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This year the Year 11 Camp took place at Camp Jungai in the Rubicon Valley just over 2 hours from Melbourne. Jungai meaning ‘meeting place’ was just that. A beautiful place for students to meet and connect with each other and nature around them. Aunty, our indigenous educator taught the students about her cultural background, why the land is so significant to the indigenous people and most importantly, she gave our students the opportunity to ask questions about her and the aboriginal community. Aunty had a real impact on the students and encouraged their curiosity, Aunty taught our students about the plants and food in the area and even passed on some secret women’s business to our female students. We ended the camp with a session of boomerang throwing.

The camp was a great experience for both the staff and students who participated. Students were challenged by a variety of tasks and activities and had to demonstrate great trust and resilience at all times. Our students rose to the occasion and were commended by the camp co-ordinators for their behaviour in all the activity groups.

The main purpose of the camp was to further develop the year level bond between the students before their transition to Year 12. The Year 11 themes of leadership and the Year 12 theme of integrity were definitely on display throughout the duration of the camp. The camp provided an opportunity to reflect on the year that was and work on the transition from Year 11 to 12. The students were given the opportunity to work within set activity groups and participated in a variety of tasks including; bushwalking, canoeing, high ropes, initiative and problem solving tasks, cultural sessions and the disco/bingo/trivia night culminating in a dance evening presided over by our very own staff DJ Mr Kirkman. I would like to take the opportunity to thank all of the students and the staff who came. Without the staff and student participation, we couldn’t offer camps which provide students with such a great learning experience away from the classroom. A special thank you to Sr Rita, who demonstrates her deep faith in all that she does and in every interaction with our students. A big thank you to Stephanie Hartnup, Jack Kirkman, Isaac Chamoun and Ayesha Guido, who all took time away from their families to support our students in their transition to year 12 and help build strong relationships for the years ahead.

- Mrs Maureen Vitetta

Student Reflections

On Tuesday the 21st of November to Thursday the 23rd of November, the Year 11’s experienced our year 11 camp with Camp Jungai. During the camp, we had various activities such as initiative games, bush walking, bush skills and high ropes which helped us step out of our comfort zone. Canoeing was absolutely everyone’s favourite activity. We also had a few cultural sessions with Auntie and played some indigenous games including learning how to throw a boomerang. During the second night of camp we had a pyjama disco party and trivia/bingo which all the year 11’s and teachers enjoyed. The bingo/trivia brought everyone out of their comfort zone but it was a lot of fun. during the disco, everyone was dancing and having a great time thanks to Mr. Kirkman's outstanding dj’ing skills. This camp brought out our year level theme which is leadership and also teamwork as some of the activities required us to work as a group. Camp has also helped us grow together as a cohort on a deeper level as well as with our teachers. The year 11 camp was definitely an unforgettable experience and if I could do it again I would.

- Angela Nissan

Camp Jungai was a remarkable experience filled with exciting activities that brought our Year 11 cohort closer together. From navigating the waters through canoeing to conquering the challenges of the high ropes course and bushwalk, each activity forged lasting memories. The highlight of my camp experience would be the ‘disco night’ accompanied with Mr Kirkman as our DJ, formulating an unforgettable night! As we reflect on our final camp in year 11, a heartfelt thank you extends to our dedicated teachers who committed their time to supervise and enhance our experience. Additionally, my group camp leader Mr Chamoun, his unwavering support and encouragement pushed us to complete all activities, urging us to exceed our comfort zones and discover new strengths. He’s positive energy was contagious, creating an atmosphere of enthusiasm and determination that resonated throughout the entire camp experience.

- Susana Al Bazi

Our camp experience was a very fun, engaging time, where we as a cohort were able to grow and connect with each other. We participated in exciting activities such as high rope, which helped us face our fears. Making huts and campfires, which provided us with survival skills. And Canoeing, which was the most fun during the whole camp. This is because our group broke the camp record for most canoes flipping in the water. We also learnt how to throw a boomerang with Aunty. Aunty also taught us about Aboriginal Culture. The party was lit, Mr Kirkman's DJ'ing skills were on point and had us all dancing. Bingo night was also a highlight of the camp because we embraced ourselves and all left our comfort zone. All in all, it was a fun camp and I would do it again in a heartbeat if given the opportunity.

- Ushae Ibrahim and Yacoub Issa

On November 21st, Year 11 students went to Camp Jungai which is located approximately 2 and a half hours away. We were able to take part in a range of different activities including High/low ropes, bush walk/hike, canoeing, cultural sessions, indigenous games and initiative courses. Through these activities many students, myself included, were able to face our fears and challenge ourselves both mentally and physically which allowed us to build to a great deal of resilience. This experience encouraged us and gave us an opportunity to step beyond our comfort zones, collaborate as a team, and employ problem-solving skills to complete many of the initiative courses. Additionally, we were able to gain a lot of new information about the Indigenous culture through the cultural sessions and Indigenous games we partook in, making it more remarkable. In addition to this, we had time at the end of our busy day to connect with our friends, get to know our teachers outside of the classroom and grow new and positive qualities.

- Kreste Yacoub