Administration News

Closed Weekend & Boarding Buses

The Closed Weekend is approaching fast and bookings for the Boarding Buses are open until this Sunday 5 November at 10.00pm.

If you would like to use the bus service next weekend, please complete your booking via one of the links below.  

Eastern Service - Albany, Green Range, Boxwood Hill, Gairdner, Jerramungup, Ravensthorpe, Lake King. To book the Eastern Service, please click here.

Western Service - Albany, Mount Barker, Cranbrook, Tambellup, Broomehill, Katanning, Nyabing, Pingrup, Lake Grace.  To book the Western Service, please click here.

Photo Competition

The annual Boarding Photo Competition is now open to all boarders Years Seven to Eleven.  Please encourage your child to take photos over the Closed Weekend and enter them in the competition. Boarders can enter up to four photos of landscapes, iconic places, people and characters. We look forward to celebrating the winners at our Christmas dinner towards the end of Term Four.  The competition closes on Wednesday 15 November, entries should be emailed to dianne.franzinelli@gsg.wa.edu.au 

IT Devices on Weekends

Last night, Mr Ashley Keatch was able to talk to the Year Ten boarders going into Year Eleven about our trial period for handing IT Devices in on a weekend.  Thank you to the parents who completed the parent survey last term, we will do a similar survey for boarders at the end of this trial period.  Please see below the presentation to the Year Tens from last night.  Students were also shown a webinar from the Australian Boarding Schools Association on the effects on sleep of IT devices in rooms.

Government Assistance

A quick reminder to all families about the 2023 Boarding Away from Home Allowance. Applications for the allowance close on Friday 24 November.  If you are eligible for this allowance and have not applied thus far, please click here to access the application form.

Commonwealth Regional Scholarship Program

The Commonwealth Regional Scholarship Program is an initiative of the Australian Government delivering scholarships to students from regional, rural and remote communities to assist with the costs of attending a boarding school. The Commonwealth Regional Scholarship provides:

• Assistance to eligible students from rural, regional and remote areas with a contribution towards boarding fees, in order to provide a quality education option where local alternatives may not exist or be suitable. 
• Additional financial support to families who are unable to afford the full cost of boarding school fees and associated costs even with existing government support, with the intention to reduce families’ financial contribution towards boarding school fees; and
• A supported boarding school experience for students and families from low socioeconomic status backgrounds or those experiencing financial hardship.

Scholarships for up to 6 years are offered to successful applicants who are commencing or undertaking secondary school education in Australia in 2024 and be able to provide proof of enrolment in an eligible boarding school or facility. The following scholarships will be available from 2024:

• Tier 1 - Scholarships of $20,000 p.a. per student, for students from low-income families 
• Tier 2 - Scholarships of $10,000 p.a. per student, for students from low-to-middle income families experiencing financial hardship.

More information and eligibility criteria can be found here.

The Push-Up Challenge

Applications for The Push-Up Challenge Student Ambassador Program are now open and we would love to have our boarding students involved. 

In 2024, The Push-Up Challenge will be challenging participants to complete 3,249 push-ups (or alternative exercises) in the month of June. This number represents the number of Australian lives lost to suicide in 2022. Each day of the event, participants will learn about mental health, with a push-up target that reflects a significant mental health statistic.

Student Ambassadors lead the push for better mental health in their communities, and we think this could be a powerful way of engaging the boarding community in a team challenge that's all about fun, fitness and mental health.

To find out more, register your interest below or email studentambassadors@thepushupchallenge.com.au

Farm Household Allowance

Farm Household Allowance is a payment for farming families in financial hardship.

To get this you must:

• be a farmer or partner of a farmer
• meet the income and assets test limits
• meet mutual obligation requirements

A farmer must contribute significant labour and capital to a farm.

Read the full conditions under who can get it here.

Farm Household Allowance fact sheets are also available below.

• Farm Household Allowance Overview
• Financial and Support Services for Farmers and their Partners
• Farm Household Allowance Checklist
• Farm Household Allowance Activity Supplements

Mrs Dianne Franzinelli | Boarding Administration Officer