Saturday, April 14, 2012

PAREF WOODROSE at Camp Trailblazer




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Today I headed further south of Laguna, to the town of Sta. Cruz where Camp Allen is located. I was one of those invited to visit students of PAREF WOODROSE (School for Girls) who are attending Camp Trailblazer. 

Trailblazer is a yearly summer leadership camp for girls incoming grade six to second year high school.  Now on its third year, and held at Camp Allen from April 9 to 14, 2012.The camp site is a 4.5 hectare area located  in Sta. Cruz, Laguna surrounded by fruit bearing trees, paved stone, and wooden cabins. It also has its own swimming pool, play areas, bonfire area, clubhouse, a chapel, among several other facilities.



This year, Trailblazer has 120 camp participants, 61 of whom are from PAREF WOODROSE,  There are also 30 junior counselors, 11 of them are from Woodrose (7 out of 11 are alumnae).  The junior counselors served as group leaders for the girls.

Primarily, the camp aims to develop leadership capability among its participants; help them boost their confidence, get motivated, discover themselves, that is, create an awareness level such they will get to know their own self.

The  camp activities evolved around the 3 F's: faith, friends and fun.  Camp schedule is written at the back of each camper's ID.  The ID's I find so cute as well because each one of them is individually drawn by hand and color coded.


Accordingly there is no particular screening whoever is interested to attend Camp Trailblazer.  Participants not only came from the Metro Manila area, there are also girls who came all the way from Visayas and Mindanao.

For the counselors, prior to camp schedule, they need to undergo a counselor's training which is usually held during weekends.  This training programs are also conducted through their satellite organizations or schools especially those from far areas.


Camp schedule begins at 7:00 am, breakfast should be finish by 8:30 am.  All throughout the day, the girls attend various activities depends on a particular interest that they signify when they sign-up. These are: singing, dancing, theater, jewelry-making, photography, movie-making, art, crafts, guitar, creative writing and snack preparation.  There are also different sports activities to participate with.  Every night, different activities are also being held such as costume night and cheer competition, an elegant dinner, awards night. On the last camp day, the kids will present to their families and friends whatever they have accomplished at the camp.  That is they will show off a dance number if they are with the dancing group, photos taken by the photography group, among others.  

Mass is being held daily at 11:20am, just before lunch time.  During meal time, the essence of femininity is practiced, that is, refinement is observed as well as back-straight posture.   I personally observed, all the girls were suddenly gone to their rooms while we are still dealing with our food.  Which means, everything is in proper order.

Before lights out at 10 pm each night, the counselors meet to assess the day's activities.


The girls are housed in very nice wooden cottages. Girls of almost same ages are put in the same room, 13 - 14 girls per room.  For the junior counselors, there are 6 - 7 girls per room. We were given the privilege to take a look at their rooms and each one of them is so amazing.  All the rooms are decorated inside and outside drawing inspiration from Disney-Pixar movies (this year's theme).



 The cottages, since they are made mostly of wood are well-ventilated.  Really perfect for summer evenings.  The girls themselves are responsible for cleaning their own rooms. There are assigned sweepers, cabin monitors, bed monitors. Awards are given for the cleanest cabin and cleanest bathroom. 



Preparing the back drop for the camp presentation

It is indeed such a privilege for young girls to experience a summer camp such as Trailblazer.  This is also one of the several activities that students of PAREF WOODROSE  engage themselves with.  Even during summer vacations when they are free of academic requirements, extra-curricular activities are available as well.  Such is how each and every students of Woodrose are nurtured and taught how to appreciate a balance between academic excellence and character formation.

The School:







PAREF WOODROSE  is an educational institution where academic excellence and personal information are achieved through close collaboration between the school and the home. Students of Woodrose, at a young age are already being taught not only academic excellence but focusing also on character formation.  School curriculum teaches them to become independent thinker,  an effective communicator, a responsible citizen, and a lifelong learner.

It was established by the Parents for Education Foundation (PAREF) way back in 1977,  a group of parents who wanted to be fully involved in providing an integral education for their children.  

