Boarding

Welcome new boarders and learning to let go!

It was a warm welcome back to the Boarding House this week. We applauded our six new boarders who joined us this term. 

New boarders have been buddyed up and have hit the road running. Although a little surprised by the hectic pace of boarding life, they have all survived moving in, the first day of school, finding their way around, and starting their College journey with a positive approach. 

Our new boarders for Term 3 are:

• Ebony Leishman (Year 7)
• Teddy Dabernig (Year 7)
• Jaxon Leishman (Year 8)
• Oli Credlin (Year 9) 
•  Jinyuan Li (Year 9)
• Abigail Shai (Year 11)

In addition to the new full-time boarders, I am pleased to welcome so many new casual boarders to the community. Our new casual boarders focus on enhancing the studies of existing college students. By spending less time travelling to and from school, our senior casual boarders invest important time in after-school prep in the library until 5:30 pm and then return to the Boarding House for a hot dinner, some relaxation and then back into their prep for Academic Assistance the evening. Speaking with some new casual boarders last night, they are happy with the change - gaining more time to focus on studying with others or one-on-one with a teacher, filling their cup with some social time during dinner and around the Boarding House, and they feel more independent.

As Director of Boarding, I believe this is important, allowing our young to feel independent. Adolescents and young adults long for responsibility and want to be in charge of their own lives. As parents, we find letting go difficult, afraid they will make a mistake or that they’re not ready. I know I certainly have been in that boat, not thinking our daughter would be able to ‘step up’ and be organised, prepare lunch, for example, or complete homework. It certainly isn’t smooth sailing, but it is important to provide opportunities to be independent. 

Although we are not sending our 9-year-old off to boarding, well not yet, I do know that boarding provides a wonderful window of opportunity for boarders, young and old, to take on a level of responsibility that they not only want but need. The sense of autonomy, self-control, confidence, and reflection all come into the fold of boarding, and we see students slowly mature in preparation for their step away from secondary school. Going on street leave and letting people know where you are, being organised and prepared for the day, communicating and socialising (actually talking, and not texting!), washing their clothes, making beds, getting along with others, completing prep, etc., all go a long way in preparing for life. We regularly hear from boarding alumni that these lessons set them up for a smooth transition to residential living at university, GAP years travelling, and employment.

Our team of staff continually assists boarders with these skills, but we also give boarders space and flexibility to make decisions and to learn from them. It is a journey for all of us, but it is important to know that when we let go and provide an opportunity to be independent, our children can learn to step up and grow into strong, confident, and social young adults.