09 Feb Sex education, finishing P2, gift from Thailand & more

Dear reader,

This week's newsletter has a little something for everyone. You can read about our fantastic Harry Potter weekend, where students were challenged in competitions. In addition, you will find insights into the important sex education, as well as the end of the P2 period and the great gift we received in Thailand on the Cultural Studies trip. Last but not least, you will be able to get a sneak peek at the submitted material from the PVA competition.

Harry Potter weekend

Last weekend was dedicated to Harry Potter. Which meant that students were naturally divided into Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff houses. Each house was presented with several challenges, including baking cakes and taking pictures that perfectly matched the Harry Potter theme.

Sex education

Here at Ranum, we try our best to give students the right tools and information to prepare them for the future. Knowing yourself and your limits is an important part of life, but equally important is the ability to respect others and their differences. Therefore, this week the students have had sex education, which will help give the students a deeper insight into their body, gender and sexuality.

The end of P2 and the start of P3

This Sunday is Culture and Family Day, which will be the end of the Cultural Programme period. When something ends, something else starts, and then we enter the 3rd profile subject period. Here, students are taught a skill, as opposed to the cultural subject period, where you learn about a country's culture. A profile subject can be sailing, scuba diving, ceramics, climbing, etc. The profile subject period ends with a journey, just like the cultural subject period. The trip is a kind of exam where you get the opportunity to test what you have learnt out in the world.

Cultural studies team Thailand on a school visit

After a week of sailing, snakes and a night train to Bangkok, it was time for a school visit for the team.

The school to be visited was Panyarat High School in Bangkok. Our students were assigned a buddy for the day and joined the Thai students in their lessons. In addition to the normal lessons, the day also included Thai dancing, cooking and Thai boxing. Both the Danish and Thai students were curious about each other's world and everyday life.

In connection with the visit, gifts were also exchanged at a major ceremony between Ranum Efterskole and Panyarat High School.

We from Ranum Efterskole College received a beautiful hand-painted teacup. There is already interest in a return visit from Panyarat High School here in Ranum in the autumn. Hopefully, the collaboration with Panyarat High School will allow for homestays in connection with next year's Cultural Studies trip. Even though the Thailand team was a little nervous before the actual visit, the majority of the students point out that it was a really good day and something they will remember from their trip to Thailand. 

PVA competition

The entry period for the PVA competition has now closed and we look forward to reviewing all the material students have submitted. There are several exciting competitions in the works, including photo, video, documentary, article and Year Book. Students have the opportunity to enter as many competitions as they wish, and in each competition there is a chance to win either £500 or a GoPro camera. We're excited and can't wait to see what the students have created!

Here are some of the images that have been submitted to the photo competition.

Want to see all the images and videos? Then click here;
Photo: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBdvYA

Video: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfwmU4tbwCWtIlsMzB9LfkLgOl_1EK5n3

Headmaster's column

Dear reader,
This week, the focus has been on processing the impressions and experiences from the cultural subjects and travelling. Among other things, we have evaluated the entire programme with students and staff. The overall picture is very positive and shows that students and staff feel that the cultural subjects and the trip have lived up to their purpose, fulfilled almost all expectations and fulfilled the potential for cultural encounters. There are some schisms in the relationship between the diversity of the student group, the subjects and the cultural trips that we still need to work on addressing. For example, the widespread experience that many students try to avoid home-stay before travelling, but that for everyone who has been on a home-stay, it has been by far the best and biggest cultural experience that has created friendships across cultures. We would encourage more students and parents to open their homes here in Denmark to a guest and experience the joy of it, because it will also pave the way for more students to have the courage to be privately accommodated by home-stay when travelling in the future.

This week has also seen a focus on education and sex and relationships. It's late in the school year, but a nationwide initiative in week 6, and our students are really taking it to heart. Experienced "sexologists" who are not afraid to answer questions are teaching and there are no teachers present.
On Sunday, all families are invited to Culture and Family Day, where students will talk about, show pictures and films from their Cultural Subject Journeys. Afterwards, there will be an exciting lecture for parents about Metacognitive Psychology by Sofie Mundbjerg from the psychology centre ReWiew.

Have a great weekend,

Olav Storm.

It happens

11.02.24 Culture and Family Day
12.02.24 P3 starter
24.-25.02.24 Friends Weekend

01.03.24 3. Student party

Best regards from all of us at,

Ranum Efterskole College