From horse riding to hiking to canoeing and more, the Outdoor Education team has been keeping busy this term as they led various year groups through their Outdoor Education Programme.
We asked Mr John Chapman, Head of Outdoor Education to tell us why the Outdoor Education Programme is so important to each and every student. Mr Chapman said that as “a school in the heart of the city, the Outdoor Education Programme fosters student development that can’t be replicated in a classroom but supports and enhances what is accomplished there”.
“As a school in the heart of the city, the Outdoor Education Programme fosters student development that can’t be replicated in a classroom but supports and enhances what is accomplished there”
Mr John chapman
head of outdoor education
The Outdoor Education team recognises that genuine character development cannot be achieved overnight. Instead, it must be developed over time, and it is on this basis that the unique nature of the Outdoor Education Programme was built. Mr Chapman explained that “our programme of camps is sequential by design so that the skills, challenge and experiences that start in Kindy gradually increase each year until the final camp in Year 10”.
This term, the Outdoor Education team began with the Year 10 Horse Riding Camp in which 15 students travelled to the Victorian High Country for five days of trail riding, getting to know and care for their horse with friends.
Then, our Kindy students had their very first Outdoor Education experience at Centennial Park. They went for a bushwalk through a fruit bat habitat, worked together on bush shelters and enjoyed free play in the Wild Play Garden.
Year 1 had a similar experience out at Oatley Park where they spotted a list of animals on a bush walk and worked up the courage to ride the big slide in free play!
After a fantastic couple of days with our youngest students, they launched straight into three weeks of Year 8 camps. 60 students attended each week and were organised into four camp groups. These groups spent a night at Kirrikee where they tackled the high ropes course and developed their archery skills. The rest of the camp was a pack and paddle (hiking and canoeing) expedition through Kangaroo Valley. The weather was a big challenge with heavy rain in Week 2 requiring us to bring groups back to Kirrikee early and strong winds in Week 3 making canoeing difficult. Nonetheless, all our students showed grit, resilience and fantastic teamwork to get through each camp.
Mr Chapman concluded by saying “As Outdoor Educators we love taking all age groups of students into nature and seeing how they grow and mature through their outdoor experiences. And this growth does not go unnoticed by parents…in fact, one parent summed it up perfectly;
“The Outdoor Education Programme provides one of the only opportunities our young people will have to move out of their comfort zone, to develop independence away from the structure of their daily routine and strengthen their skills of social interaction. Students learn more about themselves and more about their peers when in this new learning environment.”
Year 10 Parent
It has been a great term for the students and the Outdoor Education staff, and we look forward to hearing all about the adventures in Term 3!
