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Boarding, Week 4

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Newsletter Archive

25

Calendar

February

Boarding, Week 4

Contents

Head of Boarding Message
Ash Keatch - Head of Boarding
Community
Parents Handbook Community Regional Visits Boarding Parent Committee
Around the Houses
Academic Smart Goal Setting Recreation Activities Why? Food and Nutrition Boarders Hoodies Boarding Standards
Boarding Staff
Staff Contacts
Head of Boarding Message

Ash Keatch - Head of Boarding

Dear Boarding families, What a fortnight we have had in Boarding! We became the first Boarding House in Tasmania to have a COVID-19 outbreak and have ...

Dear Boarding families,

What a fortnight we have had in Boarding! We became the first Boarding House in Tasmania to have a COVID-19 outbreak and have been used as an exemplar for ‘how to manage a boarding house through an outbreak’ as sighted in a current four-day course running at the University of Tasmania in managing an outbreak. The staff and students have shown this week how boarding builds resilience and character. This was demonstrated by the way our boarders got on with it, with little fuss. It would be fair to say they acted like typical kids and teenagers, as we still had to remind them to social distance and wear their mask.

I was proud of the way our newest boarders like Aaron from Melbourne (Grade 12), Jack from Smithton (Grade 7) and Hannah from St Mary’s (Grade 7) continued to play games and interact with all the other boarders as we modelled that we can live with COVID-19 in our boarding environment. If you had of asked Nial and Nic as they rode around the campus on their bikes, then nothing was really different.

Watch Aaron playing cricket for Launceston Grammar.

Our little Grade 6s, David and Heidi, were also great at wearing masks to school on our bus run and continued to discuss two ducks who are camped on the side of the road and what their adventures would be for the day. Very funny – the ducks have gone from being friends, to being engaged and then waddling off on a honeymoon, all in one week!! Got to love the imagination of our juniors.

As we end this fortnight, I can report that we have had five confirmed cases of COVID-19 and one unfortunate case of close contact, all complete a seven-day isolation period and have re-entered the school system. We managed minimal disruption to our boarders learning and were able to maintain an open boarding house throughout this period.

We start the week in Stage 3 (Stand Down) where we have recorded no now cases in seven days since our last positive case. We continue with our system and watch and act for any signs and symptoms.

Please ring me if you are still having issues with REACH.

Finally, on COVD-19, A big shout out to the work Zoe and TJ did with their teams to manage our space and support your child through this unusual period. All staff stepped up and responded well, with some even being touched by the virus at different stages throughout the fortnight period. Another thank you goes out to Jenny, our Resident Nurse, who stood up when it counted and was flat out transitioning between day students and boarders to ensure all student needs were met. At one point I was witness to Jenny in full gown, gloves, mask and face shield supporting a child from the day school with an asthma attack on her way to attending to one of our COVID-19 isolated student’s needs. The grass outside of her medical centre was looking like a triage area!

I wish everyone a safe and happy fortnight and look forward to catching up with you if we cross paths around the Boarding House.

Ash Keatch
Head of Boarding

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Community

Parents Handbook

Anonymous parent (hint has a boy in Grade 6, Dairy farmer), works udderly hard!! “Mr Keatch, you have ‘talked up’ a handbook for a while now, will I ...

Anonymous parent (hint has a boy in Grade 6, Dairy farmer), works udderly hard!!

“Mr Keatch, you have ‘talked up’ a handbook for a while now, will I see it this year?? Well, probably not quite like that, but yes, I am proud to say our Boarding Handbook has been uploaded onto our webpage. A big thanks to my wife Lisa who spent a few days editing this document and the CET for ensuring it was okay to release. We have a live working document for you to read through with your family. It is a guide to how we operate in boarding and one that has already been seen through the eyes of some of our parents as well as students and staff.

My intent was to have the handbook out by end of last year so that you had time to go through it with your child over the break before starting this year. I believe it’s better late than never so please take the time to go through it. I am also having printed copies done for the parents who prefer to read a hard copy.

Not everything is operational in the handbook i.e. Boarding Parent role, however, it should provide you, as a parent, with a thorough understanding of how we go about our business in caring for your child at Launceston Grammar Boarding.

View the Boarding Handbook Here

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Community Regional Visits

Thank you to the parents who have replied to having me drop in for a visit. I am keen to link up and are currently working with the Community ...

