18 Aug Welcome to a new school year!
Dear reader,
The doors have now opened for year 20, and with their exuberant energy, Ranum Efterskole College is filled with laughter, excitement and a little bit of nervousness. The students arrived with their families on Sunday, after which they moved into their new rooms, had a meeting in the contact group and, of course, their first night at the school. In addition, the students have been on the Tour de Ranum, trained for Vilsted Søløb, cleaned for the first time, experienced Rønbjerg and had "get to know your room". We have started off strong with 509 new students with over 20 different nationalities. Diversity is flourishing once again here at Ranum, and will be marked by the iconic Colour Party tonight. Here, each contact group has been given an individual colour, which they dress up in, decorate a table with and produce a work of art based on.
So there's plenty to get to grips with in this week's newsletter. Discover the first major highlights of the year right here - enjoy!
First day of school
The first day of school started with a memorable welcome assembly on the lawn in front of the main building, welcoming families and new students. We began the first day of the year by singing 'The Tree of Life' and preparing the entire year 20 class to 'play in the crown of the tree of life', which can be seen in our schoolyard (and logo). The students then moved into their houses and met each other for the first time. Then the suitcases were unpacked and the families hugged and kissed goodbye.
Train of love
A fantastic first day of school ends with joint get-together activities in the multi-purpose hall, where statues of each other's bodies are moulded and the first "The Train of Love" of the school year is formed.
Tour of Ranum
All students have now moved into their new rooms, organised into contact groups and are making close connections with each other. Next on the list is getting to know all the corners of Ranum, as this is the town where the excited students will spend the next year of their lives together. We start the week with Tour De Ranum, where Vilsted Lake, the local Brugsen, Ranum Church and Ranum's bus stops were explored. The tour provides an insight into various practical tips and tricks about Ranum, so the students are now fully equipped for life in the "city in the centre".
Vilsted Sø Running Training
Vilsted Sø Løb is just around the corner, so let's get out our running shoes and put our hair up for a joint training session on the lawn. We're counting down to 10 September, which will be marked with a fun family day and the traditional Vilsted Sø Løb. Students can look forward to much more Vilsted Sø Løb training over the next few weeks.
Tour of Rønbjerg
In addition to being fully equipped for life in Ranum, we introduce all students to the neighbouring town with Tour de Rønbjerg. The day doesn't stand still here, as happy smiles and new friendships fill the streets with activities such as mini golf, obstacle course, group photos on a bouncy castle - and not least the traditional swimming test. This prepares the students who have chosen water sports to take on the oceans of the world.
The faces of profile subjects
A lovely Thursday afternoon is filled with the first Profile lesson of the year. Here we put names to each other's faces with a little icebreaker that sparks the students' more creative abilities. Below you can see Media and Design, who did the activity. We are already looking forward to the second round of Profilfag!
Friday celebration
Friday morning in the old Kærhuset, where Olivia and Johanne are celebrating their birthday. They have had a birthday song sung over the loudspeaker by Kærhuset's boys' choir and maximum cosiness with a fantastic breakfast by Lotte 
Have a great weekend!
What a team!
In the run-up to the start of the school year, we at REC do our best to prepare as much as possible. All the houses were prepared, decorated and cleaned, and the new groups of house teachers are looking forward to welcoming the new students into their new homes. Both house and contact group teachers always form a very special and close bond with their students. Often these teachers become the favourite adults to go to if there are any questions or challenges throughout the year. Together, they also create a small family that you see several times a day and follow closely throughout the rest of the year. The contact group eats and lives together, and also participates in various activities and contact group time together.
No two years are the same, because it's the unique mix of students and teachers that creates small, big and unique experiences every year that will be remembered for a lifetime. Intro Week has already brought us closer together, and we are so excited to spend the rest of the year with so many wonderful young people 😊.
Get a little insight into who we are right above. You can see which teachers "live" (have a contact group) in each house, as well as the complete staff team, including teachers, office, caretakers, kitchen and house fairies.
Headmaster's column
Every week you will be able to read the "Headmaster's Column" in this newsletter, where Headmaster Olav Storm looks back on the past week. The column will contain Olav's thoughts and visions for REC year 23/24, as well as more practical information directly to you as parents. Important information will also always be available on School Plan.
"The rainbow over the banqueting hall glows, the eyes light up and the voices of 509 new students and 18 italienske guest students fill the school with life. The school year is off to a great start and students have embraced our sense of Togetherness, greeting each other with a "hi" or "hello" and reaching out to make new friends.
The central message of the welcome assembly is that the young people at efterskolen enter a new world where they leave childhood behind and are given the opportunity to mature to take control and find their own friends, as well as form their personality in the great diversity of different people, cultures and languages that make up Ranum.
The students have been working for a week now and they haven't had their mobiles. They've looked up, looked at each other and we've realised that they think it's great to be offline and without reels,
Instagram and TikTok etc. In the coming week, the students will get their mobiles back on Wednesday during the 10am break, and in the afternoon they will get a loving kick about mobile and screen consumption from journalist and lecturer Søren Hebsgaard. The purpose is to create a shared awareness and reflect on our screen usage and habits, so that we take control and maintain our freedom to look away from the screens."
It happens
There will also be a regular feature in the newsletter, "Det sker". "Det sker" gives you a little insight into life here at Ranum in the coming weeks.
Saturday is profile subject day with plenty of time for immersion and excursions in the many subjects of interest.
Sunday is the House Cup, where the houses compete against each other in various disciplines including football, running and throwing, as well as eating challenges. There will be lots of fun and games.
Wednesday mobile handover and lecture with Søren Hebsgaard.
On Thursday, most students leave for the long weekend at 14.30 - Remember to have a shared login to Efterskolebussen so that both students and parents can follow the route and any delays.
On Sunday after 18:00, the students return and it is important that they bring a packed lunch for the trip, as there is no dinner at the school.
Want to be a host family?
Our student Kaan from Turkey needs a host family - is that you?
He will be attending Ranum Efterskole for a year. For the full efterskole experience, Kaan also needs a weekend family to stay with on weekends and holidays 
Are you and your family welcoming Kaan?
As a weekend family, you'll have an international efterskoleelev visiting you about one weekend a month and during holidays. So there's plenty of time to get to know each other, discover fun cultural differences, share traditions and maybe learn a few words in a new language.
Read more about being a weekend family and meet the other lovely efterskole students here
Do you have any questions?
Contact After School Coordinator Nicoline to learn more 
nicoline.nielsen@afs.org
38 34 33 00
Thanks for this time!
Thank you to all of you out there who follow life out here at Ranum Efterskole College. We send out our newsletter every week, so remember that you can sign up for our newsletter and receive it directly in your email every Friday.
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