Outdoor Education @ Claremont
This term, for the first time in 3 years all of our primary students will be going away to camp. Year 6 will attend a three-day camp at the newly redeveloped Lake Macquarie, the campsite that some dads would be familiar with because of the Dads’ and Kids’ Camp a number of years ago. Our Year 5 students will stay in relative luxury at Stanwell Tops for their three days. Year 4 will stay at Galston near Hornsby and Year 3 students will attend Winmalee in the lower Blue Mountains.
Our Outdoor Education Program is designed to complement our school program. The opportunity to experience nature and discover the outdoors is fabulous in itself, but our Outdoor Education Program goes way beyond just this. Activities which obviously cannot be done at school include bushcraft, water sports, abseiling, high ropes and other activities that incorporate initiative and team-work. Our camps are also designed to incorporate a social skills element where children help each other, share meals and live and work together in community.
The development of learning dispositions such as resilience, risk-taking, leadership, courage, self-confidence, collaboration, creativity, humour, initiative and independence are also a significant aspect of the camp experience. As the years progress from Year 3 to 6, the activities on each camp are designed to become more diverse and increasingly challenging, as the children grow and develop. As these dispositions grow within each child, we have confidence that each child develops in character, and we know that this ultimately impacts their academic learning back at school.
The children always enjoy the camps (even those who may be a little nervous at first) and although the educational content and learning cannot be formally measured, we know that the outcomes, both at an individual and group level, are incredibly beneficial.
Our teachers and support staff always come back from camp thoroughly exhausted but saying this, the experience provided wonderful opportunities for the children to shine in ways that they would not usually see back at school and in the classroom.
Our staff work hard on the camps and certainly demonstrate care, energy, commitment and dedication to the students by working long days, without additional remuneration. We would like to commend the staff for their amazing dedication.
This year the staff attending camps are;
Year 3 Camp - Mr Oen, Mrs Marquet, Miss Kelly and Mrs Nunn
Year 4 Camp - Mrs Davis, Mrs Crerar, Miss Alexander and Mrs Parker
Year 5 Camp - Ms Shiels, Ms Ireland, Mr Geering and Ms DeRossi
Year 6 Camp - Mr Ryan, Mrs Garrick, Mrs Speranza and Mrs Breakspear
In addition to the Claremont staff, each of the campsites have their own trained staff team employed by the Crusader Union - ‘CRU’. This team has the specific skills and training required for leading the outdoor education activities. The Cru team also delivers the Christian Education program that involves singing, drama, a Bible talk and a short Bible Study. This is the same team that also leads the activities and program at the Dad’s and Kids’ Camp. These energetic and passionate leaders are another highlight of camp for many of our students.
In preparation for Camp
We are mindful that for many of our students (and parents) this will be the first camp experience. In preparation for camp and with the aim of supporting the children in this endeavour, please reach out to your child's teachers and/or Miss McKersie, our School Counsellor, if you hold any concerns about your child experiencing anxiety, sleep walking or any other issue that might concern you whilst on camp.
