Boarding 

Chinese New Year BBQ Celebrations

On Sunday the 16th of February, our international students attended a BBQ at Dr Hirst’s house to recognise Chinese New Year. 2020 is the year of the rat, the first of 12 Chinese zodiacs which according to Chinese folklore was determined by a race that was won by a clever rat who rode on an oxes back until it was able to cross the finish line first. It is believed those born in the year of the rat will have plenty of luck and opportunities.

The BBQ was an opportunity to come together, share a piece of Chinese culture and give thanks for friends and family. A highlight of the afternoon was hearing each student speak of their family – most of whom are in China and Cambodia.

On behalf of all the International Students, a big thank you to everyone who helped prepare the food, and especially to Dr and Mrs Hirst for welcoming us all into their home.

Celine Chen (International Prefect) and Abbie Cameron (International Student Support)

Formal Dinner - Melise Sogur

Last Thursday evening the Boarding House hosted its first guest of the year to our Term 1 Formal Dinner. With all our boarders dressed in their Number 1’s, they were served a delicious meal prepared from our Head Chef, Alfonso. Our guest was an expert in nutrition, aligning to our focus in the boarding house of Nutrition, Exercise and Sleep.

Melise Songur is the Dietitian from the Group Food Development team at Spotless with Alliance. Melise completed her Bachelor of Nutrition Science and Master of Dietetics and is professional recognised as an Accredited Practising Dietitian. Her current role involves helping to implement the health and lifestyle program ‘nudge’, in addition to delivering food and nutrition education sessions and providing nutrition insights to team projects. Aside from being a dietitian Melise has a dog called Hunter, is a passionate Western Bulldogs supporter and enjoys travelling to eat delicious food.

Melise’s presentation was insightful and engaging with a particular focus upon the getting the basics of nutrition right. That is, setting up your plate each evening with the right portions of a balanced diet; greens, grains, red vegetables, carbohydrates, and of course a good portion of protein. Melise also busted some myths regarding protein shakes, but, most important was her wellbeing approach to live a positive social life, enjoy regular physical health, and maintain sleep hygiene. We are looking forward to working with Melise over the course of the year and introducing an adolescent nutrition program called ‘Nudge’.

Work Hard, Be Kind

Our boarders have made such positive impressions this year and their commitment to keeping fit is not an exception to this. Boarders at College are fit, healthy and energised to maintain good wellbeing. Recently, in both our Spiers and Macdonald House we have boarders training at 6:00am at our local gym attending Pilates, Body Balance and Circuit classes. Lake Hamilton is also getting a solid work with many taking the challenge to run the 5km course in personal record times. A special shout out must go to Grace Austin (Year 11) who has no fear of the 500m Hensley Park hill at the end of her 5km run back to the Boarding House. The perseverance and determination is inspiring to watch.

The Park Run on a Saturday morning at 8am is also gaining attention with Jake Andersen, Wes Gray, Henry Haynes and Ned McArthur joining the local community in a friendly fun run around Lake Hamilton.

In the afternoons, boarders from all ages are diving in and training for up and coming swimming competitions. Georgie England (Year 9) and Zoe Rudge (Year 11) are just two of our dedicated boarders who are attending swimming trainings at the local indoor pool.

Boarders' Activities Term 1

The social life of a boarder at College is as important as health and fitness, and as such we have organised a range of weekend activities over the course of this term. Below is the list of activities boarders can enjoy this term; this list of activities can also be found on our College website. We are certainly looking forward to reporting on the fun at Justin’s  Wongaburra Horsemanship Centre, the Warrnambool excursion, and the Halls Gap zoo this term.

Casual Boarding

Have you ever considered casual boarding? With our after-school programs in full-swing and our day school students taking these opportunities with determination, our Boarding Houses can offer a comfortable place for an evening or two. When a casual boarder finishes their after-school commitment they are able to be picked up by our driver and brought back to the Boarding House. Here they enjoy dinner, academic assistance, super supper (on a Wednesday), a warm and comfortable bed for the night with breakfast and lunch the following day. Casual boarding is becoming a popular choice for families and their children of all ages, and I encourage any family to consider this option for their son or daughter.

If you would like to trial boarding, experience the benefits of casual boarding or simply enquire about boarding in general please do not hesitate to contact Susie Holcombe (holcombes@hamiltoncollege.vic.edu.au) or myself (amonk@hamiltoncollege.vic.edu.au or 0407 052 214).

Andrew Monk

Director of Boarding