Patrol Activity, 6 May 2024

 Hello Guides!

Today was unfortunately the last Patrol Activity with the 55th 届, and here are the reflections about the PAs from the Year 3s of each patrol. 

Reflection from a Year 3 in P1:

For Patrol Activity (PA) on Monday, we did pioneering lash training, Fireman’s Ladder (FML), and played Captain’s Ball. During lash training, the Year 1s were taught in-depth to tie pioneering lashes, while the rest of us practiced tying them tightly and within standard timing. Morale was initially a bit low as we were all feeling a bit fatigued from the day, and some of our lashes were not up to standard. However, the excitement of FML soon lifted our spirits. After building the ladder, a few seniors demonstrated flipping over it first before letting our Year 1s try. With some guidance, one of them successfully made the flip for the first time, which we were all incredibly proud of. Although not every patrol member was willing to try, our ladder was still used by others outside of the patrol, including a Guider. Afterward, we split into 2 teams – Year 3s against Year 1s and Year 2s – to play Captain’s Ball. After a few intense and exciting rounds, the Year 3s emerged victorious, and the other team had to sing and dance to ‘Maboleh’ as a forfeit. However, they were not familiar with the lyrics and actions, so the Year 3s had to demonstrate anyway. The juniors were quite receptive and quick to learn. As it was the last PA planned by our seniors, they kindly bought us drinks to end the day. Overall, it was a very fun and memorable session, and I will miss attending PAs with my patrol.

Reflection from a Year 3 in P2:

On Monday, we had Patrol Activity (PA). We were building a creative pioneering structure which was a swing. I would like to think that building the swing at least once a year is kind of a tradition within our patrol. The Year 3s were told to take turns being Patrol Leader every 30 mins. we built the structure quite quickly and efficiently as it was not the first time we were building the structure. the structure was slightly 飞脚 especially when we swung a little too hard on it but it was generally fine. However, 拆掉 took quite a long time as we were slow in returning the logistics to backstore. As such, we overran by quite a bit. Although this was a PA, we should still have worked with a sense of urgency. Overall, this was a very fun PA and we will take note to work with a better sense of urgency in the future.

Reflection from a Year 3 in P3:

The 6 May Patrol Activity (PA) was the last PA to be planned by our Year 4 seniors. That day, we did pioneering and built a Kitchen Table (KT). This was the Year 1s’ second time doing pioneering, and they were still uncertain about their lashes, worried that they would not perform well. I, along with my fellow Year 3 and Year 2 patrol mates, reassured them, promising that we would help check their lashes anytime. As a soon-to-be 领导层, I promised to continue giving my juniors advice and assistance whenever they needed it. I remember our choice of logistics for the KT was an issue. We grabbed 木 that had already been 捆ed for our upcoming Patrol Leader’s Training Camp (PLTC). I also chose a table board that was slimmer and lighter, believing it to be beneficial for my patrol. However, we discovered when we placed the table board on our structure that it was too flimsy. When we were building the structure, I was happy to see my fellow batchmates and the Year 2s stepping up to lead the Year 1s and give them instructions. We finished the structure in good time, and we were all very proud of ourselves. Then, surprise! The Year 4s bought Milo and Pocky for us! It was awesome to take a break sitting on the structure and chatting with my patrol mates all the while munching on the snacks. We all enjoyed ourselves immensely. Through this last Patrol Activity, I feel saddened that our Year 4s are leaving. However, I am hopeful for my next phase of leadership and learning. 

Reflection from a Year 3 in P4:

On Monday, for our last Patrol Activity (PA), we had a pioneering activity. We made a Kitchen Shelter (KS) on the elevated platform in front of the hostel canteen. This was the first time we had built a KS there and so we had a few struggles with the orientation and size of the structure which took up quite a bit of time—time we did not have. Additionally, we had to take the time to check the 木 in our 困s as this PA was conducted amidst preparations for the upcoming Patrol Leaders Training Camp. We only had exactly an hour to complete the structure as the CCA session was short that day due to the nature of our timetables so in the end, we overran in hopes of completing our structure—which I am glad to say we did! Another problem we faced was that our canvas sheet broke repeatedly and we had to tape it up or change the holes our 八字结 was attached to repeatedly. All in all, it was an enjoyable last PA with our Year 4s and the last PA before my batch steps up to become the new 领导层!

Reflection from a Year 3 in P5:

On the last PA of the term and the Year 4s' 领导层 journey, my patrol did creative gadgeting of a box tower. The patrol leader and Patrol Second were the only ones allowed to see the drawing of the structure. They then had to lead their patrol mates to complete it. I was given the role of Patrol Second in this activity. At first, due to a lack of manpower as some members were arriving later, we had to work faster to make up for the lack of manpower. We started with the frames, followed by a special quodpod to act as the roof of the quodpod. The PL allocated manpower by splitting us up into two groups to do the frames and quodpod simultaneously. We had a good sense of urgency, but our communication between both patrols could have been improved, as we had to change the size of the quadpod multiple times due to wrong measurements and poor communication. We definitely enjoyed building a new structure designed by our Year 4s as our last PA that is both meaningful and memorable. After that, we had the last Patrol Corner with our Year 4s as they chatted with us sentimentally, and even treated us to drinks as rewards. 

Reflection from a Year 3 in P6:

During our last Patrol Activity on Monday, 6 May, we had to build a Creative Pioneering structure designed by our Year 4 seniors. The creative structure was a slide that was made of a ladder and 2 supporting 木s for the canvas sheet, as well as a box tower to connect the 2 parts. As it was a structure we were not very familiar with, we had to listen and follow the instructions of the Patrol Leader (who was the only person in the patrol allowed to see the drawing of the creative structure) very closely in order for us to complete the structure. We faced a shortage in logistics halfway through the building of the structure and had to go back to Frontier to retrieve the required logistics. We could have prevented the shortage in logistics by communicating across our patrols to have a better estimate of how much to take when we were given the time to collect our logistics. Overall, for this last Patrol Activity with our seniors, I think we managed to meet most of the objectives of this activity and had a lot of fun working together to build the creative structure that our seniors planned for us.

Hope everyone had fun during the last PA with the Year 4s!

Published by:

Chin Yan Tong

55届 Secretary