Breaksea House News
Greetings, Boarding Community! Breaksea House has been busy as always this term with school work, cocurricular activities and, in particular, supporting our Year Twelves as they come to the end of their boarding journey. From our Kingfisher Fair Stalls, to Hockey Grand Finals, to exams and our Farewell Dinner, there hasn’t been a dull moment. Please find below some key updates from life in Breaksea House.
Year Twelve Farewell Dinner
Our Year Twelve Farewell Dinner, held on Tuesday the 12th of September held so many highlights. One such highlight was the amazing leadership skills exhibited by our Year Eleven students, who united together to organise the logistics and decorations for the night, whilst also contributing to the gifts and celebratory traditions. We’re so proud of the Year Eleven students for displaying strong leadership and organisation skills, whilst setting such a great example for our Year Tens to replicate next year.
In addition, all of the Breaksea Supervisors made a special effort to attend and join in the celebrations on the night. Our supervisors are a lovely group of kind, approachable and supportive women who always give their best to make Breaksea a safe and comforting place. We were also grateful that our Deputy Principal, Mrs Emma Franklin and Head of Secondary School, Mrs Victoria Turnor, joined us to share the night. A special thank you is also in order for our Boarding Administrator, Mrs Di Franzinelli, who works tirelessly to help coordinate events like this and is always a helpful and supportive part of our team. We really treasure Di’s support with the myriad of events and logistics within our boarding community.
During the night, each of our Year Twelves received a ‘Most Likely to Award’ that celebrated one of their funny and unique quirks that we’ll miss. They also received a gift box which contained a wide range of gifts provided by the boarding staff and fellow students. Seeing the array of contributions, many hand-made with love, was a heartfelt reminder of the wide range of supports and skills that each member of our boarding team brings to our community. To finish up the night, we all had a laugh at the Kahoot Quiz organised by our Year Elevens that utilised a fun online quiz app to test the house on their knowledge of the Year Twelves personalities and experiences. Overall, the evening was full of smiles, giggles and sentimental tears as we reminded ourselves of the lovely contributions our Year Twelves have made to our lives throughout their boarding journey. We look forward to further celebrating our Year Twelve boarders at the upcoming Valedictory events next term.
Sunday Room Checks
On a more logistical note, one of our goals in Breaksea the last few weeks has been to improve the cleanliness and order of the boarder’s rooms. As most parents of teenagers know, cleaning their room isn’t always the highest priority for busy teenagers. However, we feel that a tidy and ordered room is such an important step in developing the necessary organisational skills to be successful.
Many of our boarders have laminated checklists under their light switches that remind them of the expectations of a tidy room. To help support this, on Sunday evenings during prep, our supervisors will be popping in to check that rooms are neat and tidy and offer support to those who may need some help organising themselves.
Supervisor Spotlight
Over the last few months, we’ve been lucky enough to welcome new supervisors to our team in Breaksea. It has been lovely seeing the boarders get to know our supervisors well and build genuine and lasting connections with them. We’d love for that to extend beyond the house into our wider community, hence the introduction of our Supervisor in the Spotlight section. Please find below a Q&A with one of our supervisors, Liz Stewart.
Tell us a bit about yourself:
These days I'm mostly a Mum to two young children, Roy who is nearly four, and Anika who is one and a bit. I'm also a Relief Teacher at GSG and have been teaching in various roles for about 15 years. I spent six years boarding at Penrhos College and loved it, although it wasn't home it was the next best thing! I've always had a keen interest in the Pastoral Care side of education which is why I'm thrilled to now be a Boarding Supervisor in Breaksea.
What is your favourite thing about working in Breaksea House?
It has to be getting to get to know everyone in the Boarding community, from the Heads of the Houses, to the Boarding Supervisors, Parents, Carers and most importantly the Boarders!
I have really enjoyed my Sunday shift where I have been lucky enough to take the Boarders out to surrounding beaches, taken a daytrip to Denmark, as well as hike up Castle Rock.
We live in a spectacular part of the word and love being able to explore it as much as possible. I hope everyone has a fab holiday and if I haven't met you yet I look forward to meeting you soon!
Thanks for your responses Liz!
Holidays
Wishing you all the best for a safe and enjoyable end of term holiday. I hope you enjoy the special time with your teenagers and the warmer weather. We look forward to seeing you all again next term.
Mrs Teliah Turrill | Head of Breaksea House
Year Twelve Reflections
My time at boarding has been a wonderful experience that allowed me to develop a sense of independence over the years. My peers and supervisors were such kind and caring people that tried their best to ensure a welcoming atmosphere. The recreational activities were so much fun when I was in middle school, and the access to academic tutoring in senior school really helped me get by. I appreciate the time I spent here and wish for the best in all the upcoming and new boarders in the community.
Bethany Robertson | Year Twelve
When I was asked to reflect on my time as a boarder at GSG, I thought right back to the first day in Year Seven. I knew one girl in my year group, but thanks to the care and support of the older students and Head of House I was able to make many more friends and treasured memories quickly accumulated. Now, I reminisce on my time in Endeavour, although short lived before I moved to Michaelmas, that first year built the foundation for my time in boarding. The two following years in Michaelmas were filled with fun and chaos, as we made valued friendships with the boys we shared the house with. Throughout my time at Grammar I took part in various basketball and netball teams, and enjoyed making more memories in and out of school. Moving into Breaksea and the senior school was the next step, where I was reunited with the older girls who I shared a house with in Endeavour. Our friendships strengthened in sisterhood form, where I was grateful to have role models to look up to for my final few years of schooling. Ms Bromhead was instrumental for my time in Breaksea and I will always value her selflessness in helping us develop into amazing women. She was persistent in her value of leaving a legacy, and I hope that I have left a worthwhile legacy in boarding as I graduate and move onto life outside of this community.
Ava Smith | Year Twelve