Next week there will be house sitters (house teachers) in the houses from 6.45. The house gnomes and kitchen gnomes will be doing Christmas events and Christmas breakfast for the students during morning exercise and breakfast next week. We will move the morning assembly to 5pm when all students will be back in school.

During the weekend of week 50 (12th and 13th Dec.) there will be a bus trip to Aalborg on Saturday. It will be possible to skate on the outdoor rink at C W Obelsplads, have fun and do some Christmas shopping.

We are happy that the students have come through the November darkness and that everywhere is buzzing with good expectations and excitement both for the Christmas season, but also for the upcoming cultural expeditions. We are in for a fantastic time and it is important to keep spirits high for each other and for there is so much to look forward to.

Best regards and very happy 2nd Advent weekend.

Olav Storm Johannsen
Principal