Boarding, Week 8

Dear Boarding families,

The moment has finally arrived for our rowers in one of two sports, that I can think of, where the athlete goes backwards to go forwards, to reach the end of its session. Lisa and I will be at Lake Barrington, along with the boarders in the house for the weekend, to support our rowers who are competing at the Head of the River.

The rowing culture is very strong at Grammar and the benefits of being a boarder have meant Mum and Dad can sleep in, while either Mr Keatch, Ms Vandervelde or Mr Pieters do the 5:30 am wake up and drive our little enthusiastic munchkins to the ‘shed’. I have really enjoyed the energy and dedication our rowers have shown this session. They haven’t wavered in their spirit to be involved at school or around the house which is great to see. We have tried to accommodate them with staff keeping an eye out during the day and evening to check in on their wellbeing to ensure they are balancing academics, downtime and sleep. It would be fair to say they are, mostly, good at doing this themselves which is a great attribute this sport develops in their athletes. When I looked at the benefits of rowing, it is easy to see why our culture is strong at Grammar around this sport.

1. Total body workout,
2. It’s good for people of all fitness levels to try
3. It’s low impact
4. It can be meditative
5. It’s great for your heart and lungs
6. It builds power and endurance
7. It’s efficient

I wish everyone all the best for Head of the River over the weekend and look forward to seeing those of you who are out there on Saturday, Go Grammar!!

Kind regards,

Ash

Ash Keatch
Head of Boarding

Please see the list planned for this year’s visits. I am keen, where possible, to bring your child to you when we visit on the relating Friday. I still have a few phone calls to make to see if you are available.

Last assembly, our Vice Captain of Boarding and Captain of Roff House, Victoria Monson, spoke on stage at assembly about International Women’s Day. Her speech was measured and presented with a mature and informed view on a social topic that I learned a lot about from listening to her. I was so proud of the way she ensured the audience was informed and engaged with her topic. It was delivered with a confidence that inspired, not pushed, an opinion. Mum and Dad should be extremely proud of her efforts, we certainly are.

Victoria Monson Assembly Speech

At yesterday’s assembly, our Captain of Boarding, Oliva John, who was made a prefect this year, took the stage to present the themes around; recreational activities, culture in our boarding house being measured by our behaviours and actions, and up and coming events for us boarders at Grammar. This opportunity has allowed our captain to highlight the significant role boarding plays in our school and offers our student leader group a chance to public speak and develop their confidence in leadership.

The next opportunity on the school stage will see Jerry Lin our Vice-captain of Culture and Community. He will talk about how we find new and interesting ways to engage the Boarding Community and will highlight how we promote positive student v staff relationships. He will also talk about how we are exploring ways to link the boarding house to the wider community through our fundraising efforts.

The relay for life brought out the best in how we display culture at Grammar. We had a tent set up next to Scotch Oakburn and I was fiercely proud of our group when I rocked up at 03:00 in the morning to walk with our little legends to find them all up singing around the track with our staff Mr Pieters and Mr Robertson. Scotch Oakburn was asleep and only one of their team was walking!! This is how we rolled all night and it was my decision on Monday to give five of our senior girls the day off to recover.

After several delays, we were able to run our formal dinner which included our chapel service, followed by the Beating of the Bounds then a Formal dinner. It’s a highlight for the boarders each term to be able to ‘dress formally’ and share a great meal as a community. This year we had Reverend Pickering lead us through the campus starting at the chapel then moving on to stop and reflect through prayer at significant areas of the senior school that are important to our boarders.

It was great to see one of our youngest boarders ring the bell to assemble us into the chapel at the start, then see a range of boarders step up and do a reading at each point.

Final shout out to Maya Garwood who not only celebrated her birthday during the week but was able to achieve a milestone in life by getting her L plate licence. Congrats you little star!!

Thank you to all the parents who have invested their time to respond to this survey. I am keen to hear your thoughts around this and equally keen to show the results of what you thought out it.

I am waiting for the last couple of students to complete the survey. It’s clear from the results, so far, that there is support both ways and my aim is to use the comments and pie graphs to discuss with the boarders the next stage in this discussion.

As I mentioned from the start of this topic, this is a conversation that requires all input and although the boarding handbook has a model used to meet The Australian Standards in a boarding house, I am mindful of our needs in Tasmania and will look to implement a device guide that has buy-in from our boarders and parents that will still meet Australian Standards for Grammar boarding.

This week’s ‘Boarding Staff Bios’ is Halyna Rys. I would like our community to be aware that Halyna is from Ukraine and her family is caught up in the fighting back in her country. When the tanks started rolling into Ukraine, I inquired how her parents were going and she said with conviction that ‘we are strong people and will fight and defend our country.’ Her parents have a suitcase packed with a first aid kit and a pair of clothes. She is one of our amazing staff in the Girl’s House and has built a strong connection with our boarders.

Why Miss Rice?

Because English translation of my Ukrainian surname literally means “Rice”.

Where did you go to school?

I went to school in Ukraine. Also, I completed University degrees in Poland, in the Netherlands, and in Australia. My most recent degree is PhD in Education.

Were you a boarder?

No, but I lived in student accommodations with shared facilities, so I can relate to some of the experiences.

Where did you grow up?

I grew up in Ukraine. Most of the year, I would live in the west of Ukraine, in a beautiful European city which was founded in 1256. In summer, I would visit central and eastern Ukraine where I would swim in lakes, rivers, and seas.

What sports did you play at school?

Soccer and jogging.

Favourite sporting team?

Klitschko Brothers, boxing champions, who hold doctoral degrees and speak multiple languages.

How long have you worked at LCGS boarding?

Several weeks 🙂

If you are studying, what are you studying and where?

I am learning foreign languages.

Do you have any hobbies?

Yoga and reading.

Where is your Favourite holiday destination and why?

I have several. All of them are small size towns next to the ocean, such as Bicheno.

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