On Wednesday 11 March, the Year 7 cohort travelled to the beautiful Waratah Bay, in the South Gippsland region of Victoria for their Year 7 Orientation Camp. We were greeted with blue skies and sunshine – perfect weather to surf and participate in a range of outdoor activities. As we surfed in ideal conditions, we discovered some potential Stephanie Gilmores, with many girls able to stand up and ride the waves into shore. This camp provided time for students to switch off from their devices and to embrace the outdoors and the pristine beach at the picturesque Waratah Bay.

Our main objective of the Year 7 ‘We Belong’ Waratah Beach Camp was to provide an enjoyable and relaxed atmosphere for the girls to develop a greater sense of belonging within their cohort by consolidating existing relationships and broadening friendship groups. Students had the opportunity to develop new and strengthen existing friendships, and to come together as a cohort, in a relaxed and enjoyable environment.

Year 7 is a time of transition and for students to discover where they belong within their friendship group, cohort and the wider community. The aim of the camp was to provide students with the opportunity to interact with a number of their peers in team building activities that encourage cooperation, initiative and collaboration to problem solve and complete tasks. Students were pushed out of their comfort zone through activities such as rock climbing, abseiling and surfing.

All girls were outstanding in their ability to challenge themselves and demonstrated enthusiasm in each and every activity. Staff were impressed by the kindness, determination and spirit displayed by the Year 7 students, and enjoyed getting to know them outside of the classroom. A highlight for many students was the 80’s disco held on Thursday night, where all students and staff dressed in fluro, flares and lycra, and danced to some classics. Ms Johnstone and Ms Midgley led the way during the Nutbush, while Ms Vu acted as DJ for the evening.

Below are some of the reflections from Year 7 students:

I enjoyed spending time with my grade and getting to know some new friendly people. I also enjoyed just swimming and walking on the beach. I loved getting up early to see the sunrise.

I learnt that I should challenge myself and whatever I am doing I should keep trying until I reach my goal. I also think I learnt a lot of good teamwork initiatives.

I learned that when working together as a team you can get a lot done in a short amount of time.

One of my favourite skills that I learnt on this camp was surfing. At first it was challenging and the waves kept knocking me down but, in the end, I got the hang of it and it was super fun.

When asked if they developed new friendships on camp, one student commented:

Yes, I definitely did. I’m friends with the whole year level. Doesn’t mean I’m super close with every single one but on camp I found that everyone in our year is really kind and friendly towards one another. I created lots of friendship groups on camp.

I made a lot of new friends that I would’ve made if we didn’t have this camp!