Year 6 Camp

Year 6 students were on camp from Tuesday 8 to Friday 11 March at Forest Lodge Farm at Jack River in Gippsland.

An unforgettable experience

On Tuesday, the 8th of March, the Grade 6s were trembling with excitement. We boarded the bus, too eager to speak. The school bus itself, rumbling as though thrilled to have so many passengers, almost seemed impatient to leave. We were about to have a most memorable adventure!

After two hours of squirming in our seats with anticipation, we had our first sighting of Forest Lodge Farm. It would be our home away from home for the next four days. We gathered at the windows, grinning and pointing at the huge hay bales, which needed us to jump on them - we could definitely tell. We suddenly gasped, as someone leapt to their feet, shouting, “The giant swing! I can see it! Over there!” We craned our necks in the direction they were pointing. At that moment, the bus pulled into the driveway of Forest Lodge. We were ready for fun!

Day 1

We hurried out of the bus to a warm welcome from the Forest Lodge staff members. Upbeat dance music was playing in the lounge, perfect for the occasion. After briefly exploring the cabins and grounds, we were separated into five activity groups. “Alrighty! Let’s not waste time, and get started on the activities!” Bailey, a Forest Lodge staff member declared, to cheering from the whole cohort.

Our group’s first activity was the Flying Fox. I thought I knew what to expect, after all, I have been to many playgrounds with flying foxes. At my first glance, I was proved wrong. This was a flying fox like no other. At 100 metres long, and high off the ground, it was more of a soaring fox! I watched while my friends zoomed down, whooping with excitement. At last it was my turn. I took a deep breath, closed my eyes and took a leap of faith off the platform. I held on tight as the wind rushed past, whistling in my ears. I bravely opened one eye, then realised that it wasn’t that terrifying! I actually felt like I was flying! I squealed with delight all the way to the end.

Our second activity was the Giant Swing which was awesome! Our group ran towards it eagerly. We lined up, with many people jostling to be at the front. John, a Forest Lodge staff member, told us to pull the rope that was secured to the pole. Our first excited friend, Lilian, was slowly rising higher and higher. We pulled her to the top, then on the count of three, John tugged the rope and she was dropped from ten metres high! She screamed as she swung to the opposite side.

After two exhilarating activities for Day 1, we settled down for a delicious dinner of chicken nuggets, rice and vegetables, then cuddled in our sleeping bags in the lounge to watch Home Alone 2. What a day! What a great start to Year 6 Camp!

Day 2

We woke, bright and early, to chatter in many cabins. Everybody was so excited to find out which activities we would partake in. That morning, we even got a surprise visit from Mr Perini, who was interested to find out what we were up to. Our group headed towards the lake, where we would be canoeing. Another staff member, Eugene, showed us some handy tips and tricks to paddle a canoe. We got started in our two person canoes with a fun game of Gang-Up Tiggy (tag). Even the teachers who were leading our group, Mr Tang and Alicia, joined in! We paddled around, splashing each other and laughing so hard. We finished off with an intense and fun race around the lake.

An activity approached not so eagerly by most students was the Mud Run. They inched towards the first obstacle, which required you to balance on a rope and walk knee-high through the muddy water. After realising that it wasn’t so bad though, some students went full on for a great experience. The second obstacle, swinging over a mud pool, meant some people fell in unexpectedly! Luckily, Mr Tang hosed us down at the end.

After a speedy shower, we played Disc Golf, which was a really interesting combination of frisbee and golf. It turned into a competition, not just with students, but with the wind too. It sent the frisbees flying in all directions!

Hut Building was next up. We worked with team members to create a strong, spacious, waterproof and creative hut from branches and logs provided. This required more teamwork than I have ever seen before. There were some pretty fancy inclusions such as letterboxes, washing lines, kitchens and much more.

The Low Ropes Course was a success as well. We loved the challenging obstacles and supported our friends so that we could have a truly unique experience together.

