Dear Mount Erin Boarding Community,

Welcome to the first edition of Boarders' Buzz for 2026. A Happy New Year to all of our Boarding families. The start of term, as always, has been very busy, productive, and very enjoyable. It has been a pleasure see our returning boarders and also our new ones.

Already, they have become an integral part of the MEBS Boarding cohort.

Our Boarding Staff returned in Week 1 for professional learning and preparation of the Boarding Houses.

We welcomed our new Boarding Administration Assistant, Chris Fisicaro.

Chris brings a wealth of experience and expertise to this role.

New Year 7 Boarders and the returning Year 12 Boarders came in on Sunday, 1 February, for their start on Monday, 2 February. The Year 8 to 11 Boarders returned on Monday afternoon, in readiness for the first day of school on Tuesday.

College Opening Assemblies

It was my privilege to have attended the Kildare Opening Assembly and High Achievers Awards ceremony, and Mater Dei's Opening Mass, which included the blessing of the school/ boarding leaders' badges. Both of these occasions are very special.

Once again, some of our Boarders were amongst the KCC high achievers. Congratulations to each one. I was fortunate to have been invited up on stage at Mater Dei to congratulate Maisy on receiving her MDCC Boarding Captains badge and witness her mum, Teresa, pinning it to her uniform—a proud moment.

Regional Visits

MEBS has visited three of our regional towns recently, Tumut, Temora, and Cootamundra.

It has been great to catch up with our current families and meet with potentially new ones. MEBS will be present at both College Open Nights to answer any queries about Boarding at Mount Erin.

Boarders' Health Forms 2026

We take caring for our Boarders seriously. To enable us to care for the students in our care, we require an up-to-date 2026 Health form. This is most important when there is a need to transport a student to Wagga Base Hospital or a local doctor.

May I ask that if families have not already done so, please check emails sent out at the end of Term 4 2025 and at the beginning of term. Thank you for your support with this request.

Boarders' Mass Term 1

MEBS will celebrate its first Mass for 2026 in the Mount Erin Chapel next week on Wednesday, 4 March at 5 pm. The Lent Mass will be celebrated by Father Neil Hernandez.

Parents/ Carers/ families are invited to attend the Mass and to join us for dinner afterwards in the Dining Room. Please RSVP Chris Fisicaro at mebs@ww.catholic.edu.au by Tuesday, 3 March. We would love to see you there.

Face-to-Face Tutoring

The new face-to-face tutoring programme is about to commence. The new Tutors are just awaiting the clearance procedures required for working with children. The Learning In Residence programme will take place in a study hall environment to assist with the learning/study process. The junior Boarders will study in Rice House Meeting Space 2, and the Senior Boarders can study in the study space located on the ground floor adjacent to the Nagle House main entrance.

I take this opportunity to thank our Boarders and Staff for an excellent start to the year.

The student voice provided by the Student Leaders / BRC has already organised with our Boarding Activities Officer supprt, an off the campus activity for each House. The boys have played golf with a pizza meal at Wagga Beach. The girls are about to attend laser tag on Monday, 2 March, followed by a special dinner for them. I would also like to thank the student leaders who attended each of the regional visits. We are very proud of them.

As we begin this Lenten season, we are invited to step away from the distractions of daily life and enter a 40-day journey of spiritual renewal.

Let us use this time to:

Pray: Deepen our connection with God through quiet reflection.

Fast: Offer up habits that separate us from others and God.

Give: Practice generosity to help those in need.

John Bussenschutt

Head of Boarding