Mentoring System: 
Believing that the effectiveness of child education depends largely on the unity of goals between the home and the school, Woodrose actively undertakes a close collaboration among parents, teachers and mentors.  Each student is assigned a mentor who becomes the parents' partner in guiding their daughter toward the pursuit of academic excellence and character. 

Parents are educated as well through the "New Parent Education Program of NPEP.  It helps parents to become better parents, thus effectively fostering their children's academic achievement.  The Program is consists of 5 modules: Case Study Method; Family Visioning; Deliberate Parenting;  Dignity of the Person; and Home-School Collaboration and Marital Relations.

I wish I have a daughter and I am personally excited how to get admission at Woodrose. 


1. Submission of all required documents
  • Accomplished Parents' Information Sheet
  • NSO Certified Parents' Marriage Contract *
  • NSO Certified Student's Birth Certificate *
  • Original and photocopy of Student's Baptismal Certificate
  • Report Card
  • 2 x 2 pictures (2 copies)
  • Recommendation form accomplished by the Guidance and Testing Office of the previous school
  • Recommendation form accomplished by the Class Adviser and Registrar of the previous school
* For foreign documents, Original and Photocopy of the Marriage Contract of the Parents / Original and Photocopy of the Student’s Birth Certificate. Original Documents will be returned to the Parents.

2. Parental Attendance at the Orientation for Parents

3. Interviews and Testing
  • Parents are interviewed by a PAREF representative
  • Student takes an assessment test
  • Student is interviewed by the Level Coordinator
4. It is following this procedure that a Letter of Notice is prepared and mailed to the parents

The application process will commence once all documents have been submitted.


At Woodrose, academic programs are focused on integrated education. such there is a balanced program of intellectual, moral, social, spiritual and physical development. Students are given opportunities for analytical and critical thinking.  Lastly, it is their ultimate objective to help each student achieve their fullest potential, to pursue the truth and be a responsible individual.

For more information on, you may visit Woodrose website . You may also contact the School Registrar, Mrs. Rose Dumlao at 850-6380 to 83 local 111.


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55 comments:

  1. i wonder how much is the rate for the activities at the camp. every students will definitely learn from the actual hand-on training they will get. such an ingenious thought of the school.

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    1. Accordingly it costs P7.000.00, really affordable isn't it for a 6-day camp?

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  2. buti ka pa you had the privilege to attend this summer camp activity. really nice and fun for the girls!

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    1. Yeah thanks! we really had a great time even short lang cya. All the girls are so eager to show us their rooms, their craft creations, their dance number, everything!

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  3. wow, what a great opportunity and activities for girls.For sure everybody enjoyed it.

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    1. I can see from the girls we met, they are truly having a grand time at the camp.

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  4. Wish I experienced this back in the day, I would've participated! I actually came from a private school (both for elem & hs) but there weren't any camp events such as this.

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    1. What about your Girl Scout activities? I had camp experiences way back in my grade school.

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  5. Galing naman jan, exciting at the same time girls learning a lot.

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    1. Yeah! its truly a great experience for them. I can see there are little girls, I wonder how they feel about being away with their families for a few days. But I think they are enjoying a lot of their time at the camp.

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  6. This is the first time I’ve heard about formal Summer Camps in Phils. Well, I’ve left Phil for some time so I may not be updated. This summer camps really provide fun and learning at the same time. How I would love to send my child to some of these when she’s older.

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    1. Indeed it is, mommy Sarah. It is through the school activities/program that kids were able to attend camp like this one.

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  7. Ang ganda talaga ng school na yan. Kung may anak akong babae pangarap ko na dyan pag-aralin

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    1. same wish mommy Levy, sana meron tayo daughter :) thanks for dropping-by.

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  8. I am glad the girls had fun, I will ask them to share their experiences here when I see them in class next June.:)

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    1. Teacher Blanca, I am sure all the girls will gonna have wonderful experiences to share with. As I see them at the camp, they are really having a good time. Such a pleasant opportunity of joining a summer camp.

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  9. I used to think that these camps don't exist yet here in the Philippines. Or at least there aren't any in my place (Baguio). I just watch them on movies.

