Term 1 Week 6 2021
Hello everyone!
We spent last Wednesday on the Yarra bike trail, practicing our riding skills. The students were introduced to the bikes that we were going to use on camp and all safety measures were discussed before heading off. The students helped pack the trailer and bus with the bikes, helmets, pumps, hi-vis vests etc. We left from St. Kevin's Boathouse (Richmond) and rode to Federation Square and back. It was a gorgeous day and the students did an amazing job with keeping together as a group, respecting the rules and sustaining a good pace.
On Thursday morning, we picked the students up from Collingwood station and went back to CAS to continue to pack our bags, organise all the food and prepare all extras for our Bike Trail Expedition along the Great Victorian Rail Trail. On the bus ride we asked the students to think about an individual character strength goal for the program. This Exped was the last camp we go on, therefore the students were also assessed on actions such as self-organisation, team work, participation and behaviour.
We started from Alexandra and rode to Molesworth where we spent the night in the Caravan Park. The group morale was high and the students did a great job on the trail, riding the first 17kms. Once we arrived at camp, we set up our tents and then had a nice break with afternoon tea. We spent the later afternoon working on our journals and then went on to cooking dinner. Everyone had a role, including cutting, cooking and washing up. The students were given more responsibility on this camp and often made the decisions collectively as a group which they did well at. We made s'mores on the campfire and relaxed under the stars. During our debrief around the fire, we discussed how everyone felt about the day and how they were doing with their own character strength goal they decided on. We spoke about how we could improve for the following day and students made suggestions to each other on how it could be achieved and how they could support each other.
On Friday the students got up on time, packed up their tents and were ready for breakfast in a timely manner. We were impressed with their efforts and the energy remained for the entire day which was great. We rode from Molesworth to Yea which was another 17kms. There was a longer, gradual incline on this part of the trail, but the students pushed through it and was rewarded with a great down hill ride afterwards! We went through the Cheviot Tunnel which the young people enjoyed! The rail line tunnel operated between 1883 to 1970 and is still in excellent condition today. Once we made it to Yea, we relished a well deserved lunch and then jumped on the bus back to Melbourne. Once we unpacked the bus, we talked about the camp overall and shared our achievements of our goals. All students on the expedition did a fantastic job and showed new improvements and skills. Good work everyone!
