“The days are long, the nights are short, the input is huge, and… the rewards are many…”
— a Chrysalis parent
A changing perspective
Parental involvement in the camp program is considered a valuable ingredient of the camp program and, in the early days, was a vital part of the success of the camp program. The role of that involvement has changed somewhat in order to better reflect current practice, increasing statutory requirements and our school’s observations of how best to serve the children.
Being invited to participate as a camp volunteer is at the discretion of the class teacher and comes with a proviso that the parents should be as unobtrusive as possible, so that their own child gets to experience camp away from the coattails of mum or dad. If not, then the value of having parents assist may be counterproductive for that individual student. Camps offer a wonderful insight into the class, its dynamics and the teacher’s methodology.
Whilst camp may seem fun and free flowing, as with the classroom environment, the teacher is managing, coordinating and adapting many visible and invisible threads so as to strengthen the safety net for all students, in order for them to benefit as much as possible from the camp experience.
What is considered essential knowledge for a parent helper?
- A camp helper role is hard work: requiring the ability to be on call all day and all night for duration of the camp; the willingness to treat all the children the same, including your own child; an understanding of statutory requirements including WHS, Duty of Care, Children Protection matters etc.
- An understanding of the culture of Chrysalis School camps.
- An understanding of the curriculum and how the camp slots in.
- All Parents attending camps are required to attend a Camps Induction session.
- Hold a valid Working with Children check.
