Boarding, Mid-September

Dear Boarding families

Term 3 Break!

The journey home has begun for our wonderful group of boarders. For some it’s a time to relax and catch up with what’s been a very intense term.

For our grade 12s it’s a time to sort study notes and prepare for the run to exams. This week we have again asked students to pack up their gear and try to de-clutter their living spaces. This is so the cleaners can come in and wipe down surfaces and vacuum floors.

During the break we have about 20 international students from The Hutchins School, St Michael’s Collegiate, as well as Jerry and James, doing an over-nighter at Launceston Grammar. They will be using some spare rooms in the Girls’ House for one night. This is part of their holiday programme where they will be visiting the North West of the state.

We will also look to freshen up some spaces with maintenance coming in and removing old furniture and the old mattresses stored in the Boy’s House. We are adding two more rooms to the Boys’ Grade 7 area in preparation for next year where we will have four Grade 7 boys in boarding.

I will be getting home myself for this break. It’s been over 6 months since I have seen my daughter and mates. I have been fortunate enough to be given two tickets to go to the Grand Final with my son at Optus Stadium from a good mate, I am celebrating Lisa and my 24^th wedding anniversary at Rottnest Island, my daughter Katie’s 21^st Birthday and my Son Josh’s 19^th Birthday.

I feel I have a deeper appreciation of what it can feel like to be a boarder in the true sense. I am proud of how far this group has come this year and how we have embraced the changes and I am very excited about the journey ahead.

Enjoy your time together over the 2-week break and I hope to see everyone fresh and ready to go when we return.

Have a safe and restful break. Find time to hang out and enjoy each other’s company

Ash Keatch
Head of Boarding

We have teamed up with the Harvey Norman Commercial Division and purchased a Dr Coffee machine for boarding.

This is the final part to the refurbishment of the sink/bench area in the Dining Hall for boarders. We removed the old wall mounted zip boil earlier this year and will be replacing the kettle to reduce the risk of your child scolding themselves when pouring a hot chocolate or adding water to the noodles, but to be honest it’s for you the parents who drops in and have to turn and burn to get back home.

Please feel free when in town to make an excuse to come and have a chat and make yourself a fresh brew!!

Read more about the Dr Coffee machine

The Athletics Carnival was held last week and Davia Johns came away with podium finish coming third in discus.

David Aldridge also competed at the Junior Campus carnival collecting a bag full of ribbons. He was walking around all night wearing them with pride. They were found on the ground outside the boarding house the next day and returned to his bed for when he returned. Not like David at all….

Well done to our Captain, Sarah Curtis was also part of the Launceston Grammar’s 1sts Girls Soccer team winning the NSATIS premiership, defeating Launceston Christian School 6-0.

Well done also to Archie Burke who also competed in the SATIS Athletics in Hobart.

I have included our Support for Students within Boarding section for you to look at.

It outlines:

• Homesickness
• Bullying
• Family issues
• Death of a family member and
• Professional support for boarding students.

A letter went out this week letting you know we are hosting a barbecue in ‘The Bunka’ (outside area next to the Dining Hall) for Sunday 10 October (return date for boarders).

I would encourage you come along even if it’s just a short stop to catch up in person with the Headmaster and myself to talk anything Boarding.

It’s always great to catch parents when I can, so we talk about how you child is travelling both at school and in the boarding house.

We hosted three new boys Wally Campion (Flinders Island), Nick Dowling (Campbell Town), and Jack Britton (Smithton) for a Thursday night sleepover. 

The boys will be coming into Launceston Grammar boarding for Grade 7 in 2022.

This allowed us to use a fresh new living space for the first time which was great. The boys arrived in the afternoon and were taken for a ride around the Campus, then down to the corner shops to show them one of our leave options.

David Aldridge and Archie Burke were great hosts.  We rode around the block then down around the mountain bike track.

Niall, our other Grade 6 boarder, didn’t like a particular tree on the track and tried to take it out the week before, so was unfortunately at home recovering.We think he is like a cat with nine lives.

The new boys are keen to link up with him when we have the orientation next term.

The night saw the boys see a taste of what they can expect to see and do as a boarding at Launceston Grammar and by all accounts they really embraced it. After dinner the boys saw how prep is run, although Mackenzie and Myra hit them with a full-blown dance and singing routine when we entered the Girls’ House. Time and place, ladies.

They saw the set up then we went off to the Gym to kick a football, throw a basketball and a quick game of hockey. It was then off to the pool which has been out of action for most of the term. Anyone would think I have raised a boy before, as it was now time to go through the night routine which saw them shower clean their teeth then off to bed.

 By all accounts they slept very well and woke to a morning routine, which include breakfast with their mums and then home.

Thank you to Jo Dowling and Andrea Wilson for suggesting this idea and the Campions for making the effort of flying in from Flinders Island to be a part of this night.

The annual Flinders Island Show is being held in early Term 4 and I will be flying over on Thursday October 14 and staying the night in the Wood’s accommodation.

If you are on the island on the Thursday evening, Toni and Scott Woods will open the door for us to catch up and talk anything and everything Launceston Grammar, or please drop by the Launceston Grammar stand at the show on the Friday.

More details to follow but put it in your calendar.

Friday 24 September – Boarding House closes 5.00 pm
Friday 24 September to Sunday 10 October –  Term 3 Holidays
Sunday 10 October – Boarding House reopens
Monday 11 October – Term 4 commences
Wednesday 20 October – Hawkes House Chapel Service and Formal Dinner 5.30pm farewell to Grade 12a
Wednesday 27 October – Hawkes House Grade 12 Boarder and Parents Dinner
Thursday 28 October – Valedictory Day
Friday 29 October – Boarding House Closes (5.00pm) Recreation Day Long Weekend
Monday 1 November – Boarding House Re-Opens (4.00pm) Recreation Day Public Holiday

Holiday Period Leave

Please use this leave to submit all the transport and time out and in details. This is important for us so we can work out movements of each student.

Please have your leave for the break in by end of this week.

If you have any specific concerns regarding your child, please get in contact with either TJ or Zoe depending on which house they are in to discuss.

They will have the best day to day knowledge of your child and are more than happy to work alongside with you.  I am also happy to separately discuss any boarding points that you think of want to have a chat about.

Head of Boarding

Ashley Keatch
M 0403 799 321
akeatch@lcgs.tas.edu.au

Senior Boarding House Assistant (Boys House)

Theunis Pieters
tpieters@lcgs.tas.edu.au

Senior Boarding House Assistant (Girls House)

Zoe Vandervelde
zvandervelde@lcgs.tas.edu.au