On the first weekend of the Term 3 holiday break, St Peter’s College will again host a Sony Children’s Holiday Camp. For three days and two nights, a group of our Year 11 students will pair with students from Wilderness School to be responsible for the care of 15 children with a disability. In addition, we will have a small team of Year 10 students as a support crew helping with the activities, cleaning and assisting during the camp.
To prepare for the camp, the Year 11s will be involved in training throughout Term 3 including sessions with a speech pathologist and an occupational therapist to learn how to care for their guest. The camp itself will have a range of activities including swimming, a disco, cooking and art activities. We also plan to have a visit from the emergency services for our guests to look through their vehicles and speak to officers. On the final Tuesday of the camp a mini-fair will be held with a petting zoo, jumping castle, face painting and other special activities.
This is an excellent opportunity for our community-minded students to provide a memorable experience for these wonderful young people and to provide families with some valuable respite. Last year we received many wonderful donations from the Saints community which provided all parents of our guests with a hamper filled with wine, movie tickets and vouchers. We are again calling for support and hope that our wider community can contribute to the ongoing success of this important service initiative. Additionally, if families know of a child with a disability between the ages of 8 and 14 who would like to be part of the camp please contact our Guest Coordinator, Bess Smith at Wilderness via email esmith@wilderness.com.au
Events like this truly bring out the best in a community and last year was a genuinely remarkable experience for all involved. Our students involved will again immerse themselves in the realities and complexities of life while sacrificing their time to selflessly put the needs of another first.
Applications to be part of the 2019 Sony Foundation Children’s camp have been sent to students in Years 10 and 11.
Ray Pearson
Head of Boarding
