The Boarding Buzz

From the Heads of Boarding

COVID

COVID continues to be a constant in boarding, as it is everywhere and we continue to review and update our policies and procedures in line with government mandates. We appreciate your continued support around this. Your children are managing all the requirements without fuss or bother. Under Health Department regulations we are required to move all students who exhibit COVID symptoms off site until they are symptom free. We are not able to isolate students on site. If you could please ensure you have a plan in place, should your child experience any of the following symptoms: 

  • a temperature of 38 degrees or more or a history suggestive of fever (night sweats, chills)
  • cough or shortness of breath
  • sore throat
  • runny or stuffy nose
  • lost sense of taste or smell

 Boarding Bus - Closed Weekend

The response to the changes with the boarding bus has been positive. This has been a conversation we have been having for a long time and we are hoping this is a resolution that meets most people's needs. Thank you to our Parent Committee for helping us to ensure we came up with a solution that met the needs of our families. Twenty-nine boarding families used the bus runs for the recent Closed Weekend. Thank you to Mrs Di Franzinelli who efficiently manages the bookings each time.

Boarding Bus - Day Drivers

Our boarding bus goes in and out of town on weekdays after school from 3.30pm and on weekends from 7.00am in the morning and continues until there are no more students to transport. Our buses travel from GSG into town on the Lower King Road and onto Chester Pass Road, if necessary. Students book the bus by 9.00pm the night before on weekends and by 9.00am on school days.  Our system then creates a list for the driver to print. Our dedicated drivers then decide the best route to get the students to their commitments on time. The drivers know the best way to manage each run and factor in the requirements of each boarder. For example, some basketball games start at 4.00pm so these drop offs get prioritised over a training drop off.  It is important that students are organised with their bus bookings, as we need to plan how many seats are required for each bus trip, the most efficient manner of getting everyone to their commitments and  maintain records of any student on a bus run.

Boarding Parent Forum - Term Two

Ordinarily we host the Boarding Parent Forum on site in Term Two. Unfortunately, due to COVID we are unable to do so and will postpone this meeting until further notice.  The planned Parent Committee meetings will go ahead on Teams due to COVID restrictions. Please provide feedback to your representatives on the committee anything you would like us to address or discuss at these meetings. 

Main Entry Gate - End of Term

In Week Ten of this term the main entry to boarding will be closed due to Stage Two of the upgrade of the road surface. To access the site during this time you will need to enter at the Multi Purpose Sport Complex (Gym) entry and drive all the way around the back of the School via the Facilities area before parking in the Boarding area. This information will be clarified in the Anchor leading up to the time of the road closure.  

Staff Updates

Congratulations to Mrs Nicole Scott on ten years of working in boarding at GSG. Nicole is warm, kind and efficient and the senior girls appreciate her listening ears when on shift.  

 

We welcome Miss Lauren Holder to our boarding team, Lauren has been supervising in Endeavour and Anchorage and has already made a positive impact, as an active and enthusiastic supervisor. She has moved into Michaelmas with Miss Zaria Church from Perth and is studying a Masters of Secondary Teaching specialising in Physical Education and Outdoor Education through Edith Cowan University. Lauren is enjoying getting to know the Middle School students and has been visiting many of the local beaches to follow two of her passions, surfing and photography. Lauren also loves netball and has played at a State level and excelled at high jump whilst at school. We welcome Lauren to the boarding team.  

Student Survey Feedback - 2021

In November 2021 we asked our students to complete a survey and we garnered a lot of information from this survey.  Student voice is very important to us and the information on the Health Centre, internet access and options and catering were all fed back to the relevant members of staff. The feedback was mostly positive and we have reviewed and reflected on all the responses, the good and the bad. We would like to share some of the comments we received that made us smile: 

  • The care I receive is good. 
  • The environment here is good and positive. 
  • They are the best nurses I have ever met. 
  • I really appreciate that a lot of supervisors are up for a chat about life and give good advice. 
  • Nelson (Mr Stanborough) and Mr Sarre are spectacular and very helpful during prep and anytime. 
  • I really like having Nelson and Zak (Mr Mola) in Anchorage. 
  • My Head of House is amazing!  

Parent and student surveys will be completed this year early in Term Four. We then use this data to plan and prepare for the following year.  

Boarding Pulse - 2021 Parent Survey

We thank all those parents who took the time to provide feedback in the survey at the end of last year. Staff met and reviewed the feedback and have sought to respond to ideas and criticism accordingly. 

 

Forty-four parents responded to the survey and each of the boarding houses were represented in the feedback. We are thankful that a majority of parents feel that their students are cared for and respected. Ensuring that every child has supervisors who respond to the specific needs, interests and personalities of each student is a complex task, and one we seek to constantly achieve. 

 

Last year we introduced an extra edition of the Boarding Buzz, with the intention to provide additional information and photos from all boarding houses. The response from parents was overwhelmingly positive. With comments such as, “Love reading the Buzz and seeing what the kids are doing. Really appreciate the work that goes into producing it”.

 

An area of feedback we have implemented is having more Senior House specific recreational activities and ensuring parents know what is on offer for Rec each week. Hopefully, you are all enjoying receiving the snapshot from your Year representative each week.  Thank you for this feedback. 

 

Food always brings mixed reviews, and we provide this feedback to the kitchen. In response to your feedback we employed a nutritionist to review our menus and provide suggestions. We hope that this helps to bring further improvements to the food options in boarding. 

 

The use of the boarding bus service to and from town has been recognised as of great benefit. We really appreciate our wonderful bus drivers and have included the timetable for the bus runs and information about how this service works in this edition of the Buzz. 

Thank you again to all parents who responded to the survey and we hope even more parents provide us with feedback this year. 

 

Ms Vanessa Bromhead | Head of Senior Boarding

Mrs Tara Ball | Head of Middle Boarding