Message from the

Director of Boarding

As we reach the mid-way point of the final term of the year, it is easy for some to focus on the end of the year as it is so close and in sight.

However, there is much still to come and many important things for our boarders to focus on. The Year 11s are undergoing their own transition into their final year with all subjects starting the Year 12 content and workloads and expectations starting to ramp up. For the junior years, the looming presence of the end of year exams is coming sharply into focus and minds are starting to wander to exam revision, study timetables, past papers and preparation.

I was delighted to be able to meet with all the House Captains last week for our first meeting of their new appointment. I was impressed by their energy, enthusiasm and professional approach to the meeting. It was especially pleasing that they had created and pushed their own agenda which included discussion on several matters relating to girl boarders at PLC. The first was the concept of ‘seniority’ which permeates through the senior years and exists primarily in the form of lunchtime ‘fast lanes’ for Year 12s and Year 12s getting priority on buses. These privileges were removed last week and seen as a form of punishment by some but it was merely a step taken to highlight the style of leadership that we do want at Kinross Wolaroi; servant leadership. I enjoyed the heated debate this created amongst the House Captains but equally enjoyed the open minded approach with which they viewed the situation and I believe strongly that the House Captains will prove to be great ambassadors for boarding both collectively and individually.

Whilst on the topic of buses, I am delighted to announce that we are trialing, at the PLC campus a new morning bus schedule which removes the early bus (0740) and shifts it 30 minutes later. At the same time, we have made the decision to extend the morning breakfast time for the girls so as to minimize the rush they experience and feel every morning. It is hoped that this extra time in the mornings will have a significant positive effect on our girls’ wellbeing.

The weekend activities continue apace this term with the focus squarely on getting our boys and girls together to spend some quality social time. Two weeks ago our Year 9s and 10s gathered at PLC for a variety of activities; the PLC market garden spring planting, bubble soccer, a swim in the pool and a BBQ to finish off. Replanting the market garden and restocking the chicken coop proved to be a great start to the day; indeed, there were so many who turned up that the job was done in a fraction of the time. Boys and girls then moved down to the oval where 10 giant inflatable zorbs were ready for bubble soccer. Girls and boys had a sensational time rotating every 10 minutes so everyone had a turn. It was a brilliant afternoon and enjoyed by all. Last weekend we brought our Year 7 and 8 boys and girls together at the Wolaroi campus for an action-packed of games and activities in and around the pool naturally followed by a BBQ (of course!). It is pleasing to see our boys and girls spending time together on the weekends; it has been a huge push from our Heads of House and I thank them for making it happen.

Finally, I’d like to mention once again the social media platform we use to highlight the boarding activities your sons and daughters are involved in. KWS Boarding is on Instagram at @kws_boarding so do go online and follow us for all the updates. We endeavour to take snapshots of most boarding activities, with added discretion, so you can get an extra taste of what we are up to.

Mr Matt Curran

Director of Boarding