From the Houses

NAGLE HOUSE

This term has gone very fast and at last, we all feel settled into the year. The girls have worked hard to overcome everyday challenges that come with living together in a community away from their families and home and now it seems like we have always been here together. Our newest Year 7s under Vicki’s guidance are showing a great level of independence. They have learned to keep to a routine, make their beds, keep rooms tidy, be ready for school, and meals, and study on time. Some are even doing their own washing. Older girls already skilled in these areas have made new friends or caught up with old ones and started to make great memories from their time here at MEBS.

It's always exciting to hear about what the girls have been doing on the weekend and at the recent Adelong show Jasmin won second place for her mirror in a wooden frame and an encouragement award for her bedside table. Celeste won first place and the Judge's Choice with her painting of a bull. Culley also entered her crochet animals. Her Cow won 2nd and Echidna received an encouragement award.  Mary played at the  Bathurst Tournament and won doubles against East and North West. Maisy is involved in Touch Football and played in the winning Mater Dei team in the recent Preston Butcher Cup. She will soon be trialling for the NSWCCC selection and we wish her all the best. Many of our girls are busy training for the netball season which will be starting soon so the courtyard is a hive of activity after dinner. Life in Nagle house is never boring with so many girls with such active lives.

On Thursday 7th March we held a special Nagle house meeting to celebrate International Women’s Day. The girls gathered to play a game of celebrity heads, then they all received a bookmark with their name and name meaning on it, and a purple ribbon (purple being the colour for International Women’s Day) which they wore to school the next day. Cards with each girl’s name were set up on tables and they were encouraged to write something positive about one another.

A word from Scarlett and Ashley who have been attending the Fit for Life program every Wednesday morning:

“Ashley, Scarlett, Mary, Ivana, Culley, Tessa, Cooper, Nicolas, Harrison, Sam, Lachlan, and Ollie have been participating in the Fit for Life program at PCYC every Wednesday morning at 7 am with the Wagga police officers were the borders have been learning new skills and playing League Tag, Futsal (indoor soccer), and Basketball they have learned to be a team and to support each other towards their goals while also learning how to play these sports. This has been a great experience for us and we hope it continues into the future teaching kids our age good morals and sportsmanship. Once the boarders have finished their session they are provided with an amazing breakfast and beverages such as pancakes, toasties, and juice. And a big thank you to Jody for putting in the time and effort of the organizing of this program.”

Scarlett and Ashley are also members of Mount Erin Boarding BRC which gives the boarders a voice and creates leadership opportunities as well. Both girls also were part of this group last year and have said they both like being part of a dynamic group that has a positive influence on what happens in their boarding house. They enjoy mixing with all-year groups and having a voice in what happens in boarding.

Since our last newsletter, we have had our first combined netball tournament, and for two of our new year 11 girls Neve and Ella it has been a highlight of their first term.

“We are really enjoying boarding at Mount Erin. This is our first year boarding here, and so far the experience has been amazing. We have made many new friends from different towns, boarding creates a strong sense of community and belonging. One of the highlights of our time at Mount Erin so far would have to be the netball competition a few weeks ago. All of the boarders participated, and afterward, we had a barbecue.”

Bonnie has been with us since Year 7 and has work placement in childcare once a week. Bonnie who is interested in making a career in Early Education loves connecting with the children and is learning new skills every week. Recently Bonnie, Chelsea, Missy, and Mia celebrated Missy’s birthday. These girls share the same dorm and have a lot of fun together as well as encouraging each other to make the most of their study time.

Last week we celebrated Easter with an easter egg hunt which was a frenzy of activity as boarders rushed to find eggs well hidden by Anthony and Wayne with several of the girls using teamwork to their advantage. 

Later Nagle House girls shared an easter inspired supper and we had a crazy hair competition. The creativity within Nagle house is extraordinary and luckily John agreed to judge our stylists as we couldn’t choose as they were all excellent. The winning teams were Isla and Neve; Maya G; Genevieve; Maya P; Evie and Maddie; Lily; Cindy; and Chloe.

To end the term our year 12 girls have organized a special get-together for all the boarders watching the Taylor Swift “ The Eras Tour” movie. We are sure it will be a fabulous night well enjoyed by everyone.

