Boarding, Week 6

Dear Boarding Families,

It’s been another big fortnight in the Boarding House. The kids and staff are ready to go home for a well-earned break before exams start up for some.

I have had several students sit in my office this week and discuss low-level issues which have popped up over the week. Living in a community environment means we will, from time to time, have bumps with relationships. I am impressed with how our students are interacting and surprised by some of the language and outbursts heard over the last week. With each issue, we check the behaviour with your child. If this warrants a call home, you will generally hear from either Zoe or TJ.

If you hear something as a parent, please feel free to contact us so we can assist as your eyes and ears are on the ground.

Enjoy your fortnight.

Kind regards,

Ash

Ash Keatch
Head of Boarding

I have noticed an increase in the colourful language used by our Grade 7 through to Grade 10 both boys and girls around our boarding house. Using disrespectful language is not socially acceptable in the boarding or school environment. Resetting it early can prevent it from becoming a serious problem down the track.

Wherever they have picked it up from, we are all about being respectful to others in the Boarding House, so staff will pull them up each time we hear it.

I find it’s a great barometer of our boarding culture how our boarders talk and act when they can’t see our staff, this can be pleasantly surprising or disappointing.

Our aim is to educate them on some self-discipline around ‘how you speak’ and ‘what we deem as socially acceptable when communicating with each other’.

School TV SPECIAL REPORT: Respectful Language | Launceston Church Grammar School (schooltv.me)

Please see the after school tutoring programme. We encourage all boarders to use this service as it’s one of the reasons to board and have this resource on campus.

After School Tutoring in the Learning Hub

Well, this just got bigger and better!

One of the unique experiences here in Tasmania has been an opportunity to visit the Aldridge Dairy Farm in Branxholm and be treated to a night full of family, friends and boarders celebrating something only Tasmanians seem to get away with, ‘Cracker Night’.

Andrew did not disappoint! There were over 50kgs of fireworks, meticulously placed in three rows tired down to timber planks along with an untold number of cakes and roman candles that produced a flower-like arial pattern leaving a trail of sparks in the night sky.

Along with this display, was a huge bonfire which turned night into day on the cow paddock. The boarders came in numbers this year having 19 of us attend. Mrs Keatch was in awe of the event saying it trumps any fireworks she has seen back in the West!

Thanks to Andrew and Jenny for once again putting this event on. It is hard to find an activity to compete with this on a weekend for our boarders to be involved with.

I have met with the state and regional managers from Chartwells. They have surveyed the boarders and staff, along with our survey, and we have identified key areas that require improvement. To use a phrase often said to me by Carol Doonan, ‘it doesn’t need to be a fancy meal just get the basics right’, ‘how hard is it to cook a pasta meal?’

I was in Perth again, last weekend, and was at a formal dinner where Chartwells cooked. The meal was silver service and I caught up with the old manager and staff I knew. I explained the issues we were having down here with the food and came away with some key points we needed to address.

For me, it is very simple; Firstly, chefs need to have a passion for cooking, it can’t just be a job! Secondly, they need to engage the boarders and find out what is working and what is not.

Chartwells understand this. It is what makes them one of Australia’s largest catering organisations with over 3000 schools using them. I am working with them to reset our food service in boarding and am happy with our latest meeting as it was positive in the right direction for getting the basics right. As always, the boarders will let me know.

This is a topic of conversation at the moment as club sports and outside of school activities have increased over the year. The demand on getting boarders to and from venues is something we are finding hard to achieve. I have had several conversations over the phone/ via email with parents who have a need in this area.

The Parent handbook has a small section on Community Sport which states:

Boarders have the opportunity to be involved in local community sporting teams. We have developed strong community partnerships, which will allow us to find a team for your child. The best point of contact to discuss these options is the Director of Sport. Transport to and from training and games should be organised through the team being represented. Our recommendation is that boarders train once a week with their local sporting team as they already have a school sports commitment.

In boarding, we prioritise school events over outside of school events. We are not mandated to run a taxi service for any outside of school events, however, where we can, we have provided this service over my time as Head of Boarding. I have met with the business office this week to look for a solution moving forward. I will keep you informed of what this will look like over the next few weeks.

At the end of the day, I am looking for a solution that meets the pastoral needs of our boarding community and allows Deputy Heads of Boarding to do their role in supporting the houses of an evening. At the moment, having a senior staff member drive a bus from 4:00 pm until up to 10:15 pm is not a workable solution.

The Boarding House will close for the long weekend to regional boarders. We are remaining open for our international boarders. The Boarding House will close by 5:00 pm on Friday evening. It will open again on Monday at 3:30 pm.

Thank you for putting your leave in REACH. This assists staff in movements and assists your child to get out the door and home into your care.

Access to the Back Gate for Parents

I have asked the question about parents being able to access the back gate after hours when visiting or collecting their child. Unfortunately, the school isn’t able to give you a fob, due to our Child Safe policies around not being an employee.

I have a simple solution. Please phone one of the seniors who are always on call as you are arriving or 5 minutes out and we will send someone down to open the gate for you. We operate 24/7 during term times and always have a senior supporting our staff on duty. The numbers are listed in each newsletter.

Regional Show – Campbell Town

The Campbell Town Show was last Friday and Saturday. Our enrolments officer, Malcolm Dolman, along with a variety of Grammar staff attended this event, home to one of our Boarding families, Lucinda (Grade 9) and Nick (Grade 7) Dowling.

The flight simulator was clearly the highlight of the schools exhibits present at the show. We had about 95 school-aged children sit in the aviator seat over the two days, some more than once. Thank you to Dr Cameron Rodgers for his enthusiasm for the Aviation program and the extraordinary Grade 9 student, Phoebe Snow, who guided kids through the flight simulator between 10 am – 2 pm on Saturday, just for fun. The stand saw many past staff, parents and students drop by the Grammar exhibit, to say hello.

If you were ever wondering how we managed to go from a white boarding bus to a mobile billboard sign, take a look at the video provided to us from Think Big.

Senior Staff Roster for the fortnight

11 June

Friday – Ash

Saturday – Ash/Zoe

Sunday – Zoe/TJ

Monday – TJ

18 June

Friday – Terry

Saturday – Zoe/TJ

Sunday – TJ 

Staff Contacts

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