Flying High in Year Five

Portsea Camp

Student Recounts

On Wednesday 29th April, the year fives prayed in their classrooms before hopping on the bus to camp. The drive felt long because we were singing and waiting to get to camp. When we arrived, we ate our snack on the grass area before we unpacked the buses. Everyone was excited and shocked to see their cabins. Everyone was sorted into their activity groups.

One of the activities, the flying fox, involved us being harnessed up and flown across the grass area. Kayaking was also amazing because we had never done it before. We learnt how to paddle left, right and forward. The beach activities were calming but also fun in the sun. We really enjoyed having fun with our friends and being able to have some free time as well.

The highest activity was the giant swing. We got hoisted up to the top of the pole and then our group held us there. Then the ninjas (our friends) helped release the rope and we were dropped. We swung in the air and our hearts jumped! 

One highlight of our trip was roasting yummy marshmallows on the campfire at night. The disco was also magical and fantastic. It was great that people were not scared to dance and the limbo was also really fun. 

We had yummy spaghetti, taco bowls, chicken souvlaki wraps and much more to eat... including cookies and amazing morning teas.

After the three fun but tiring days, we reflected on how much fun we had. It was the best camp ever and we can't wait for the next one. Thank you for all the teachers that came to camp and left their families. Thank you also to the staff at camp, including the cooks, cleaning and instructors.

Lexi & Georgia 

On Term 2, Week 2, the Year 5’s went to Portsea Camp and had the best time ever! First, when we arrived, we took our stuff out of the bus, and split up into 6 groups with our teachers, and started our activities. We were very lucky to experience so many amazing activities. The giant swing was definitely the most thrilling activity in the camp, but we also got to participate in many different things, such as kayaking, high ropes, beach games, the amazing race, flying fox and more! The time we spent in our cabins was so much fun, we got to talk with our bunkmates and even make new friends! 

 On our first night we roasted marshmallows and went for a walk to a beach that had massive tides, crashing onto the rocks. Then we saw beach boxes that our teachers told us about. It was so cool seeing all the lights across the ocean. On our second night we partied the night away having one of the best discos of our lives! Lights were flashing, people were dancing, and the music was pumping! 

We are so thankful to our teachers, who left their families, just to take us to this beautiful camp! We are so happy that we went to this specific camp, we had the most amazing experience at this camp!

Mia and Kyal 

Bump Bump Bump the bus went as we arrived at Portsea Camp. We were all super excited to find our cabins and get started with our activities.

The first thing we did after we finished our snack was go explore the oval and the fort sitting on top of the hill looking over the camp. (Fun Fact! The Portsea Camp used to be a military base!) The fort was creepy but really cool. Before we knew it, it was lunch.

After lunch Ty gave us a tour of the camp. It was super big! Once we reached where we were staying our teachers told us our cabins and I got all of my friends. Once we had settled into our cabins we had our first activities.

My group's first activity was a beach walk. It was so peaceful. We walked over giant sand bags, lots of sea glass and shells too. Then we got to walk on the pier. There were so many fish in the water and there was even a crab! Then back to camp for dinner, yummy spaghetti bol.

Later that night we all went on a night walk. We gazed at the stars and listened to the waves. The moon was as bright as the sun. It was beautiful. When we got back to camp Mr Cav and Mrs Van had built us a fire and the marshmallows were ready for us. What a great way to end the night.

In the morning we had toast and cereal for breakfast. After breakfast we jumped right into the activities. We did the giant swing first, then we did high ropes, then we went on the flying fox, then beach games and after that we went kayaking. I was exhausted!

For dinner we had taco bowls. Delicious! Later that night there was a disco! We all wore cool outfits and had the best time.

In the morning we had the same breakfast and we did our last activity. After the last activity we hopped on the bus and said goodbye to the best Portsea Camp that we will never forget!     

Georgia 

Last Wednesday, the Year Fives- 5AC, 5AM, 5JK and 5SG went to the beachside Portsea Camp. We had a blast at the Giant Swing,Flying Fox, Beach Activities, High Ropes, a super fun disco and many more amazing activities. The meals were delicious, including spaghetti, cereal and toast, open chicken wraps, taco bowls and scrumdiddlyumptious desserts.

On our first night, we sat on logs around the bonfire, toasting marshmallows and enjoying ourselves thoroughly. We all sat with our friends, had a good laugh and shared stories. Nature surrounded us and everyone took in the beautiful sights and sounds. It was such a special moment for all of us, and we will always remember it.

A highlight of Portsea were the breathtaking beaches.  At these sandy wonderlands, we went kayaking.As we paddled through the water we laughed and talked and had a great time. We also played beach games, jumping over the rolling waves as they rushed towards us. The teachers led us on a moonlit nightwalk, with many astonishing views, special memories and moments to never forget. 