    Good thing this has started. At least they have several activities to get into.

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    1. It is best to check if activities like summer camp is included in the school program/curriculum. That's how they were able to get access.

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    2. Thank you.

      But no, there isn't any listed in my kid's school. It's quite pretty conservative.

      I doubt if the school finally offers this or promote such outside camps next year. I think the school is paranoid with regards to the safety of the kids.

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  10. Nice. This is a great idea! I didn't know we had something like this here. :) Thanks for sharing!

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  11. wow... i wish my parents sent me to one of these camps when i was younger... its really healthy for kids to learn on a different setting... it doesnt only refreshes their minds but it can also let them be more exploratory

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    1. agree! personally I get to experience a camp like this one time when I was already a professional. Also during my girl scout days :)

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  12. I love participating to such camps/activities when I was a kid. I wish I could turn back time.

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  13. wow, this sounds like a very interesting thing to do this summer for little girls. If I had a daughter, I'd probably enroll her in this school....oh, lookie, the id has my name on it! :P

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    1. yes! that's what I also noticed mommy Vix, actually she is the Camp Director.

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  14. camping gives our kids an opportunity to mingle with other kids and learn from this experience too. i attended a church camp before and i enjoyed it, i want my kids to experience the same. :)

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    1. Same here, I want my son to experience summer camp at a young age.

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  15. great activities this summer, though it is exclusive for girls only

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    Replies
    1. Because they all came from exclusive girls' school. It is part of the school activity/program.

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  16. Camping is really a good way to develop different skills in a child. When I saw the pictures, I missed camping way back when I was in grade school. I hope my kids will enjoy camping in the few years to come.

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    1. At the camps, the girls were made to participate in their particular interest. I especially like those kids at the jewelry-making group. They are very creative.

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  17. perfect this summer para sa mga kids! new learnings and fun activities, how much per pax?

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  18. Perfect training for all kids especially during summer vacation. And very conducive place too!

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    1. the place is just perfect for a summer camp. I like most their cottages, looks like log cabins.

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  19. Summer camp training for the girls towards leadership under the auspices of faith, friendship, and fun is similar to scouting. This is an ideal for the girls to make use of their summer vacation for a wholesome training like this one. It is well-planned, well-publicized. If I were, I would recommend this to other interest school or parents.

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  20. Definitely looks like a fun activity for kids...and family alike.

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  21. Sigh. I miss school days now, after reading this post. I remember how in middle school, we were required to take a two-week sailing course on the outskirts of Singapore: Camping, learning survival skills, lessons on how to maneuver a dingy, and basic sailing were the order of the day. Man. I wish I were 13 again!

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    1. Wow! it was so nice that you get to experience a camp like this at a young age :)

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  22. I wasn't able to attend anything like this when I was younger. I hope there will still be summer camps for girls by the time I have my future daughter.. :) That'll be a really long time from now though.

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    1. by then I think there'll be more opportunities as we get advanced with almost everything.

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  23. Sounds like fun and educational too..

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    1. the girls were made to sign up to a specific activity wherein they focused and learned more throughout the camp duration.

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  24. wow, looks like a nice event, i so love the backdrop, i wish i know how to draw too, thanks for the comment, and i hope you can join our green monday meme at mygreenlivingideas.com

    thanks much.

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    1. those girls who did the backdrop I think were just so talented and creative.

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  25. Wow, this place isn't too far from where I live. I wish they had places like these back when I was still a kid. Summer camps and summer clinics are the coolest. :)

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  26. This is a good training for girls. Hope meron din dito sa Davao. :)

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  27. This is a great training ground for
    children and it's healthy for them to experience
    this kind of activity.

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  28. oh, that's nice. meron na rin pa lang camp dito sa pinas similar to the ones in the US. thanks for sharing this. hope they still offer this next year

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  29. I was there! I was one of the 5th grade campers! Definitely going back!

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  30. And yes there are like this in the PHIL. I've already went to 3 other ones..

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  31. Your blog post is very unique and well research, Thanks for your research on academic knowledge.



    Summer Camp Jobs in America & Camp America

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