Dookie Camp

Transition, Regional Careers & Leadership Camp

Transition for all Year 8 students across the four state secondary schools has been an ongoing process throughout the semester. The focus of the transition activities has been to familiarise our current Year 8s with the physical environment of the Mooroopna Campus, to meet the 2020 staff, and to start developing new friendships and rekindling some old ones too! On Wednesday 11th December, the transition process culminates with a three day camp at Dookie Agricultural College.

Fifty students representing all four secondary schools arrived at the Dookie College to undertake skills workshops, a nutrition class, Bully Zero workshop, traditional Indigenous games, orienteering at Mt Major, a trivia competition, meditation and yoga classes, gratitude workshop, sheep and working dogs training, fishing, swimming, raft building, outdoor movie night and more. All of these activities are designed to place an emphasis on building friendships and working as a team to achieve common goals. In conjunction, students have been given an opportunity to think about their future career pathways and speak with representatives from several local service providers and educational facilities.

This opportunity for Greater Shepparton Secondary College students was made possible by the support of the Greater Shepparton Lighthouse Project. Members of this group collaborated with staff to help address the concerns of parents in relation to the merger and perceived friction amongst the different cohorts. Bringing together the students in a structured and informal camp setting has allowed friendships to develop, and sets the scene for a positive and respectful Year 9 Campus.

GSSC would like to thank the generosity of the following local businesses who gave their time and expertise to assist with the workshops:

Foott Waste, GV Water, GV Health, Murray Dairy, Leggo Farmer, GBCMA- NRM jobs, Landcare, ANZ and Money Machine, GoTafe, Trelly’s Fishing and Camping, Plus Fitness and Toland Merino.