Dear Boarding Community,

Welcome to our Boarding House and this edition of Boarders’ Buzz - Term 4 2021.

2021 has been a memorable year locally, nationally and globally for a number of reasons but most importantly as a pandemically disruptive time - disruptive in many ways, hijacking normal life at home, work and at school. Life is too short to dwell on the negative however and we have much to be thankful for. It is great to have most of our students back in Boarding - we cannot wait until all of our Kildare Grade 7 students can also return.

I would like to acknowledge and thank the students, staff and parents for their resolve during this time as it relates to Mount Erin. We are all looking forward to more normal times ahead.

Boarding Team

Mount Erin has an excellent Boarding Team who work to ensure that all of our boarders are looked after and are well supported. The Mount Erin Boarding team consists of four Year Level Supervisors, two support Supervisors, one Activities Officer, one Transport Officer, one male and one female Sunday Night Supervisor, Catering Manager (and his staff), our Administrative Assistant and the Leader of Boarding. The key person in the Boarding student’s life day to day is the Year Level Supervisor, for it is they who are charged with the role of primary caregiver in Boarding and who spend the most time with them. The Supervisors help the students in their care with daily organisation, leave requests, oversee study time, are with them for afternoon tea, dinner and supper, getting them up in the morning and off to school and to be at night. It is imperative that parents and students develop a sound relationship with their respective Year Level Supervisor and of course, vice versa. Please find contact details below.

Junior Boarding (Year 7, 8, 9): Girls Supervisor: Lara Plum 0429 179 799

pluml1@ww.catholic.edu.au

Boys Supervisor: Naomi Barton 0455 521 016

bartonn@ww.catholic.edu.au

Senior Boarding (Year 10, 11,12): Girls Supervisor: Robin Bussenschutt 0455 439 162

bussenschuttr@ww.catholic.edu.au

Boys Supervisor: Wayne Galvin 0455 436 603

galvinw@ww.catholic.edu.au

Boarding House Student Leadership

Due to the Covid-19 issue, the Boarding Captains/ Leadership was put on hold. We will move towards finalising the Mount Erin Boarding House student leadership process by Week 4 of this term and announce our new Year 12 Leaderhip team in the next edition of Boarders Buzz.

Great News

Mount Erin has seen some improvements recently:

Senior Girls' Stairs

Senior Girls' stairs have been refurbished to provide a safer and and more visually pleasing look.

New Hot Water System

Hot showers that deliver cold or luke warm water ften the bain of existence in Boarding schools including Mount Erin. A new Hot water system has now been installed ensuring a consistent supply of hot water to all users - much appreciated by tour boarders.

Roch's Refurbished

Roch’s in the Girls' Dorm has been in a state of disrepair for some time but has now been refurbished complete with state of the art desk powerboard with mobile phone holder and USB connectivity in the each of the 6 rooms. This space has its own climate controlled air conditioning and of course secure storage for valuables. Roch's will be available for Senior occupancy from the beginning of 2022.

Junior Boys

The Junior Boys Boarding space is being developed to provide more internal space for the boys to spill out, relax or play foosball. The closing in of the lower verandah will also provide a more flexible space for the boys and assist with heating and cooling. The door at this point opens automatically in times of fire alarm/ emergency access but will ordinarly remained closed and not be a daily thoroughfare.

Did you know?

Chewing gum is a candy that is designed to be chewed but not swallowed and in general is considered to be safe. However, disposable of chewing gum can be an issue.

Unfortunately chewing gum is not often managed responsibly and used gum can often be found under tables/ chairs and on the ground - posing a health and visual issue.

Amongst banned substances at Mount Erin is chewing gum for the above reasons.

Visual Aspects of Mount Erin Dining Room

The dining room at Mount Erin is one of the most used areas of the Boarding House.

Two visual aspects of this fantastic space are shown below.

John Bussenschutt I Leader of Boarding

Mount Erin Covid -19

Covid - Risk Mitigation