One of our emerging practices in modern boarding schools is the importance of student voice. I am a strong believer in building a boarding culture that highlights the importance of boarder voice.

For us at Great Southern Grammar this is advocated through our student leadership group. We meet as a leadership group as well as through meetings within each house, so ideas and suggestions on improving our space can be included in our decision-making process. This allows our boarders to have a say in what goes on. We know through research from One Trusted Adult, that if a child's voice isn't heard in the first minutes, they are unlikely to get any voice later on.

A great example of this in action over the term was the feedback and conversation I had with our senior students about driving and having a vehicle in boarding. Mr Colton and Mrs Turrill met with their respective houses and opened the discussion around the student's wants and needs. We then brought this information together and I was able to have a healthy conversation with all our senior boarders about revisiting the driving guidelines. Like all policies and procedures, they are there to protect your child and us as staff and this process has allowed me to see through your child's lens needs that are specific to our region and to be considered.

National Boarding Week

This week (14-20 May) marks our National Boarding Week (NBW), a time to celebrate boarding around Australia. The theme for NBW focuses on the definition of patchwork: "a thing composed of many different elements". Every child in boarding is the combination of their experiences in boarding, the people and friends they meet, the staff that care for them and the opportunities they are given. So, we were all able to celebrate the unique opportunity we are able to work in The Patchwork of Boarding!

The week is aimed at raising awareness of the many benefits that boarding school provides to young people and for us at Great Southern Grammar a chance to celebrate what we can offer for boarding in our Great Southern Region.

Thank you, parents, for entrusting our boarding school to educate, develop and care for your children. Today we celebrate you and your involvement in the boarding community and how much you sacrifice to send your children to boarding school. Here are some fun ideas on how to stay connected with your child while they are away from home.

This week was a great way to say thank you to a range of different people all of who ensure a positive boarding journey for your child. To celebrate, we started by installing an 85-inch TV screen in the Dining Hall along with the lounge setting. This was something our 'student voice' asked for, so we could watch Friday night football with footy food from our awesome Chefs.

We have been writing notes of gratitude and kind words about boarding and the people in it. It was satisfying to see staff and students embrace these activities during the week.

With our Patchwork theme in mind, I would like to acknowledge a very special ‘shout out’ to the Ford family who have Poppy in Year Seven and Louis in Year Nine who donated a big pig for our Wednesday night pork spit along with the Newman family who have Pierce our School Captain in Year Twelve boarding who hired the spit for us. This was the highlight for our boarding community as we shared and enjoyed each other's company under the stars next to our fire pit eating freshly cooked pork rolls prepared by Chef Nick Harvey and his team.

The week will end with our famous GSG Master Chef competition another initiative of our student voice and one Mrs Di Franzinelli said is a tradition worth keeping in boarding. Our Student Leaders, led by Ava Smith, will organise the groups and arrange for the ingredients to be purchased. The end result will comprise two meals being prepared (a main and a dessert) to be judged by our Principal Mr Mark Sawle, myself and the Gap Assistants with prizes going out to the winning meal.

Have a great week.

Mr Ashley Keatch | Head of Boarding

Dates to Remember

Week Five, Term Two

Week Six, Term Two

Week Seven, Term Two