Day Five and Six

After a calming sleep, we were called for breakfast-a traditional Dutch breakfast! It was very unique, like nothing we would normally have. After breakfast, we went up to our rooms to finish packing our belongings. Our teachers knocked on the door, a little while later, to tell us that it was time to go! 

Sad yet pleased at the thought of seeing our families, we hopped onto the buses, it was time to hit the road. We stopped off at Snow World to eat lunch, we also got warming hot chocolates which were absolutely amazing! Then it was time to head to the ferry port - It was a short drive. 

Once we arrived, we waited for the cyclists; we were so proud of how far they had cycled! Next, we moved forwards to passport control, they gave us the thumbs up to say we were good to travel. We headed onto the ferry to find our cabins and unpacked. Then it was time for tea - now this is my favourite part!    There is an amazing selection of food, you can eat: all kinds of food for different cultures!

 After stuffing our faces with food, we were allowed to explore the ship but let me tell you - I do not have sea legs! A group of pupils went up to the bridge of the ship to meet the captain. He explained all of the controls and buttons and what they do!

Then it was time for bed - we had a busy day ahead of us !

The next morning it was time for breakfast - we had a delicious buffet  breakfast! Then the last two groups went to meet the captain.  After that we went back to the cabins to grab our coats so we could go up deck! We did some more interviews and photos.

We went back to the cabins to grab our bags and head to the mini-busses.  Now we’re heading home after a long eventful week in Amsterdam!

The sun was shining and our first stop was the Cycle Hub. It great to see some of our families there to cheer us all on. What a welcome we received when we got back to school and there was even cream eggs for our Easter treat.

A huge thank you to Turing for funding this amazing, adventurous trip! And a huge thanks to the Staff at WDPS!

Sophie 

Day Four

As we were awoken with a knock, we made our way down to the delicious breakfast that was awaiting our arrival. Excitedly, we took a tram through the bustling city of Amsterdam to visit our friends at the Dutch school we visited yesterday! 

As we sat with our new friends, we saw our schedule and on it was a game. Do you know this game? It was a murder mystery game, the game was Cluedo. We learned what to do and how to play. In our groups,we had to find out who the murderer was, who the victim was, along with the murder weapon and the location. It’s safe to say most of us won and our prize was a play in the park. Next on our list was Delf. Delf is a design on ceramic tiles in a certain unique blue- it also a tow in Holland. First we had to make sketches on paper and traced it onto polystyrene. Then we rolled blue ink onto the polystyrene and pressed it onto paper to form a print of our designs and let it dry.

Are you ready for this.? And personally for me this was the most exciting part… we went to Dutch houses and had traditional Dutch meals! We had pancakes, cookies, soups and not forgetting lots of cheese. Their houses were breathtaking and we were so happy that we were welcomed into their home! Houses are very different to English houses as they are B.  tall and thin on many floors with incredibly steep stairs.

Next stop was Tony Chocoloni where we had a talk from Alice about how this company ensures that the farmers are treated appropriately and ethically. Mr West treated all the children to a bar of chocolate. We watched how the chocolate was made and even got some free samples.

Happily , if not a little tired, we walked back to the hostel while taking in the breath taking and picturesque scenery and architecture

After the filling meal, we played at the park, 30 minutes later we went to our rooms and chilled out and went to bed after our showers and the time we had to pack our cases because unfortunately, it was our last night.

Katie and Chloe

Day Three

Amsterdam Day 3

After a restful night’s sleep, we woke up very early in the morning and we were really tired! Hungrily, we made our way downstairs to eat our delicious breakfast and head off on our journey to ttsa.nl.

Filled with excitement, we grabbed our bags and went to catch the tram. When we got off the tram, we walked to TTSA, a school in Amsterdam.  After a tour, delivered by their enthusiastic and friendly pupils, we taught the Dutch children how to make clay hedgehogs and paracord people and bracelets.

After an awesome morning, we headed off for some culture and our next activity was the canal boat tour which  was very educational and we have learnt a lot of new information about the history of Amsterdam. The views were breathtaking - no not even that, if I’m looking for the right word it would be outstanding! Everyone was gazing out of the windows - it was really very hard not to look. Some people were even waving from outside of the boat!

