Dear Parents and Guardians,
This message is directed at new students joining Year 6 this academic year and those who have not yet signed up to the China trip. If you have already signed up for the trip, you are welcome to keep reading, but there is no action needed on your part.
We write to you with exciting news: Year 6 students at DBIS will take part in a new camp experience in Term 1 this academic year!
Accommodation
The three-night camp will take place from Monday 4th of November to Thursday the 7th of November, 2024, in Chengdu, China. Students will sleep in a 3-star hotel based in Chengdu, sharing a room with fellow students.
We will be asking for them to request chosen friends nearer the time of the camp. Although we cannot guarantee that they will be with all of their requested friends, we can guarantee that they will be with at least one.
Activities
Our camp will be run in conjunction with ‘The Learning Adventure’ company, who have run many successful camps throughout Europe, the USA and Asia.
During the camp, we will be taking part in an action-packed programme of exciting activities. These include a Kung Fu lesson, a visit to a traditional teahouse to see a Sichuan opera and a famous face-changing act, a visit to a Sichuan food museum to learn how to prepare specialist Sichuan dishes, exploring an eco-farm, experimenting with nature plant dyeing, visiting Dujiangyam Panda Centre, exploring the local markets and old streets of Chengdu and finally, visiting Chengdu’s Panda Breeding Research Centre to see China’s national animal.
Food
The children will be asked to bring a packed lunch for their first meal on the Monday; from that point onwards, all breakfast, lunch and dinner meals will be provided for them. They may pack some snacks to bring to the camp too, but please ensure these are nut free as we have some students with severe nut allergies within our student body.
If your child has any food allergies or restrictions that the school isn’t already aware of, please contact the medical room to update our records.
Transport Arrangements
On Monday 4th November, the students will arrive at school at 7am and travel together to Hong Kong International Airport for our flight to Chengdu with Cathay Pacific. On the evening of Thursday 7th November, we will return to DBIS for parents to collect their children. On Friday 8th November, the children can rest at home during the morning and come into school from 10am so that they can organise their belongings, with learning starting at 10.25am, after break time.
All transport costs are included in the cost detailed below. Further details regarding timings will be shared separately.
Cost
The cost of the camp will be HK$8,800. This includes all transport, accommodation, activities, insurance and food during the camp. The balance will need to be settled by Tuesday 10th September. Payment can be made in the form of a cheque or bank transfer to our HSBC account #111-459624-001. Thereafter, please kindly email [email protected] with your bank confirmation and student name for our records.
We also require our Y6 camp JOTFORM to be completed by Friday 6th September. Please ensure all waivers within it are signed. (Please tick the box that states “I understand that by completing this form, I am fully responsible to pay the initial deposit of 4,500HKD by 30th May”; however, it is the expectation that the full amount of HK$8,800 is paid by Tuesday 10th September).
Packing List
A comprehensive packing list will be provided closer to the start of the camp. The children will also be allowed to bring a small amount of pocket money to allow them to buy souvenirs and gifts to remember their time in Chengdu.
Passports and Visas
Please note that all students will be required to have at least six months of remaining validity and at least two blank visa pages in their passports.
Many students will also be required to acquire visas before the trip. DBIS will share further information regarding the visa application process at a later date.
Further Information
You can find more information in these slides that were presented to Year 5 parents back in May 2024.
If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact your child’s class teacher or Mike Peacock, Head of Year 6 ([email protected]).
Camps have always been such an integral part of our experiential curriculum at DBIS as they provide children with an opportunity to gain more independence, create deeper bonds with friends, build self-esteem and confidence and also have a great deal of fun. We are very much looking forward to taking your child on their much-anticipated first international DBIS camp!
Kind regards,
The Year 6 Team