Learning and Teaching
Year 5/6 Camp to The Ranch, Boneo
This week I had the privilege of being one of the lucky staff members to accompany our Year 5/6 students on camp to The Ranch in Boneo. It was a wonderful opportunity to watch our students challenge themselves, grow in confidence, and strengthen friendships in a supportive and fun environment.
Across the three days, students took part in a range of exciting outdoor activities, including horse riding, archery, the giant swing, hut building and rock climbing. Each activity offered something different, whether it was testing determination, building teamwork, or simply giving something a try. Often it meant that students were stepping out of their comfort zone. It was really pleasing to see the students encouraging one another and celebrating each other’s achievements. Their resilience and willingness to “have a go” made all the attending staff incredibly proud.
Another significant part of camp was being away from home and building independence. For many students, this was their first time spending several nights away from their families. Watching them take responsibility for their belongings, organise themselves for activities, and support one another, reminded us of the important life skills they are building each day.
Let's not forget the teachers! They also had plenty of fun at camp, especially when it came to the giant swing. Many of the staff, (not me), bravely clipped in and took the leap, much to the delight of the students. The students got a kick out of watching their teachers soar through the air, hearing their squeals echo across The Ranch.
Camp at The Ranch was a memorable experience for everyone involved, and it was an honour to support our students as they created new memories, discovered new strengths, and shared plenty of laughs along the way.
A huge thank you to the Mr Anania, Ms Jenny, Ms Jai, Ms Rebecca, Mr Gahan, Mr Ru and the special appearance from Mr Rodrigues in putting their energy into creating such a positive experience for our students.
Ms Helen Varthalis
Now let's hear form some of the students
Most schools have fun camps, but this camp, precisely, the ‘Ranch’ camp, was not just plain fun… it was extraordinarily amazing! So many fun activities; horse riding, archery, rock climbing and the night walk. It was all so good, no, more than good, great, amazing, thrilling!
The first day of camp started at school, with a buzz of excitement going around the 5/6s. The main subject at the start of the school was guessing who would be in our cabins. Then word got around that the bus had arrived, and we paired up with other 5/6s to sit with on the bus, gathered up our stuff and left for the ‘Ranch’ camp. The trip was a good hour and 40 minutes or so and lots of people brought card games to keep each other entertained, we stopped once at Frankston to have lunch and then we continued our journey. We arrived, having no idea where we were. We then met the camp coordinators and they explained how the camp would work, the main focus was to improve our confidence. They then sorted us into groups and we went to do our activities. We also learnt who was in our cabin, and how the area was formatted.
The days went by really quickly, and soon we had to go home. Overall this camp was extra special, super fun and simply AMAZING! The activities were a one in a lifetime experience, the food was super delicious, and the ‘Ranch’ camp was… great, absolutely great.
Saul D
At camp it was amazing! On the first day we did H.A.P (Horse appreciation) We all learnt how to get on a horse, ride it and control them. After that I got to do hut building. Hut building is where there are a lot of pieces of wood and we had to build a type of shelter and not let water get in. Afterwards, we had afternoon tea. We had just fruit which I think is boring. Later we found out who was in our cabin. We placed our stuff and set up our beds. Then headed straight to dinner. On each table there were four boys and four girls. After that we got ready for bed. I woke up at 5:30 and was not tired at all. We ate breakfast and I had to do breakfast duties. We did a few activities but my Top 3 is Giant swing, Horse Riding and Rock Climbing. When we did horse riding I rode Chloe and Pandora and Pandora’s nickname is Panda or Pandi. On the big swing I found it exciting and fun. I went to the tippy top and got dropped down. I made it to the top of the rock climbing wall in a minute. I made it to the highest point on the harder climbing wall in my group, and soon after that we had a delicious lunch and went back home.
Angela H
The 5/6 camp was fun. At camp we got to do a lot of fun activities like horse riding and the giant swing. All the activities were so amazing but my favourite was definitely the giant swing and rock climbing.
Humphrey Holmes
Staying In Touch
If at anytime you would like to chat about the learning at Trinity, or you have any questions or concerns about your child's learning, please do not hesitate to see your child's teacher, Mr Ru or myself.
Helen Varthalis
Learning Diversity Leader and Co-Learning and Teaching Leader