Our Year 7 students had an excellent time camping at Anglesea.
Here are two student reflections:

“In the last week of March, we went to surf camp. I loved surf camp because it was near the shore and we got to spend a lot of time doing fun activities there. As soon as we arrived at Anglesea, we hiked for two hours to our camp which was pretty enjoyable because we got to hang out with new people while looking at the beautiful views of the waves and surrounding trees. When we arrived, we ate lunch and then started unpacking in our new cabins.

Over the next few days, we also got plenty of time to hang out with our family groups. In every family group there were around fifteen Year 7s and one student from Year 10. In our family groups, we got to socialise with new people and possibly start new friendships. I liked that these groups were led by Year 10 madrichim (leaders) because we had a smaller age gap making the school environment feel more like home.

For the next three days, we were spending loads of time in the water. From boogie-boarding to stand-up-paddle-boarding and surfing, we all learnt new skills whether we have done any of these activities or not. After we started to get the hang of any of these activities, our activity turned from hard to easy and we started to grow smiles on our faces and we started to bond more with our peers.

Normally, we had breaks which include a lot of fun doing activities, competing against other family groups, meditation, group activities and watching movies. For some of these activities, we get put into our family groups.

I think that surf camp was not all about surfing. It was more about spending time with new people and sharing memories.”

– Mika B., Year 7

“Last week we went on a camp to Anglesea. It was the most enjoyable camp I have ever been on. To get to the campsite we took a short bus ride before going on hike to the campsite. Once we arrived at the campsite we got our cabins. The cabins were really nice with a shower that was quite a decent size and a bathroom that wasn’t too roomy but was nice and clean unlike the public toilets in your nearest shopping centre.

Every morning in our classes we would go to one of three activities: surfing, boogie boarding or stand up paddle boarding. They were all super fun and though boogie boarding and surfing were somewhat similar they all brought different things to do and try out. Stand up paddle boarding was at a nearby lake but both the surfing and the boogie boarding were at the beach.

Occasionally we would split into “Family groups” for different activities. There were four groups and each of them had about fifteen people in it. The fun things about these groups were the fact that each of them were run by one Year 10 student. This was nice because instead of a teacher to student environment it was more of a free and expressive environment.

The food at camp was delicious! Every morning there was always the option for cereal, toast and yoghurt with peaches. There was also a different hot food every morning such as eggs and pancakes. Lunch would always be some form of carbs with salad and sometimes we could build our own sandwiches. Dinner was always amazing, we were served things like sausages, burgers and bolognese. There were also vegetarian options which I had heard weren’t so bad.

My favourite thing about camp was my cabin members. I have gained many friends due to being in a cabin with some new people. It was fun to hang out, say random things and just downright disobeying any order to go to sleep.

All in all, camp was super fun and I enjoyed it so much. The activities were fun, the cabins were great and the food was awesome!”

– Nate B., Year 7