Boarding Bulletin Board

By Director of Boarding, Mr Mike Silcock

News around the Boarding Precinct

• The first few weeks has been a hive of activity within our Boarding Community. On Saturday 8^th February our Boarders, accompanied by our Boarding staff, went for a day trip to the Geelong foreshore. This activity is a favourite amongst our Boarders as it gives them some freedom to explore the shops, the Geelong foreshore, followed by swimming at the Geelong Public Pool/Pier. The swimming at the pier was a particular highlight of the day as was the many questionable dives/bombs off the diving board, which provided many laughs amongst our boys as they all tried to outdo each other’s attempts. It was also great to see some of our younger and older Boarders conquer their fear of heights and jump off the high platform. A good measure for any trip away is our how silent the trip home is and it was great to see a number of Boarders and staff taking the opportunity for an afternoon sleep after an enjoyable time.
• Last week our youngest Boarders embarked on the annual Year 7 camps. These camps are held at the start of each year and are a wonderful opportunity for our Boarders to get to know their fellow classmates in a more relaxed setting. The camps are spread over the course of the week and each class has their own overnight experience. Each evening members of our Boarding staff visited our Year 7 Boarders at dinner to ensure they were enjoying the experience and also to give them some familiarity as they settle into life away from home. As with all of the College experiences wonderful connections are built, especially between our Boarders and their Day Student classmates, which are invaluable relationships to form as they progress through the College. As always it was great to hear the positive feedback from our Boarders as they immensely enjoyed the experience.
• On Sunday 16^th February we hosted our Boarding Community ‘Welcome to Community’ Mass and Dinner. This event certainly is special as it’s the first time that new and existing families come together as a community to celebrate Mass, take part in a traditional Smoking Ceremony, led by local Indigenous Elders, followed by a formal dinner in the Old Collegians’ Pavilion. The night afforded us the opportunity to formally acknowledge our Year 11 Prefects and introduce the members of our inaugural Boarders’ Council. Congratulations must go to all Boarders who have filled these positions and we look forward to seeing them grow throughout the year. A special thanks must go to all of the families that came to the event and I encourage you all where possible to attend our community events throughout the year.
• As a Boarding Community we are always looking for ways that we can give back to our local community by volunteering at events. This past weekend several of our Boarders, coordinated by Ms Westwood, helped out with the set up and running of the Ballarat Cycle Classic. This event is run to support the Fiona Elsey Cancer Research Institute. We thank all of those who volunteered, and we look forward to engaging further with our local community in many more events throughout the year.
• On the 27^th March we will hold our Boarding Parent – Teacher Interviews from 2:30 – 3:30pm in our Boarding Dining Room. I encourage all parents to register and attend this event, not only to track your sons progress but to also touch base with Teaching and Boarding staff with any concerns or questions you may have. I will update parents closer to the date with all relevant information.

Term 1 Up-Coming Events

• Sunday February 23 is the annual Head of the Lake rowing event here at Lake Wendouree. We are all looking forward to cheering on all of the boys from SPC on the day, especially current Boarding students, Xavier Hayter (Yr11) and Angus Troup (Yr10).
• The first EXEAT weekend for all of our Boarders begins on Friday March 6 (5pm) until Monday March 9 (5pm).