An active camping program means Collingwood College students have many opportunities to enjoy outdoor adventures, experience new environments and develop close bonds with classmates and teachers.
All classes run their own camps to a variety of places:
Main Stream:
In grade 1 and 2, students take part in a sleepover at school. They sleep in the classroom and then the families join them for a pancake breakfast in the morning.
In grade 3 and 4, students go on one camp (two nights) at a residential camp and take part in challenge activities.
In grade 5, students go on one camp, usually in tents in a national park and cook their own meals, with the assistance of the grade 6s.
In grade 6, students go on a leadership camp in term one for two nights and another camp with the grade 5 students later in the year.
Steiner Stream:
Year Level
Where
Main activity
Prep
Multiple Local walks
Eg Boat Park
Class 1-
Class 2
Multiple Local walks
eg Collingwood Children’s Farm
Class 3
Balnarring 3 days
Camping, exploring, farming
and walking
Class 4
Walkerville 4 days
Upper Yarra 4 days
Camping, exploring, farming
and walking
Class 5
Grampians 4-5 days
Melville Caves 4-5 days
Exploring, hiking, camping,
cooking
Class 6
Sailing Camp 5 days
Geology camp 4-5 days
Sailing, camping, exploring,
cooking, significant day walks
Class 7
Horse Riding Camp
Bike Riding Camp
Class 8
Surfing Camp
Pre-Hiking Camp Late Term 4
Class 9
Hike Program: Every term a week long hike eg: Wilson’s Prom,
Grampians, Great Ocean Walk, High Country
Class 10
Farming Camp 10 days
Mapping and Surveying Camp 3 days
Each camp listed above may change location, frequency and duration depending on abilities and individual learning needs of each class for that given year.
In the Steiner stream, class camps are an important part of the curriculum, tightly interwoven with the rest of the class work.
All camp activities and locations are carefully chosen to be age appropriate and to foster the students’ stage of development. They give a safe and happy opportunity to begin the development of real independence, to become self-sufficient.
They enable the students to live away from the trappings of city life, and to discover the world of nature and the things it can teach us. In addition, the students learn to care for the environment in a real way, at first hand.
NB:
Camps, Sports Excursions Fund (CSEF) will be provided by the Victorian Government to assist eligible families to cover the costs of school trips, camps and sporting activities. If you hold a valid means-tested concession card or are a temporary foster parent, you may be eligible for CSEF. The allowance will be paid to the school to use towards expenses relating to camps, excursions, or sporting activities for the benefit of your child.
The annual CSEF amount per student will be:
$125 for primary school students
$225 for secondary school students.
How to Apply: Contact the school office to obtain a CSEF application form or download by clicking on the link: csefapplicationform
The second hike for VCE Outdoor and Environmental Studies was an interesting one indeed. What was supposed to be a ski tour (skiing with full packs, camping in the snow) was abandoned due to lack of snow on Mt St Gwinear. We sought an alternative activity – hiking to the remote and beautiful Lake Tali Karng, Australia’s only alpine lake. But snow it did!
Remote it is – the nearest town is Licola, which is the last town in Victoria to not have electricity (and never will). We never saw another vehicle once we left the main road in three days, driving on winding gravel roads “up top”. While we expected cold weather and some snow, we were wonderfully taken by surprise by a massive dump of powder snow on the first night. The alpine bush was transformed into a snow gum winter wonderland, with everything covered in white. The track to the lake was almost indistinguishable, with the only markers being the occasional chain saw mark from prior track clearing. The students coped remarkably well with the cold and damp – wet feet for three days, hiking with heavy packs up the rugged mountain Spion Kopje, off track hiking, obscured walking tracks, tight switch backs down to the lake, and off track navigation by map and compass a necessity. It was such a rare, beautiful experience that will stay with us all for a long, long time.
Ross Richards
2012 Camps
Class 9 Steiner journeyed to the Great Ocean Walk for a five day hike in the south western coastal region of Victoria during the last week of term 1. Wehiked and explored this magnificent coastal environment and the beautiful, wild sea cliffs, beaches, forests and heath lands of its surrounds. During this first expedition we camped on cliff tops, watched some amazing sunsets, woke to the sound of the waves crashing on the rocks beaches, slept under tarps and at times fell asleep stargazing under the open sky.
