Modelling the behaviour we wish to view in our children is one of the key components of guiding our children towards being more ethically and morally sound human beings in the future
And whilst it may be very difficult for us to attempt to save the world ourselves, making small changes today collectively, can have larger impacts on the way the world works,
Whilst doing so, we can also influence the mindset of our children as they grow and develop into being wonderful human beings in the future.
This very simple guide towards being more eco-friendly as a household can be downloaded, printed, and discussed within your household and these simple goals can be achieved to make your home and the future of the world a much better place for everybody.
Use this chart as a very simple guide or discussion tool with your entire family.
Before we can even consider teaching, our students and children how to read, we must first understand what the meaning of phonics is
Phonemes are the sounds that letters make when we say them out loud. Graphemes are the sound of two or three letters combined together to make a new sound. We call these Phonics.
Use the chart attached to understand all of the phonemes and phonics sounds which will allow you and your children to decode any word whilst learning to read sentences, paragraphs and even complete books.
This chart can be kept on the wall in the bedroom, in the library, or even on the fridge and used at any point when a child or a parent is attempting to decode a new word.
This week we will learn how to craft and write a persuasive letter together. We will use emotive language and persuasive devices to persuade somebody to help us with the mission we are on.
During this week’s live lesson, we will delve into the understanding of the food chain. We will explore facts about fascinating creatures, animals and insects, and we will understand how everything is connected.
Everyone can help limit climate change. From the way we travel, to the electricity we use and the food we eat, we can make a difference.
Start with these ten actions to help tackle the climate crisis and help set the example to the children of tomorrow, that the planet and nature are our greatest resources and we should work together to protect and preserve them as much as possible.
So we received some interesting news on the 10th of July, just as we were to start the journey home. Unfortunately, the SAS airline strike was ongoing and our flight from Longyearbyen to Oslo at 2.30pm had been cancelled! We disembarked early at 9am and made our way to a nearby hotel to either figure out some other way home or wait out the strike.
We decided to write this last blog to combine the next few days of our journey, because it ended up taking us so long to get home that we are now trying to repress the memory!
It took hours of refreshing the page, but eventually Gavin managed to find us four seats on an SAS flight out of Longyearbyen that would definitely (hopefully!) be leaving on the 11th. We quickly snapped those up but then it was on to the more daunting task of how to get home from Oslo – by the time we arrived, we would have missed our previous connecting flight.
On the 12th morning after a delicious buffet breakfast, we met up in the hotel lounge area and basically spent the next ten hours trying to work out the best and most economical way of flying home to Sydney without breaking the bank and/or our will to live. Eventually we settled on what was to be a 50-hour journey. We had one more night in Oslo and then the journey would begin with our first flight at 9.30am on the 13th. Oslo to Bucharest. Bucharest to Doha. Doha to Maldives. Maldives to Singapore. Singapore to Sydney. Touchdown at 11am on the 15th.
Somehow we made it back with hardly any complaints – we even got to make a quick run to our favourite curry house in Singapore, ‘Banana Leaf’, because that stopover was for about 6 hours!
With the journey (finally) at an end, we can safely say that we have achieved our mission to bring the Arctic’s most important issues to the fingertips of those who may not ever have the chance to experience it. Hopefully one day soon, we will be able to create a new educational program for Upschool.co from the next exciting location – the Antarctic!
See you again soon and thanks for reading!
Love from the A Team Tanya, Gavin, Richard & Graeme
Date: 9th July Latitude & longitude: 78.15°N, 12.55°E Wind speed: 14 knots Wind direction: W Barometer: 1010 hPa Air temperature: 5°C Sea temperature: 4°C
Total polar bear count: 9!
We woke early today feeling a little bit sad because it was to be our last day on board the Greg Mortimer! Breakfast was a quiet affair but we all perked up when the first Zodiac cruise for the day was announced. No matter how often we cruised around in those Zodiacs, it was impossible to get bored – the Arctic sights always offered something new to amaze and delight us.
Today, we cruised to a large glacier in an area called St Jonsfjord. Once again, we were in awe of the massive scale of the glacier before us. As we drifted through the growlers and bergy bits, we were lucky enough to spot a seal playing in the waters! Growlers and bergy bits are the scientific names for the different sizes of icebergs. Icebergs break off from the glacier in an event known as ‘calving’ and they vary in shape and size. If they are less than 1 metre high and 5 metres long, they are called growlers, and if they are 1 – 5 metres high and 5 – 15 metres long they are called bergy bits.
In the afternoon we were able to make one final landing and a hike on Steinpynten – there were no bears in sight! Steinpynten is a spot just near the entrance to Forlandet National Park, which is known for the world’s most northerly population of stone seals and the world’s northernmost breeding population of guillemots. The terrain on Steinpynten is a barren tundra of mostly rocks and some sparse grass and flowers. It was a crisp and cool day and though we were sad it would be our last Arctic Adventure, we were fortunate to have great weather once more to enjoy it.
