Breaksea House News
As the end of term approaches, the excitement about holidays and heading home starts to build. Whilst we’ve had a great term, there’s something very special indeed about that end of term buzz and the talk of holiday plans and adventures. Many of our Breaksea boarders are looking forward to trips out camping, or visits from family friends, but others are simply longing for those quiet days at home, surrounded by the familiarity of their loved ones and pets.
However, alongside the good holiday vibes and anticipation, the end of term also provides an opportunity to reflect on the last ten weeks and our start to 2023. Some of the main highlights in Breaksea this term have been; building new relationships, developing new and old skills and overcoming challenges.
Term One has brought with it many new faces. As a newcomer to the Great Southern Grammar community myself, this term provided a wonderful opportunity to get to know each of the Breaksea boarders as individuals. My favourite part of the job so far has been building positive connections with the students through the everyday moments of the term, whether sharing meals, helping out with assignments and study during prep, helping to organise hobbies and sport logistics or just chatting with the students about what’s on their minds. In each of these ways, I’ve got to know the unique personalities, interests, strengths and struggles of our Breaksea boarders and it’s been a genuine honour to be able to share in their lives. In addition, getting to know parents and the issues that affect their communities and families has been a real positive.
Last week. I was fortunate enough to attend the WA 2023 Conference for the Isolated Children’s Parent’s Association and hear firsthand about many of the topics affecting families living in remote communities and the education of their children. This was a great experience and has helped me to create a stronger sense of teamwork with our parent community.
In Breaksea, we have a team of supportive supervisors who work with me to provide a safe and caring environment for those in our care. Most of our supervisors from last year have remained on the team and continue to foster a positive and inclusive culture in the house. We have however been fortunate enough this term to welcome some new supervisors on board. Most recently, we welcomed Ms Carter Wight to the Boarding Team. Carter is a trained architect and is currently working in Albany as a local artist with her own studio in town. When Carter isn’t at her studio, she’s often working in Breaksea House. Carter has been a wonderful support to Breaksea and one of her greatest strengths has been helping the students with homework assignments and projects. Her creativity and friendly nature have proved so helpful to many of our students. Next term, we’ll also be welcoming Ms Lorna Boasman to the team. Originally from the UK, Lorna has a range of qualifications in counselling, administration and fitness. I’m confident she’ll be a good fit in the supervisor role and look forward to introducing her to the boarders at the start of Term Two.
In addition to the building of new relationships, the term had brought many opportunities for the Breaksea students to learn new skills. It’s been impressive to see how many of the boarders have gotten involved in new and old sports and tried out for Country Week selections. Basketball has been our main sport this term and the house has always been a hive of activity on training and game days. Last weekend, many of our boarders even made it to the Basketball Grand Finals and it was a real highlight to see how many staff and students went down to support them for these games. Netball selections and training for the incoming term have been in full swing, alongside hockey. Many have also joined the local gym and head in together on the bus during the week for these classes. Off the sporting fields, our Breaksea boarders have been developing their music skills, with many students learning new instruments, performing in school events and continuing with their weekly music lessons. Seeing the holistic skill sets that the extra-curricular activities at Great Southern Grammar offer has really shown what a positive community it is for our children to grow up in.
Whilst the term has been filled with positive new relationships and the development of a range of skills, teenage life rarely comes without any hiccups. There are so many things to wrestle with in the journey to becoming an adult and the term has also been spent developing the resilience to overcome these challenges. As study pressures have built and assessments have rolled in, our main focus in Breaksea has been teaching effective organisation and coping skills. Providing a listening ear when test results weren’t what was expected, or when tricky new concepts are hard to make sense of has really helped. So often the students just want their difficulties acknowledged and heard. The academic support team as GSG and Head of Houses have also been excellent in providing support and getting our boarders extra academic support when needed. This has been really encouraging to see.
Developing strong and healthy friendships has also been a focus of the term. Learning how to connect with others, how to manage differences and how to overcome disagreements and misunderstandings is a really important part of growing up. The Breaksea students have been inclusive and supportive of each other this term and always willing to share with staff any issues that do pop up so that we can talk through them and progress. We have some excellent student role models of this and this fosters a cohesive environment where everyone can feel like they belong.
On one final note, I just want to extend a huge thank you to the parents of our Breaksea students this term. Your connection and support has been really valued and allows us to work as a team to bring out the best in the lovely students who are the most important part of our boarding community. I wish you all a happy Easter and look forward to continuing the journey with you into Term Two.
Mrs Teliah Turrill | Head of Breaksea House