SAINTS BOARDING 

Our boarders are to be commended on the way they have settled into the new school year. Routines have been well established; study is focused and the boarding family has a settled and welcoming feel. Much of the early homesickness seems to have subsided, and the busyness of life in boarding has been embraced.

The first two weeks have been busy. This year, we welcomed 42 new boarders, 22 Year 7 students and 20 from other year levels. It is very pleasing to see our residences at near capacity and our young people enjoying the daily life of boarding.

Tutorial Program kicks off for 2026

Still uncertain about what you did in Maths today? Any boarder asked this question and who answered yes knows help is available. They just need to ask one of the many tutors available during study for clarification. We are fortunate to have a wonderful team of teachers, undergraduate students and Old Boys who assist our boarders during study. The aim is to help their academic progress. Our tutoring program operates on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday nights.

Sunday night Mass

Excluding free and exeat weekends, the boarding community celebrates either a Sunday night liturgy in the chapel at 7pm, or attends Sunday Mass at 8:30am at St Joseph’s. This is a new initiative, and we will alternate between these two arrangements. Weekly boarders are not expected to return on the Sunday morning for the parish Mass. With the exception of free and exeat weekends, all boarders are asked to return to boarding by 5:45pm on Sunday evening.

Exeat weekend

The Term 1 exeat weekend runs from 28 February to 2 March, and all students must arrange to spend the weekend off campus. Residences will close at 4pm on the Friday and reopen on the Monday between 4 and 8pm when boarders are expected to return.

Monday 2 March is a student-free day for both colleges.

Boarders are responsible for submitting leave requests into REACHby 7pm on Tuesday 24 February,and parents and carers must approve these. For assistance with REACH, please contact me or the relevant head of residence. 

Leave requests

A reminder to families that all leave requests must be submitted by 7pm on Wednesday night for normal weekends. The College understands and supports boarders visiting their families when in town, and staff will always work with you to ensure that quality time can be had during these visits. We do ask, however, that requests are not made on the Friday just before the weekend as the weekend program, including meal numbers, have been organised by that time.

REACH and Facebook

Thank you to the parents, carers and boarders who have navigated the REACH program when applying for leave over the past two weeks. As mentioned above, If you have any concerns about accessing REACH, please call or email me. Also, a reminder about the Saints Boarding Facebook page. To join, please follow the link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/145337315916743/ 

Communicating with heads of residence

As mentioned in the welcoming letters from our heads of residence, we welcome open communication between parents and carers and our heads of residence throughout the year. The best time to call them is between 8:30 and 9:30am on weekdays as the heads are extremely busy in the morning and after school. Alternatively, an email may be preferable and they will reply at their earliest convenience. When discussing topics such as leave requests or information about your son or daughter, the head of residence should be your first point of contact.

Thursday afternoon activities program

This program starts next week, and during the term our students will be involved in six different activities: gym, volleyball, basketball, touch, handball and art classes.

Country visits and dinners

We look forward to resuming our visits to prominent places where our families live. The first this term will be to the Tablelands for a dinner with families. We also look forward to visiting Groote Eylandt and Gove this term in Week 6. Information will be distributed to families closer to the date.

Saturday outings

Each Saturday, boarders and staff venture to a variety of places and enjoy the day together. This term they will enjoy outings to places such as Ellis Beach, Malanda Falls, Etty Bay, Palm Cove, as well as recreational activities and more. We will also offer a boarders camp in Semesters 1 and 2. 

Laundry returns

I encourage all boarders and their families to clearly label clothing with laundry numbers. We use an external laundry, and doing this ensures clothes are returned promptly to their owners and stay out of the unclaimed laundry pile.