Breaksea House News
There has once again been plenty happening around Breaksea since our last Boarding Buzz!
We’ve celebrated lots of birthdays, with Paige Trevenen, Tilly Norrish, Jasmine Haynes, Esther Barrett-Lennard and Lily Hall all celebrating recently. Lucy and Grace Bailey also celebrated their birthdays on Monday this week. There has certainly been no shortage of celebrations around the house!
We also had plenty of fun with Book Week and The Arts dress-up day, with boarders dressing up as their favourite character and artist. Although, it seems quite a few girls decided that their sports uniform was the winning choice for comfort and convenience this year!
Our girls have also been busy showcasing their talents. Esther Barrett-Lennard, Evita Rumble and Anne Fitz-Gibbon put on an extraordinary performance at the Radioactive Concert at the Albany Entertainment Centre. Megan Borgas, Lani Marsh, Dakota Bielby, Anne and Evita also performed brilliantly at the Kingfisher Concert. It’s always wonderful to see our boarders getting involved in the wider school and community and having the confidence to get up on stage and perform.
We also acknowledged R U OK? Day in Breaksea with check-ins, chocolates and a few other treats. It was a good reminder that sometimes a simple “Are you okay?” can make a real difference, and that looking out for the people around us is something we can all do.
A huge congratulations to our 2027 leaders!
A huge congratulations to the following boarders who have been selected for leadership roles for 2027:
- Anne Fitz-Gibbon – Boarding Captain
- Milan Muller – School Captain
- Evita Rumble – Mokare Captain
- Grace Bailey – Camfield Captain
I’m incredibly proud of these girls and particularly proud to see so many Breaksea boarders represented in the school leadership team. They are all wonderful role models and I’m looking forward to seeing them step into their new roles next year.
With so many great and enthusiastic leaders in Year Eleven, I have also spoken with the Year Eleven cohort and encouraged the girls to put their hands up for the Boarding Committee. This will be an opportunity for them to have their voices heard, represent their peers and make their own impact on boarding. We’re hoping to announce the committee early next term, and I’m really looking forward to seeing what this group can bring to Boarding.
A new boarding tradition?
Our Boarding Captain, Tilly Norrish, introduced what we hope will be the first of a new GSG tradition – a night camping at Cheynes Beach with our Year Twelves and Heads of House.
Brodie, Jodi and I joined the Year Twelves at Cheynes on a Friday night for a wholesome evening. We ate delicious fish and chips, talked, played cards around the campfire and just enjoyed being together away from the usual school routine. Brodie cooked up a feast of bacon and eggs and coffee for breakfast before we packed up and headed back to school.
Tilly has a real knack for bringing people together and creating wholesome memories, all with her lovely no-fuss attitude. I also want to take this opportunity to say a huge thank you to Tilly for everything she has done as our Boarding House Captain. She has been such a wonderful role model for our younger students – friendly, kind, polite, never involved in drama or gossip, and someone who, regardless of how she is feeling, gets on with her work and commitments with such grace.
Tilly, I will really miss having you in the house. You have made a wonderful impact on Breaksea and I’m so grateful for everything you have contributed.
Regional Boarding Symposium
Brodie and I, along with Kyle and Lachie, were also lucky enough to attend the Regional Boarding Symposium at Scotch College. It was a great day at Scotch, connecting with other Heads of Boarding, sharing ideas and learning more about how we can make space for the things that are important in life.
A few things really stood out to me. One was the idea of setting a ‘Focus Five’ each week – five things we want to prioritise and focus on. Another was having a tech-free day on the weekend and creating some genuine space away from our screens.
The biggest takeaway for me was the reminder that when our cups are already very full, saying yes to something also means we are saying no to something else. So, when we say yes, we need to make sure it is something that is genuinely worth our time and energy. I think this is such an important message for our girls as they navigate busy lives and help us think about how we can avoid burnout.
I’m grateful that GSG gave me the opportunity to attend the symposium, and I’m looking forward to bringing some of these ideas back to Breaksea and passing these little pieces of wisdom on to our girls.
The Boarding Event of the Year!
Last but certainly not least, we had the boarding event of the year – the Year Twelve Dinner, hosted by our Year Eleven girls.
It was certainly a team effort to bring everything together, and I’d like to make a special mention of the following students (and apologies if I have missed anyone!): Milan and Stella for their beautiful decorations, Lily and Grace for the mocktails, and Lucy, Katelyn and Stella for organising the games. A big thank you also to all of the other Year Eleven girls who helped with the set-up, and to Jodi, and Paige Trevenen for staying behind to help me pack up and clean up.
Thank you also to all the staff who came along to support the evening, and to our Dining Team, who did a superb job catering for the night.
A big thank you to Jess Bailey as well for generously donating the gorgeous flowers for the table centrepieces. They looked so pretty, and I know how much our Year Twelve girls loved their little posies!
Nights like this really make you appreciate the community and connections that exist within boarding. Seeing the Year Eleven girls put so much thought and effort into creating a special night for the Year Twelves was pretty special, and I think it’s something they will all remember for a long time.
Farewell for now
It’s sad to say farewell to Tilly Norrish, Camdyn Tapscott and Madi Beeck, who finish up in boarding this week. We wish them all the very best for what comes next and thank them for the contribution they have made to Breaksea.
Sassie Doohan, Morgan Chatfield and Esther Barrett-Lennard will be sticking around until after their ATAR exams have finished, so we’re not saying goodbye to them just yet!
As always, please reach out if you would like to chat about anything Breaksea or student-related. I’m always happy to have a chat.
I hope everyone has a lovely holiday, and that the girls return refreshed and ready to finish the year on a high!
Ms Liz Stewart | Head of Breaksea House