Year 12 Camp

What an amazing few days the Year 12s had together on their camp – launching right into 2023 with strong connections with their peers and an open mindset to the year ahead. The camp consisted of a number of different adventure-like activities such as high ropes, river sledding, archery and mountain board, to name a few – these provided students with great opportunities to try different things and also connect with others.

We invited two guest speakers to the camp whose stories made a profound impact on the cohort, as students engaged in the stories, reflections and insights. Abdi Aden’s message focused on the power of kindness and optimism, especially in the face of adversity. Abdi was born in Somalia and as war broke out in his country, he became a refugee at 13 years of age. His incredible story of challenge and adversity led him to Australia, without any family and as a 15-year-old. He has remained in Australia since then, completing school and study and creating a life for himself, also working within youth work and public speaking engagements. 

Sam Brammam’s message highlighted the importance of setting big goals and breaking them down into smaller pieces, finding people in your life who can help give you that drive or mentorship, and how the power of focus and soaking up the atmosphere can deliver great opportunities. Sam is a Paralympic swimmer and shared some great life lessons from his childhood (when his leg was amputated), throughout his swimming career and later career pursuits.

Our teachers ran sessions on:

• Motivation and ‘getting into the zone’ – strategies to upregulate and increase the energy in your body and mind.
• Mindset - the power of your thoughts – observing automatic negative thoughts and the power of reframing these or using other resources for support.
• Regulation – strategies to downregulate their bodies, to support students to identify, observe and manage emotions.
• Team Spirit – the power of the collective – how working together this year can increase the positive energy and build connections amongst the cohort.
• Getting the most out of 2023 – with the theme of ‘we are all in on the Beaumaris Bus’.
• Doors and Windows – reflecting on the goals students are setting for themselves and also alternative pathways, understanding that life will sometimes throw curve balls.

Ms Deb Jarvis

Teacher