What's happening in Boarding? 

It's Been a Big Week in Boarding

Reflecting on the activities of the past two weeks has us filled with joy and pride in our community and the accomplishments of the girls. There has been a spirit of camaraderie and excellence which is especially evident in all we do.

Our Athletics Carnival showed many girls participating and showcasing talents and representing their Houses with great spirit. We are also proud of our Boarding relay team for beating the day girls and showing great determination and teamwork in being victorious.

The Boarders Advisory Team for the 2025 transition to Fernbank have been busy collaborating with the Principal and Deputies in preparation for a beautiful experience looking at interior and exterior wants and needs.

Recreational activities, both formal and informal, have provided many girls with the opportunity to play and have fun and relax. The outcome of these activities is to support the vertical connection between girls in other year groups and create a community that is vibrant and positive.

Our school production, The Halo Effect, featured one of our boarders. It was wonderful to see how our community can contribute to the school’s culture in a unique and rewarding way.

We are excited by the launch of our student leadership process. Over the next month, we will hear from student candidates first-hand about what they see as important for our school and community as they outline how they will inspire and foster a sense of community spirit in their chosen portfolios. 

We have been celebrating National Boarding Week and all the unique and exceptional ways our boarders enhance our Kambala community. There’s lots more to come and we can’t wait to share that with you all.

Thank you for being part of our Kambala boarding community.

Ms Jo Sarmiento

Deputy Principal - Wellbeing and Boarding

Congratulations Sophie Alexander - Head Prefect 2024/2025, Ava Purvis - Head Boarder 2024/2025 and Hilary Guilfoyle - Deputy Head Boarder 2024/2025

Further to our announcement in the senior school section of today's newsletter, we are so thrill​​ed as a boarding community to celebrate the wonderful Sophie Alexander as our incoming Kambala Head Prefect for 2024/25. Sophie is a boarder from Burradoo in the Southern Highlands, and we are delighted she will lead Kambala in 2024/2025.

In addition, the boarding leadership positions for 2024/2025 have also been announced and we are equally excited that our new boarding leaders will continue to provide the support and mentorship to our boarding students in 2024/2025. We thank all those that applied for these esteemed roles.

Congratulations to:

Ava Purvis- Head Boarder 2024/2025

Hilary Guilfoyle- Deputy Head Boarder 2024/2025

As part of a new leadership process, both girls and staff had the opportunity to hear the leadership candidates’ dreams and aspirations. Previously, these insights were only shared during interviews with the Deputy Principal. This change was implemented to prioritise student voice in selecting student leaders for the upcoming year. The boarding leadership hopefuls delivered their speeches at our Formal Dinner on Monday evening, which also served as our celebration dinner for National Boarding Week. It was fitting to share these moments together and announce our new boarding leaders as part of this special week.

Taylor Hammond- The Halo Effect - Senior School Production

This past weekend Taylor Hammond, our very own Year 11 boarder, took part in The Halo Effect written especially for Kambala by Catherine Zimdahl.

The play "The Halo Effect" centres around Holly Tristamere, a troublemaker whose legendary summer parties take a dramatic turn when she experiences a vision of a Great Lady. Holly convinces her friends Michelle and Chloe of the vision's reality, leading to a surge of seekers and opportunists flooding their town. Amidst the chaos, Holly navigates a tumultuous relationship with Jake, a man striving to escape his violent past. As the town faces potentially dangerous consequences, Holly must confront her own destructiveness to restore order. The play blends humour and emotion, exploring the allure of supernatural apparitions.

As part of the ensemble team, throughout the performance Taylor sang, danced and had many lines to recite. With many weeks of preparation, Taylor was extremely excited to show her fellow peers the hard work which had gone into performance preparation. In light of supporting Taylor, the auditorium was packed with both boarders and boarding staff members who were extremely impressed and proud of their fellow boarder. Overall, her performance saw a very loud and special boarders standing ovation in celebration of her amazing efforts. 

National Boarding Week (NBW)

Kambala is celebrating National Boarding Week this week. We've been busy with a whole load of fun activities and they won't stop until the end of the week!

Last week: NBW: Pink Door Decorating

Last week saw the decorating of all the boarding doors pink in honour of National Boarding Week. 

