25 Mar 2019
Students in Year 5 were lucky enough to spend 5 fun filled days at the Great Aussie Bush Camp near Tea Gardens, north of Newcastle. We were immersed in rich team building activities such as raft construction and pioneering, where students demonstrated skills such as communication, collaboration and courtesy.
Many a scream were heard when swinging 16 meters off the ground during the giant swing and the duel flying fox. No clothes were left dry (or clean) after the lost island mud run, which most teachers thoroughly enjoyed too. Canoeing was turned into a racing sport and students learnt valuable survival skills during the bushcraft session. Students also pushed their boundaries and stepped outside their comfort zone when attempting the high ropes course. The nights were jam packed with adventure with a disco the first night and a commando activity the next, where teachers took hostages and students had to rescue them – the teachers won!
I want to commend the behaviour of all Waitara students who went out of their way to show Respect, Responsibility and their Personal Best at all times during the camp. The team leaders even commented how polite and mature our students were. Well done.
A big thank you to all the teachers who attended, taking time away from their loved ones to spend three days on 24 hour duty at camp. It was lovely to see Mrs Harrison and Ms Dalziel dance the night away with the students during the disco. Mrs Bortz with her torch was impressive protecting our hostages during the commando activity. Nurse Naylor ensured all students were catered and cared for and Miss Super-Star Sherley went above and beyond to ensure her group had the most wonderful time. A massive shout out to Mr Daykin, our camp extraordinaire, who probably had more fun than the students and to Mrs Lazenby who drove all the way up to spend the Tuesday with us.
Teachers are collating their photos and look forward to sharing them with the class soon!
I can’t wait for next year.
Mrs Davidson
