It was wonderful to see our Year 4 and Year 6 students heading off on camp yesterday. Talking with both students and parents as they waited for the campers departure, it was interesting to hear of the wide variety of feelings. It is common for events like camp (or even just the first day of term) to bring forward a range of emotions, as we know two people can encounter exactly the same thing but have very different emotional experiences.  All of us deal with a range of different worry or anxiety levels in our daily adventures.  

For most of us the levels of anxiety sit within the minimal or mild range, where despite the small feeling of worry, we are able to get things done  and focus on our tasks without any physical symptoms.  Sometimes this worry might include small stomach aches or muscle tension, however we are able to continue on with our day and concentrate on our daily activities.  With students, we often see  that once they are engaged with activities or distracted with friends, these physical symptoms of worry subside.  This is most often the case for many of our students with their camp experience.  In fact, camps play an important role in helping students build confidence and resilience.  Camps also offer a range of activities to help students students connect to the environment and develop skills such as:

• building independence through being away from home.
• building on new and existing relationships with peers.
• self-awareness and self-development.
• communication and social skills.

We look forward to the students returning from camp and sharing their experiences of their adventures. Once they work through their tiredness they will be filled with stories of their time away.  Teachers and students will be able to build on these experiences as they launch into the new school term.

Paul Anderson

Student Wellbeing Leader