Boarding News

Tower House

From Head of House, Mr Lee Taylor

It has been a busy Term 1 for the Year 8 boys in Tower House. It always takes a period of adjusting after the long summer break, and it is during this time that the boys are becoming familiar with routines, structures and how the house runs.  The boys are also using this time to get to know the Tower staff and reacquaint themselves with each other.

It hasn’t taken long for the boys to get into a good routine, and they are now fully aware of the expectations and structures of boarding life in Tower House. This structure and routine ensures that things get done when they should, and that positive habits are formed and reinforced, allowing the boys to know what our expectations are and how they can best respond to the daily demands of being a boarder.

Prep is an example of the importance of structure and routine. We arrive at the same time every night, from Monday to Thursday. The same expectations are placed on the boys; their school diaries need to be signed, and there is always support from our Prep Staff when it is required. With so much assistance on offer it is harder not to complete your work than it is to complete your work every night. We are lucky enough to have up to five Prep Staff available to help and assist in a range of learning areas. “I don’t have any work” is simply untrue; there is always something to do, whether this is research, reading, art or set assignments or homework. This sets up independent work habits for the future and will enable the boys to work independently and productively when the workloads increase in later years.

On the flip side, it is also important to have times in the week when the boys can have the opportunity to be involved in some unstructured free time. This can involve riding scooters, playing cricket or touch football, shooting hoops on the basketball court or signing out for town leave. Unstructured time allows for creativity, to overcome any perceptions of boredom and to do the things that the boys enjoy simply because it’s fun, and for pure enjoyment.

Finding the balance is the staff’s responsibility and the challenge is to make sure the balance is right. All boarders have ample opportunities to be busy and have some down time, complete academic work, seek and gain assistance, be involved, be independent, be a part of a group and to work towards a goal. Boarding is great for setting the boys up for the future when they will need independence, the ability to solve problems and be organised and on time. 

Well done to the boys in Tower House for a great start to the year.

Miller House

From Head of House, Mrs Haidee Priest

We have had a fabulous start to the new year in Miller House. A big congratulations to all of our new students who have adapted so wonderfully to boarding life, with our returning girls settling in wonderfully and being so welcoming to our new boarders. 

Our weekends have been fun. They have included spotlight adventures, long walks, baking for Chapel, attending our first Chapel service of the year, a visit to Odeon cinema, a scavenger hunt, an outdoor cinema and movie nights in the Dorothy Knox Hall. We have had an Italian themed Saturday night where the girls cooked up a storm of fresh carbonara, gnocchi, pizza and impressive varieties of cannoli.

Our first weekend saw us participate in a whole site trivia night. This trivia night was organised and run by the House Captains of the four PLC houses. Everyone for joined in enthusiastically. We also had a fun activities day on the Sunday, making use of the pool. Mrs Whittemore hired water slides, we played games on the lawn, drew chalk art and played with the board games and Lego.

A typical Sunday has been kicking off with brunch – sometimes we have brunch as a whole house, and other Sundays we have combined with other houses. Trips downtown for supplies and lunch also occupy our Sundays before we complete any homework we may have and set ourselves up for the week.The girls have been enjoying the busy start with numerous sporting events happening – touch football gala days, rowing regattas, carnivals and weekly basketball games and Cross Fit sessions. During this warmer weather we have been so grateful for the beautiful pool we have at PLC. We have been spending plenty of time in the water with our friends and the boys have visited for a swim on few occasions. 

2023 has started beautifully and we are looking forward to seeing what the rest of the year has to bring.