From the Head of Boarding 

Dear Boarding Community,

Welcome to this edition of Boarders' Buzz. Term 2 has been as usual, busy term packed with sports, activities, musical events, and the reappearance of Covid alongside of seasonal 'flu.   And of course - school and study. 

During the term, I had the opportunity to visit Saint Mary's War Memorial School in West Wyalong and Saint Francis Xavier Primary School in Lake Cargelligo recently meeting with Principals Philip Nielson and Jacinta Elwin, staff, and students. It was an excellent opportunity to meet with the students and speak with staff.

Mount Erin Boarding is unique in many ways and punches way beyond its weight in terms of Boarding experience. MEBS likes its sister/ brother boarding school, Saint Francis at Leeton is weekly boarding only but unlike Saint Francis, MEBS is a boarding residence for two Catholic Colleges adding a complexity not found elsewhere. MEBS is a member of the 19th Century group of boarding schools being founded in 1890 and also joins a number of boarding schools that became coeducational at some time during their history.

The Mission of MEBS is to support academic learning for its boarders and opportunities to explore the resources and advantages of living in a large regional city like Wagga Wagga. In the limited amount of time provided by 4 nights of boarding, MEBS provides a wide range of experiences including activities such as gym use of the pool and off-campus activities. MEBS's goal is excellence in all that we do and as such continuously review all aspects of the boarding experience at Mount Erin, 

Trivia Night proved to be a very successful night and included a dress-up theme and three competitions.  There were some excellent costumes worn by students and staff and very close competition between student stables - and a staff table.

One question which was not completely answered: "How many doors are there to the Mount Erin Dining Room?" For the definitive answer - see the Activities page in this edition of Boarders' Buzz.

Staffing Update

We welcomed Mrs. Jackie Tassell to the role of Nagle House (Girls) Coordinator in week 3 of this term. Jackie had been a supervisor at Mount Erin before accepting the role of Head of Girls' Residence at St Paul's, Walla Walla. She has joined Michael McTaggart (Rice House (Boys) Coordinator) in managing the day-to-day matters relating to the boarding houses and reporting to the Head of Boarding. 

It is important to understand that these two roles are only really beginning - they add a second and very important layer to caring for the young people in our care. Unlike the previous supervisor-only system, the House Coordinators can be contacted after hours on the numbers below for matters relating to boarders in their care.

We are still advertising for a Senior Girls' Supervisor but we have been able to add to our

casual female and male staff which has served us well in staff absence.

I would like to thank Mr. Jaden McGettigan for filling in for Mr. James Mortensen during Term 2.  Jaden has carried out the role seamlessly and has been thanked and farewelled by the Boarders and staff. 

Coordinator Contact Numbers:

RICE HOUSE - Boys Coordinator:          0477 867 769

NAGLE HOUSE -  Girls Coordinator:    0447 014 385  

Boarders Mass

It was pleasing to establish a Boarders' Mass in Term 1 this year which proved to be a great start. The Term 2 Mass on Thursday 18 May took place albeit with a few hiccups - staff absent for various reasons including myself (Covid-19). I would like to thank the students for their support and excellent participation, the parents who attended, the Coordinators and Boarding staff who managed the night so well, the IT staff for their consistent support of Boarding including Mass, Mr. John Gowland for photos, the College staff for giving of their time and Father Rafter for celebrating the Mass. Term 3 Boarders' Mass will be the Year 12 Boarders' farewell/ Graduation Mass on the 23 of August.

Boarding Expo's

MEBS attended the Griffiths pop-up Expo on Thursday 25 May and the Wagga Boarding Expo on the 26/ 27 May - both proving to be successful in attracting strong interest from potential families for 2024 and beyond. Many thanks to Principal Chris Browne (KCC), Acting Principal Daryl Lawrence, Coordinators Jackie Tassell and Michael McTaggart, Boarding Administrative Assistant, Amanda Hilton, and Mr. Matt Humphrey from CEDWW for assisting me with manning the MEBS site. A special thank you to the Director of Education, Dr. Andrew Watson for visiting us - very appreciative of his support.

It was good to catch up with former MEBS boarder, Tom Scott who is now boarding at Canberra Grammar.

Link: HERE

Website:HERE

Food Group

Boarding menus are always contentious due to the the subjective nature of food. We are always looking at how to improve what we do at MEBS. The newly formed Food Group consisting of the two Coordinators, the catering Manager, and the Head of Boarding has already met twice to look at the most recent Food Survey and the Dinner Instant Feedback surveys carried out in week 8. As a result of the meetings, a new Winter Menu (please click) has been produced to be implemented from Week 1 Term 3. The menu is a four-week rotation and will be reviewed at the completion of the fourth week.  The Food Group will expand with the inclusion of student and parent members which will augment the input from the BRC.  

It was great to see the number of Boarders involved in sports and other activities during this term including the finals of the Carroll Cup, Open Girls' AFL, and Tracey Gunson Netball. Congratulations to everyone involved.  We are also reviewing our Activities programme and would like to thank the BRC, individual students, and parents for their constructive comments and feedback.  

We wish our Year 12 Boarders all the best as they prepare for the coming trial exams in Term 3. It is important to balance study with rest and relaxation in readiness for this part of their school life. 

Take care and see you all in Term 3.

John Bussenschutt I Head of Boarding