Boarding Bulletin Board

It has been exciting to see our Boarding Precinct come back to life these past two weeks. The return of our Senior Boarders has certainly brought a smile to the faces of the Boarding staff as we could all settle back into our routines and spend time each day catching up with and supporting your sons.

One of the real highlights this past fortnight has been watching our senior Boarders come together. Most nights we have seen the boys gather to play cards, play games on their devices and spend time down at the gym together. It feels like this time apart from one another has only strengthened their bond as mates and Boarders. Whilst we have made changes to some of our procedures in line with current guidelines, your sons have taken it in their stride and embraced the new “normal”.

After the upcoming EXEAT weekend we look forward to starting Stage 2 of our return to Boarding when we welcome our Boarders in Years 7 – 10 on Monday evening. I look forward to the reactions of your sons when they return and see their mates as they resume Boarding and College life. Personally, it will be very nice to chat with them in person instead of video chats and messages as well as give them the support they need to get back into their routines.

I hope you all enjoy this upcoming long weekend and make the most of being able to spend time with family and friends.

Kind Regards,

Ryan Bullock

 

Over the past few weeks, it has been nice to hear the sounds of Boarders back in the Precinct, laughing, chatting and enjoying time together. It had certainly felt like such a long time since we had that noise, however, it now feels like they had never been away! While there are some procedural changes and a few new policies in place, we have all settled into a ‘normal’ that appears to be safe and manageable for all.

Last week it was a privilege to watch and listen to three of our very talented Boarders, Archie Pollard (12), Alex Byham (12) and Eric Yang (8) as they submitted online performances for St Pat’s has Talent. Archie and his band, Spa Avenue, performed an amazing original song, Follow Me. Alex Byham impressed with a John Butler cover of Zebra and Eric Yang dazzled us all with his talents on the piano. All three performances finished in the top 15 of all entries and it was fantastic when they announced the winners – Archie and his band in first place with Alex receiving third place. Congratulations to all participants and it was a wonderful opportunity to bear witness to the amazing talents our Boarders possess.

Looking forward, we can not wait for stage two of reopening Boarding as we welcome back our ‘local’ Boarders from years 8 through to 10. It will be fantastic to be able to see our Boarders and help them to settle back into face-to-face learning. Stage three will also see the return of our remote Indigenous Boarders and then finally, we will be our full cohort once again. It has been a long time coming but I am thankful for all the work that has occurred behind the scenes to allow this to happen.

While restrictions are slowly being lifted within the wider communities, life will continue to return to a somewhat new normal. However, throughout these past few months, it has been fascinating to see the many strengths of our Boarders realised as they have learnt to accept and adapt to new expectations. We are very proud of each and every one of our Boarders and it is interesting to consider how this unique and exceptional time will be remembered in years to come.

Looking forward to seeing you all soon.

Tamara Westwood