From Pastoral Care Co-Ordinator Primary

School Camps

Our Year Five and Six students set off to Camp this week to the Cooba Sports and Education Centre. This is a wonderful opportunity for students to learn through hands on experience in our natural environment.

The camp gives them the opportunity to interact with their peers and build social relationships outside the classroom. It also helps them to develop social skills and develop a sense of community.  While on camp, we are able to see students grow in their personal develppment as they are challenged and develop resilience, independence and self confidence. A statement was made by one of the students who was going on camp said, with tears in their eyes, “I know I am feeling anxious about going on camp and leaving my family, but I know when we get there I am going to have fun and it will be worth it.” Being able to manage anxieties to do hard things is a great achievement and a very worthwhile aspect of the camp program. The Cooba camp particularly works on team work skills where students are faced with tasks that they have to complete together. It also requires them to be able to overcome frustrations and problem solve as a group, listening to each other and trying new things.

It has to be recognised that there is a lot of work put in behind the scenes to get students on camp. Teachers and support staff leave their own families and give up their time to assist with camps to give students these opportunities. In the weeks leading up, teachers are liasing with students and families to ensure medical, dietary and other student needs are met. They also manage the risks while on camp to ensure that students have a safe and worthwhile experience. Thank you to all the staff that assisted with Camp Cooba - Ethna Farrell, Danielle Larter, Kyle Tucker, Tyra Lee-Palmer and Alex Haslam. I am looking forward to hearing more from the Year Five and Six students about their camp experience and their highlights from their time away.

In acknowledgement of the value of the camp program and what these experiences offer students, we have added a camp for Year Four students to Bournda later in the year. This overnight camp will be close to home and enable students to experience staying away from home. It will also enable them to access Science activities and leadership activities to prepare them for Stage 3.