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Standing Policy

The following information is provided to help parents understand the boundaries set by the club so that it functions as best it can for all those involved.

Acceptance of this information document also confirms your acceptance of the terms and conditions implied in the document.

The mission of the club is:

Parent/Carer Engagement

Parents and carers of pathfinders are required to attend the ‘swearing in’ (first club night), ‘swearing out’ (investiture), rally and fair days. Parents are encouraged help with camps and club nights as able however the minimum requirements for a parent to attend any pathfinder event is: Working with Children’s Check, Adsafe Training, Code of Conduct.

Meetings

Club nights are run between 4pm and 8pm in the Wantirna Church Hall where a variety of activities are organised for the Pathfinders. Dinner will be included in the club nights.

Where club nights are held away from the church parents will be notified. Pathfinders will be transported in leader’s cars or on buses.

Camps

WPC advertise the departure and approximate arrival time for club camps. Departure and arrival is from the Wantirna Church car park. Pathfinders must present at the church with their kit before the advertised departure time for a prompt getaway.

To ensure the club provides correct notice of activities to the Wantirna church board, the cut off time for camp registrations is the Saturday night before departure.

Registration for camps is via Operoo.

To confirm the approximate return time from camps please use the Telegram app. This will show the live location of the pathfinders and give you an indication of their arrival at the church. Parents can call the leaders whose details are advertised as contacts on the camp information material for more details at any time.

Telegram

Telegram is used for communication whilst on camp, to send photos and to notify parents of the arrival time back home to the church. Telegram is a messenger app that is fast, simple, free and secure. Please download from your app store or google play.

The link to join Telegram will be sent out with your first email

Operoo – operoo.com

Operoo is a parent-controlled Electronic Health Form (EHF) for organisations with a duty of care. Parents can easily update medical information and provide consent for activity attendance with the click of a button.

Wantirna Pathfinder Club will create electronic permission forms and have instant access to emergency information if it is required.

To access Operoo go operoo.com, go to sign in, go to Not a member? Sign up.

Here you will be able to enter your pathfinders name, contact and medical details. WPC will send you a link to so you can share your details with the club. Once you have done this you will receive emails from Operoo regarding information about club events etc.

Please ensure you respond to all Operoo requests. You will be able to decline if you are not coming to an event. This way we will not have to chase you up to see what your intentions are

Uniforms

The club has a field uniform ("We believe..." smurf top, black and blue hoodie and cap) for club nights and camps. At formal events, pathfinders wear a dress uniform of black pants or skirt and a green/white polo shirt. These uniforms are part of the pathfinder experience and identity and must be worn at all club events under direction from leaders.

The club maintains a uniform bank (green/white dress polo shirts) the cost of which is included in the club’s registration fees. Usually, these shirts are issued before each event and returned to the club at the end of each event. When in the pathfinder's possession, they are expected to be kept in a serviceable condition.

For more information on uniforms, contact Doris.

Registration Fees

A non-refundable annual fee of $420 is applied at registration. This fee covers:

Subsequent children attract a 10% discount. The fourth and subsequent children are free.

Decisions

WPC leaders make decisions regarding the operation of the club so that it can best achieve its mission. These decisions may at times conflict with the choices of particular children for the benefit of the club at large. Decisions are generally formed by consensus at leaders meetings or will be determined as required by senior leaders according to the delegation of authority issued by the club director.

Complaints

If you are concerned about an issue with your child, your first contact should be through their counsellor. If you feel the matter is very serious or remains unresolved despite the best efforts by all parties to deal with it, you can contact the Deputy Director Kim Waterfall (kimwaterfall68@gmail.com) or Director Ben McMahon (benjmcmahon@gmail.com).

Event Pricing

The club runs events to achieve our objectives. The costs of most events are included in the registration fee but the costs for running some special events are passed on to parents. The events are priced on a cost recovery basis.

Photography

The club will from time to time photograph your child during events and share these photographs on email groups, the club website and with the broader church community. All care is taken to ensure your child is portrayed in a positive manner. Your consent to have your child photographed is implicit in standing policy.

Phones, iPods & personal possessions

Whilst all care is taken, WPC takes no responsibility for the security of children's personal items. Whilst phones and iPods are generally allowed on camps for travel to and from events, there use during camps is discouraged. No additional electronics should be brought to camp. (i.e., Tablets, IPads and Notebooks)

Anti-Bullying Policy

We appreciate that leaving your child in the care of others may come with some concern regarding their welfare. Every child and adult in the club has the right to feel safe and be treated with respect at all times. All complaints of bullying are treated seriously. The approach taken in dealing with bullying behaviour is minimizing harm and restoring relationships. A full copy of the anti-bullying policy is available on request.

Food

All catered camps provide vegetarian food. Special diets will be catered for, please ensure you notify the club via your Operoo registration. Often we stop at a take away where the Pathfinders buy their own food on the way home from camps.