”On Thursday night, all boarders in both Tivoli and Fernbank began the process of decorating their doors pink, an annual tradition where we compete to see which dorm's door is the most creative. So far, many of the Tivoli doors have been looking bright and festive, meaning the Fernbank girls need to improve their performance in the upcoming days. The final judging will commence on Monday night, so look out for an update on the Kambala Boarding Instagram, where the winner of the competition will be announced.”Ava Yr. 11

“It was pretty fun decorating the door with my roommates and it was my first time decorating for Boarding Week. We included our names and had lots of pink sparkly things! We also put-up pictures of ourselves too” Eve - Yr. 9

The winner will be announced this evening!

Monday: NBW: Formal Dinner

On Monday night we held a formal dinner - we used the Wheel of Names (random name picker) for each family house group to see which two girls would win the opportunity to invite a friend or staff member to dinner. This was a lovely way to share our experiences with our friends. It was also a special dinner as our candidates for Head Boarder and Deputy Head Boarder presented their speeches to our community and shared their dreams and aspirations for the girls. 

Tuesday: NBW: Dodgeball- and the boarders won!!!

On Tuesday, we hosted a dodgeball competition against the day girls. As a fiercely contested game unfolded it was plain to see that fun was the winner of the day.

Wednesday: NBW: Boarders Assembly

On Wednesday, we hosted our Boarders Assembly. This is an important event to celebrate the wonderful diversity of our Boarding community and the amazing participation and spirit that the girls bring to our school community. After assembly, we celebrated with a Rave Cave dance party in the pool courtyard for the school community.

Our Thursday and Friday National Boarding  activities will be highlighted in the next Boarding Bytes.

Weekend Rec Activities

Boarders enjoy a day out at Pitt St Mall

In Week 2 the girls ventured into the city for a Sunday Rec outing to the Pitt St Mall. They enjoyed a day of leisurely shopping and indulged in a yummy afternoon tea. The outing offered a chance to browse the shops and also provided a relaxing break from the rigours of school life.

The outing offered a fun experience but also provided an opportunity for the girls to bond and unwind together outside of the school environment. Such outings play a vital role in fostering a sense of community and belonging among the boarders, creating a supportive and enriching boarding experience.

Overall, the Sunday recreation outing to Pitt St Mall was a success, allowing the boarders to relax, rejuvenate, and enjoy a day of shopping and camaraderie in the heart of Sydney.

“We went shopping and for food and we had ice cream at a shop recommended by one of the boarders - the Mochi ice cream was really nice. Naturally I enjoyed the ice cream the most, but it was a great day overall” Eve Yr. 9

Kambala Boarders Adventure at Laser Tag

In Week 3, the Tivoli girls went to Laser Tag at Moore Park - an adventure full of fun and excitement.

Equipped with laser guns and vests, the boarders navigated through the maze-like arena, strategizing and competing against each other in a series of action-packed games. The pulsating music and vibrant lights added to the immersive experience, creating friendly competition and camaraderie.

There was lots of laughter and shouts of excitement as the boarders navigated through the darkened arena, dodging lasers and scoring points.

After the games, the group gathered for a well-deserved break, reflecting on the thrill of the experience and sharing stories of their adventures. The outing to Laser Tag was not only a fun-filled adventure but also a memorable bonding experience for the boarders of Kambala.

Recreational activities and outings play a crucial role in enhancing the boarding experience, providing the boarders with opportunities to unwind, explore new activities, and create lasting memories with their peers. The girls look forward to more exciting adventures and experiences in the future, strengthening their bonds and creating new memories.

Afternoon Rec Activities

Afternoon Rec has included the conclusion of the canvases from the IN weekend, a fiercely contested UNO game including our GAP students, the creation of Mother’s Day cards, and some loom band creations. The messy but extremely fun afternoon making gummy bear slime was a huge hit and Boarders’ Week decorating competitions left our boarding house a lovely shade of pink!

"In celebrating Boarders Week we got the opportunity during afternoon rec to decorate our dorms pink. This helped us display our creative genius as we decorated with heaps of pink ribbon and sparkles.” - Eva Heckendorf 

Staff Updates

Karina Paskin recently started working as a Casual Boarding Supervisor in Tivoli and Fernbank.

