Class Camps
The class camps are connected to the curriculum for the year as such there may be similarities, but they also may look different year on year to meet each class. The teachers have the freedom to decide on a camp that is a ‘good fit’ for their particular class.
It is very important that students attend the class camps which are a threshold in their development. These camps are designed to create experiences that cannot be reproduced in a classroom setting.
The Lower School camps and some High School camps require parent accompaniment for their success. As more and more parents are engaged in work it can be a challenge to find parents able to help.
As our school policy is for all overnight volunteers to be police vetted, it would be helpful for those parents who are thinking of helping out at a camp, to be vetted early in the year. A police vet check is valid for three years.
Classes can fundraise towards camps; the cost to the parents is then subsidised by the class account. While each class will establish its own protocol regarding class contributions, the general rule is that decisions will be made collectively as a class meeting before the camp is held.
Class One
No camp.
Class Two
No camp.
Class Three
Usually one night and held very locally.
Class Four
Usually a Marae experience held for one or two nights. There may also be a camp associated with Man and Animal Main Lesson, possibly a marine reserve or in the bush.
Class Five
Olympic Camp, usually held out of town, combining with Class 5 classes from other Steiner Waldorf schools, usually 4-5 days.
Class Six
The camp usually fits in with the Geology main lesson.
Class Seven
The theme for the year is Great Explorers and therefore camps generally are set up to test the students endurance.
Class Eight
The first is usually a surfing camp at Waimarama at the beginning of the year and the second is designed around a rite of passage.
Class Nine
Two camps are organised, one usually held in the Tongariro National Park as part of the Geology Main Lesson. The second camp is often in Rotorua and can involve mountain biking.
Class Ten
The first camp for the year is a week long noho Marae as part of Pacific Art Main Lesson. Often there is also a week long camp as part of their Trigonometry and Surveying Main Lesson where students physically survey an area.
Class Eleven
Traditionally they have a week long ski week to experience extreme mountain environments.
Class Twelve - The Odyssey
This is a trip from one point to another using differing modes of transport. Over the past few years it has been via kayak, cycling and mountain biking down in the Marlborough Sounds. This also creates a challenge for students both physically and mentally and is considered another highlight by senior students.