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Boarding, Week 10

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Newsletter Archive

8

Calendar

July

Boarding, Week 10

Contents

Head of Boarding Message
Ash Keatch - Head of Boarding
Community
Wellbeing – COVID-19 and Mental Health After School Tutoring ABSA Boarder Leadership Conference Catering Exams Holiday Period Leave Room Pack Up For Holidays Staff Contacts

Notices

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Head of Boarding Message

Ash Keatch - Head of Boarding

Dear Boarding Families, Well, we got there! It has been a long 11-week term and I am sure you are keen to share some quality family time together ...

Dear Boarding Families,

Well, we got there! It has been a long 11-week term and I am sure you are keen to share some quality family time together once again.

I have been reflecting on our boarding environment this term as I look for ways to continually evolve our culture and I came across an article on equity in education that was worth sharing.

“The quality of education that students receive directly correlates to their quality of life years down the road. Early education in particular has the power to shape a child’s future and the more resources available to them, the better. For this reason, it’s crucial for educators to address any barriers young students face to succeeding in school.”

They go on in the article to say the key is equity. Equity means offering individualised support to students that addresses possible barriers, like in some of our cases in boarding limited transportation, small-town lack of resources or isolated and remote town living.

Equality on the other hand is more commonly associated with social issues, perhaps because more people know what it means. In a nutshell, its definition is as it sounds–the state of being equal. When a group focuses on equality, everyone has the same rights, opportunities, and resources. Equality is beneficial, but it often doesn’t address specific needs.

According to the Race Matters Institute “The route to achieving equity will not be accomplished through treating everyone equally, it will be achieved by treating everyone equitably, or justly according to their circumstances.”  Equity is more thoughtful and, while it’s harder work, it is better at resolving disadvantages. While equality is an admirable goal, by shifting our boarding focus to equity we could possibly have a more effective outcome.

Horizontal equity is only useful in homogenous boarding houses, where each person really is given the same opportunities in life. But in most boarding environments, students will come from a variety of backgrounds–some more privileged than others. For this reason, as educators we should be focusing on vertical equity, which assumes that boarders have different needs and provides individual resources based on said needs.

The article goes on to state that equity can also strengthen a student’s health and social-emotional development. In a study involving over 4,300 students in Southern California, the children who felt safer, less lonely, and reported less bullying also had higher diversity levels in their classes. Being equipped to promote diversity and provide for students from all backgrounds makes for an environment where students feel comfortable and have better emotional regulation. Additionally, equitable communities are linked to better health and longer average lifespans.

Surrounding communities’ benefit from equity in schools as well. Equity is linked to stronger social cohesion, meaning that individuals connect with each other better and are more compassionate. It also leads to long-term economic growth. This means that promoting equity in schools can be one of the best and most effective social investments.

To summarise, these are some of the benefits of focusing on equity in education and for us in boarding:

  • Higher test scores
  • Better health
  • Stronger social atmosphere
  • Longer life
  • Economic growth

Keeping these five tips in mind for promoting equity in our boarding space and helping every student succeed:

  • Remember that every child is different and has unique needs. Evaluate any challenges that students face and, if needed, offer support or resources
  • Cultivate an environment in boarding where every student feels heard. Encourage them to speak out against unfairness and let you know if they’re facing any hardships at home or in boarding
  • Parent engagement is a particularly helpful way to resolve challenges involving equity. Keep open communication with parents and encourage them to volunteer or attend school and boarding events to involve them with their child’s education
  • Provide equity training in schools for boarding staff so they know how to resolve common barriers

Take care of each other and enjoy your break with your wonderful children.

Ash Keatch
Head of Boarding

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Community

Wellbeing – COVID-19 and Mental Health

One of the great success stories living in boarding is being around friends and mates who can support you from time to time. This is very evident in ...

One of the great success stories living in boarding is being around friends and mates who can support you from time to time. This is very evident in our space now as lots of our boarders grapple with a variety of ‘that’s life’ issues. I have attached a good article from the Australian National University which is looking into the stats around what the COVID-19 pandemic has created in terms of mental health for our young ones.

Having a 19 year old son and 21 year old daughter in this space, back in Western Australia, I can vouch that even if your child is in a great space socially and emotionally, it can still affect their mental health in some way. The best way for me to support them is to check in each day and have a chat. Something I have learnt to value more than my pay cheque each fortnight. I know a lot of parents already do this and it does show.

Read more about how COVID-19 Taking Bigger Toll on Kids’ Mental Health

Find out more about this on Launceston Grammar’s SchoolTV

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After School Tutoring

Please see attached the after school tutoring programme. We are seeing a great uptake over the backend of the term around this service, especially ...

Please see attached the after school tutoring programme. We are seeing a great uptake over the backend of the term around this service, especially the TCE students. Well done! We encourage all boarders to use this service as it”s a great resource our boarders have on campus.

