It is great to be writing this week’s contribution to the School newsletter at the start of another exciting year. Over the coming four terms, we will be working to offer even more additions to our packed curriculum and co-curricular programs.

In recent weeks I have been involved in the finalisation of fine details for excursions that will take students to Far North Queensland, the Great Barrier Reef, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, New Caledonia, Boston and New York!

Term I is always a busy term – with a range of competitive and engaging House activities like the Swimming Carnival, Cross Country Carnival and ArtsFest. Our Year 11 Arts Camp, and the Year 7 Camp also being among the highlights.

I’ve had the pleasure of being among the staff supporting our Year 7s at their camp this week. The theme of the camp has been ‘community’ and it has been a privilege to watch this new community come together and take shape as new friendships form and blossom as students engage in camp activities.

Over five days, students are thrust into a range of challenges, such as raft building and orienteering around the spectacular Camp Wombaroo grounds. These activities are designed to promote resilience, leadership and collaboration.

The Year 7 Camp is also supported by Peer Support Leaders from Year 10 who play an active role in leading activities and facilitating growth and engagement in our new Year 7 cohort.

Each night, students engage in a reflection and devotion that help them to identify the most important parts of their learning. I asked a few students to share some of their reflections:

Jonathan: “The best part of the camp was the ‘big swing’. I liked this because you can select how high you want to drop from. You might not think you want to be too high but with the encouragement of your team, many of us went much higher than we first thought possible”.

Arnab: “One of the things I have enjoyed learning is teamwork. We were asked to build a raft with just some basic materials. We had a little bit of help, but we had to choose our design and how we would approach the problem. I didn’t know many people at the start but through collaborating we soon got to know each other. The raft did float for a little while, but the best thing was working together and getting into the cool water after a hot day!”

Addison and Angie: “One of the best things about Camp has been getting to meet new people and make memories together whilst we’ve had lots of fun doing the activities. The best things we’ve learned are how to tie knots and how to set up a tent”.