SAINTS BOARDING
News from Brett Toombs
Director of Boarding
St Augustine's College Cairns
Free weekend
Our full-time boarders are enjoying their first free weekend of the term, which allows them to spend time with host families. Residences will reopen at 4pm on Monday and boarders should be back by 8pm unless the respective heads of residence have been contacted well in advance. There will be one dinner at 6pm Monday night.
For planning purposes, please note the following dates:
- Exeat weekend – 24–26 May (26 May is a student-free day at Saints).
- Free weekend – 14 & 15 June.
Weipa visit and family dinner
Mr Seivers, Mrs Webster and I travelled to Weipa this week to visit our boarding families and to speak with Years 5 and 6 students at St Joseph’s Parish School there. This is always a very enjoyable trip as we have cared for many boarders from the area over the years. A special part of the trip is the family dinner and catching up with parents and Old Boys in a relaxing and social environment. We look forward to several other trips this year to visit our boarding families.
Thursday afternoon boarding activities
Our Term 2 program starts on Thursday afternoon in Week 4, involving our Years 7–10 students in a variety of outdoor activities:
- Yoga or meditation
- Basketball development
- Volleyball
- Art
- Futsal or European handball
- Gym & fitness
- Oz Tag
Boarders have been reminded to sign up to ensure they are participating in something they enjoy.
Weekend outing
We enjoyed the first of our traditional Saturday outings last weekend. With the weather becoming a little cooler, we took one final opportunity to visit the beach, and enjoyed a day at Port Douglas. This long weekend, our boarders will go bowling on Saturday and visit Etty Bay on Monday.
Term 2 tutoring program
Saints has dedicated staff who are committed to assisting boarders with their schoolwork, in our daily homework and study program. Individual and group tutoring are available weeknights for all boarders.
Special leave with parents or carers
The boarding community encourages students to have a meal with families or to spend time with them whenever they're visiting Cairns. We do ask, however, that heads of residence are given at least 24 hours’ notice for such leave. They should always be the first point of contact when requesting any kind of leave.
Labelling clothing
I take this opportunity to remind families about the importance of sewing name tags (available from the Saints Shop)on to all clothing in boarding. Community living involves hundreds of items being washed, and correct labelling is crucial to ensure that clothing is returned to its owners.