Year 10 Rotorua Camp December 2020 – Parent letter No 2.
Dear Parents & Caregivers,
This is the second information letter regarding the Y10 camp that is coming up at the end of the year. A copy of the first letter is available on the school website. A reminder of the dates:
Monday 30th November to Thursday 3rd December.
The confirmed cost of the camp is $210. This includes transport, food, accommodation costs, and all activity fees (Mountain Biking, White Water rafting and Tarawera water taxi.) We have been lucky to secure funding from the Pub Charity Limited and with this I have reduced the cost for the camp for all students. In 2019 the cost was $250.
However, I realise that this still presents a significant cost to parents. Please contact Mrs Mary Walton in the school office to discuss any financial help that may be needed.
Students this week have had the opportunity to choose a couple of friends to be with them in either Group A or B. The hope is that this will help to reduce some of the worry and concerns that surround camp. Please also remember if a student is unable to attend camp you will need to schedule a meeting with yourselves, your son/daughter and Mrs Burrell to discuss this. This is so any issues could be addressed, and support provided to enable every student to attend. The best time for this is over the next two weeks. Those students not attending camp will be required to attend normal school for the four days where an alternative programme will be organised.
I have attached to this letter an Aquinas College health and consent form which needs to be completed and returned to the front office. There are separate forms to complete for both the rafting and mountain biking providers. I apologise for this avalanche of paperwork but it reflects the current best practice for Outdoor Providers. Secondly is a gear list to help start some process of getting organised at home.
Please contact me if there are any questions regarding the Y10 camp – rwatson@aquinas.school.nz
Kind regards
Richard Watson
Please download the following information sheets:
Rafting & Mountain Biking Risk Consent 2020 Y10 camp
Year 10 Rotorua Camp December 2020 – Parent letter No 1.
Dear Parents & Caregivers,
Last week I met with all the Y10 students to start planning for the end of year camp. The camp dates are:
Monday 30th November – Thursday 3rd December
Please find below information and organisation details for the 2020 camp. The camp will be based at the Blue Lakes Top 10 camping ground in Rotorua. Activities will take place in and around the area.
The camp is based around the objectives of Team Work, Leadership and Communication – T.L.C. Each of the activities (White water rafting, Mountain Biking, Tramping, problem solving etc) are designed to develop the student’s use these skills and reward those who show great T.L.C. The students will be split into Group A and B. This will be done at school in the weeks leading up to camp.
| Group A | Group B | |
| Monday 30th Nov | White Water rafting – Kaituna River Set up camp Base camp | Lake Tarawera tramp to Hot Water Beach Set up outcamp |
| Tuesday 1st Dec | Mountain Biking & The Great Aquinas Challenge | Return boat trip: Hot Water Beach to The Landing |
| Wednesday 2nd Dec | Lake Tarawera tramp to Hot Water Beach Set up outcamp | Mountain Biking & The Great Aquinas Challenge |
| Thursday 3rd Dec | Return boat trip: Hot Water Beach to The Landing Bus to Aquinas College | White Water rafting – Kaituna River Bus to Aquinas College |
Both groups will complete the same activities over the four days and I am sure the students will find the activities exciting yet a challenging experience.
Mr Dalton, Ms Jacq Burrell (Y10 Dean) and myself see this as an extremely valuable experience. However, if a student is unable to attend camp you will need to schedule a meeting with yourselves, your son/daughter and Mrs Burrell to discuss this. It is our hope that any issues could be addressed, and support provided to enable every student to attend. The best time for this is the two weeks after junior exams have finished. Those students not attending camp will be required to attend normal school for the four days where an alternative programme will be organised.
There is some inherent risk associated with these types of activities. Every effort will be made to manage those risks during this EOTC Activity. In planning this trip staff have followed the current best practice procedures according to the Aquinas College EOTC Guidelines. In addition, the Mountain Biking, Tarawera Boat trip and Rafting activities are run by qualified guides. Students can assist this by ensuring that they are prepared correctly, follow instructions and support staff and other students on the activity.
I have attached to this letter a description of each activity as well as a gear list to help start the organisation at home.
Payment
The approximate cost of the camp is $250. I will confirm this to you in the next couple of weeks. Please make contact with Mrs Mary Walton in the school office to discuss any concerns you may have regarding payment as financial assistance may be available. The final date for payment will be Monday 23rd November.
If you have any questions about the camp please contact myself at the College on
543 2400 ext 244 or rwatson@aquinas.school.nz
A copy of this letter is also on the school website www.aquinas.school.nz
Regards
Richard Watson, Year 10 Camp co-ordinator.
Click to download and print a copy of this letter
