Week 7, Autumn Term 2020
Dear Boarding Families,
I write to you in the middle of Men’s Health Week and I hope that all the males out there are taking some time to check up on themselves and each other! I was inspired this week by a story that has come out of Mukinbudin and spread around the world, known as the Blue Tree Project. It is both a fascinating and tragic story about mental health issues in our community and I urge you all to check out the website https://www.bluetreeproject.com.au/ and perhaps you and your sons will be inspired to paint a blue tree yourselves, we have one here at Scotch to remind the boys to look out for each other.
It is great to see PSA sport back on the calendar and it was particularly exciting to see that we played Round 1 against Aquinas. I ventured down to watch to First XVIII come away with a thrilling victory and particularly proud to see the boarders in that team play starring roles. The game was played with great skill and speed and I was happy to see the boys come away with a win over my former employer! I am hoping to see more boarding families make their way to Perth to watch sporting fixtures in the near future and it will be a great opportunity to meet more parents in person.
There have been a few significant changes to our Leave Management System recently which I want to make a point of mentioning to families. Firstly, it is really good that we have recently been able to extend more Leave opportunities for the boys, now any approved host on the boys’ system can take the boys out for Day Leave or Overnight Leave if parents approve. However, in order to do this and still mitigate risk of communicable diseases such as COVID 19 coming into our Residences, we have added another layer into our Leave approval process so that hosts now have to approve the leave and agree to a Terms and Conditions document which outlines a pledge to be “COVID Safe” as per the government guidelines. May I please ask parents to communicate with any hosts taking their boys out to check their emails and make sure they are aware of this. The host will need to approve the Leave as an important link in the chain before it gets to staff to approve. Please also ensure that any Leave requests are submitted at least 24hrs beforehand to give us time to consider them.
I have some sad and exciting news for Boarding families, particularly those of our Middle School boarders. Mr Drew Templar, Head of Middle School Residence, has accepted a job as Head of Outdoor Education at St Hilda’s Anglican School for Girls. This is a fantastic opportunity for Drew, his wife Jen and daughters Bridgette and Indi. However, of course, it is very sad news for our community because Drew is such a good operator and has made such a positive difference to the lives of the boys in his care, as well the boarding staff. We wish Drew and the family all the very best. He will still be with us until September and will then move to St Hilda’s in Spring Term. In the interim, I will be stepping in to look after the Middle School Residence whilst we advertise for someone to take the position from 2021 onwards. Since I have arrived, I have been really impressed with Drew and have built a good relationship both professionally and personally. One of the hardest things for me to do will be to tell my kids that Bridgette and Indi will not be our neighbours for much longer! The Templars have been instrumental in making us feel welcome at Scotch and we will miss them. However, I realise that this is a wonderful opportunity for Drew and I am sure you will join with us in wishing him, Jen and the kids all the very best. Scotch’s loss is certainly St Hilda’s’ gain!
Lastly, we will be hosting a parent sundowner on the last Thursday of the Term, 2nd July and we would love for you to come along and join us! This is a good chance for us all to get together as a community and share some stories of 2020. There is a save the date card below and I urge you to put it in your diaries. We would love to show your our brand new Mathematics and Commerce building before enjoying dinner down at the Dining Hall. I look forward to seeing you then!
Kind regards
Jordan
Parent Committee Meeting
If you are available on Thursday 2nd July at 2:30pm, please join us for the Residential Life Parent Committee Meeting in the Yr 7/8 Boarding House foyer. Jordan Owenell would like to meet interested parents to discuss everyday issues, special projects and how parents can become more involved in boarding. We will be providing afternoon tea and scones and All are Welcome. Please RSVP to ResidentialLife.Admin@scotch.wa.edu.au
Holiday Travel Arrangements
It is only 2 weeks until the July Holidays, so we need you to start adding travel details for your boys into the REACH Leave System.
Just as a reminder: When completing your son’s Holiday Travel Arrangements please use the ‘Holiday Travel Arrangements’ leave type. Please do not use ‘Overnight Leave’, ‘School Approved Leave’, etc. By using the ‘Holiday Travel Arrangements’ leave type it makes it easier for us to sort the leave and make sure we don’t miss anyone.
For those requiring Scotch to arrange transport to either the airport or train station please use the following template within the notes section:
Transport Required: Yes/No
Flight/Train Number:
Flight/Train Departure Time:
Time required to be at Airport/Train Station:
Does your son require an Unaccompanied Travel Form? Yes/No
Is Transport required upon return? Yes/No
Flight/Train Number:
Flight/Train Arrival Time:
NB: Please remember that boarding boys have been given permission to leave the College from 1pm (school finishes 3.25pm) on Friday. However, if they are leaving after school then they are expected to attend all of their remaining classes.
If you are having connection issues then please contact Michelle or Jan and they will enter the details for you.