Wellbeing Tutorial

This week in our Wellbeing Tutorial we decided to get out and get active! Following on from last week in which we discussed exercise and activity we used our time to go for a walk.

Our mission was 30 mins of walking to the local supermarket and back. Secondly, we also ventured into Coop to find something healthy that we had not tried before. The boys took this challenge on board.

It was a good opportunity to get some fresh air, go for a brisk walk, mingle and talk. In the supermarket, the boys eagerly found new items of a healthy variety which they had not purchased before.

Mountain Biking

 

 
On Saturday morning, the advance mountain bikers take off towards the local forest. They follow the tree lined footpath that runs next to the local stream and nearing its source somewhere amongst the forest. The pace of the biking was fast, and everybody was working hard to stick together. Once in the forest, it was time to find  the central path, it is large and heads in the direction of school, and most importantly in travels down hill!  At the bottom of the forest path when the treeline comes to an end and the bikers enter the morning sun, a small drinking spring is located by  the path to provide the thirsty rider with a cold mouthful of refreshing spring water. After giving the legs a couple of minutes to recharge, onward towards school, the final one kilometre, cutting through the back streets of Versoix.

Luther`s Discovery Day

For my Discovery Day I went to Château D’oex at the Swiss Leadership Camp  with all IB1 students, on the 17th to the 18th of September, it took us 2 hours to get there by a tour bus. I shared a room with 4 other students.

Upon arrival, we were separated into 5 groups according to our advisory class. We all participated in an activity called “The Amazing Race”, where we competed against other groups to finish as many activities as possible, to get points in 4 hours. We were supposed to navigate through a forest with a map, our group had 3 advisers. I was in group 1, the first activity for our group was tightrope walking, it went smoothly. Next, we had to build a catapult with bamboo sticks and rubber bands, we were supposed to shoot balls with it and catch it from a distance with a bucket, I was the receiver for my group, it took a short time for us to finish this challenge.  After that, we had to cross a river with a zip-line, my whole lower body got wet, luckily, I took my shoes off for this activity. The last activity was building a big pyramid with 4 layers of smaller pyramids also made of bamboo sticks and rubber bands, it took our group 16 minutes to build the whole thing. My group won The Amazing Race because most of us tried. Later that night, we gathered in our groups to finish our science group 4 project, part of it was entertaining.

The next day, along with 19 other students, I went to Leysin for caving, we wore wet suits, helmets and a harness. The entrance of the cave was very tight, so we had to apply Vaseline to slide through. After going through the entrance, we attached our harnesses to a rope, and we were climbing in the dark cave. The whole activity was over in about an hour, we hiked down to get back on to the tour bus and headed to school. The whole Discovery Days experience was mostly positive.

By Luther

House Competition

This week we started the annual House Competitions. These are events and challenges run throughout the year which pits Boarding Houses against each other in order to have an overall winner at the end of the year. Competitions include cooking, skiing, quizzes, talent shows and many more.
The first event was the Sports Competition in which we competed against the 14 other houses in a series of different mini-games

I am very proud to announce that Leman 1 won!!!!

 

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Mountain Weekend – Leysin

This month we had our inaugural summer Mountain Weekend. This was a fantastic opportunity for the whole Boarding Community to spend a weekend up in the mountains. Doing this at the start of the year allowed us all to have time to bond and get to know each other while doing group building activities and enjoying the amazing scenery.

 

Wellbeing Tutorials

This week in our Wellbeing time we focused on Exercise.

This gave us the opportunity to discuss in-depth what we considered exercise to be and what sort of activities that we consider are exercising.

We then discussed why exercising was important, what benefits we percieved from it and why it was necessary both for the body and the mind.

 

This was followed by a self-reflection on our own weekly routine. What form of exercise do we do each day, 2-3 times a week, or just once a week? We then thought about what we should do less of in order to give us the time to do more exercise. For example, 30 mins less of YouTube videos to allow us to go on a walk or play a game of ping-pong.

The Birds & the Bees

Over the summer we had a few surprises in our flower boxes.

A Wagtail bird raised four young offspring, using the tomatoes as cover.

And as our terrace ecosystem flourishes, a small nest of Potter Wasps arose to help control the insect pests.

As the strength of the sun grew, as did our bounty of produce and continues to do so.

 

Summer Holiday Time

We have now reached the summer vacation!!!

We which all the boys, families and friends a very happy fun-filled holiday time.

We share with you our latest art project to commemorate all the boys from the 2018-2019 year which is displayed on our terrace.

 

 

New Student Arrival Sunday 25th August

Returning Student Arrival Tuesday 27th August

Celebrating Success- Léman 1 Charity Events

This year we held two Charity Events in aid of the Tomas Costa Appeal.

These events went fantastically well and we raised a good amount of money. However, they were also fun and enjoyed by the Boarding Community.

The first was the Epic Boarding Concert and Auction

Our Second event was Pie Target.

This seen students nominate which member of staff to be put behind a target to have pies thrown at them.

In Total Léman 1 raised 1733 CHF through our events!!!

Celebrating Success- House Competitions

This year Léman 1 worked really hard to try and compete in the House Competitions. It is commendable that the boys were able to plan, develop, practise and deliver in the competitions. It is a testament to the House Spirit that the boys were able to motivate each other and all 28 work together to do so well.

We are pleased that overall after all the competitions we placed 2nd!!

Competitions:- Quiz, Sports, Ski, Cooking, Pumpkin carving, Talent show, Blog

This is the second year running where we have placed 2nd. Well done boys.

Welcome to the Jungle

After a colder than normal spring, the terrace plants are rapidly growing. We have herbs, salad plants, tomatoes, lettuce, potatoes, courgettes, carrots to name a few. Thanks to the contributions from the boys and our water boy Luther, who keeps the plants watered during the warm weather. Fingers crossed that we can come back after the summer holiday to a bounty of fresh vegetables.

End of Year Event

On Sunday we had our End of Year Event. This was an amazing event enjoyed by all. There was a very energetic fun atmosphere with lots of activities to take part in. Here are the highlights.

Athens

This weekend we have one of our school trips to Athens.

Below is the report of the trip so far and some photos.

 

Day 1

The first day has a historical visit to the Acropolis and a lunch in a typical street on a lovely terrace.
In the afternoon we visited the Acropolis museum.
In the middle of the afternoon, we went back to the hotel and the students went to study, relax or do some shopping.
 
Day 2
This morning we left Athens with the coach to reach Nafplio. After 1h30 we made a stop to see the Corinthian Canal which separates the Peloponese from mainland Greece, connects the Gulf of Corinth with the Saronic Gulf.
We did another hour of drive to reach Nafplion. We visited the fortress of Nafplion, the Palamidi castle.
To get down to the city we walked the 999 steps.
A lovely lunch was waiting for us.
We spent some time at the beach and could enjoy the nice water of the Aegean sea.
A stop to our hotel to take some energy and we had our dinner on a lovely terrace of a Greek taverna and discovered some delicious dishes.
   

Lucerne

On Friday there was a full day trip orangised to the beautiful city of Lucerne. It has preserved medieval architecture and sits amid snowcapped mountains on Lake Lucerne.

We enjoyed a stunning bus journey full of scenic views before arriving at the transport museum. This is an impressive collection of different forms from transport from their conception to modern uses. We had a guided tour here, before moving to the town centre for lunch and some time to explore the local area.