We look forward to getting to know your daughter as she begins her journey in the Senior School.

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2 Dear Parents, An integral part of your daughter s transition to Senior School is her participation in the Year 7 Discovery Surf Camp. We have an exciting program that will provide your daughter with valuable opportunities to meet new friends and staff by participating in a variety of outdoor activities in a safe and enjoyable manner. In class groups, the girls will participate in a range of activities including surfing, body boarding, a high ropes course and Stand Up Paddle Boarding. All activities are facilitated and supported by your daughter s mentor and subject teachers. Activities will be led by specialist instructors from Go Ride A Wave and Camp Burnside. The program will be conducted out of Anglesea, along the Great Ocean Road in Victoria. Your daughter will spend two nights staying in cabin accommodation at Camp Burnside as well as an introductory experience of one night camping in tents at Camp Eumeralla. The Camp Out will include camp cooking and some short bushwalks. Both sites are located in Anglesea. Meals are supplied and there is no additional cost for this camp. Parents will be briefed about camp at the Parent Information Evening. Students will be briefed at the Orientation Days (see dates detailed below). There will be opportunities to ask any questions regarding this experience so you and your daughter feel comfortable and well informed. We look forward to getting to know your daughter as she begins her journey in the Senior School. Yours sincerely, Mrs Nishi Jungbahadur Mr Bernie Mills Ms Jo Field Wellbeing Leader Year 7 Head of Outdoor Education Deputy Principal Head of Senior School Important Dates & Information Year 7 (2018) Parent Information Evening Thursday, 2 November :00 p.m. Orientation Days (Students Only) Monday, 4 and Tuesday, 5 December :30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. Students will complete their annual Water Safety Assessment on the Monday. Camp Briefing Week 1 Term Students will have an opportunity to meet with their Mentor teacher the week prior to camp for a final briefing. Camp: Depart: Tuesday, 6 February 2018 Middle Crescent gates at 8.30 a.m. for a 9:00 a.m. departure. Groups will travel by bus to their first night s accommodation at either Camp Eumeralla or Camp Burnside depending on their rotation schedule. Return: Friday, 9 February 2018 Middle Crescent gates at 4.00 p.m. Any changes to the arrival time will be communicated to parents via SMS and or CareMonkey . Page 2

3 Medical Information / Consent Please ensure that all current medical information including dietary requirements listed on CareMonkey is up to date and accurate and you have given consent for your daughter to attend the camp by Friday, 24 November Please also ensure that all medical information, including any supporting documents for an Asthma Care Plan (if applicable) and/or Action Plan for Anaphylaxis (if applicable) is complete. A Fitness to Participate Form may be required to be completed when all medical information has been reviewed. Please note that final decisions regarding the participation and management of you daughter whilst on camp rests with the school. Food / Dietary Requirements All meals, excluding lunch on Day One are provided on camp. The girls will be introduced to Trangia cooking whilst at Camp Out. They will be required to cook their own meal. Along with their first day s lunch, the girls may bring some snacks with them. It is important that their food contains NO NUTS. All Firbank Outdoor Education camps are nut free! Any dietary requirements will need to be included in your daughter s CareMonkey profile by the date listed above. This information will be forwarded to Camp Burnside catering team. If you daughter has specific requirements please contact the Outdoor Education department on ext 2557 to discuss further options. Water Safety Assessment In line with Department of Education guidelines, we are mandated to complete an annual Water Safety Assessment on each student participating in water based activities. This is to establish an understanding of each student s swimming ability. This is not a pass/fail test, this assessment allows us to identify strengths and weaknesses of each student and develop a Water Safety Plan specific to each individual and cater to those who require additional support. Students will complete a number of activities including correctly entering the pool, swimming continuously for 200 metres, using survival strokes and sculling for a period of time. The assessment will be conducted during the Orientation Days and will take approximately 30 minutes to complete. If your daughter is not able to complete the assessment at this time, there will be one make up assessment time during the first week of Term One. We ask that you are proactive and notify the Outdoor Education Department of an issues. This is a compulsory assessment for any Firbank student participating in any water based activity. Page 3

4 Communications In the event of a family emergency whilst your daughter is on camp, parents are asked to contact Firbank Reception on (03) , during school hours, or call (03) outside of school hours. The Wellbeing Leader Year 7 or Head of Outdoor Education will return your call as soon as possible Please note that all communication must go through Firbank Reception, and/or the Wellbeing Leader Year 7 / Head of Outdoor Education. Students are not permitted to bring mobile phones or any other electronic devices. Page 4

