From the Head of Boarding

Community Service

One of the aims of boarding is to investigate ways in which we can contribute to our local and wider community through community service. Service is a way for boarders to give back and its significance is recognised through its inclusion in the boarding pillars.

In Week Three, a group of boarders travelled to Tambellup with tools and loads of enthusiasm for a farm workforce activity, to help one of our boarding families.  In warm conditions, twelve willing labourers weeded and landscaped through the day.

A swim and a barbecue to finish off was just what we needed before the trip back to school. The teamwork and energy shown by the boarders on the day was terrific. Each felt like they had done something worthwhile and had a bit of fun along the way, as well. Funds donated for our services will be given to next year’s Relay for Life event in Perth, where boarders from schools across the State gather to raise funds for this worthy cause.

On Monday 4 November, 16 boarders visited the Albany Port Theatre to view a documentary about a Burmese family forced to flee from the military dictatorship that controlled their country. They watched the hardships this family endured on their journey to freedom and eventual settlement in Australia. Rubi Ni Chin was just 11 years old when she made this perilous trip with her mother and siblings and she was on hand at the end of the screening to answer questions from the audience.  Our boarders impressed the room with their thoughtful participation in the evening and asked some excellent questions of Rubi. I know they got a lot out of this experience.

Boarders' Valedictory Dinner

The Boarding Valedictory Dinner was a fitting way for the Year Twelve cohort to finish their boarding journey.  We heard tales of worry and troubles adjusting in the early days (also true for parents).  A common theme from the valedicts was that they were appreciative of the way boarding had made them more independent.  It was nice to see thanks given to such a wide range of people throughout their years in boarding, from the Gap Assistants, Supervisors and Heads of House, past and present. 

Thank you to outgoing Heads of Boarding Houses, Mr Brett Tompkin and Mrs Angela Ferreira, for years of service to these young men and women. Levi Cosh summed up his time at Anchorage House under Mr Peter Colgate by giving credit to his efforts in keeping those boys under control, but conceding, “you can’t put a leash on mayhem.”  I hope their memories last them a long time.  Special thanks to Mrs Jenny Cristinelli and Mr Brad Watson for giving their experiences of boarding from a parent’s perspective.  There were many laughs along the way.

Student Leadership

Congratulations to the 2020 Boarding Captains, Amy Gillam and Josh Pearce.  Already, these two students have taken to their roles by heading up discussions with our chefs regarding food offerings and looking at ways to connect the boarding houses through recreational activities. 

At the beginning of the year, we will officially appoint leaders of each boarding house who will be key to setting the culture for boarding. Included in this will be leaders of Eclipse and Breaksea Houses who will play important roles in supporting Amy and Josh through the pastoral programme. 

Peer Support Leaders also play an important role in the boarding calendar with support to new boarders at the Boarding Orientation Day and through the beginning of the new year.  It was great to see so many volunteers from Middle School willing to meet the new boarders at Orientation last week. They played games to help develop early connections and despite some nerves, there were lots of smiles all round. 

In 2020, Peer Support Leaders will come to school on Saturday 1 February along with the new boarders to welcome them to GSG for the school year.  The rest of the boarding cohort will arrive the following day and we officially kick the year off at the Boarders' Welcome Lunch. The efforts of the leaders are very much appreciated, and I’m looking forward to working them to enhance the experience for boarders.

Boarding Parent Committee and Forum

Thank you to all who attended this term’s Parent Forum. This followed a casual catch-up for parents of Year Seven boarders organised by Mrs Jenny Colgate and Mrs Tara Ball.  It's a popular idea and one that has been discussed at both the forum and committee meetings. 

There’s been some good feedback and suggestions from parents for events that allow them to come together as a group.  I have discussed this in some detail with the committee and we will look to increase these social opportunities next year. 

Other points of discussion included communication protocols, the development of a boarding curriculum, which looks to provide experiences that are exciting and transferable to life after school.  We also spoke about the Boarding Camp, which was a great success in 2018 but failed to get off the ground this year due to clashes with netball and football fixtures. This camp is on again in 2020 and set for Week Two of Term Two. I hope we can get enough boarders to sign up for this great activity, but there may be fixture clashes once again. Let’s look at this closer to the date. 

Thank you and farewell to Mrs Jenny Cristinelli, Mrs Sally Carey and Mrs Monique Ford who will leave the committee as their youngest children graduate. I appreciate your valuable input over the past two years.  With these members moving on, we welcome Mrs Melissa Barrett and Mrs Rachael Plowman to the committee, representing Anchorage and Breaksea Houses respectively.  The minutes of the forum and committee meetings can be found in the meeting minutes folder here

Boarding Subsidy

Discussions at the forum and committee meeting have also focused on the different subsidies available to boarding parents.  There are several schemes offering financial support, each with different criteria and cut-off dates for application.  A summary can be seen below:

A link to the 2020 Student Allowances Guidelines can be found in the boarding resources folder here.  More information on Student Travel Subsidies can be found here

Farewells

The end of 2019 sees us farewelling some much loved members of our boarding community.  Mr Brett Tompkin leaves us after three years as Head of Eclipse House and Mrs Angela Ferreira after four years as Head of Breaksea House. Both are moving on to teaching roles in the school, with Brett as Head of Year Eight/Nine and Angela as VET/WPL Coordinator in 2020. We wish them all the best in their new roles.

Mrs Jenny Smith is also finishing in boarding after eight years. Jenny has worked across Anchorage, Endeavour and Michaelmas Houses and has been a highly regarded member of staff.  She will be hard to replace.

Mr Liam Hudson and Ms Savannah Anderson, the two Senior House Gap Assistants will be returning to South Africa to pursue further studies. We wish them all the best and hope to hear from them again.

The 2019 school year has given us much to celebrate and smile about. My thanks go to all the dedicated boarding staff that have made this possible and the boarders who have made it so enjoyable. 

Mr Brendan Goggins | Head of Boarding