Karina previously worked in merchandising and social media video production, which has enabled her to travel to Southeast Asia for various conventions.

Outside of her role at Kambala, Karina works as a Clinical Nutritionist. Having a health science background, she understands the need for the environment we live in to be a happy and stable one which makes her a wonderful addition to our boarding team.

Sport

“This weekend, our Kambala hockey team competed in the third round of games for the term. Against Ascham, we played well together during the first half, starting the game off by scoring 5 goals! All the girls continued to develop the skills we had been focusing on during Tuesday night training, and by the end taking the win with the scoreboard reading 8-0, one of our best performances yet. We were lucky enough to have Simo, our bus driver this week, stop past McDonalds on the way back to the boarding house, where we all indulged ourselves in some lunch!” Ava Year 11

Boarding Expo at Dubbo

Mrs Sarmiento and Ms Mulligan enjoyed a wonderful two days at Dubbo for the Boarding Expo for the Central West. It is always a delight catching up with our current families and our old girls who often drop in to say hello and share updates of what they are doing now.

Kambala will be heading to Wagga on June 21 and 22 and we look forward to catching up with families in the region. If you’re in town, please drop by and say hello.

Where are they now?

Alumnae student: Emilia Rawson-Harris - Graduating Class of 2018

What was your favourite memory from your time in boarding? 

One of my favourite memories at boarding would definitely be making friends with the country girls and being invited to their farms.

What did you do after finishing school? 

After my graduation at Kambala, I went straight to University of New South Wales to complete a double degree in Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Fine Arts.

What are you currently doing? 

Throughout my studies, I found a part time job working as a hostess and waiter within the hospitality group Merivale. Over the years, I transitioned and moved forward to different venues such as Mimis and the Pavilion. Last year, I finished up my degree and naturally freed up time, to where I then moved into Merivale’s Styling department team, where I specialise with the Styling and Events team. More recently, I am revisiting one of our family businesses located at Mona Vale, called “GoldSpar” to learn more about Digital Marketing and Sales.

You are preparing a painting for the Archibald. How is that process going?

 What are you preparing for it? Painting has always been a passion of mine, in 2017 my art teacher Mr. Bickford devoted to me the “Eirene Mort Memorial Prize for Outstanding Creativity in Art”. This year, despite my busy schedule, I wanted to revisit my hobby and be a part of this exclusive Australian portrait prize called the “Archibald”. The process was amazing, with numerous lessons learnt along the way. I have finished the portrait and have submitted it , currently awaiting results.

How do you feel your time at Kambala has helped you as an adult?

My time at Kambala has helped me in ways that are beyond remarkable, from community relationship building, networking opportunities and Alumni support. Kambala has provided me with a sense of community and connectedness, something that I wouldn’t have achieved so well elsewhere. If all goes well, next year I would love to reapply for the Archibald and paint Chanel Contos, an old girl who I have recently reached out to as she is currently doing inspiring and remarkable changes for our community.

What are we Reading?

While probably known to most as the TV series, at the heart of the Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough is a classic novel which once started is almost impossible to put down. This historical fiction novel presents the view of the Cleary family through unique perspectives, providing an outlook into the lives of characters living between 1915-1940 in New Zealand. Overall, a great recommendation. 

Prep

Prep….. The A-Team Tutors have been working hard with Yr 7-10. We are lucky to have a new tutor added to the team and the girls are feeling more and more confident with seeking their help as part of their weekly routine. The tutors have included some surprise maths problems on the whiteboard to challenge the girls. They have also supported them with music assignments using Sibelius, which is a music score-writing software program.

A-Team Tutor Julia is also doing wonders with the Yr 11’s over in Fernbank, she is always in demand and recently helped check over their applications for leadership positions, as well as some maths homework.

Quote of the Week

“I can’t do my 12 times tables; I don’t have 12 fingers” - Anonymous Yr. 9

“I had a bunny rabbit. It died after I milked it.” - Anonymous Yr. 11

“Ms Danvers called- when I realised it was her, I thought she was calling to tell me my  daughter had Saturday detention. But she called to advise me she had been appointed  Head Girl of Kambala instead”! - Emma Alexander, mum of Kambala Head Girl -Sophie  Alexander