At Northcote Primary School, our annual school camps are all about giving students incredible experiences in objectively beautiful locations, helping them grow in an environment outside the four walls of the classroom. From Year 1 to Year 6, our camping program offers fantastic opportunities for students to explore, build independence, and develop a love for learning in the great outdoors.
The journey starts in Year 1 and 2 with an overnight camp designed to boost confidence, encourage independence, and foster self-reliance. From Year 3 onwards, students enjoy a two-night camp, with locations alternating every two years, ensuring new and exciting adventures each time. These camps are packed with outdoor activities that promote teamwork, independence, and personal growth, while also creating lasting memories.
Whether it's canoeing, bushwalking, archery, or enjoying a campfire under the stars, each camp offers students the chance to challenge themselves, build resilience, and gain confidence. Through group challenges and team-building activities, students learn to collaborate, tackle obstacles, and perhaps discover hidden strengths. The camp experience is truly transformative, providing skills and memories that students carry with them for years to come.
Beyond the camps, students also participate in a variety of exciting excursions and incursions throughout the year, all designed to enhance their classroom learning. These trips provide real-world experiences that connect directly to their curriculum. Visits to places like the Melbourne CBD, Scienceworks, or the Zoo allow students to explore subjects in new and exciting ways. For example, a trip to the CBD brings history and geography to life, where students learn about the city's landmarks and development. Scienceworks offers hands-on learning in physics, engineering, and technology, while a visit to the Zoo offers a firsthand look at biology, ecosystems, conservation, and the natural world.
Throughout the year, students also enjoy a variety of incursions that connect their classroom learning to the real world. These can include workshops with local entrepreneurs to explore business and economics, environmental science sessions with sustainability experts, creative art workshops with professional artists, STEM incursions where students design and build projects, and health and wellbeing sessions focusing on fitness, nutrition, and mental health. These are just a few examples of the enriching experiences we offer, each designed to bring practical skills and real-world knowledge across a range of subjects.