That night, we went on the Night Walk. Walking in the still, calm night was surprisingly relaxing after such an intense day. A cool breeze and the chirp of cicadas accompanied us. We talked softly about our great experiences so far, and how excited we were for Thursday’s excursion-in-an-excursion to Wilsons Promontory. Before we knew it, we were back at the cabins, ready for a good night’s sleep.

Day 3

We packed our bags hurriedly and shoved toast in our mouths to make it to the bus. We couldn’t be late for our excursion to Wilsons Promontory! The buses arrived just on time, and so did a surprise visitor - Ms Kuehlich (Ina)! We spent some time exploring Squeaky Beach before starting our bushwalk. The sand at Squeaky Beach actually squeaked! We hid in the maze of rocks, dipped our toes in the clear water, and got in just the right spirit for a sunny, coastal bushwalk.

The ocean looked magnificent! We had a bird’s eye view after just a few minutes of walking up the hill. We began to slowly descend into thicker scrub. After around thirty minutes, we crossed a bridge and stopped for lunch. The weather was perfect for a barbeque and a splash in the river. It couldn’t have been better.

That night, we had our Red Faces performance, a part of Camp that we had been preparing for for months. Mr Zhang, our DJ for Thursday night, started off with some jokes followed by music to get us in the right mood.

Many people performed magic shows, some did dances and a few did a comedy skit. One stand out trio did an amazing comedy/yoga/dance session that got the whole cohort, laughing and cheering! The teachers’ act was a magic show as well, but in a different style: they acted as magicians and fortune tellers. It was a fantastic finale to end the night that was brilliantly hosted by Mr Tang.

Day 4

We woke with less enthusiasm than the other days. It was our last day, and nobody wanted to leave. The kind staff members had a specially prepared breakfast for us - delicious pancakes! Then there was a highlight of Camp: watching the teachers’ reactions on the Giant Swing!

Finally we said goodbye to Forest Lodge Farm, but took with us beautiful memories, stronger friendships, as well as teamwork skills, independence and confidence in ourselves. We were so fortunate to have this great opportunity, and we acknowledge our friends who couldn’t come due to the current pandemic.

We are very grateful to the teachers, Ms Capsalis, Ms Cordell, Mr Tang, Alicia, Mr Hudson, Bu Pratiwi, Mr Zhang and Mr Pap, for supporting us all throughout camp and working hard to organise it. Thank you to everyone else who helped organise this event, and to Mr Perini and Ms Kuehlich for coming all the way to Camp to see us. To thank the staff at Forest Lodge who made our wonderful camp possible, we presented certificates to Olga, John, Bailey, Eugene and many others who worked so hard for us.

Here’s to our wonderful memories!

by Evelyn K, 6CH

Ballarat excursion – Earth Ed

On the 29th of March, 6C and 6T traveled to Ballarat to visit Earth Ed. Earth Ed specializes in STEM for students and teachers.

Our guides were named Lee and Rosie, they taught us everything about earthquakes, volcanoes and tsunamis. We had many different stations of activities with lots of videos and experiments. 6C and 6T had a lovely time at Earth Ed!

It was very engaging, entertaining and an amazing day to focus on science/natural disasters.

Here is what some of the year 6 kids had to say about their experience:

“I liked all the activities we did and all the information that we got.” Orlando

“It was really exciting to do all the experiments.” Hannah

“I liked the part when we were engineers to make earthquake standing walls.” Ryan

by Keira M, School Captain

6C and 6T attended the 2022 Earth Education 'Earthquake Explorers' excursion in Ballarat on Tuesday, and 6CH on Wednesday.

Secondary School Tours in preparation for Year 7 in 2023

Parents/guardians are encouraged to do tours in Term 1 of secondary schools that you are considering for your child in Year 7. The process for Year 7 placement in government secondary schools commences soon, and you will need to nominate which school you want your child to attend in Year 7. You will receive information about the process and a copy of the application form that must be returned for all Year 6 students soon.

April Food's Day