Boarding News

This upcoming weekend will be an exciting one for the Boarding House as some of our girls and boys will be playing in the junior AFL Grand Final and many of their family and friends will be travelling to the Alice to watch them. The longest drive that I know is 10 hours and it is to be a surprise for the young man. I am sure it will be an emotional reunion with much laughter and tears. Many of our children go through periods of homesickness and that is something they should be proud of. If they are homesick, it means that they love their family and the community that they come from.

The emphasis this week has been on nutrition and sleep. If they want to perform at their peak, they will need at least 8 hours of sleep and have a good balanced diet with less processed foods. All the supervisors and house parents ensure that the fruit bowls are always full in boarding. The message seems to be getting through as the bowls are being frequently replenished.

The Polly Farmer Foundation have started their mentor camps and tours. This week our Year 7 boarders went with other school students to Trephina Gorge for a 3 day camp. The foundation has a presence at St Philip's College and I feel that all our first nations students should attend, and parents and guardians should encourage their children to attend.

The program’s objectives are to increase the proportion of Aboriginal students who:

Achieve an ATAR that allows university entry;
Attend school regularly;
Achieve high school grades and have high levels of literacy and numeracy;
Have a broad range of post-school education, training, and employment options and opportunities, and achieve a successful post-school transition; and
Have high self-expectations, and whose parents and communities also have high expectations, involvement and pride in the success of the students.

Students in the Follow the Dream program have the opportunity to:

Access highly committed teaching staff who provide quality individual and small group tutoring;
Develop an Individual Pathway Plan that provides a realistic pathway to set and reach academic and career goals;
Be engaged through a supportive and well-equipped facility for after school study;
Further develop life skills (confidence, assertiveness, self-awareness, leadership) through specialised training courses;
Be guided in investigating career options and employability skills;
Have access to tertiary motivational programs; and
Participate in leadership, cultural and career-based camps and excursions.

Best wishes and safe travel to all for the AFL Grandfinals.

Yours in Boarding,

Tammy Hawkins

Acting Director of Boarding