Our Japanese junior students hit the waves today for their first official surfing lesson. While the weather was cloudy, the water was still warm and everyone took to surfing like professionals! We started with the basics of surf safety and ocean awareness before jumping in the water.
Japanese student Hide stood up on his first wave and continued in style throughout the session. The girls were a little hesitant at first, but by the end everyone stood up not just once but many times, including the junior students’ teacher Miss Yoko!
After a marathon two-hour session, everyone was exhausted but exhilarated and happy to pose for one more photo like the pros they are!
One of our favourite junior students Clara celebrated her seventeenth birthday this week with her Lexis Byron Bay friends. Clara and her best friend Rebeca are visiting Australia for one month in their summer vacation. The girls have had an amazing trip, spending time in Melbourne, the Gold Coast and now Byron Bay.
Happy Birthday Clara and lots of love from all your Byron Bay friends!
Yesterday, Lexis Byron Bay students had the opportunity to learn about Australian Indigenous culture when Aboriginal performer Dhinawan visited the school. Dhinawan told us some traditional Aboriginal stories and taught us about the instrument called the didjeridu or ‘yidaki’. Our students learnt how to dance the dance of the emu and hopefully attract a mate!
It was a great opportunity to learn more about the ancient First Australian peoples and their unique culture. And it was heaps of fun!
Japanese students from Lexis Byron Bay participated in a cultural exchange visit to Xavier College in Ballina today. The students were teamed up with Australian buddies who study Japanese language at school.
The buddies spent a great day together, practicing their conversation skills in both English and Japanese. Students went to Japanese class and sang songs with their Australian friends and then attended a range of classes in English. The highlight was Art class, where our students had the chance to make their own crafted jewellery! At the end of the day we exchanged gifts with our new friends and promised to keep in touch.
Last Friday, Lexis Byron Bay students went on a lovely clifftop bushwalk and picnic to Broken Head Nature Reserve, just south of Byron Bay.
We enjoyed an hour’s walk along the headland and had a pod of dolphins follow us the whole way around. Everyone had a great time watching the dolphins play amongst the waves before we climbed down the cliffs to the rugged south-facing beaches below the rocky outcrop and almost got blown back to Byron!
We trekked back to the picnic grounds at Broken Head and feasted on gourmet salad and ham wraps, corn chips, lamingtons and jelly snakes.
Afterwards we took a detour to Lake Ainsworth at Lennox Head, a stunning ti-tree lake famous for the purple-brown colour of the water, stained by the sap of the ti-trees. Lake Ainsowrth is said to have healing properties and after swimming in its waters you feel as if you have had a bath in magical oils, with skin and hair soft and silky.
So we did not get to surf yesterday or kayak today, however the weather conditions did not stop us enjoying the beautiful winter’s day at Belongil Beach, Byron Bay. Elvira, Jonael and Hidehiro braved the sandbank crossing and made it out the back to body surf some dumpers!
Friday 20 July Activity: Broken Head Nature Reserve. Cifftop walk, swim and picnic lunch at the beach. Still some places available. Only $10 each, includes gourmet picnic lunch. Depart school at 12.15pm – after Graduation!
Let’s go surfing today at Clarke’s Beach! The water is warm, there are whales and dolphins in the Bay and we are going surfing in their backyard. See who spots a whale first today …
Gaz from Style Surfing Byron Bay will pick us up at school at 1pm, so be ready.
Lexis Byron Bay became a wildlife wonderland this week as the Currumbin Wildlife Centre brought its native animals show to town. Students came face to face with a whole array of weird and wonderful creatures found only in Australia. We started small with an extraordinary stick insect.
And then we moved onto something slightly larger when we met a blue tongue lizard named Chopper and his friend the ‘two-headed’ shingleback lizard.
We also got up close and personal with Darth, a beautiful python from the Daintree Rainforest in the north of Australia.
While the mammals weren’t allowed to make the trip across the border, there were enough reptiles to satisfy anybody’s curiosity. Snakes, spiders, lizards, crocodiles and more – crikey!
Our Japanese guests from Hatsushiba Hashimoto led the way in a Skip-a-Thon at Lexis English Byron Bay last week.
Skipping is a popular activity for students in Japan and the Hatsushiba team must have had plenty of practice because they were awesome! First, Hide gave a solo demonstration of light-footedness.
Then the girls impressed us with some double-skipping action. First Naoko and Asuka danced into the mix and then Yuka joined in with baby Toby!
Finally, the highlight of the day saw a grand total of six skippers join in for a mega skip-a-thon!
Definitely the winners of the Byron Bay amateur skipping rope championship!
Casual Labourers: To set up for Splendour in the Grass. Email info@tentcityhire.com.au
Cleaner/Housekeeper: Wanted for two months at Wategoes Beach. 8.30am – 12.30pm Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday. Perfect for ex-students! Email eve@miskini.com
Sales: Project Manager/Sales for e-commerce firm OneFusion 30-40 hours per week. Email jobs@onefusion.com.au
Web Developer: Developer required to build social media site. Email michael@psychwire.com
Cleaner/Kitchenhand: For busy cafe Asia Joes in Byron Bay. Email emma@asiajoes.com
Customer Service/Coffeemaker: For Little Red Chilli takeaway in Suffolk Park. Phone 6685 3522.
