Looking at our term one calendar, it amazes me how many great learning opportunities are made available to our students here at Oxford Area School.

 A couple of weeks ago I was lucky enough to be a parent help on one of these excursions. It was at Hanmer Springs on a NCEA Physical Education Level 2 and 3 Rafting Leadership and Risk Management camp. Students had the opportunity to learn and then demonstrate skills through a range of rafting and river safety experiences. Year 13’s also explored leadership principals with in these activities. This was a superb 3 days of rafting and river safety activities run by teachers Megan Lowen and recently retired Peter Cooper and on the last day in conjunction with Hanmer’s Thrillseekers Rafting Company. The experiences demonstrated and then performed by students were valuable life learning skills that are important and relevant to activities on our rivers. It also taught them the importance of risk management, how to analyse outdoor safety management and leadership principals all with hands on activities. Learning these important attributes can sometimes be difficult but I believe that there is no better way to learn than applying them to real life situations and the activities delivered certainly taught these skills. I was fortunate enough to join in on all the experiences and while enjoying them also learnt some valuable life skills.This amazing education outside of the classroom is just one of many excursions over this first term, with plenty more throughout the year. Oxford is very lucky to be situated in close proximity to bush, rivers, mountains and beaches which provide us with fantastic learning environments and we would be silly not to use them. An excursion like the rafting and river safety camp teaches our students how to safely enjoy one of our wonders within our back yard. It also teaches them valuable skills like risk management and leadership principals that can be applied to whatever they may do in the future.  Oxford Area School’s learning opportunities for all our students throughout the school, whether they may be camps, day excursions or things held within school, all are there to develop positive connections in learning. I am proud to be involved with a school that offers so many magnificent learning experiences that provide effective learning outcomes for every student.Matt Riley (BOT Chairperson)