Dear Parents and Guardians,Â
We write to you with exciting news: Year 6 students at DBIS will take part in a new camp experience in Term 1 next academic year!
Accommodation
The three-night camp will take place from Monday 4th November to Thursday 7th 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, 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 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 Dujiang Dam 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 along 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 in order to update our records.Â
Transport ArrangementsÂ
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.
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.Â
Please could you pay an initial deposit of HK$4,500 by Thursday 30th May. The remaining 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.Â
We also require our Y6 camp JOTFORM to be completed by Thursday 30th May. Please ensure all waivers within it are signed. Â
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 passport.Â
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.Â
Parents’ Information Briefing
We will be hosting an information session for parents on Monday 13th May at 8.30am in the Globe Theatre.
During the meeting, we will be sharing more information about the accommodation at the camp and the schedule of activities that the children will take part in. If there are any specific questions or areas of discussion you would like addressed in this meeting, please contact your child’s class teacher or David Raftery, Head of Year 6 ([email protected]), ahead of the meeting so we can ensure that your questions are addressed. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact your child’s class teacher.
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