Boarding House

A warm welcome back

It is great to have our boarders back this week, and I can say that our boarders have returned the vigour of positivity.  Although, we must admit that with our Year 10 boarders currently on their Central Australia Experience, the Boarding House is a little quieter than normal.  

It is wonderful to welcome two new boarders, Brian Shi (Year 7) and Georgia Michalanney (Year 11). Brian arrives at College from Hong Kong, whilst Georgia resides in Mount Gambier. Both our new boarders have walked into boarding with confidence and comfort thanks to the kind and inclusive environment.

New staff

We also have new staff beginning this term, Carl Joyce (Speirs House MOD) and Bailey Edwards (Speirs Houseparent). Both have already been surprised by the busyness of the Boarding House, and it is great to see them already making a positive impact. It was sad to see Liz Anagnostou and Georgie Upton depart this term. Liz will be spending more time with family each weekend, whilst Georgie will be engaging in new academic studies. I wish both Liz and Georgie well in their respective endeavours.

We also welcome Gap student, Eve Greener who joins Cay-cee in our Boarding House. Eve has lived all around the world, most recently Germany. 

Boarding Committee

The Boarding Committee is busy organising activities and excursions for the term ahead. Some preliminary plans include: Port Fairy lighthouse walk, Melbourne trip and AFL footy, Go Karting, In-house games, and our termly Formal Dinners. 

Our Boarding Committee at their weekly meeting planning.

Our first formal dinner is next Wednesday evening, and we have a guest speaker, David Thornton, joining us. David is a successful businessman, Engineer and member of our College Board. We certainly look forward to listening to David and him sharing his wisdom with our boarders next week.

Senior Years students that have an interest in the engineering pathway are welcome to attend the dinner or stay for a night of casual boarding.  For interested day students, it will be $15 for the formal dinner of $100 for casual boarding.  please make contact if you are interested in joining us.

Year 12 approach

Term three is an important time for our Year 12 boarders. This term, their focus is sharpened, and the energy builds to conclude their Unit 4 curriculum and start preparing for the important exam period. 

It is also a time when Year 12 boarders will be interested in visiting Open Days at universities, seeing residential accommodation and making those big decisions about their next step - from GAP years to employment, tertiary study and having some adventures. 

This is also a term for our senior students to invest in their studies and gain the rewards of their hard work. Specifically, Year 12's will be at the Senior School studying each Monday and Tuesday afternoon 3:30-5:30pm with afternoon tea provided for them in the Shilladay Room. This is a good time for all Year 12’s to recharge and re-focus on their revision and preparation whilst also receiving help from teachers. I have received support from each Year 12, understanding that this will be the ‘training’ they require to perform at their best in their exams. 

Important dates ahead:

• Monday 7 August: Sheepvention long weekend (no classes). Boarding House will remain open. 
• Monday 7 August: Naracoorte bus will run on Monday (not Sunday) on the usual timetable. 
• Thursday 10 August 7pm, Friday 11 August 7pm, Saturday 12 August 2pm and 7pm: The Addams Family tickets are available at https://tha.ac/theaddamsfamily

Boarding trials: 

• Year 7, 2024 - Sunday 20 August - 21 August
• Year 8-12, 2024 - Sunday 27 - Wednesday 30 August

(Please see Susie Holcombe for more details about boarding trials).

Casual boarding

Have you ever considered casual boarding? With our after-school programs in full swing and our day school students taking up multiple opportunities throughout the week, our Boarding Houses are a great option for an evening or two. 

When a casual boarder finishes their after-school commitment, they are picked up by our driver and brought back to the Boarding House. Here they enjoy dinner, academic assistance, and a warm and comfortable bed for the night, with breakfast and lunch the following day. Casual boarding is becoming a popular choice for busy families.

If you would like to trial boarding, experience the benefits of casual boarding or simply enquire about boarding in general, please do not hesitate to contact Susie Holcombe or myself.