“Miss, are there any more apples?!” Year 10s spent last week at Camp Coolamatong, near Bairnsdale in Gippsland. As well as developing an addiction to the locally scored apples (seriously amazing), students enjoyed canoeing, indoor climbing, beach games, a night walk, combat archery, bush cooking and more.
The theme of the camp was ‘resilience’ and Coolamatong staff lead our students in reflecting on how they were using resilience in meeting the new challenges they faced on camp and how they might use resilience as a ‘superpower’ in the rest of their lives. Of course, this was framed within a Biblical perspective, understanding that God’s strength and provision is available for us to draw upon when we meet hard things.
Nobody has time to be bored at Coolamatong: even during free time there are ample activities to keep everyone busy. Set within a wonderful farm setting, we also enjoyed the chickens, sheep, giant pig and plenty of Australian wildlife that visits the camp.
And nobody goes hungry at Coolamatong: from apples to the best cookies, the camp staff fed us six times a day! Thankfully we had canoeing to burn off all that energy.
The best bit about camp, of course, is getting to know one another in new ways and sharing experiences that become the memories of school life we have shared together. Thank you to all the staff who lived away from home and family and to the students who made it such a fun camp to be on.
Now that we’re back, Year 10 has begun the decision-making process around their VCE subjects. Monday night saw parents and students join together for an information session and subject discovery fair where there was plenty of opportunities to ask questions about the many subjects on offer for 2025.
We look forward to seeing what our students choose as they consider their pathways and journey to graduation. All Year 10s will have individual interviews in the next two weeks to ensure they are confident in their subject choices and are meeting all the requirements they are needing for their post-school aspirations.