Dear Boarding Families,
Welcome back to what will be an action-packed term. Already in the last two weeks, we have had the Hawkes Chapel service and final dinner for the Grade 12s and the Grade 12s Curry Crawl dinner with the senior staff. Next week our Grade 12 have their final week and Valedictory Day on Wednesday 2 November which finishes off their school experience. Our Grade 7s head off to Maria Island along with some big Kids (Edwina Campion and Tim Dowling). The TCE exam period begins and our Grade 11/12’s last exam is scheduled for 18 November. The expectation is then for all Grade 11 and 12s to leave boarding and enjoy some downtime from studying.
This term has also seen Mrs Denise Hales seamlessly take on the role of Head of Girls House and already the feedback from both staff and students has been very positive. She has reminded me of why she was Head of Boarding at PLC WA, as she made everyone feel welcomed on their return to boarding this term and has been able to value add to our space.
Our Grade 10s finish on 24 November leaving our boarding house for the year. Grade 9s head to Mt Cameron and Grade 7 and 8s go into Challenge Week. Finally, the term concludes on 14 December with Graduation night.
With all of this going on, we still have a rowing program to support at 5:35 in the morning with bus runs taking boarders to the rowing shed, then coming back and doing a couple of runs to the junior school or onto Scotch Oakburn for any Boarders who are doing a subject there for Period 1. All of this happens before the first bell each day or before I get to step into my classroom if it happens to be a teaching morning.
Reverend Pickering and Victoria Monson ran last week’s Boarders Chapel and he went on to explain that there is a lot going on in our space each day and we do not always know what is happening around us and with those we interact with, but one thing we can control is kindness. Be kind to each other in the way we speak, interact or respond. The general idea of the service was ‘love your neighbour whoever it shall be’ Victoria continued this message with the following points:
– We don’t get to choose our family
– Similarly, we don’t choose who is at the Boarding House
– It is important that we love each other.
– We are nothing without our neighbour and community is everything.
This was a very powerful and timely message for our boarders as we look to positively close out another year living together and show gratitude to those around us.
Enjoy your fortnight!
Regards,
Ash