From all of us in Nagle House, we hope you have a very happy and safe term break and we look forward to seeing everyone back in Term 2.

Jackie Tassell | Girls' Coordinator

RICE HOUSE

The end of Term 1 is in sight and whether the Term has gone very quickly or too slowly you would probably need to ask the Rice House boys -  how fast did each Friday morning arrive as they packed their belongings and headed home for their respective weekends with their families.

As far as Wayne, Naomi, Jody, and myself are concerned the first Term progressed at a pretty steady pace with lots of events taking place involving all the Rice House boys and on other occasions respective individuals.

A number of our Junior Rice House Boarders (Samuel, Harrison, Nicholas, Lachie , Charlie, and Oliver have traveled down to the PCYC complex each Wednesday morning at 7:00 am this term as part of a “Fitness for Life Initiative” run by the PCYC and have had a great time with lots of varied activities each week and a tasty breakfast provided afterward. Our thanks are extended to our activities officer Jody for enrolling the boys in this program and the PCYC staff.

Several of our Senior Rice House Boarders have been involved in the ‘Hardy Shield’ Wagga Schools Rugby League competition.

Angus , Archi , Billy, Oliver, Jack, and Kai have all made big contributions to the undefeated Kildare Catholic College (KCC) team which ended up winning the Final against Kooringal High School on  Monday afternoon- Well Done Boys! Also, congratulations to Mater Dei Catholic College (MDCC)  Boarder - Campbell who also played in the same competition during the term.

Participation in the inaugural Mount Erin Boarding School ( MEBS) Mixed Netball Cup and a visit to the Heritage Centre on the grounds of MEBS  were other highlight events in Term 2 for the Rice House Boarders. The boy's keenness and enthusiasm to make the Netball competition a success was greatly appreciated by everyone and a great time was had by all with presentations and a BBQ down at the pool following the event. Tom , Eli , Kieran  & Ted were all members of the winning team.

The Heritage Centre visit on Tuesday, March 26 was appreciated by all the Rice House  Boarders as  Mrs. Sue Bradley explained the long history of the Mt. Erin site and the early work of the Presentation Sisters. We enjoyed a walk through the Centre and marveled at the historical records and photos that have been located and preserved by Sue and her team of volunteers. We then enjoyed a BBQ on the grounds outside the Centre on what was a beautiful Autumn day. Thank you Sue and Sister Alexis who also attended.

Sonny and Sam headed off to Featherwood Chalet in Victoria for their Year 8 KCC camp on March 18 & 19. Both boys enjoyed the experience with plenty of activities available and the opportunity to better connect with their peers via better respect for each other and the importance of resilience.

Our KCC Year 12 Rice House Boarders (Will M, Angus, Will D, Ronan, and Ewan ) headed off to Greenhills (ACT) for their 3-day retreat held between March 25 and March 27. The focus of the retreat was on building relationships within the KCC year 12 group and although the boys returned to Rice House looking pretty tired and drawn they said they enjoyed the experience and the retreat was well run by the Burn Bright Leadership team.

Congratulations to Ollie (Year 7) who qualified for the BISSA swimming championships that were held on March 7 at the OASIS swimming pool facility in Wagga.

Congratulations also to Angus (Year 12) and Oliver (Year 11) who were selected to play in the Western Rugby League Schoolboys Trials held in Forbes last week. Well done to Angus again as he was then selected for possible higher representative honours after these trials.

Further, congratulations to Dustin (Year 11) who has been selected in the Under 18  Brumbies Country (Rugby Union) team to play in the State Championships at Concord Oval, Sydney on the June Long Weekend.

Ewan & Albert will make the trek along the ‘Kokoda Trail’ during the Holiday break. Tumbarumba Rotary has organized a group of about 15 local boys and girls throughout the Tumbarumba region to undertake this historic route. The 96km trek will involve 8 walking days and 2 rest days. Best wishes Ewan & Albert for what should be a memorable once-in-a-lifetime adventure.

On behalf of the Rice House staff, I would like to wish all the Boys a safe and enjoyable break and hopefully, they come back to MEBS with the same energy and enthusiasm they displayed in Term 1

Michael McTaggart | Boys’ Coordinator