Club Calendar

The calendar of events is available on the club website. The calendar may change as the year progresses. You will be advised of any changes via email or you can check the website for updates.

Natural Disasters

WPC events are often run in remote or distant locations. To minimize the risk of WPC being adversely affected by natural disaster, senior staff communicate with emergency services staff and the SES about emerging risks. A risk management plan is prepared for each camp that includes responding to critical incidents and amending club activities in situ to respond to unfavourable risk factors.

What to Buy

Pathfinder camps will often be cold and wet. It is important to ensure your child is kept warm and dry. Purchase of the appropriate equipment is often very costly, especially as children grow or leave pathfinders. Good clothing material for camping are synthetic materials that will dry easily. No cotton/ jeans. Polar fleece is a good choice.

Equipment

First year and second year (Junior) pathfinders will only be base camping. All hiking activities will involve needing a day pack only.

Third to sixth year (Intermediate and Senior) pathfinders will be going on overnight hikes and carrying all equipment in a hiking backpack. Equipment generally needs to be lightweight for this purpose.

Investiture

Pathfinders who participate in a range of club activities can be invested at the end of the year. To be invested, a Pathfinder needs to:

It is the pathfinder and parents responsibility to monitor their child’s progress to investiture. A useful approach is marking their attendance on the calendar attached the back of this document. The club will provide one mid year progress report to pathfinders and parents. Other reports are available at other times at a cost of $150 per enquiry.

All enquiries are to be directed via the club director at benjmcmahon@gmail.com.

Fulfillment of these 5 requirements will allow the Pathfinder to be invested. Special consideration can be made on a case by case basis where the Pathfinder has been away for a period of time due to serious illness or other exceptional circumstances that prevents them from achieving the 75% attendance rate.

If the Pathfinder wishes to be invested at the advanced level, then they need to meet the above 5 requirements, complete an additional three honours and record 90% attendance at WPC activities.

These requirements are dictated by the SDA Conference which provide a minimum curriculum of pursuits and honours that need to be taught at each class level.

The various class levels, from junior to senior are Friend, Companion, Explorer, Ranger, Voyager, Guide and Master Guide. The Friend and Companion classes are taught together and are referred to as Juniors. Explorers and Rangers together become the Intermediate class and the Voyagers and Guides make up the Senior class. Junior Counsellors or adult leaders can complete the Master Guide.

WPC run a variety of camps during the year, some of which are specialised, for example water skiing, or white water rafting, while other camps are more general. Some Pathfinders avoid specialised camps because if they attended, they would then feel obliged to join in the activity, which may not be in their comfort zone. Although leaders would encourage and support the Pathfinder to participate in the club activity, it is not mandatory that all Pathfinders participate in the events. Parents are expected to encourage their Pathfinders to attend camps as this will greatly increase their pursuit hours and improve their likelihood of being invested.

Solicitation

No parent is to solicit, lobby, seek favour or otherwise influence one or more members of the pathfinder leadership regarding their child’s investiture. Acts of solicitation will render a pathfinder ineligible for investiture.

Honours

There is a large selection of Honours available for Pathfinders to do. These can be on topics as diverse as Dogs, Snails, Hiking, Photography, Knots, Christian Grooming and Manners. An Honour is represented as a token on their Pathfinder uniform sash.

WPC run a swimming night during which the pathfinders go through the steps required to attain one of the swimming honours. Pathfinders need to attend this event every year to achieve all five swimming levels. With this process in place, each pathfinder should achieve all the swimming honours over the course of their pathfinder experience. Together with the swimming honour most pathfinders will complete at least three honours every year.

Honour Camp

The honour camp is held at the end of the year and invitations are given to pathfinders who have performed well during the year.

The selection process for honour camp is based on reports from class teachers a little like umpires score the Brownlow Medal. Votes are scored for:

Pathfinders who score in the upper 50 percentile are invited to attend honour camp.

Phones, ipods and personal possessions

Whilst all care is taken, WPC takes no responsibility for the security of children’s personal items. Whilst phones and ipods are generally allowed on camps for travel to and from events, they are not to be used during camps.

Anti-Bullying Policy

We appreciate that leaving your child in the care of others may come with some concern regarding their welfare.

Every child and adult in the club has the right to feel safe and be treated with respect at all times. All complaints of bullying are treated seriously. The approach taken in dealing with bullying behaviour is minimising harm and restoring relationships. A full copy of the anti-bullying policy is available on request.

Club Calendar

The calendar of events is available on this web site. The calendar may change as the year progresses. You will be advised of any changes via e-mail or you can check this website for updates.

Natural Disasters

WPC events are often run in remote or distant locations. To minimize the risk of WPC being adversely affected by natural disaster, senior staff communicate with emergency services staff and the SES about emerging risks. A risk management plan is prepared for each camp that includes responding to critical incidents and amending club activities in situ to respond to unfavourable risk situations.