Camps - More than just heading offsite 

School camps have for a long time offered students a break from the traditional classroom setting. They provide a unique environment where students can development essential interpersonal skills and experience significant personal growth. Here are some areas that camps target and foster development in our students: 

Interpersonal Skill Development

• Stepping out of your comfort zone.
  This is crucial for personal growth for various reasons. When students step out from their comfort zone, they need to confront uncertainty and fear. Each time they face a new challenge and succeed they build resilience and confidence in their abilities. This growing self-assurance can empower them to tackle even greater challenges in the future. In an ever-changing world, adaptability is a valuable trait.
• Teamwork
  Camps provide greater opportunities outside of the normal classroom for students to engage in team building. For those who do not play team sports, camps may be the only other avenue they have to complete tasks that require working as teams, outside of the classroom and offline. Understanding the importance of cooperation, trust, mutual support, and appreciating different perspectives is critical prior to students entering the workforce as adults.
• Communication    
  Effective communication is the cornerstone of successful interpersonal relationships. Camps provide numerous opportunities for students to practice and enhance their communication skills. Whether it's through group discussions, problem-solving activities, or simply socialising with peers, students learn to express their thoughts clearly and listen actively. These experiences help students become more articulate and empathetic communicators, skills that are invaluable in both personal and professional contexts.
• Leadership
  Unearthing potential leaders has long been a target of many school camps. Designing activities that help to cultivate leadership qualities, assigning specific roles to students, decision making activities and peer guidance are still commonplace in camps. However, our curriculum-based camps don’t solely focus on leadership. Our students are still presented with opportunities for growth in this area by taking on a number of responsibilities whilst away. For example, our Year 8 students completed a series of challenges, such as, caring for an egg for the duration of the camp. Two groups successfully worked together to complete this challenge across the four days of camp.  
• Independence
  Camps provide a structured yet independent environment where students can learn to take more responsibility of themselves. Being away from home and familiar routines encourages them to develop self-reliance and problem-solving skills. They learn to manage their time, make decisions, and take responsibility for their actions. This independence is crucial for personal growth, as it prepares students for the responsibilities of adulthood. Year 6 camp is a prime example of this. For many students, it is the longest time and greatest distance they have been from the family unit. While this is a challenge, they return having grown significantly more independent.
• Resilience
  The camp environment, with its mix of physical activities, learning experiences, and social interactions, helps students build resilience. Facing and overcoming obstacles, whether it’s a challenging task or group disagreement, teaches our students to persevere and adapt. These experiences help each student to develop a growth mindset, where they view challenges as opportunities for learning and growth rather than insurmountable barriers.

I was fortunate to be part of the Year 8 camp this year and was incredibly proud of the students who attended. We were not blessed with the best of weather conditions, in fact, it rained on us for the majority of the time which prompted some itinerary adjustments here and there. Despite this, the students did not resort to complaining or sulking, instead they embraced the opportunities that the shifting weather presented and had a great time in doing so. Well done to the Year 8s. You have demonstrated that both individually and as a group, you have wonderful attributes, are a resilient bunch, and can easily work together when you put your minds to it. Here are some snaps from the camp:

This month, we have our Year 6 group depart for their outback camp. Leaving on Sunday May 11, the students will spend 6 days exploring a series of outback towns, such as Tambo, Blackall, Longreach, Winton and Charleville. I look forward to seeing the photos of their experiences in the coming weeks.     

Warm regards,