The transition trip is partly a celebration of the time our ākonga have had at Amesbury School, and to give them a treat from school to show them we will miss them. It is also an opportunity to practice some of the skills they will need heading onto intermediate, such as catching a public bus, using a Snapper card on the bus, talking with people in shops, and taking the lead in guiding themselves around new places.
We deliberately do not ask any parents to join us on this trip, although we usually love your company and support! For this trip, the emphasis is on ākonga taking the lead and having a little space to make some decisions for themselves. The group of ākonga will be accompanied by five staff members, and we will monitor the group carefully, while also giving them a little space for some independence.
Key details of the trip
The trip will happen on Tuesday 10th December (final week of term). The group will leave at 9am, and will be back at school by 3pm.
The staff on the trip will be Jenny King, Urs, Gar Kee, Nic Love, and Rachel Hosnell.
Groups will travel on public buses, to get them used to using buses with other people
They will start with 30 mins of gameplay in TimeZone on Courtney Place, paid for by school. The group will split in two, and when they are not in TimeZone, we will take them over the road for an ice cream - they will need their own money for this.
We will then walk down to Cuba Street, where students will have the chance to do some Christmas shopping in small groups. Teachers will base outside shops and supervise closely as students move in and out of shops.
After a little shopping time, we will head to Capital Markets, where students can choose from a range of food stalls for lunch.
After lunch, we will make our way back to school on public buses, with both groups arriving back by 3pm.
School will pay for bus fares and Time Zone passes. Students will need money for their ice cream and for their lunch. We suggest approx $15 - 20 for this. If students would like to bring a small amount of money for Christmas shopping, that is also fine.
We have a small number of Snapper bus cards that we will use for the groups. Some students will have the chance to practice 'snapping on' to pay their fare on the bus, but we do not have enough cards for everyone. If you or your tamariki have a Snapper card and you are happy for them to bring it on the trip, it will give them some practice at using a card on buses.
What to bring
All students must wear school uniform, please. They also need their school sunhat. This makes it easy for us to identify and supervise students as they move around town
Bring money for an ice cream and for lunch
Ākonga can choose to bring a small amount of extra money for Christmas shopping, if they would like to
If you have a Snapper bus card they can use, and you would like them to have some practice with this, they can bring it along