Factory Hand and Admin Assistant: Byron Gourmet Pies. Email info@byrongourmetpies.com.au.
Lexis Byron Bay students took a trip to Cape Byron Lighthouse this afternoon. It was a cold and windy day, but we climbed to the top of the lighthouse nonetheless to enjoy the panoramic views of the bay from the most easterly point of the Australian mainland.
Our junior students were blown away… not just by the amazing views from the mountains to the way to the headland, but also by the galeforce winds!
Winter is whale watching season in Byron Bay so we kept our eyes open. We didn’t see any whales breach but we did see a few tell-tale spouts far out in the ocean.
Rebeca, Arthur and Clara getting ready for the lighthouse visit.
Last week farewelled another wonderful group of Lexis-ites. It was hugs and smiles all round as we said goodbye and good luck to Rena, Mirco, Daniel, Yuriko and Kiyo.
There was a buzz in the air at Lexis Byron Bay yesterday with new teen students and a study group tour arriving.
Welcome to the Hatsushiba Hashimoto Study Tour who arrived in Byron Bay yesterday.
Yui, Naoko, Hide, Yui and Sakiko are ready for their first day at school.
All the new students went for a walk around town then to the Beach Hotel for coffee and orientation before taking a picture of their first day on beautiful Main Beach. It was a big group of newbies today, including Spanish TAP students Clara and Rebeca. Welcome everyone!
The new students were lucky enough to experience an Aussie BBQ lunch for their first day of school, along with fun and games in the student lounge and a chance to get to know the other students.
Some of our Lexis students had a very special visitor in their garden this week – a koala!
These iconic Australian animals are as cute in real life as they are in pictures but its very rare to see them in the wild. Koalas are now listed as a vulnerable species in Queensland and New South Wales. They are threatened by habitat loss, disease and the impacts of urbanisation, so there are lots of koala conservation programs around Australia working to protect our cuddly friend.
Congratulations boys – you’re very lucky to see a real live koala in your own backyard!
The Lexis Byron Bay Teen Activity Program (TAP) provides high school students from around the world with the chance to spend their summer vacation in Byron Bay. The program combines study, activities and a fast-paced social program to fully immerse students in their language study and the great Australian lifestyle.
French TAP student Andrea celebrated his fourteenth birthday here in Byron this week with all his new Lexis friends.
After a fun-filled week of surfing and learning, everyone was happy to take a break to enjoy a celebration and a cupcake.
Just a few jobs on offer this week so get in quick!
Nanny Experienced capable nanny wanted to manage spacious home, prodigy child and business duties. Call 0402 686 120.
Customer Service Staff Cashier and customer service for Munch Juice Bar. Duties include making coffees, juices, smoothies and some delivery work. Bring your resume in to Munch!
Casual Chef for wedding catering business. Call Margot 6684 7576.
Computer Tutor for computer, iPhone and iPod. $25 per hour cash. Phone 6685 3741.
Promo Staff Runway Promotions are currently recruiting casual promotional staff. Must have RSA and ABN. Please send CV and photo to kristen@runwaypromotions.com.au.
Be one of the first to see the sun come up over the Pacific Ocean from Australia’s most easterly point. Grab a croissant from the bakery and away you go!
2) Take a surf lesson
What better way to see Byron Bay’s beautiful beaches than to ride on one of its famous waves?
3)Take a kayak trip and paddle next to a school of dolphins
From May-October you may even be lucky enough and have a humpback whale pop up next to you!
4) Join one of the many day trips to Nimbin and experience a unique town with amazing markets.
Relax under the shade of our tree filled avenues of stalls, listen to live music, feast your eyes, pick up a bargain or a hand crafted gift and feast on some delicious food.
5)Dive! Dive!
Scuba dive or snorkel at Julian Rocks, one of the premier diving destinations in Australia.
6) Music scene
Check out Australia’s largest international music festivals – Byron Bay Blues Festival and Splendour In The Grass – as well as live music every night of the year!
7)Hungry?
Local and fresh fish and chips, a cold beer on the deck of the Beach Hotel, and an ice cream from Byron Bay’s own homemade ice creamery.
8)Hire a bike
Ride part way to the lighthouse and walk the rest of the way through the rainforest. Views of the ocean, town and the surrounding area illuminated by the setting sun. Paradise!
9)Party the night away at any of Byron’s nightspots
Start at the Railway Hotel, move onto the popular Beach Hotel, wander down to the Great Northern for some live music, and if you’ve got any energy left over, burn it off on the dance floor at Cocomangas or Cheeky Monkeys!
10) See Byron Bay from above
Byron Bay is the place for skydiving in our region, giving people the experience of a life time. Take in those spectacular views of the Byron hinterland as you fly under canopy for 5 to 7 minutes. Don’t look past a magical hot air balloon ride over one of the country’s most spectacular environments. You’ll witness the natural splendour of Byron Bay’s attractions like never before.
Japanese student Hide stood up on his first wave and continued in style throughout the session. The girls were a little hesitant at first, but by the end everyone stood up not just once but many times, including the junior students’ teacher Miss Yoko!
After a marathon two-hour session, everyone was exhausted but exhilarated and happy to pose for one more photo like the pros they are!
