Week 6, Winter Term 2020
Dear Boarding families
I write to you at the end of another busy and exciting fortnight for Scotch Boarding. I have spent the past two weeks largely away from campus, starting with my first walk on the Bibbulmun Track last week with the Year 9’s and then this week having an amazing trip away to a few towns and family farms in the Wheatbelt with the Headmaster Dr O’Connell! Both experiences have been fantastic and I have thoroughly enjoyed my time. Next week Mr David Kyle and myself will head to Carnarvon to hold a function on Thursday 10thSeptember at the Port Hotel, owned by our very own Mem and Tony Beard.
This weekend we have our Year 7 and 8 boarders going out on the bibby and I especially want to wish the Year 7’s well as they begin their walk out from the Northern Terminus in Kalamunda, we have a special Welcome to Country ceremony planned for them with Whadjuk Nyungar Birdiyia Neville Collard JP at the Terminus to recognise the history of the land, the importance of looking after it, and also making everyone feel welcome and wishing them a good trip. I think it will be a very special occasion.
Next week on Monday we have our Ag Day, which will celebrate all things boarding and will include a Free Dress Day, a special lunch and a fundraising effort for the Royal Flying Doctor Service. A special thankyou to our Year 12 Boarders’ Council and Mr Bradley for their work to organise this special day, especially in what has been a tough year to organise events! We will take some photos of the day and share them in Vidigami for parents.
Parents would have received an email from the Headmaster and myself on Monday of this week about a restructure in Boarding from 2021 and beyond. We spoke to families about this in person on our trip around the Wheatbelt and I will organise another large parent forum for discussion at some stage later in the term. It is important to acknowledge that all times of change come with some element of uncertainty and I know that clear communication around our strategy, particularly to parents, will be very important in these initial stages. It is also important to note that the decision to move Year 9’s to the Senior House from 2021 was not due to a belief that the current system was not working. In fact, the Year 9 House has always been very popular and well run by Mr Mecham and Mrs Hannington and has always been looked upon fondly by students and families. I believe that we will be able to provide that same level of care and support for students and families in this new structure. The new structure is designed to be more efficient, however, the level of care and support for families will remain our highest priority. I will write to all families to give information on a few of the finer details of the restructure shortly but please rest assured that the pastoral and academic support of your sons has been and will forever be our primary consideration. Caring for the students and sharing in this parenting journey with you all is a sacred responsibility and one which we take very seriously. I am firmly of the belief that this new structure will allow us to do that to the best of our ability.
To give a brief overview of the strategy, our boarding structure will be moving to have three Heads of Residence to work alongside me as the Head of Boarding. There will be a Head of Middle School Residence and two Heads of Senior School Residence. Each Head of Residence will have the oversight and holistic care of the boys in their group or, to use a Scottish term, “Clan”. The Head of Residence will be the main point of contact for families and for teachers in the School, similar to how the Head of Year structure currently works. Each Head of Residence will have an Assistant Head of Residence, who will be tasked with analysing and supporting the academic goal setting and development of the boys in their care during prep and feeding that back to the Head of Residence, parents, classroom teachers and House Heads or Homeroom teacher at school. Each Head of Residence will also have a House Parent, which will mean that the Senior School boarding House will soon have two House Mothers, one for each “Clan”. These three senior figures in boarding will track each boy from the time they come into Year 9 to the time they graduate Year 12 and this will allow for deep relationships to be maintained between staff and families. It is also important to note that, although the boys in the Senior School will be in two vertical groups, they will be under the same roof and have plenty of interaction with every boy in their year group, including having Common Rooms for year groups, common study areas, weekend recreation events and, of course, the Bibbulmun Track experience. It may also be the case that boys from the same year group but different “Clans” share a room together in the younger years. So, although a vertical structure will help staff and families have a common point of contact and relationship that helps track the boys throughout their time in the Senior School, boys will still be spending plenty of time in their year group. I am looking forward to the new structure and believe that it will be beneficial for families. I will organise a forum for parent feedback and questions but, as always, please feel free to email me any specific queries.
Lastly, I want to extend a special good luck to all Year 12 boys playing their last Winter sporting fixture for Scotch this weekend against Guildford. In particular, a special good luck to the boys in the First Football and Rugby Teams who have the chance to win the trophies for their sports outright. Both teams are full of boarders and we wish the boys all the best in their fixtures.
Kind regards
Jordan
Spirit Award
Congratulations to Digby Cleland Yr 12 for receiving the Spirit Award from the Higham family in memory of their son Lachy Higham.
Headmaster’s Wheatbelt Tour 2020
The Headmaster, Dr Alec O’Connell and Head of Boarding, Jordan Owenell took a tour of the Wheatbelt this week, meeting some of our wonderful Scotch College Community. Whilst in Northam, some of our Pipe band were thrilled to join in the fun.
Year 9 Bibbulmun Track
The Year 9 group headed into some great weather, with some of the boys having a dip.