After School Tutoring in the Learning Hub

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ABSA Boarder Leadership Conference

ABSA was thrilled with the success of the inaugural Boarder Leadership Conference which was held in conjunction with BurnBright last year. The day ...

ABSA was thrilled with the success of the inaugural Boarder Leadership Conference which was held in conjunction with BurnBright last year. The day saw over 160 boarders join ABSA from around the world. The feedback was fantastic, with the boarders rating the relevance and quality of speakers at an average of 8.4 out of 10. ABSA strongly believe in the importance of providing boarders with the best opportunity to positively influence the school community well into the future. I have attached a flyer with the agenda of the day. Boarders who attend will also be sent an ABSA Boarder Leader badge to wear on their blazer.

Please chat with your child if they are in Grade 10 and looking to develop or lead in the future.

Please download the flyer for further information

I will be asking students next term to nominate if they would like to be a part of this leadership conference.

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Catering

Chartwells made a very exciting announcement last fortnight which will affect boarding.  Meet Mark Pettit – Chef Manager  Chartwells is excited to ...

Chartwells made a very exciting announcement last fortnight which will affect boarding. 

Meet Mark Pettit – Chef Manager  

Chartwells is excited to announce the appointment of Mark Pettit, as Chef Manager at Launceston Grammar. Mark commenced on Monday 4 July.

Mark comes to Launceston Grammar with 22 years of experience in hospitality industry. He is passionate about food and flavours, as well as delivering nutritional food that is delicious. Mark’s ethos is that quality fuel is essential to a productive and thriving learning environment.

Mark grew up in regional NSW and completed his trade in Armidale. A job opportunity led him to move to Tasmania where he met his wife. They both shared a dream of owning their own restaurant, hence they moved back to his hometown in Glen Innes NSW, where they operated their Cuisine Café for 10 years. Mark shares that this was an amazing experience. Cuisine Cafe’s menu specialised in accommodating dietary restrictions and intolerances. This led them to win multiple local hospitality awards and put Cuisine Cafe in the TripAdvisor Hall of Fame.

Mark now has a family and returned to Tasmania, where he is excited to start the next chapter of his life. He is thrilled to have this opportunity at Launceston Grammar and looks forward to providing many fresh ideas and a positive attitude for the students.

Please introduce yourself to Mark when he joins the team at Launceston Grammar.

Before the end of term, the students and staff in boarding will be get a chance to farewell Scott who has led the Chartwells group at Launceston Grammar since 2019.

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Exams

The student leadership group asked for the use of the Learning Hub at night for our senior boarders to study in during exams, which was a great ...

The student leadership group asked for the use of the Learning Hub at night for our senior boarders to study in during exams, which was a great initiative.  I witnessed something great during that period when we went into that space. The buy-in from students was amazing to see, everyone was hard at work making, revising and learning their notes. We are looking to continue this for next term.

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Holiday Period Leave

Thank you to our community for getting your Holiday Leave on REACH. As we start the downhill run to the mid-year break, it is great to have leave ...

Thank you to our community for getting your Holiday Leave on REACH.

As we start the downhill run to the mid-year break, it is great to have leave sorted by the last week of term. This ensures our team can support your child’s ability to make a smooth transition back home.

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Room Pack Up For Holidays

All students have been packing up their rooms for this break into boxes. Please touch base with your Deputy Head of Boarding for each house to ...

All students have been packing up their rooms for this break into boxes. Please touch base with your Deputy Head of Boarding for each house to discuss this.

We have The Hutchin’s School boarders using our facilities over the break, and we also have some new boarders starting in Term 3. This is always a great way of decluttering your child’s room and allows the cleaners to get into each space and give it a thorough clean.

Boarding House Renovations

Boarding House Renovations

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Staff Contacts

Head of BoardingAshley Keatch M 0403 799321 akeatch@lcgs.tas.edu.au  Deputy Head of Boarding – AcademicTheunis Pieters M 0447 732 241

Head of Boarding

Ashley Keatch
M 0403 799321
akeatch@lcgs.tas.edu.au

 

Deputy Head of Boarding – Academic

Theunis Pieters
M 0447 732 241
tpieters@lcgs.tas.edu.au

 

Deputy Head of Boarding – Recreation

Zoe Vandervelde
M 0498 167 579
ZVandervelde@lcgs.tas.edu.au

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We respectfully acknowledge, with deep respect, the Palawa/Pakana people as the traditional owners of the land, sea, and waterways of Lutruwita (Tasmania) on which we work, rest and play. We pay our respects to elders past, present, and emerging and recognise their continued care for land, waterways, and community. We also acknowledge that sovereignty has never been ceded. It always was and always will be Aboriginal land.

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