Anchorage House News

What a great time in the year to recharge! 

We have had a busy tail end to the term in Anchorage House. As I look back on the last few weeks, I was reflecting on all the moving parts associated with what we do and I was reminded of an article from Mr Richard Stokes (CEO, Australian Boarding Schools Association) on the Top 5 skills your child gains by being a boarder.  

Having worked in boarding for 19 years I can say with confidence that your child is supported through structured routines, care and support. Your child learns an array of invaluable life skills by being a part of Great Southern Grammar boarding. As I have seen over the years, boarders gain independence and opportunities for personal growth from a young age.

Boarding at GSG has and will continue to evolve and when our Alumni come back and find some nostalgia in the feel of the houses, the internal fabric of procedures and operational day to day running will have evolved. This offers a range of opportunities for all our students to step outside their comfort zones, to be themselves at their best. Your child will learn solid life skills from their boarding experience. 

The key for me is the structured nature of our boarding system regarding our routines and our ability to not be too big where your child fades into the system. Rather, we provide a bespoke/boutique system to cater for the variety of needs faced by individual families in our regional area here in the Great Southern. This is something our team have worked hard on all year to achieve. The 'relational over operational' model is a blend of knowing your child in Anchorage and this is something I value at Great Southern Grammar over a big boarding system of which some of you and I have been a part of.   

Richard Stokes also believes this “structured” nature of the boarding school routine is key to keeping boarders on the right track and on the right framework. He believes boarding schools actively teach life skills. 

“It’s become a really important part of boarding, probably in the last 5 years, that whole concept about teaching skills for life outside of the boarding school, rather than just maintaining their support. I think that is probably the critical thing.” 

Knowing this, places us in a good space as we evolve and continueto “provide a structured, supportive and caring educational environment in which boarders develop skills and attitudes which prepare them to become contributing and caring adults in modern society” .

Birthdays

Happy birthday goes to Nicholas Hams and Thomas Robertson for June.  Also best wishes to the last of the Anchorage students to have a birthday this Semester, William Egerton-Warburton.  Enjoy your Winter break.

Thanks for entrusting us to look after your child in Anchorage House. I hope you have a great break as a family, take care and see you next term.

Mr Ashley Keatch | Head of Anchorage House