5 Clothing and Equipment List Year 7: Discovery Camp Term 1 Anglesea Please bring clothing in a large soft bag (or suitcase) Students will spend 2 nights in bunk rooms and 1 night in tents at a bush camp. ITEMS COMMENTS TICK BEDDING Pillow and pillow slip Sleeping bag You will be able to use this at the cabins and whilst at Camp Out. Any basic sleeping bag will be suitable. (Please note a lightweight, compactable sleeping bag is required in Years Minimum -3 degree bag and 600 grams of down fill is recommended). CLOTHING Woollen/Fleece Jumper (1-2) Tracksuit pants or hiking pants (1-2 pairs) Bathers (1 pair) One of which must be woollen or fleece. Don t pack your best quality pants as they may get damaged. School bathers (compulsory). Wetsuits will be supplied for all water activities. Shorts (2-3 pairs) Collared shirts (3) Runners Closed toed shoes for SUP Pyjamas Socks Underwear Wide brimmed hat Rain coat Mid-thigh length shorts. Firbank micro-fibre PE shorts are ideal. Maximum protection of the neck and shoulders is essential. Quick drying shirts are the best, although cotton shirts are fine. No singlet tops. Supportive runners for walking around camp and to activities (not Volleys). Students will walk up to 3 hours per day to and from activities. Old runners or wetsuit booties are ideal. Must be closed toe. Nice and warm especially if your sleeping bag isn t really warm. Enough for four days plus at least one warm pair for night time. Enough for four days. Compulsory! To protect you from the sun. Firbank bucket hat recommended or soft hat that can be packed in a day pack. No baseball caps please. At a minimum a windproof spray jacket or a breathable raincoat. Woollen or fleece beanie It will keep you toasty and warm when it s cool in the evenings. OTHER Toiletries & toothbrush Towels (2) Travel-mini size is perfect (soap, shampoo/conditioner, deodorant etc.) Toothbrush and toothpaste. Bring sanitary requirements. One for the beach and one for the shower. Page 5

6 Sunscreen, zinc cream, lip balm Insect repellent Sunglasses Water bottle Personal medication where necessary 3 supermarket plastic bags Cooking/eating kit for camp out Sunscreen and zinc cream are essential, especially due to the glare off the water. Waterproof SPF 30+ as a minimum. Roll-on ideally. Straps to hold them on can be a good idea. Especially if you have reading glasses. 1 x 750ml at a minimum. Particularly sufferers of asthma (i.e. Ventolin), migraines or allergies. Please clearly note your name and dosage details and hand it to your teacher the morning of departure. Any student who requires an Epipen must carry 2. Can be good for separating wet gear etc. Bowl, mug, cutlery including small sharp knife for chopping, tea-towel. Drawstring bag is useful to keep things together. Small torch Watch Day pack Lunch - Day 1 Head torches are ideal. (You will require a head torch on all future O.E camps at Firbank). You will not have your phone so a watch will be handy to ensure you are on time for activities. Large enough to carry a towel, change of clothes, toiletries and water bottle for up to 45 minutes of walking to each activity. You will need to bring a packed lunch on the first day. This will be taken with you on the bus. Please ensure all ingredients of your lunch are nut free! OPTIONAL Camera Rash vest Sleeping bag liner Snacks Other Waterproof if necessary. Staff will be bringing one so you don t have to. No other technology (i.e. phones with cameras are not allowed). This is handy to protect you from the sun and can help prevent rubbing on the neck from the wetsuit. Keeps your sleeping bag cleaner/warmer. Feel free to bring a small amount of snacks. All snacks must be nut free! Juggling balls, musical instruments (small), cards, hacky sacks etc. all welcome!! SUPPLIED BY FIRBANK / ACTIVITY SERVICE PROVIDER Wetsuit You will be supplied with a wetsuit for each activity. Specialist ocean and river equipment Cooking equipment Tent/shelter & sleeping mat Food All supplied. For the Camp Out. For the Camp Out. Food is provided. Please see Dietary requirement section for further details. Page 6

7 Past Student Reflections Starting Year Seven I was filled with nerves. Would I find my classroom? Would I remember to bring the right books to class? I was nervous about meeting so many new teachers and not least of all, going on camp. Sure, I'd know some of the girls, but there were so many new girls starting, would I be sharing a room with girls I didn't know? Would I be doing activities I had never done before? What if I fail and they all laugh at me! But I did not need to worry. Anglesea was a great camp and when we arrived home we all needed a very long sleep. All of the Year Sevens' came back the next week more confident with each other after spending a week together. It was a wonderful way to start Year Seven and our exciting journey in Senior School. Learning new skills, like surfing, body-boarding - (a thrilling experience) and stand-up paddle-boarding was great fun! The activities were usually challenging, but still awesome. All of the students gave the activities a go and some teachers too. Go Ride A Wave was the company that gave us the many amazing activities that easily put us to sleep each night. The Year Seven camp to Anglesea was a wonderful experience. Having the first week away from school to go and mix with many new girls was a great way to start our Senior School journey. We were given the challenge of remembering all the names of the girls in our class. Each day was jam-packed with different activities and games to play. Many challenges were thrown at us but the one we worked the hardest on was getting to know more and more people, girls and teachers. We were mixed up in the tents and cabins to meet new girls and had different teachers for different activities. Camp really helped many girls in getting to know each other. I was asked to write about a few of the highlights of camp and struggled in coming up with just a few as it was all a wonderful time! Personally, I found the stand-up paddle-boarding the best. The instructor told us to jump and run on the spot and before we knew it we were soaked in the water. Body boarding too, was a different experience. It took me a REALLY long time to catch a wave all the way to the shore, but I did it. Page 7

8 Further Questions If you wish to discuss any aspect of the camp prior to departure, please don t hesitate to contact Mr. Andrew Johansen from the Outdoor Education Department on (03) ext 2557; via ajohansen@firbank.vic.edu.au or the Wellbeing Leader Year 7 Mrs. Nishi Jungbahadur on ( 03) ext Again, we thank you for your support. We are looking forward to sharing this amazing experience with your daughter. Page 8

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