Something everybody looked forward to was the giant swing. Everybody stepped out of their comfort zone and had a go. We all loved this exciting activity and wanted a second ride. On the second night we had a groovy  

disco. Everyone enjoyed it, dressed up stylishly and danced through the night. By the time it ended, it was late, and we were all tired. We went to sleep for the big journey in the morning. 

Halfway through the trip home, we stopped at Sorrento Beach for a walk and lunch. The whole grade walked 150 metres up the hill to stop for some sightseeing at the top of it. The views were absolutely astonishing, and we took group photos. We had lunch, salad rolls, then we got back on the bus to go back to school.

Overall, Year Five had the best week at Portsea  and wished they could stay longer. The Portsea Camp is an amazing moment that we won't forget with lots of friendly staff and activities. We had a great time and would like to thank everyone who contributed to organise such a special trip for all of us.

 Sophie & Rhiannon

It was late April when Year 5 left for their adventures at Portsea Camp. Everyone pumped for a one of a kind experience.

 With the bus unpacked and children eager to start camp we went down to the giant oval for lunch and a run around. Next everyone found their room and took dibs on beds. Finally activity time… these included kayaking, a giant swing and many more exciting and enjoyable activities. For dinner we had spaghetti and garlic bread the first night and taco bowls on night number two. Breakfast was always cereal of your choice or toast, if you were still peckish you were more than welcome to have both.

To dive deeper into the category of activities we should start off with the best one of them all. The giant swing! Full of fun, height and amazement. All of Year 5 loved it, including the teachers. Second is the zipline, once again the teachers did it. Once you have gone down the zipline, you connect a massive carabiner and pull on a rope to give it to the leaders. Kayaking had some games to do like teacher tag and much more. Another beach related activity is the beach games. Essentially this is just free time. The activities were awesome. Marshmallows were also crucial, thanks Mr Cav!

On our day of departure from Portsea, we made a stop at Sorrento beach to eat some salad rolls and to fill the teachers phones with repeated selfies! From pretty views, to selfies, Sorrento beach was filled with laughter, fun and beauty.

Although we love camp we couldn’t wait to go home and see our families, pets and sleeping in our own beds. Thank you so much to all of the Portsea and St Peter's staff who contributed to our camp and making all of this possible. 

Darcy

It all started with the one hour trip on the bus to the camp site, the sun was shining, the birds were singing and it looked like nothing would get in our way. I was right all along, we pulled in into the carpark and got out finding our luggage. Camp was getting off to a great start! And after getting introduced to the staff, finding out our cabin and activity groups, we soon started our adventures across the site!

One of the activities were the the High Ropes, we climbed up a rock climbing wall and some iron rings to the wire all while being attached to the harness, and then we could steadily walk across the wire to the other side, having the choice of floating down or climbing down, it made it plentiful fun and too hard to wait for!

Another activity was at the beach, getting one and a half hour to ourselves to discover the beauty of the beach was a thrilling experience. The time flew by like a second! The waves were cool enough to play in, the sand was filled with sea glass to collect and there was even a sandcastle competition to participate in our group. And then there was kayaking,  getting in the boat with an instructor and paddling to a buoy of our choice! But if we didn’t get to go out to the ocean right away we had got to either swim or frolic in the sand.

The next pursuit was the Giant Swing, my favourite out of them all! You would get pulled up to the top wearing a harness, by everyone else since they were pulling us up by hauling the rope that would lift us upwards to the top of the pole or where we wanted to go. Next, on the count of 1, we would then plummet down and swing side to side until one of the staff would take you off. It was a great way to face your fears and also get an awesome view of the sea! It was a definite event to try out!

And the final activity was the Flying Fox, where you would zip down the wire at an incredible speed. You would also have the responsibility to take off your gear and come down as well! I was completely enthralled by the whole thing! And even though I wished I could go again, I knew that it was a come and go amusement.

Between all of this chaos, there was also our disco that took place in the night after dinner and grabbed our attention to start dancing! Then there were our meals that we had in the middle of everything, and of course dessert! The best part!  We also had a night walk on the quiet streets, grasping our torches and sitting on the beach looking at the stars. It ended with marshmallows roasting on the campfire though; it was especially delicious! And on the last day there was the Amazing Race, where (in our groups) we would figure out all the places to go to by the riddles and play the games there in order to move on to the next one. It all ended with hot jam donuts and then our trip back to St Peters.

At last, on our trip back to school, we had one final stop at Sorrento beach for lunch and went up a ton of steps to the top to take in the wonderful view of the waves crashing into the rocks! Lunch was as amazing as our other meals, and soon enough we had to go back to Bentleigh. I do wish that camp never did end but now I’m just as excited to share the story of my journey to others!

Leona