Boarding News

I have always found the term 'wellbeing’ hard to grapple with. It is something of a buzzword in the education world now. What does it really mean? I don’t claim to have the answers. Being a philosopher at heart I tend to fall back on the guidance of thinkers from the past and in this case, I will defer to Aristotle. He spoke of eudaimonia which has been translated as happiness but should probably be more accurately translated as living well or human flourishing. Seen as the highest human good and the only human good desirable as an end in itself, as opposed to a means to an end. What I like most about this concept is that it is an action or range of actions rather than an end state of being. Furthermore, it requires consistent and repeated practice of the virtues:

“For one swallow does not make a summer, nor does one day; and so too one day, or a short time, does not make a man blessed and happy” (Nichomachean Ethics, Book I, chapter 7).

This is important to remember. The job of “doing wellbeing”, therefore, is never done. 

In boarding we strive to create an environment, offer opportunities, and provide guidance for the young people in our care so that they can begin to develop the habits and characteristics that will allow them to live well and achieve human flourishing. This year we have highlighted the importance of thankfulness and gratitude by encouraging the boys to thank those around them who support them and help them to be at the school. Our Year 10 boys have spent some time during Prep watching Gus Worland’s documentary series on masculinity and mental health. This then formed the basis of group conversations facilitated by staff. Belonging to a wider community and creating connections with a range of people helps to support human flourishing. To this end we have focused on joint activities across the PLC and Wolaroi sites this term for our weekend activities. These have included our termly boarders chapel, a Paella Night for our Year 11s, a trip to the park with Miller and Wolaroi Houses, a trip to the Boronore Caves, a working bee at Windemere Farm, a sports day and movie night and an upcoming pizza night for all our Year 10 boarders; to name but a few.

All these activities and initiatives will all take a far more visible and explicit form next year when the Life-Skills Program for boarding is introduced. This program will structure what we are already doing so that boarders can self-identify areas they have achieved in and so that these achievements can be celebrated. Any such initiative will only be as successful as the level of engagement that can be achieved from the young people involved. It is encouraging then, that our student leaders are constantly collaborating with their Heads of House and the Heads of Boarding to feedback what the boarders want to spend their time doing. Each term next year will have a theme, common across all houses, and activities will be supplemented with suggested reading, podcasts, and group discussions. The themes we will be tackling next year are as follows:

Whilst initiatives and structured activities are important for ensuring that we are doing everything we can to support the wellbeing of the young people in our care nothing can replace the power of human relationships. By far our greatest strength in this area is our staff. Every one of our committed boarding staff is fully invested in getting to know your child and in caring for them from the moment they walk through our doors and beyond. Our diverse team can provide unique perspectives on life and as such add to the rich web of support and wisdom available to your child. In turn, our staff benefit greatly from sharing some of the most important moments of life with your sons and daughters, their work, and the positive impact that they have adds to their sense of eudaimonia. In this way we are building a community that supports the flourishing of all its members.

James​ Perrin

Head of Wolaroi House