Boarding 

This week we remembered those who have, and continue, to serve as ANZACs. Our boarding community shared compassionate and personal reflections of family members who served as ANZACs. Many provided photos of their medals, when they were serving, or with family today. It was a touching and respectful way to honour those before us.

Macdonald House – raising optimistic young women

This week our boarding house has been focused upon the theme of Optimism. An appropriate virtue during these times, and one that our boarders display in spades. Gabbi Bensch, our Head of Macdonald House, has provided some sound advice and guidance in understanding our girls during our remote learning time and how best we can engender optimism in our home.

How do we cope with everyone at home during the coronavirus lockdown? Macdonald House girls are now cut adrift not only from their friends and roommates, but their life goals, routines of school, and our boarding community. In consideration of this, I think we need to start with basics.

Whilst there may be so many things out of our control right now – some basic things remain firm and familiar particularly to our girls. Making sure girls get good quality and quantity of sleep (which means no devices in their bedrooms), plus regular outdoor physical activity and encouragement to really eat well is vitally important. Providing girls with the opportunity to choose, prepare and present nutritious meals is a good path to walk.

Keeping their learning environment clean and organised and looking good is also a way to keep up their engagement in the daily routine of learning. Fresh flowers, an indoor plant and photos of their friends can help to personalise and add a touch of personality to their area in the house. Their bedroom is a place of peace, calm and their own sanctuary.

In line with our House motto of ‘WORK HARD & BE KIND’, I know our Macdonald House girls are already naturally adept at this in their everyday lives at school and in the boarding house, however I am hoping these values are still being modelled at home and online during our period of isolation. Encourage responsible social connections and opportunities for the girls to check in on their boarding friends and see how they are feeling and consider others who may be struggling at this time. Suggest making connections with extended family such as cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents through face-time or zoom. Perhaps boarding parents may like to reach out to one another or staff to also have a chat about how they coping.

Being kind to ourselves is really important. We are in a huge transition and it’s an extraordinarily difficult time for our girls in many varied ways. Staying at home will put a strain on teenagers but why not use isolation as an opportunity and a positive affirmation of the value of this time?  Teach them the art of optimism – they are one of the few year groups who will ever get to experience this opportunity in their lifetime. Ask them how they are going to use this time – instead of focusing on what they don’t have; try to shift the conversation to what they can do with this opportunity! I’m sure schools, universities and future employers will be interested in how they spent their time now and how they can turn their thinking around.

Lastly, I suggest our girls can write a list of things they LEARN or EXPERIENCE and every morning write down a schedule made up of these things….I look forward to hearing and seeing what the girls have been up to at our weekly Wednesday Teams catch up! 

Kind regards,

Gabbi Bensch

Andrew Monk