June 25 2026

Dear Boarding Parents/ Carers, Students, and Staff,

This term, our Boarders have been actively involved in events and activities, including the National Boarding Week, Carroll and Gunson Cups, College events, ANZAC Day, Boarders’ Mass, the MEBS Cultural Mural, and the MEBs Annual Mixed Touch Football Tournament, to name a few.

I am particularly proud of our Boarders, who, through the Boarders' Representative Council use the student voice to initiate change and provide feedback about MEBS, including our Activities programme and our Catering. Our Boarding staff continues to develop professionally and work tirelessly in supporting our students and the Boarding programme.

Our New Boarding Transport Officer

We welcomed Mr. Tim Hall to MEBS this term. Tim is a former NSW Police Officer and is also working as part of the Maintenance team at Mater Dei Primary School.

The Opportunity of Boarding

When speaking with prospective families about boarding, I often mention that if their son or daughter were to become a boarding student, they would join a very special group of young people around the world, who have that opportunity.

Fewer than 0.6% of Australian students attend a boarding school. The average size of Australian boarding schools is about 110 students, with a number exceeding 200 or more.

Boarding school is not for everyone, and it does require both financial and emotional investment. However, contemporary boarding can provide some advantages, including the development of life skills and excellent support for academic study.

The main reason for attending Boarding school in Australia is due to families being remote from schools of their choice that provide a wide or specialized curriculum.

Boarders can also take advantage of a wider range of after-school activities and greater access to sporting and cultural/ artistic pursuits.

A growing trend is weekly or flexi boarding, addressing the needs of busy families and the convenience of attending school/ sports, and other curricular activities whilst enjoying quality family time on weekends.

MEBS can provide an excellent weekly Boarding experience for Years 7 to 12, preparation for students intending to attend larger Boarding schools in senior years, boarding for Year 11 and 12 HSC years, or flexi boarding to provide access to Wagga-based activities whilst attending either Kildare or Mater Dei.

Learning in Residence

The MEBS Learning in Residence Programme is rapidly developing into an excellent learning and support process. Our team of Tutors and Boarding staff ensures that Study Hall has our students engaged in College set work around maths and literacy, as well as supporting other subjects, including Science and Humanities. HDPE and Studies in Religion.

Study Hall has been set up with reading material, approved novels, and Maths books for reference. College teaching staff have been providing professional development in numeracy and literacy.

It is important for our HSC students to engage with the Tutors in preparation for the upcoming trial exams.

EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST

The Colleges/ Boarding are still requesting expressions of interest regarding Sunday return.

If you have not already done so, please let us know if you would be interested in returning to Boarding on Sunday afternoon/ evening: email: mebs@ww.catholic.edu.au

This will certainly be in place for our Year 12 HSC Boarders for the duration of the upcoming Trial Exams.

LEAVE

From Term 3 2026, Boarding students can request leave for themselves using the REACH App on their phone or computer. It is hoped that this will be beneficial for parents and students. Parents can still request/ enter leave.

Parents will approve or disapprove the leave entered by their son/daughter. Parents will need to ensure that a Host is suitable to supervise their child. A host must be an approved adult over the age of 21, holding a full driver's licence. It is recommended that Boarders communicate with Boarding Staff about their leave requests. The leave is finally approved/ disapproved by Boarding Staff.

PLEASE NOTE: 24 hours' notice must be given regarding leave, especially if related to the use of the MEBS vehicle host leave

HSC Exams - Sunday Night return - August 2 and August 9, 2026

The Boarding House will be open during the day and supervised. Year 12 Boarders will be asked to complete a form showing which days they will be in, and lunches will be ordered via Dave Lugton for the days required.
Sunday 16 will be open, subject to numbers

Year 12 Boarders’ Farewell Mass and Dinner - September 2 2026

The next Boarders’ Mass is on Wednesday 2 September. This Mass is the Farewell Mass for our Year 12 Boarders.

Please note: THIS WILL BE A CLOSED NIGHT - ALL BOARDERS ARE EXPECTED TO ATTEND. We ask Boarders and their families not to organise any leave on this night.

Parents and Grandparents are invited to attend along with our College Principals, College Executive Staff, Boarding and College staff, boarders, and special guests.

TERM 3 2026 Return:

The Colleges and Boarding open on July 20. Boarding Bag drop from 8.00 am. Boarding opens from 3.20 pm.

John Bussenschutt/ HEAD OF BOARDING

Faith/Mission /Prayer

Staff Spirituality Day