SAINTS BOARDING 

Exeat weekend

It's an exeat weekend and residences closed at 4pm today. They'll reopen at the same time on Monday, which is a student-free day at St Augustine's.  

St Monica's boarders are also enjoying a long weekend as they do not need to attend classes on Monday. St Monica’s College has approved this day for their boarders only, many of whom will use it to return to Cairns ahead of the reopening of residences.

If boarders arrive in Cairns earlier on Monday, due to flight availability, arrangements can be made for them to be collected. Their return flight and transport itineraries should have been forwarded to the relevant head of residence. 

A reminder to families that exeat weekends are not to be used as a reason for students to miss school. Both boarding and day schools have clear expectations regarding attendance, and we ask families to avoid requesting unnecessary leave during this time. If a student must miss school for a valid reason, a Request for Student Absence form must be submitted to the day school well in advance of an exeat.

Boarders of the Week

Congratulations to our Boarders of the Week. They received their awards after chapel on Sunday. It is very pleasing to hear about and see the community spirit being displayed in our residences this term.

• Girls – Olive Ware and Kaja Owen
• Boys – Hiro Kaneko and Evan Ah Shay

National Boarding Week

Last week was National Boarding Week, a time to celebrate boarding. It's a special time to shine a spotlight on the many ways boarding enriches the lives of young people and strengthens our school communities. It's a celebration of connection, growth and the unique experiences that boarding provides.

It’s also a moment to recognise and thank the many individuals – staff, families, students and supporters – who contribute to creating safe, supportive and thriving boarding environments across Australia. We are blessed to have such a strong and supportive community at Saints, where our co-educational environment fosters and creates many meaningful and lasting friendships, friendships that remain strong within and after boarding ends.

Many thanks to St Monica’s College and our boarding services team at Saints for the wonderful morning tea and afternoon tea that were provided to celebrate this special occasion.

It was also very affirming to hear some boarders speak in front of the community about what boarding means to them and why they enjoy boarding life. Thank you to Chrissie Atkinson, Cadell Ryan, Tara Bevan, Tray Tapim, Michael Bani, Jack McMaster, Oscar Dowell, Damajak Manas and Mason Connolly for sharing their boarding stories and what boarding means to them.

Thursday afternoon boarding activities

Our Term 2 program commenced in Week 3, with Year 7–10 students participating in a range of activities designed to keep them active and social. The activities on offer are as follows:

• Basketball
• Volleyball
• Art – college mosaic project
• Futsal or European handball
• Gym & fitness
• Touch and handball

Weekend outings

While there has been some unpredictable weather lately, our weekend outings remain a highlight of boarding. So far this term, we have visited places such as Port Douglas, the Yellow Arrow Walking Track, the Cairns Esplanade, Kuranda Markets and participated in selected activities at the College.

A reminder to boarders and host families regarding approved Saturday leave: boarders must be collected from the College before the boarding community departs for the outing and must not return until all boarders and staff have returned. No staff remain on campus during outings.

Weipa visit

St Augustine’s and St Monica’s are looking forward to visiting Weipa on 28 and 29 May. An enjoyable part of the visit is the opportunity to catch up with our current families over a meal, as well as to visit St Joseph’s Primary School and speak with Year 5 and 6 students. We will also have the chance to connect with families wanting to learn more about our colleges and boarding.

AIEF Pathways Workshop

19 boarders on AIEF scholarships have just returned from Townsville after participating in a one-day Pathways Program workshop with other AIEF scholarship holders from schools in Townsville. It was a highly interactive day, featuring practical opportunities to prepare students for pathways beyond school. We look forward to their participation in another workshop in November.

Term 2 Tutoring Program

We have dedicated staff who are committed to assisting our boarders with their schoolwork through our daily homework and study program. Tutoring is available on weeknights for all boarders and includes both group and individual support.

Student outings with parents

The boarding community encourages students to spend time with their families while in Cairns. Students are always encouraged to share a meal or spend quality time with them. We do ask, however, that heads of residence are given at least 24 hours’ notice for leave. For all leave requests and communication, heads of residence should be the first point of contact.