Week 4, Winter Term 2021
Dear Boarding Families
It seems too long since I last wrote to you as this first few weeks of term have whizzed past. Last term seemed to be a very long stretch by the end of it and then, with the boys having the better part of a month off in some cases, they have come back to school and before you know it, they are off on a long weekend again! I have been pleased with the way that the boys have started the term. Both the Middle and Senior Houses have reported a positive and calm start to the term. Our daily routines have been productive and boys are utilising the academic support that is given to them in prep.
Our Middle School boys have been aching to get into their new Boarding House and it is so very close to completion, however, we have been told to cool our jets for another couple of weeks and it seems the boys won’t get into the House until week 8. We are keen to get them into the House before the holidays so that they can enjoy the place for as long as possible, especially the Year 8 boys who will only have one term left before they move to the Senior House next year. If parents are keen to tour the new boarding house, perhaps when they come to Perth to watch the Athletics carnival, please get in touch with me and I can find a time to show you around. Otherwise, on the last day of term the Middle School have their Highland Games competition and we would love for parents to visit for an afternoon tea as they pick their boys up for the end of term so that they can take a look around the new space.
I am also pleased to share with families that Fiona Richmond and I have been granted approval for the Health Centre to hire a staff member who will be able to take boys to medical appointments. This is a great result for both the Health Centre and for families and it will hopefully help to reduce the burden on parents and Perth guardians, especially for those parents who live a plane flight away and for parents who don’t have family members living in Perth who can easily help out. I still need to stress that Perth guardians and parents remain an important part of the support network for boys to attend medical appointments, especially those specialist appointments that can be scheduled. However, with the types of appointments that need to happen at short notice, it will be fantastic to have someone who can help out and I know that this has been a stress point for families in the past 18 months with COVID-19 protocols. Speaking of COVID-19, it has been great to read in the last week that COVID vaccinations are now open for people 16 years old and above. We strongly recommend that all boys and staff in boarding be vaccinated. I encourage families to make an appointment for your son and to organise a vaccination at an appropriate time. The Health Centre have investigated and we are unable to get a doctor on site to do bulk appointments and we are also unable to book in bulk at vaccination clinics, making transport to these appointments very difficult at this stage. We encourage parents to book appointments for boys to be vaccinated as soon as possible, possibly over the next school holiday break. If you know anyone who would be interested in working with our Health Centre to transport boys to medical appointments, please get in touch. It is a fantastic role for someone who is flexible with their time and is keen to connect with our boarding community and help care for our boys.
We have had a busy few weeks in boarding. In week two of this term we celebrated NAIDOC Week and were able to celebrate Australian culture under the lens of reconciliation. Mr Spratt and many of our boarding boys led activities throughout all three sub schools which included dance and art workshops, a staff versus students basketball game (staff got the chocolates with our very own Mr Alex Wood getting MVP) and bush tucker barbeques. We also had our magical NAIDOC Week assembly with a special smoking ceremony during marching and a guest speaker, Professor Simon Forrest addressing the staff and students. Mr Spratt also played digeridoo to begin the assembly and showed off his fantastic skills. He is a great role model for our boys.
This term we have also celebrated our Boarders Ball with PLC and this year Scotch College hosted the ball at Mackellar Hall. A big thanks to Mr Hales and Mr Mellor in particular for coordinating that event and a good time was had by all who attended. The boys were able to get the same DJ that was a hit at the Year 11 Dance earlier this year and we had food and drinks and a photo booth for the students to enjoy. Next year PLC will host the Ball.
Coming up we have two really important events in boarding. Next week we begin our leadership process for next year, with the Year 11s to speak to the boys next Wednesday and Thursday about their vision for next year. Year 11 Leadership speech day is always one of my absolute favourites! I am looking forward to a strong field of candidates to let us know the direction that they want to take boarding next year. I am very much of the opinion that the culture of boarding is led by the Year 12 group and I am excited for what the current Year 11s have in store for us, we get a snippet of it next week! Also coming up is our big award for the year, the SPIRIT Award. I will write more about this in my next article, but it is our highest honour for students in boarding, it goes to the boys that personify the values that we stand for. It was fantastic to meet up again with the Higham family in Carnarvon, parents of Lachlan (OSC) who created the award in his honour after his tragic passing over ten years ago. We will always hold this award in the highest regard.
