Boarding Night of Night's and letter from Rob McArthur

There have been lots of celebrations as the school year winds up, including a special celebration for our boarding students.

Our Boarding House Night of Nights celebrated our boarders and boarding staff.

Congratulations to the following students who were recognised on Sunday:

 The Kim McPartland Boarding Award: Elicia Green and Develliers Shadforth

 Boarding House Citizenship Award: Shanille Braybon and Lachlan Blue-Coulthard

 Boarding House Encouragement Award: Lynesha Mulda and William Rubuntja

 Boarding House Team Player Award: Madi Williams and Ronald Squire

 Boarding House Good Samaritan Award: Vivian Gorey-Swan and Daniel Campbell

We would like to say a massive thank you to Yeperenye Shopping Centre for sponsoring these awards, allowing us to celebrate the amazing achievements of our young boarders.

We'd also like to thank our Head of Boarding, Rob McArthur, and all the Boarding House staff for their care this year and for organising a fun night.

Dear Boarding House Parents and Carers,

As the end of the school year rapidly approaches, I thought I would write to you to say thank you for your ongoing support for St Philip’s Boarding this year. All of us working together in partnership is essential to our boarders’ wellbeing and success. We appreciate your support, your faith in us, and your tireless devotion to your children.

We have faced a few challenges in terms of staffing, but I am very pleased with the staff we have attracted this year and who now take care of your children. They are all highly professional and – to a person – care deeply about the welfare of the boarders at St Philip’s College. While I am departing, Jen Inglis, Simon Dohler, Jodie Jensen and Jessye Blake will still be here to work with your children when they return in late January 2025.

At this point, I’d like to acknowledge the work of Santino Merino, who has worked casually in the Boarding House since 2021. Santino is a full-time teacher and Head of the English department. He has also worked one night a week in the Fellas’ Boarding House since I started and has been an extraordinary House Parent. Santino is moving to Darwin next year; I want to thank him for his dedication over the last few years.

I also want to acknowledge the work of Ketut Sunada who recently celebrated his 20-year anniversary of starting at St Philip’s College. Ketut works in Boarding as the Head Chef in the kitchen and has worked tirelessly to ensure your children are fed healthy and tasty meals, every single day. Ketut is an amazing staff member who is known and loved by every single boarder; we are lucky to have him taking care of your children’s nutritional needs.

The boarders have had another good year. For the most part, they have learned to actively lean into to our core values of mutual respect, trust, kindness, responsibility-taking, and forgiveness. It has been an absolute privilege this year seeing the personal growth that has occurred for all, over time. Each and every one of them is a credit to their family and their communities.

My time at St Philip’s College Boarding has now come to an end. It has been an honour to serve as Director of Boarding at St Philip’s College and I have felt privileged to have experienced all that this job has given me. Kris Wheeler will be replacing me as Director of Boarding in 2025. Kris is a deeply experienced Boarding House leader and a former Head of Fellas’ Boarding at St Philip’s College (2010 to 2015). Under Kris’s leadership, your children will be in very safe hands indeed.

Regards,

Rob McArthur