From the Head of Boarding

Dear Boarding Families

Welcome back to boarding everyone, I hope you enjoyed some quality time with your families together wherever you may have ended up over the break. Having spoken to several parents these last few weeks I have been reminded of the phase in life some of you are in. The vehicle is clocking kms as you support your child in sport or just running them around to appointments over the break. You have little 'me time' as kids consume your daily activities. The great news is, we are happy to support you there now they are back at school and hopefully we can provide some relief with our bus and vehicle service. 

If you were able to head north like some of our families, I hope you are thinking of those wonderful warm days at the moment as our temperature in the Great Southern dips. Staff are reminding our boarders to layer up and keep warm in and around the houses. The nurses have seen an increase in students presenting with flu-like symptoms coming in with very few layers of clothing. 

Lisa, my wife, has joined me in Anchorage and I was grateful to GSG for allowing me to be with her at her farewell celebrations up in Claremont at the end of last term. Along with Lisa, I also have another family member joining me here at Grammar. 'Buddy' our new Border Collie arrived this week and it has been like having another baby in the family. He is toilet trained and adorable, the boarders have been fantastic with him as he finds his way around the place. 

Police Visit

Recently we were able to invite Senior Constable Jake Bird and Senior Constable Owain Fiander from Great Southern Traffic to talk to our Senior Boarders who are either currently learning to drive or already have their licenses.  As there has been an increase in student drivers this year, we thought it was a good opportunity to invite the police to speak to the boarders about driver and vehicle safety and what they see through their lens when dealing with young drivers in our region.

The police started the session with what they see on the road with young drivers. This invited a lot of discussion around vehicle safety, what to do in an accident, and use of phones in vehicles whilst driving.  The Police Officers pitched the conversation at student level and over half an hour, this opened up a broad range of informative discussions from both Breaksea and Eclipse boarders.  The feedback from the police was "That if the talk generates discussion between the students and makes them think twice about their actions, it's all worth it and it's a good age to have those frank discussions." Sergeant Derek Grimes, Officer in Charge, Great Southern Traffic.

Feedback from the students was that they were surprised about the phone usage penalties and driving the day after attending an event involving alcohol.  The boarders were really grateful for this session being organised for them.

Quiz Night

Last Sunday we held our much-anticipated Quiz Night in the Hall. Mr Mark Sawle popped in and managed to get around the tables and catch up with our boarders. He met our newest boarder Harry from Eclipse and was entertained by our two outstanding hosts for the evening Hamish (mic-loving) "can I just keep talking into this mic until the last person has left the venue" radio voice Medway and our resident very witty and hilarious Daniel (game show host) Fisher. Both boys were likened to a steam train 'slow to get going, but unstoppable when up and about.' The boys played off each other throughout the evening swapping turns with the mic as they honed their craft taking the contestants on each mixed table on a journey through music, general knowledge, and geographical questions through the evening. There were prizes galore ranging from spot prizes to table prizes and best dressed. The event was a great celebration of our school vision in which students develop confidence, wellbeing and a sense of belonging. It’s one of our connection points in the week where our boarders can come together from Years Seven to Twelve to develop our culture and what we stand for as a boarding community. 

It was great to see a large turnout from our wonderful boarding staff, including those who were not on duty, - Mrs Nyree Mackenzie, Mr Taylor Colton, Ms May Botha, Ms Tiffany Kok, Ms Carter Wight, Mr Samuel Forward, Ms Zoe Kerr, Ms Mia Collins and Ms Grace Larham. The evening was supported by our catering team who provided the snacks based around a party food theme and drinks for each table. The maintenance team supplied the tables and the boarders helped set up and pack down. The evening was a success thanks to the wonderful organisation and direction from Mrs Di Franzinelli who whilst juggling her own family commitments over the weeks leading up to this event managed to put some serious time into organising this, so we could keep this tradition alive for all of us to enjoy. 

As previously mentioned in our last Boarding Buzz, my aim is to bring spirit through community by having the whole boarding community come together at mealtimes and develop lifelong relationships through a vertical pastoral system in boarding.  This Quiz night event was a wonderful example of the positive benefits that it brings to your child’s boarding journey at Great Southern Grammar.

Have a great term, stay warm and be safe.

Mr Ashley Keatch | Head of Boarding