From the Leader

of Boarding 

Dear Boarding Community,

Welcome to the 3rd and final edition of Boarders' Buzz for Term 1 2022. The year so far has been busy for the Mount Erin Boarders with each College holding events including Open Nights, Swimming and Athletics Carnivals, and of course the Hardy Shield. We congratulate all of our Boarding students who have participated in these events. Congratulations to Kildare for winning this year's Hardy Shield competition against Mater Dei.

Staff Farewell

Sunday Night/ Monday Morning Supervisor, Chelsea Gray has decided to move on in order to pursue other employment opportunities that align with her personal goals. We thank Chelsea for her work at Mount Erin and we wish her all the best for the future.

Term 2 Return

Please note that Kildare and Mater Dei return on Tuesday 26  April. The Sunday Night/ Monday am Boarders will return on Monday 25 from 7.00 pm. Boarding opens from 3.20 pm on Tuesday 26 - Bag drop off only, the Boarding House will be open from 8.00 am 

ANZAC DAY

ANZAC Day occurs before we return to school. Please keep in your thoughts and prayers the sacrifices made by the fallen servicemen and women in the past and if you can, attend the nearest Dawn Service and ANZAC march to you.

"They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn;

At the going down of the sun, and in the 

We will remember them."

Class of '71 Reunion Boarding House Tour

The Mount Erin Heritage Centre recently hosted the Mount Erin High School Class of '71 reunion which included a tour of the Mount Erin Boarding House.  It was interesting to hear about the different uses of the facility 50 years ago and stories of cleaning the floors as part of student duties and/ or consequences from some of the former Boarding students. 

Student Drivers 

The Australian boarding school industry is well supported by the Australian Boarding Schools Association (ABSA). Its membership also includes overseas schools which reflect its high standing and regard in terms of its role, purpose, and the support that it provides.

The Heads of Boarding connect via a network hosted by ABSA where every aspect of Boarding policy and procedures are discussed and compared. The hot topic recently has centered around student driving policies. The following excerpt is taken from one such policy document shared by a large and leading boarding college:

"Driving a car is an inherently dangerous activity. The research and statistics indicate that young people are very much overrepresented in serious motor vehicle accidents and fatalities. The risks of driving and traveling in a vehicle are often underrated given it is a daily activity in society. Tragically each year, some schools have students involved in very serious accidents involving student drivers, particularly if inexperienced and youthful exuberance combined with passengers in vehicles driven by only recently licensed drivers results in serious misjudgment.

We regard driving to and from boarding and the use of cars by students as a privilege and a significant responsibility."

These words are echoed by Boarding schools around Australia and it is important to understand that for Boarding Staff and schools, any decision made by them with regards to student drivers, legally they are held more accountable than parents for the same decision.  Mount Erin Boarding like all Boarding schools takes this matter very seriously. Its driving policy allows for a student driver without passengers, to drive from home to Boarding (where the keys are handed in and the car is parked in a designated parking spot on campus,  and then drive directly home once the keys are handed back. 

It is also important to understand that permission to drive a car to Boarding is requested in writing to the Leader of Boarding. All inquiries with regards to having a car in Boarding and its use must be made to the Leader of Boarding.  The application form is available from the Mount Erin Boarding website. It must be read carefully, completed, signed, and returned to the Boarding Office before a car is driven to Boarding.

MEB Staff

Boarding is all about our boarding students but from time to time, staff also shine and Connor Galvin is no exception. Connor is one of our Sunday night/ Monday morning Supervisors. Below Connor appears in the Border Mail showing that he has another side to him as a talented AFL player.

On behalf of the Boarding Staff, I would like to wish our Boarding Families a safe and happy Easter holiday period. We look forward to seeing our boarders return in Term 2.

John Bussenschutt I Leader of Boarding