Anchorage House News

End of Term One

Well, where did this term go? 

The Anchorage boys are well and truly into the groove of things and as the term wraps up and the season starts to change, we are noticing a change in the air around boarding. Staff have been observing the students from both Anchorage and Endeavour getting around each other from both junior houses. Our common rooms are filled with students now watching their AFL team get into their sessions. We need to remind the West Coast Eagles about that! We are seeing both houses spending time together and having conversations or playing table tennis. Our boys have embraced the Tuesday night senior junior interaction and the Sunday session is gathering momentum as our talented group of Anchorage boys chip in and help set it up. 

All these opportunities are special to a boarding environment, and I have seen how our points of difference here at Grammar have been worth celebrating over the term.  Last weekend's recreation was a great example of this point of difference in action. The Anchorage boys went to Ocean Beach along with all of the other year groups in boarding on a glorious Great Southern Sunday, the sun was out, the surf was gently rolling in and the water was crystal clear and surprisingly temperate. 

We had five staff on hand to supervise and support your child as safety in the water and safety ashore as all year groups engaged in catching a small wave to just having fun in the surf. I watched as several boys new to catching a wave on a surfboard stood up and rode them into the beach. Thomas Roberston from Kojonup was one of them and said ‘he hadn't stood up before on a board’. He looked like he had been doing this for years, must have been the boogie-boarding skills acquired over the years. Great to see Tyler Germain, Leo Cunningham, Billy Hams and Nicholas Hams all having a crack on the boards.  

Another highlight was Leo Cunningham walking out of the water with a silver bream in his hand which he had just caught with his own hands! Who does that?! After Tristan Harris and Leo Cunningham had finished showing this fish off on the beach, they released it back into the water.

What a great atmosphere I have witnessed over the last ten weeks. Culture is being developed in conversations around the way we talk, act and treat each other by the way staff interact and talk to your child. We always bring it back to the notion of trust and respect. Boarding at Grammar offers these opportunities for your child to have the structure and routine, where they feel safe and comfortable to be themselves and where they can make mistakes and be supported to be the best at their best.  

Mr Ashley Keatch | Head of Anchorage House