Principal's Report

End of Term 3

The final newsletter for term 3 is a quick report from the year 5 camp at Woorabinda School Camp in Yallourn North. It’s 7am and the children here at camp are still snug in their bunk beds after two enormously busy days. Half of the group are waking up to a gorgeous sunrise at eh top of the hill as they emerge from their tents.

I was with the sleep-out group Tuesday night and woke to that same sunrise yesterday morning. The mornings here have been crisp with clear sunny skies, and the afternoons have become increasingly warm. This morning, the sleep-out group will light fires and enjoy a breakfast of cereal and fire-cooked toast, a real treat. Here at camp, the duty group will soon be preparing the dining room for breakfast which will be cereal, toast and a hot selection. As well as all of this, the children have been participating in canoeing, high ropes courses, zip-lining, hiking, night walking, archery, tree-planting and cooking “steamboats” (a real Woorabinda treat). The group has shown amazing resilience, persistence, enthusiasm and independence, the elements that go together to make a highly successful camp.  It’s the life-skills and the personal development that I love so much about the camp experience, as well as the challenge and skills development.

Yesterday, I proudly watched child after child, challenge and conquer their fears and doubts on the high ropes course, and delightedly watched their broad smiles as they realised their achievements. I watched a group of 40 plan, cooperate and work together to erect tents and set up our camp area for the night. I saw 40 children sit around campfires in the morning, enjoying the spectacular view of the Latrobe Valley below us and cooking their own toast on the campfire flames. I watched as they planted trees in a plant rehabilitation area, leaving their permanent and positive mark on the camp environment and I’ve enjoyed every moment with an amazing group of young people in an atmosphere of cooperation and mutual respect.

It’s no wonder I find camps one of the most enjoyable parts of my life as a principal. Here, I get to relate to the children in a way that’s just not possible at school. I get to know them and they get to know me in a very real way with a genuine connection. I’m still a teacher at heart. We supported each other through challenges, we’ve stared at the stars, we’ve cooked and enjoyed meals together, we’ve walked many kilometres alongside each other, we’ve talked, we’ve played games together, we’ve relaxed and we’ve laughed. This is an experience these children will always remember and it’s been a most positive growth and development opportunity for all of them. I’m sure when they get home, they’ll be more than ready for a good sleep in their own bed but, given some time to recuperate, they’ll be full of wonderful stories of their memories of Woorabinda.

Greg Lacey

Principal