SAINTS BOARDING 

Free weekend

Our boarders are enjoying a long weekend as today was a student-free day at St Augustine's and St Monica's. Boarders who chose not to go on leave are involved in a two-day camp on Lake Tinaroo. After a study session this morning, boarders travelled to Genazanno, and they'll return to the College on Sunday at 3pm. 

A reminder that boarders on leave are expected back at Saints by 8pm on Sunday and that residences will not reopen until 3pm on Sunday. Dinner will be held from 6 to 6:30pm. Families, please contact the relevant heads of residence if your children will be returning to the College on Monday morning.

AIEF Graduation

Congratulations to our Year 12 students Jamal-Joseph (JJ) Parsgaard, Torres Sabatino, Angelina Ketchell and Aroha Parkinson, who attended their Australian Indigenous Education Foundation (AIEF) Graduation in Sydney recently. They joined 80 graduating students from across Australia for a very special celebration at Taronga Zoo.

The four students were awarded an AIEF Boarding and Academic Scholarship when they commenced their studies at either St Augustine's or St Monica's. It was wonderful to see them recognised for reaching this important milestone. We extend our sincere thanks to the AIEF for their unwavering support of our students and for the strong relationship we have shared over many years.

Well done, Jamal-Joseph, Torres, Angelina and Aroha. We are incredibly proud of you and all that you have achieved.

Leave requests

 Recently there have been many late leave request from boarders wishing to attend various events or take part in activities. This can place undue pressure on our heads of residence, transport coordinator and drivers. To ensure we have a streamlined process that all boarders are following, and to ensure maximum efficiency, there is a summary below of the leave process that we ask the boarding community to follow. This table is also in the Boarding Handbook.

At times, the boarding community also receives requests to approve time off from the day school. However, boarding staff cannot approve such requests. These must be made, well in advance, to the day school on a Request for Student Absence form and be approved by the College Principal. This form is available on the MyCE app. Go to Documents in directory, scroll down to Forms and open EF2. Complete the form and email sac.absences@cns.catholic.edu.au 

End-of-term holidays

As the holidays approach, I remind families of the final day of term for St Augustine’s and St Monica's: Friday, 18 September. 

Full-time boarders will be permitted a travel day on Friday 18 September to ensure they can leave the College on the final day. Weekly boarders, who generally travel only a short distance, must stay until the final bell on Friday.

 A reminder that a Request for Student Absence form must be completed and approved by the College Principal if there's a valid reason for a student to miss school up until the end of term. Boarders are not required to submit this form if they are travelling home on the Friday. Those who have ABSTUDY arrangements will be picked up from St Augustine’s only, and we have told all boarders this.

Flight itineraries

To help us coordinate transport efficiently, please forward departure flight details for the end of Term 3 and arrival details for the start of Term 4 to the relevant heads of residence well before the end of term. This is a must as staff begin holidays on 18 September. Residences reopen for the new term on Tuesday 6 October at 4pm.

Weekend outings

The boarding community has recently enjoyed weekend outings to Palm Cove and the Esplanade, as well as time exploring the Cairns CBD. The students have made the most of these opportunities to get out, enjoying the local surrounds and spending time together away from the residences.