Back on the ship, we met up in the lecture room for final drinks and a farewell from the Captain, and Aurora Expeditions showed us all the amazing photos we had all taken, compiled in a beautiful slideshow they had created for us. They handed out some fun certificates – one for ‘SOAR’ – the Society of Arctic Rowers, and one for ‘SOAP’ – the Society of Arctic Plungers! The plungers also got a free t-shirt – ‘I survived the polar plunge!’
Dinner tonight was a sombre event as we all came to terms with the adventure coming to an end. Tomorrow we would be disembarking early and flying back to Oslo for one more night before heading home to Sydney.
Date: 8th July Latitude & longitude: 76.58°N, 15.45°E Wind speed: 2.4 knots Wind direction: N Barometer: 1024 hPa Air temperature: 0°C Sea temperature: 0.3°C
Total polar bear count: 9!
Another glorious day greeted us early in the morning – bright blue skies, the sun shining down on us, and calm waters — perfect for a Zodiac cruise!
No matter which way we turned, there was a spectacular sight to behold. In front of the ship was the giant-sized Samarinbreen Glacier, with a length of 23 kilometres, in the Hornsund fjord. Near the shore, we spotted a ringed seal in the water, and there were also some tracks through the snow along the snow bank. As the ice crashed down from the glacier into the sea, we saw kittiwakes diving and feeding on the nutrients churned up from deep below. Above us, soaring high into the sky, was the tallest peak on Spitzbergen — the Hornsuntind, standing at 1480 metres.
We were fortunate to experience another landing in the afternoon — there were no polar bears in sight so we made the most of it! Howard took us to a place called Gnålodden, with a rocky shoreline leading towards a beautifully green and mossy tundra.
Beneath the steep cliffs of the Gnålberget mountain were hundreds of guillemots and kittywakes. Guillemots are interesting in that they don’t have nests – instead they lay a single egg in a pyriform shape (pear-shaped) on the edges of the cliff (likely so that if it rolls, it rolls in a tight circle instead of off the cliff!) in dense breeding colonies. Kittiwakes are in the gull family ‘Laridae’ and make their nests on the cliffs. Chicks instinctively know to sit still to avoid falling off!
All along the slopes of Gnålberget were tiny and cute wildflowers. By the shore, Ben allowed us to explore the historic hut where Wanny Wolstad, the first female trapper in Svalbard, spent several winters of the 1930s, occasionally joined by her husband and sons!
Every night we end our adventures with cocktail hour at the Elephant Island Bar on the ship, and a delicious three course meal served by the wonderful staff of Aurora Expeditions. Late into the night, we drink and chat, often forgetting that it’s getting late, because of course the sun is still up!
See you tomorrow and thanks for reading!
Love from the A Team Tanya, Gavin, Richard & Graeme
Technology is an amazing tool that allows our students to gather research and information on a number of subjects, however we are becoming increasingly aware of the negative consequences of the overuse and over-reliance on digital technology can have, especially at home!
Parents may wish to use this digital wellbeing infographic to allow them to set limits and suggest parameters around the use of technology in the home. These allow for the mental wellbeing of our students and the cohesion of the family unit to remain in sync.
Technology is valuable tool when used within limits and when used for the right reasons. We must all be vigilant when allowing children to use technology, especially alone. Please check the legal age limits of any sites and apps that may be used by your children to safeguard them whist using this wonderful resource.
Date: 7th July Latitude & longitude: 78.12°N, 21.07°E Wind speed: 16.4 knots Wind direction: NE Barometer: 1024 hPa Air temperature: 0°C Sea temperature: 0.3°C
Total polar bear count: 9!
It was a beautiful day for a walk on land … and the polar bears agreed! Two more were spotted at Sundneset on Barentz Island so unfortunately we had no choice but to skip the morning hike.
Instead, we cruised ahead to the next planned landing at Dolerittneset. Here, we saw hundreds of walrus in the water and hauled out on the sandy beach.
On shore, Ben regaled us with tales of the Pomor people who had previously occupied the area, as we could see from the huts along the beach. The Pomor people are descended from Russian settlers and the name means ‘a person who lives near the sea’. Their traditional livelihood depended on animal hunting, whaling and fishing, and they also practised reindeer herding.
Speaking of reindeer, as we headed on a long hike up a huge, steep hill, we spotted some Svalbard reindeer grazing on the tundra. We made our way to the top of the hill, 720 metres, and paused to take in the sights.
On our way back down, I managed to step knee-deep into a mud-filled sinkhole and get completely stuck! As five people tried to pull me out, they each got stuck in turn! Eventually we made it back to the ship to find out that another group had been stuck in the mud as well, and though they made it back in one piece, one of their boots didn’t!
In the afternoon we found an amazing landing spot – Howard, our expedition leader on Greg Mortimer, managed to find a small bay at the edge of a glacier and we were able to walk on the glacier itself! We were in a spectacular area where three different types of glacier intersected; a debris-covered glacier, which is what we were walking on, a surging glacier and an active-front glacier.
After a long day of hiking and walking, we gathered together at Elephant Island Bar on the ship to share stories and pictures from the day.
See you tomorrow and thanks for reading!
Love from the A Team Tanya, Gavin, Richard & Graeme
