Boarding

Port Fairy Folk Festival - homestay

Last weekend many of our students and boarders attended the Port Fairy Folk Festival. Two special attendees were Sofiya and Susan. 

Thank you to the incredible College families that have offered to host our international students over the last few weeks.  It is very special for the students to have this local experience!

A big shout out to our College family, the Fitzsimmons. They hosted Year 7 boarders, Sofiya and Susan, who had a great time in Port Fairy over the long weekend.  Annika, Year 7, was a fantastic guide for all things ‘Folkie’ and Port Fairy. 

If you would like to host one of our international students at any stage, please let myself or Susie Holcombe know.  

International Student Coordinator

We are pleased to welcome Mrs Penny Cullinan to the role as International Student Coordinator. Many would already be familiar with Penny from our Junior School, however it is wonderful to welcome Penny to the Boarding House in supporting our International Boarders. Penny meets the boarders each Wednesday evening for a get-together and building the support network around all boarders from international backgrounds. 

A message from Mrs Callinan:

I have been teaching for over twenty years, during which time I have developed a strong interest in student well-being and pastoral care. In this role, I provide a point of connection and support for our international students and their families as they settle into life at The Hamilton and Alexandra College. 

I have a long-held interest in Asia, which was sparked when I studied Mandarin as a secondary school student.  I have travelled several times to mainland China and Hong Kong where I have enjoyed immersing myself in the culture, history and incredible food.  I love meeting new people and look forward to getting to know each of our international students - their likes, hobbies and ambitions for the future. 

I am looking forward to being part of each student's College experience and sharing with them the wonderful things about our school and this beautiful part of Australia. 

Boarding community online term meeting

I look forward to our online meeting with the boarding community in our final week of term. The meeting invite will be sent to all boarding families next week. Our meeting is a wonderful opportunity to 'get together' from all parts of the state, country, and world! I look forward to chatting and updating families on the evening of Wednesday 2 April at 7pm AEST.

A visit to mainland China

I have been fortunate to travel to mainland China this past week and experience a wonderful culture. I have never been to China before and will certainly be planning on returning soon. I was blown away by the hospitality, generosity, passion for education, and strong values of respect, pride, and kindness instilled in the community. 

I was also amazed at how you can have 25 million in one city and yet it operates unbelievably smooth. Our College Registrar, Susie Holcombe and I attended exhibitions promoting the College alongside up to 22 other independent schools, largely from Victoria. We met many families who were drawn to College because of the balance of wellbeing and academics, the open spaces, and the opportunity to learn more about our culture. Not only did we attend exhibitions, we also caught up with families who currently have children at College. This was a wonderful opportunity to meet families face to face.

Thank you to all our families who attended, current and prospective. I wish you all the very best and look forward to meeting you all once again.

Thank you very much (太感谢了)