By Ms Natalie Smith, Acting Deputy Principal

Day for Daniel

Thank you to all those students who wore red today in support for our Day for Daniel. We raised more than $200.00. Students also worked in their PC groups to create a digital poster / presentation as part of a competition to promote the message about things we can do to be safer online (cybersafety), how to deal with cyberbullying and what students can do to seek help. The winning house will be announced over the coming week and their presentation displayed around the school.

Year 7 Camp

On Wednesday 27 October, a very excited group of Year 7 students headed off to Kokoda Park in the Lockyer Valley for their three-day camp. I travelled out to the camp on Thursday to spend the day. It was certainly a hub of activity when I arrived. The first activity was the climbing wall. It was great to see so many students challenging themselves to reach the top of the wall while the members of their group on the ground encouraging and cheering their efforts. Another group saw students challenging their fear of heights, being lifted into the air on the giant swing with their teammates (affectionately known as donkeys) doing the physical legwork required for the lift. Once the donkeys had lifted the student to the highest point, they were released to swing.

At the other end of the park another group were using the zip line / flying fox. Again, it was fabulous to see so many students stepping outside their comfort zone and challenging themselves.  For some who dislike heights, the challenge of climbing the ladder to the platform was enough. For others, it was actually stepping off the platform and trusting the group at the end to catch them as they arrived.  I was impressed with how encouraging students were towards the other members of their group when doing the activities.

While I was at Camp Kokoda, I was reminded of how important it is to experience being outside of our comfort zone, to have to draw on strengths we may not know we have and to learn more about ourselves (I now know that I am not as fit as I once was!). Camps are a great way for students to challenge themselves, physically and mentally and to build resilience. Trying new activities like archery or climbing, overcoming fear of heights, having to trust their team mates to complete activities mean that students have the opportunity to learn about themselves as well.  I look forward to the Year 7s safe return to school next week and to hearing all about the rest of their camp experiences.  I would like to acknowledge Mrs Michelle Rohan, the Year 7 PAL and her team who accompanied the students on their camp and thank them for all their hard work over the past three days.