We went to a souvenir shop, where there were so many options, and it was so hard to choose what to buy. After deciding, we had a 30 minute walk to the hostel where we have been staying. We had Dutch food and it was amazing. Well what would you do after a busy day? You guessed it, we went to the park to play for a while. Finally, we went up to our rooms and had a quick shower to freshen up. Feeling competitive, we tidied our rooms for room inspection. Now, it’s time for bed. Goodnight, keep tuned in for more exciting up-coming vlogs and the Press Crew’s daily class page blogs.

We don’t want this once in a lifetime opportunity to end.

Jasmine and Phoebe. 

Day Two

God morgen!

Arrived safely and all showered and unpacked. Now at the play park next to our accommodation. The weather could not have been better and photos to follow after our evening meal.

Day One

The weather has been really kind for the first leg of the journey. Just waiting to embark at Port of Tyne.

All at Sea

Unfortunately, we were unable to wave at you all due to the ship’s tight schedule, however, the buffet lived up to everyone’s expectation while the ice cream machine worked overtime.

With full tummies, we headed out on deck to watch the stunning sunset along with a bit of dolphin spotting. 
 

A card school is in full swing with an early night planned.

                             Amsterdam day 1

Excited yet apprehensive, we arrived at school and two members of the Press Crew interviewed some members of staff including Mrs McHatton and Mrs Williams. We also gathered in the hall for a behavioural chat with Mr MingStones and he answered our last-minute questions.

Later that day, we headed off on our way to the cycle hub, which is where people go to have a break from cycling and can enjoy some relaxation while eating a sneaky piece of one of the gorgeous looking cakes, and may I say the variety is outstanding.

Waiting (for what felt like ages) for the ferry as we had to hand our passport to an official at the checkpoint. As our minibus entered the ship, it felt real; we were excessively excited about being on it.

As soon as we made it on, we were lead to our cabins, where we dropped off our stuff and said goodbye.Now we were headed straight for the buffet when it was announced that we could go pick what we were eating, wow it was like everyone hasn’t been fed in a lifetime(I’m not going to lie though it was exquisite).

After filling ourselves up, we put our pyjamas on and chilled in our cabins until it was time for bed. 

Stay tuned for day two, day three, day four and day five. Make sure to keep your eyes’ peeled for more exciting news about our upcoming vlogs.

Preparation

The children have been training hard and working on their 'vlogging' skills to get the most out of the trip to Amsterdam March 2024. Mrs Williams has been putting the cyclists through their paces while Miss Croll has been working with the 'vloggers' on a content plan and interview technique. We are thrilled that this marries up with the Voice 21 Oracy Project we have embarked on this year.  The children have been looking at key sentence stems which enhance the quality of questions and responses that the children will be asking and answering. 

Behind the Scenes: Preparation for Amsterdam!
Interview Prep:

As preparation for this visit, we incorporated sentence openers from a project named Voice 21 and had overview sheets for prompts and to give us motivation and direction in interviews. We have also been looking at the vlogs from the last visit to understand how to improve our vlogs and ensure we are as confident as possible. Growing with excitement, we have been in full swing with lines and improvisation as Amsterdam is just round the corner! We are proud to say that we are taking part in this opportunity of a lifetime and taking pride in representing our school.

 On a Friday lunch time, we have been gathering in the ICT suite to plan questions and answers to guarantee we have polished sentences.

I hope you enjoy the daily vlog and keep up to date!
Casey

Building on what Casey has written from Voice 21 talk tactics to overview sheets and even interview improvisation, we’ve been practising for the past three and a half weeks. Could you imagine practising for three and half weeks this is why we’re here to show you how much this trip means to our school and how much pride we will be showing   as we take on this opportunity of a lifetime.

Preparation:
Here’s what we’ve been doing to improve our confidence and social skills. Firstly, we’ve been gathering at the ICT suite to practise and aim to reach our top level of interview skills. In addition to our improving our confidence, we’ve been coming out of our shells and not be afraid to speak aloud. Register is vital to ensure we have clear diction and the viewers can hear every word.
Make sure to keep up to date with us on our daily vlogs.    
Rosie