A Great Start: Year 7 Camp

What a great way for our Year 7s to start Secondary School – heading off to Camp!!

As you would appreciate, a number of our Year 7s experienced the disappointment of having their Year 5 and/or their Year 6 camps being cancelled due to COVID-19. We are so incredibly grateful to have been able to take almost all our Year 7s to PGL Campaspe Downs Adventure Camp! The campsite is situated on picturesque grounds featuring two lakes, not far from Kyneton. Students and staff enjoyed a large variety of activities including giant swings, low ropes, initiatives, canoeing, archery, abseiling, climbing walls, and a four-line flying fox.

Why head off so early in the year? This is an ideal time for staff and students to get to know one another, to welcome the Year 7s to the Secondary School, and to share about who we are at MCC and what our journey together will entail.

In addition to our outdoor activities, we had a session on learning styles by Mrs Carla Bendall, our Year 7-8 Teaching and Learning Coordinator. We also had sessions on “Who We Are at MCC” with Mrs Bonnie Lang, our Head of Wellbeing, and a devotion on “Who am I?” by Mr Lachlan Mason.

I shared a devotion likening the journey we are beginning together in Year 7, to a couple of long hikes I did in my late teens.  I did these hikes with much training, planning, preparation, and a support crew to help me at weekly intervals and whenever needed in times of crisis. At MCC, we have a fabulous support crew to walk alongside and to assist our students. We can all encourage one another and use our gifts and strengths to complement those we share this journey with. On my hike, we used maps and compasses, and relied on occasional track markers to guide us. In life at MCC, we encourage students to connect with God, to pray, to read the Bible, and to seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit. He knows us and loves us, and He has a plan and a purpose for each of us. He will be with us on our journey while we are at MCC and in the years beyond.

Running camps takes a lot of effort and a large team. We took twelve of our amazing MCC staff, and were joined by about ten PGL activity leaders, including our designated PGL Camp host, Liv, who was with us whenever there were no outdoor activities. We had a terrific time, with plenty of great food, fantastic activities, engaging camp leaders, exceptional MCC staff, and of course, our wonderful Year 7s. A huge thanks goes to all our Year 7 Camp staff. Thanks also go to our Year 7 Campers, who were complimented on their manners and behaviour as a cohort. Let’s keep this up!

Year 7 Parents, thanks for entrusting your child to us on Camp, and in the classroom here at MCC. We look forward to getting to know you, and journeying with you and your family in 2022, and in the years ahead.