Dear Mount Erin Boarding Parents/Carers and Community,

Welcome to Term 2 and the second edition of Boarders Buzz for 2021.

Thank you to everyone for supporting Mount Erin and their contribution to our weekly boarding programme during Term 1. The term was a very busy one with the coming together of new students, returning students, new staff and a relatively Covid-19 free influence. Due to a number of factors including absent staff (see below) Boarders Buzz has been short on supply. We thank you for your understanding.

Absence

During Term 1 and the beginning of this term, both students and staff have been absent due to flu like symptoms. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the staff for covering staff absence. In particular, I would like to thank Mr. Michael McTaggart who has filled in on a number of occasions now.

For a long period of time we were without our Administrative Assistant Ms Amanda Hilton due to illness which resulted in hospitalisation. It is good to have Amanda back with us now. I would like to acknowledge Ms Trina Rynehart who was able to step in for much of Amanda's absence to keep us going.

To add to the disruption of our normal week to week operations, our Mater Dei Principal Mrs Val Thomas also became unwell. We wish her speedy recovery and keep her in our thoughts and prayers.

Boarding Issue

During Term 1 Mount Erin did experience for the first time in a long time what appears to be theft in the Senior Boys dorm. A phone battery charger from one student, a set of airpods from another and then a sizeable amount of money from a third went missing. Something like this in Boarding is not uncommon but is disturbing, undermining trust and wellbeing. Whilst School Boarding Houses should be safe, complacency can lead to students be less careful with personal items - especially those of value. In response to these incidences, awareness raising has been ongoing and lockable storage spaces have been revamped complete with supply of locks. It is highly likely now that CCTV will be placed in public/ common spaces to enhance security and enable monitoring of movement within the Boarding House. We will be distributing new combination locks to all boarders from the beginning of Week 5.

Mobile Phones

Boarding Schools across the world grapple with the use of mobile phones. The mobile phone technology like all technology has a positive and negative aspect to it.

Students can communicate with parents and friends instantly and information is readily at hand. Appropriate and responsible use means that the mobile device can prove to be an excellent resource. Inapproriate use of the technology however including addictive use of social media can have devastating effects on wellbeing. In keeping with Australian Boarding Standards and well being recommendations Mount Erin like most Boarding schools including our sister/ brother Boarding School at St Francis (Leeton) has a policy about the use of mobile and other technologies to safeguard the students who live in residence. As part of the policy there are times when mobile phones cannot be used including study and meal times. Year 7, 8 and 9 students are expected to hand their their phones in before retiring to bed ready for lights out. Students in Year 10, 11 and 12 are expected not to use their mobile phones after lights out.

Training of Staff

The Boarding Supervisors attended during Term 1 online training with the Australian Boarding Schools Association Certificate Course. The 4 week course looking at four essential principles of youth leadership and behaviour management. This course is designed to develop new approaches to nurturing relationships, maintaining equanimity, creating durable change and responding to novel challenges.

Awareness raising

Mount Erin receives some students on Sunday evenings between 7 and 8pm. This is primarily to receive students coming in from Lake Carjelico. Staff come on duty at 7pm.

There is one female and one male Supervisor on duty on Sunday.

Boarding Supervisors come on duty at 3pm Monday to Thursday. Their duty ends at 9am Monday to Friday. Boarding Supervisors live on site Sunday pm to Thursday only.

It is important to ensure that any leave requests are communicated to the Supervisor well ahead of time.

The seven seater Boarding Car and driver operates from 3.30pm to 7.15pm Monday to Thursday. This service is for medical/ dental and school related activities as a priority.

Transport before school and during the day is limited and must be requested not expected. Personal activities transport requests may be accommodated if slots are available.

REACH

I have used REACH in Boarding schools in other states of Australia and overseas and have found it to be a very good resource.

REACH must be used for Leave requests by parents.

We are currently working with REACH (Touchline) to make sure that the difficulties some parents/ careres have experienced are overcome.

Recently, the URL for REACH for Mount Erin was changed to:

mterin.reachboarding.com.au (formerly kcc.reachboarding.com.au)

If prompted to search for a school:

Look for Mount Erin Boarding

Logging in requires a username which is your first name.surname and password. If you require a password reset please contact the Boarding Office.

Coming soon: One sign in for Compass and REACH. REACH will be accessible via Compass.

NOTE CHANGE: We will be reverting to a re-occuring Weekend Leave process from Week 5 of Term 2

However - and this is very important - if there is a change to:

Transport details
Host/ Pick up details

These must be changed/ entered onto REACH by Thursday pm prior to departure on the Friday.

Noticed recently - real letters sent to family by a young Boarding student.

Mr John Bussenschutt | Leader of Boarding

Activities

Junior Boarding Activities / Senior Boarding Activities and Events