Week 4, Spring Term 2019
Almost halfway through the term and – touch wood – everything appears to be ticking along nicely. The ATAR and IB exams are well underway and we are slowly losing some of our leaving Year 12’s as they complete their final exams. The 10 to 12 boys seemed to have settled well into their new academic year’s and the Middle School are keeping the Year 7 and 8 boys busy and this is preventing any pre holiday excitement from settling in just yet!
Staff Announcement
Our Head of Year 7 and 8 Residence, Scott Siekierka, will be leaving us at the end of year as he has accepted a position at Scot’s College in Sydney. This is a very exciting opportunity for Scott as Scot’s College is one of Sydney’s oldest and most prestigious schools. He his going there in a mixture of roles which includes being Head of Year 9, an Assistant in Boarding and has also been tasked with implementing an AFL program into the school and GPS system. Sounds like he is going to be very busy!! The first question the boys asked when we told them was, “Are the dogs going?” Looks like the pre-requisite for Scott’s replacement will be that they need to have dogs!!
We wish him every success in his new position and I know he is looking forward to the adventure that comes with changing not only schools, but states as well!!
He will certainly be missed from our Community and thank him for his commitment to us for the past five years. We are in the process of replacing Scott and hope to make an announcement by the end of the year.
Albany Show
Richard and Fran are in Albany to represent us at the Albany Show on Friday and Saturday. This is one of the big shows in the region and we look forward to attending it every year. If you are in and around the area, and have time, please drop by the stand to say hello!!
A big thank you to Ronael Humphris who hosted a lunch for us at her home in Beaufort River on Thursday. Richard and Fran stopped in on their way down to Albany and it was great to chat to a mixture of past, current and potential families about all things Scotch!!
Bib Track
On Sunday we see the first of our groups head off for what will be a big three weeks of Bib Track adventures. The Year 11 and 12’s are off from Sunday to Friday, with the Year 9’s and Year 8’s heading away on Sunday week. The week after that sees the second walk for the Year 7’s as they spend 3 nights out on the track.
The Year 12’s are walking with Matt Bradley and Kate Webster-Blythe from Inlet Road to Peaceful Bay and it is their second last walk before entering Albany next February. The Year 11’s will be joined by Ash Keatch and Outdoor Ed Staff member Katie Guy and will start at Palings Road and finish at Northcliffe. Richard Hales will be meeting the group in Pemberton on Tuesday night.
A big thank you to all staff who are attending these walks and the Outdoor Ed team for organising everything.
Online Medical Records – Update
It is timely, with the boys walking the Bib Track, to check your son’s medical records online at Home.Scotch.wa.edu.au and click on the Medical Update icon to complete the required details.
Twenty20: Australia vs Pakistan
We have twenty plus boys attending the match tonight at Optus Oval and we hope the Aussies put on a great display!!
Paintballing
On Saturday 7th December we will be holding our annual Paintballing Day. This is the final activity that we do as a Residential Community for the year and it is the only activity that we request all boys to attend. As per previous years we will be leaving the College at around 7.30am and will return by 2.00pm. The boys will play 4 paintball games, receive 600 paintballs, receive a sausage sizzle for lunch and have the pleasure of trying to shoot as many staff members as possible!! The cost for the day will be $50 with this being added to each boy’s accounts. This cost covers 50% of the fee with the Residential Community covering the other half. It has been the highlight of our calendar over recent years and the banter has already begun for what is set to be a great day!!
Claremont Leave and Junk Food
We believe it is important for the boys to have local leave to Claremont as it is a chance for them to get a break from the Boarding Houses and a change of scenery, however, of late we are very concerned about the amount of lollies, drinks, chips, Hungry Jacks etc that is being bought by the boys. On occasions, boys are going to lunch and dinner in the Dining Hall and not eating much, but then going back to their rooms and enjoying their purchases. We also obviously support moderation and think that it is important the boys enjoy a few treats along the way, but for some, it is far too excessive. We do try and stop boys when they come back in the House to check what they have purchased and remove excess if required, but as you know, boys get smarter and are now finding novel ways of “distributing the wealth” or “laundering” the goods. It leaves us with a couple of ways to manage the situation and that is 1) out Claremont leave, 2) place a ban on purchasing junk food rule (which we couldn’t supervise anyway) or 3) ask you to assist us in managing how much money the boys are being given because from our observations there are some boys who have a lot of money that are just wasting it on junk food. If you have concerns about your son in particular, then please feel free to contact your Residential Head of Year.
Holiday Travel Arrangements – End of Year Information!
Now that we are back and in full swing your attention should be (that is, if your son flies home) on the end of the year. With school having different finishing days for each Year Group it is important that you know what date your son is finishing so that you book the appropriate train or plane.
The Middle School like to have all Year 8 boys here for the Middle School Speech Night because predominantly the night is designed to say farewell to the Year 8’s. We will be keeping the Boarding House open on this night for those Year 8 boys who need to stay on and will organize transport to the airport or train station the following day. If you need any help with understanding when your son is due to leave, then please feel free to contact Michelle or Jan.
The same could also be said for any Year 9 to 12 boys who might receive an award at Speech night on the last day of the year. We will keep the Boarding Houses open that extra night and provide transport on the following day so the boys can attend if they wish.
We hope you all have a great weekend!!