I have been out on the road quite a bit this term, which is one of the reasons for a missed blog article! I have travelled to Carnarvon with our Director of Teaching and Learning Cara Fugill and Mingenew and Geraldton with our Head of Middle School Brad Gill. Sean Mecham, Micheal Spratt and I are just about to board a flight to Kununurra and Broome and then we come back for Dowerin Field Day! It has been a bit of a whirlwind August but I feel it has been a very worthwhile exercise. It is so good to connect with families on their own home turf and to see where our boys live and the primary schools that they come from. It is also great to connect with our Old Scotch Collegians in the area and to visit any families who are sending their sons to Scotch in the next couple of years. One of the great things that we have done is to bring the Pipe Band to some of our regional events and they have been a big hit at the Agricultural Shows and Field Days. They performed at the Mingenew Expo and will perform again at the Dowerin Field Day and upcoming Katanning Agricultural Show. We are also bringing the Scotch ensembles to Kojonup in October. If we are ever in your area, we would love to see you and even if you can’t make the event, I am very keen for personal appointments and home visits. It has been really lovely seeing our current parents out in the regions and touring through homes and businesses. A special thank you to the Beards, Smiths and Holthams for hosting us in Carnarvon and the Lodges in Geraldton.
I wish all families a restful long weekend and look forward to seeing you soon. After next week I have no more travel until October so I will be looking forward to spending some time at home base while we support our 11s and 12s through exams and get our Middle School boys into their new digs!
All the best
Jordan
Kimberley Tour – 19 – 24 August
Click here to book for the Pumphouse function in Kununurra
Bibbulmun Track Day Walk – Yr 7, 8 & 9 – Dale Rd to Brookton Hwy
An enthusiastic bunch of 44 boys and 8 teaching staff headed off on Sunday 15th August to do a ‘make up’ walk from Dale Rd to Brookton Hwy at 6:30am. This walk means that boys can continue with the Bibbulmun Track programme with a view to becoming an ‘End to Ender’ in Year 12. This is a fantastic opportunity for our boarders teaching them navigation skills, resilience, self motivation, and emotional management. A huge thank you to Mr Rhys Edwards and his outdoor education team and to our volunteer staff that enjoy getting to know your boys.
Naidoc Week 2021
Celebrating our Indigenous culture at Scotch College with a Welcome to Country and Smoking Ceremony with Elder Neville Collard, barbequed emu and kangaroo expertly cooked by our boys, some Didgerdoo playing and a great attempt at storytelling through dance, and staff from Madahla with their scholarship boys.
Middle School Residence – Dance Moves
Year 10 Expedition
Great photo of Mr Orford with Nick, Jeremy, Azhar and Kaymus on the Sea Kayaking expedition.
Boarder’s Ball – Year 11 and 12
The Black and White Boarders Ball with PLC Yr 11s and 12s chose pizza and donuts as their food of choice. Looks like they enjoyed themselves.
Year 10’s socialising
Year 9’s socialising
A bit of fun around the fire pit.
Mingenew Midwest Expo
Our new Head of Middle School, Brad Gill and Jordan attended the Mingenew Midwest Expo on 11th and 12th August and the Pipe Band played and marched . Everyone had a great time, and the weather was perfect.
Some of our OSC and Parents of OSC – Henry Foulkes-Taylor. Jordan taught him Yr 10 history in 2009.
Kim and Anne Pedlow (OSC) and parents of OSC.
Peter Horwood OSC.
Jordan loves a photo opportunity!
Photo Competition
Winners being announced soon. Watch this space!
Tomorrow Man – Year 10
Our Yr 10 boys are undertaking the Tomorrow Man program. If you want to see what they do, click on Tomorrow Man
Year 6 Science Fair
This morning our only Yr 6 boarder – Ethan Sullivan – presented his ‘The Battle of the Boiling’ project. Well done Ethan.
Middle School Residence – nearing completion
Here’s a sneak peak of the nearly completed MS residence. The kitchen and dining area are nice and big and the theatre room has raked seating. The rec room looks like it’ll get plenty of use over the coming years.