Week 10, Summer Term 2020
Dear Parents,
The last Blog for the term is an odd one as usually we’re writing about what is happening with your boys down here, but these past weeks you have spent more time with them than us. I hope they are pulling their weight around the house as well as attending to the lessons we are producing for them.
Welcoming Jordan Owenell – Head of Residential Life
This morning I did a walking and talking tour with Jordan Owenell, the new Head of Residential Life at Scotch, as I showed off the 3 boarding houses to him. Jordan and his wife Kate, and their children Charlotte and George moved into their new Scotch residence this week, perhaps a little ahead of schedule as Jordan and Kate are expecting their next child in a few days’ time. Some families will remember Jordan as a former Humanities teacher and Head of Ross House in Senior School before leaving Scotch to take up the position of Head of Noonan Boarding House at Aquinas College. Jordan was also a former student at Scotch and so brings a deep knowledge of Scotch life and culture into his new role. I’m not sure if he can play the bagpipes though, but his dog Shanti will be a hit with the boys.
Now that we have shut down, a reoccurring question is ‘when will we return?’ It’s a question I can’t answer yet, and it will really only be answered by the Minister for Education. In the meantime the Residential Heads of Year will remain in touch with you and the boys either by phone or MS Teams conference calls on a weekly basis. Please don’t hesitate in using the RHOY’s as a conduit back into the school to seek help wherever your son may require it. On the topic of working from home, the following NBN information was sent by the Boarding Schools Association and may be of some value to families on the Skymuster data network.
- Skymuster plans have had their standard plans increased by 45gb per month
- Skymuster Plus subscribers have most of their data now unmetered except for VPN and Video Streaming. They are working on a way to release YouTube for our boarders as well.
- See the attached press release for more details:
This is likely to be the last Acting Director’s Blog I write. I need to say it has been an exciting term, and Boarding House shut down aside, the chance to work with your boys who bring a richness and a broader perspective on life to our school that other schools must envy, has been an absolute highlight. Thank you for your responses and steerage, affirmations and inquiry’s. I know from looking from the inside that Residential Life at Scotch is in good hands.
Have a happy and safe Easter
Yours in Isolation
Richard Ledger