They are a brilliant bunch of kids who are all very encouraging, understanding and unselfish in their support of one another, especially when they had to deal with; leeches sucking on belly buttons, spiders scuttling during the night, tiger snakes, heavy backpacks, nasty blisters and tired legs.
I’m looking forward to sharing some more fantastic outdoor education experiences with 9S throughout the rest of the year.
Outdoor Education
An active camping program means Collingwood College students have many opportunities to enjoy outdoor adventures, experience new environments and develop close bonds with classmates and teachers.
All classes run their own camps to a variety of places:
Main Stream:
Steiner Stream:
Class 2
and walking
Upper Yarra 4 days
and walking
Melville Caves 4-5 days
cooking
Geology camp 4-5 days
cooking, significant day walks
Bike Riding Camp
Pre-Hiking Camp Late Term 4
Grampians, Great Ocean Walk, High Country
Mapping and Surveying Camp 3 days
Each camp listed above may change location, frequency and duration depending on abilities and individual learning needs of each class for that given year.
In the Steiner stream, class camps are an important part of the curriculum, tightly interwoven with the rest of the class work.
All camp activities and locations are carefully chosen to be age appropriate and to foster the students’ stage of development. They give a safe and happy opportunity to begin the development of real independence, to become self-sufficient.
They enable the students to live away from the trappings of city life, and to discover the world of nature and the things it can teach us. In addition, the students learn to care for the environment in a real way, at first hand.
NB:
Camps, Sports Excursions Fund (CSEF) will be provided by the Victorian Government to assist eligible families to cover the costs of school trips, camps and sporting activities. If you hold a valid means-tested concession card or are a temporary foster parent, you may be eligible for CSEF. The allowance will be paid to the school to use towards expenses relating to camps, excursions, or sporting activities for the benefit of your child.
The annual CSEF amount per student will be:
How to Apply: Contact the school office to obtain a CSEF application form or download by clicking on the link: csefapplicationform
For more information about the CSEF click here.
VCE Outdoor & Environmental Education Hike
Hike to Lake Tali Karng
The second hike for VCE Outdoor and Environmental Studies was an interesting one indeed. What was supposed to be a ski tour (skiing with full packs, camping in the snow) was abandoned due to lack of snow on Mt St Gwinear. We sought an alternative activity – hiking to the remote and beautiful Lake Tali Karng, Australia’s only alpine lake. But snow it did!
Remote it is – the nearest town is Licola, which is the last town in Victoria to not have electricity (and never will). We never saw another vehicle once we left the main road in three days, driving on winding gravel roads “up top”. While we expected cold weather and some snow, we were wonderfully taken by surprise by a massive dump of powder snow on the first night. The alpine bush was transformed into a snow gum winter wonderland, with everything covered in white. The track to the lake was almost indistinguishable, with the only markers being the occasional chain saw mark from prior track clearing. The students coped remarkably well with the cold and damp – wet feet for three days, hiking with heavy packs up the rugged mountain Spion Kopje, off track hiking, obscured walking tracks, tight switch backs down to the lake, and off track navigation by map and compass a necessity. It was such a rare, beautiful experience that will stay with us all for a long, long time.
Ross Richards
2012 Camps
Class 9 Steiner journeyed to the Great Ocean Walk for a five day hike in the south western coastal region of Victoria during the last week of term 1. Wehiked and explored this magnificent coastal environment and the beautiful, wild sea cliffs, beaches, forests and heath lands of its surrounds. During this first expedition we camped on cliff tops, watched some amazing sunsets, woke to the sound of the waves crashing on the rocks beaches, slept under tarps and at times fell asleep stargazing under the open sky.
They are a brilliant bunch of kids who are all very encouraging, understanding and unselfish in their support of one another, especially when they had to deal with; leeches sucking on belly buttons, spiders scuttling during the night, tiger snakes, heavy backpacks, nasty blisters and tired legs.
I’m looking forward to sharing some more fantastic outdoor education experiences with 9S throughout the rest of the year.