Weekes' Weekly News

There are many things that I love about our school. Our Camp program is just one.  

At Sacred Heart Kew we offer a (Prep - Year Six) School Camp program, which is a natural extension of our Physical Education program. These experiences progress with the age and stage of children, and include the following activities: 

• Prep Breakfast and activity morning
• Year One (afternoon and activity night)
• Year Two (whole day activity program)
• Year Three (overnight Zoo Snooze experience)
• Year Four (2 night/3 day camp) 
• Year Five and Six (5 day camp week) - Alternating each year between an outdoor education and adventure camp, and a trip to Canberra.  

Camps and Camp experiences are a fantastic way for children and teachers to interact and complete challenges away from the usual classroom environment. Camps assist with building resilience, independence, teamwork and provide fun and challenging activities that students are not typically exposed to within the school day. Camps and Camp experiences offer each participant the chance to step out of their comfort zone. 

From a child’s perspective, Camp breaks down many boundaries and for the majority, is the best few days of the school year. However, the days before Camp can be extremely nerve wracking and energy sapping for some, just getting to Camp can be a GIANT step and achievement. Once at Camp, the busy schedule often pushes any worries aside, the worries replaced by adventurous moments and bonding experiences.    

From a teacher’s perspective, Camp is a fabulous opportunity to develop new relationships, getting to know children in a different setting. However, for a teacher, Camp can also be quite stressful and hectic, with the most calming moment often the one when all children are back at school, safe and sound, accounted for by their parents. Despite this, teachers enjoy watching children blossom in the great outdoors, supporting them through the high and low moments, delighting in their successes and triumphs.  

Already in 2022, our Year Two, Year Four, Year Five and Year Six children have all participated in their Camp programs. These were earlier on in the year. Tonight, our Year One children will participate in their Year One Camp experience (Under the BIG Top) and in a couple of weeks time, our Year Three children will camp out under the stars at the Melbourne Zoo, for the annual Zoo Snooze. Next month, our Prep children will have their Breakfast and activity morning, as they come to the end of their first year at school.  

You may have read recently that School Camps and other extracurricular activities in schools are under threat due to the new ‘time in lieu’ clause that is one of the ‘sticking points’, as Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS) and the Independent Education Union (IEU) continue to negotiate a new Enterprise Bargaining Agreement (EBA) for Victorian Catholic schools and education offices outside of the Diocese of Sale. 

It’s an interesting ‘wait and see’ moment in the education world. 

We all hope that these negotiations bring about a fair and equitable outcome for all stakeholders, providing schools with the necessary financial and logistical support, ensuring that these important programs continue for the benefit of all children. Only time will tell how ‘time in lieu’ for teachers will be handled in the future. Stay tuned!

Wishing everyone a lovely weekend. 

Kind Regards,

Ed Weekes 

School Principal