Thank you to the parents who have replied to having me drop in for a visit.

I am keen to link up and are currently working with the Community Engagement Team to lock in some dates that we can release to you. Watch this space as I may be ringing you!!

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Boarding Parent Committee

I am looking for parent input through a committee for Boarding. It is designed to be fun but look at the needs as well as well as the support we can ...

I am looking for parent input through a committee for Boarding. It is designed to be fun but look at the needs as well as well as the support we can drive through a collaboration of both myself and a group of parents. If you feel you can value add and want to support this please send an email to me.

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Around the Houses

Academic Smart Goal Setting

This week, the Boarders have started their smart goals. I will have them typed up so they can print out and put up on their pin up boards.

Recreation Activities

The Pool and Gymnasium are a hit during our warmer periods. We are very happy to be able to provide these facilities to our boarders and it’s great ...

The Pool and Gymnasium are a hit during our warmer periods. We are very happy to be able to provide these facilities to our boarders and it’s great to see them taking full advantage of them.

Trevelyan was another weekend rec hit as the temperature rose and the wind dropped we purchased four new Stand Up Paddle Boarders and the boarders hit the water.

Mr Robertson took all the boys who were in last Saturday night in the boys house over the weekend, to play on the ropes at Riverbend Park.

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Why?

I though I would start a section in the newsletter around areas I see a need to revisit in boarding. I have used a statement from Simon Sinek which ...

I though I would start a section in the newsletter around areas I see a need to revisit in boarding.

I have used a statement from Simon Sinek which he uses when looking to effect change in a group or system.

“it’s not that people are against change, it is just that they need the time to get used to it”.

He realised that people won’t truly buy into a product, service, movement, or idea until they understand the WHY behind it.

 

One of the whys for us this term is

Why do our boarders keep their phones overnight in Grade 10-12?

I want to look at key ideas that look at the ‘why’ for us, like:

  • Traditions in our boarding house
  • Rite of passage
  • Wellbeing of our boarders
  • Safety
  • Needs vs wants
  • Exit plan for Grade 12s with independence

I sat the Grade 10 – 12s down at the start of this term and first asked them if they trust me. This wasn’t a throw away point but one to gauge where the next part of the conversation was heading.

I will show them data on the importance of sleep for adolescence as well as the ‘why’ around the thinking of structuring a routine that allows for a staggered rite of passage where a Grade 12 can exit our system into the big wide world with independence.

This is part of meeting the boarding standards phone policy covered in Section 3 – Boarders.

I will send a survey out to parents before the next newsletter to allow you to have your say on what you see is best practice for your child for use of phones.

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Food and Nutrition

We have a new male chef from Hong Kong, Kin Chung Lia, working for Chartwells who started this week. He has been a hit for our international ...

We have a new male chef from Hong Kong, Kin Chung Lia, working for Chartwells who started this week.

He has been a hit for our international students, and they say the rice is amazing.

Poor young David doesn’t agree, so Jerry is working with him to understand what it is around the rice that doesn’t work for him.

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Boarders Hoodies

Thanks to the parents who have replied to getting a hoodie. Please let me know If you are wanting one via an email and I’ll have $85.00 billed to ...

Thanks to the parents who have replied to getting a hoodie.

Please let me know If you are wanting one via an email and I’ll have $85.00 billed to your School account.

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Boarding Standards

I have started on the Australian Boarding Standards last week and will soon link up with the Australian Boarding Schools Association in Queensland to ...

I have started on the Australian Boarding Standards last week and will soon link up with the Australian Boarding Schools Association in Queensland to meet and go through a preliminary discussion around them.

As part of our governance, through a platform we are using at Launceston Grammar complispace we have in the boarding module around 74 policies to work through. Both the complispace and standards work hand in hand. The holistic approach will be to involve parents, students and staff to meet these and I am looking forward to sharing parts of this along the journey where we need your valuable input.

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Boarding Staff

Staff Contacts

Head of Boarding Ashley Keatch M 0403 799 321 akeatch@lcgs.tas.edu.auDeputy Head of Boarding – Academic Theuns Pieters tpieters@lcgs.tas.edu.au ...

Head of Boarding

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

Deputy Head of Boarding – Academic

Theuns Pieters
tpieters@lcgs.tas.edu.au

Deputy Head of Boarding – Recreation

Zoe Vandervelde
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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