Week 4, Spring Term 2021
Dear Boarding families
It has been a lovely couple of weeks on campus, with our new student leaders making their mark already on the year and being very organised. Our “Year 13” boys have also been studying well in the House and have started their final examinations this week, so we keep them in our thoughts and wish them all the best. In all, there has been a sense of calm in the houses and a really good vibe.
It has been a busy week for Outdoor Education for our Middle School Boarders. Last week the Yr 7 boys had a climbing and abseiling programme and our Year 6s had their Lancelin Surf Camp. This week all Middle School Boarders have been out on the Bibbulmun Track. It has been fantastic weather for the boys walking the track this week and they have enjoyed themselves. Our Bibbulmun Track programme is such a good experience for our boys, where they learn important lessons on teamwork and resilience and also just to get to slow down and appreciate nature. A Scotch education is so much more than what happens within the walls of a classroom and we value our Bibbulmun Track programme very highly.
Next week our Year 11s and Year 12s are walking the bibby. For the Year 11s, this is the first time that the track becomes optional and I encourage all parents to ask your boys to persist with the programme. They are about to walk through the southern forests of Pemberton in spring, where else in the world would you rather be?! Some of our 11s are understandably weighing up their new academic subjects and trying to make a good start to their ATAR, AAP and IB courses but we are encouraging the boys to persist and we will make sure that they get everything they need to catch up on the four school days that they will be absent from the classroom. We have an amazing tutoring programme in boarding, more than the day boys get, and the boys will be very well supported. Our Year 12 walkers are looking forward to their second last walk next term, they will be walking into Albany and would have completed our symbolic “Rite of Passage” in boarding. I have no doubt that as our Old Boys look back on their time in boarding over the years, the Bibbulmun Track experience is one of those life experiences that they will remember most fondly. I also want to say, from my perspective, it’s not only about becoming an “End to Ender”. Sometimes when boys miss a section of the track in younger years due to injury or something, they lose motivation to persist because they can think that there is no point walking if they aren’t going to become an ‘end to ender’. I disagree. Whilst becoming an ‘end to ender ‘is an amazing achievement, the value of the Bibbulmun Track is so much more than the certificate at the end and I would encourage all boys to walk as many sections as they can.
Our weekend recreation programme continues to provide great opportunities for our boys. In the past fortnight, we have hosted a number of other schools onto our campus as well as travelling out and about in Perth. The boys have enjoyed Laser Tag with Santa Maria, gone to Bounce, hosted girls from St Hilda’s, PLC and MLC at different times, including an amazing Halloween party last Friday night. Boys have also been out to Fremantle Markets, the Wembley Golf Course, Innaloo and Karrinyup Shopping Centres and are heading out for a picnic with other boarding schools at City Beach this weekend. We also have our annual paintballing trip organised in a few weeks’ time, which I emailed to parents yesterday. This term the Houses have opted to have BBQ dinners on Friday evenings to give them flexibility to have Clan games on a Friday evening or take dinner up and cook it in the senior school whilst they enjoy time around the pool and in the gym. It has also given a good opportunity for the Year 12s to head over to the Middle School Residence to mingle with those boys.
As there is no long weekend this term for a Boarding Parent meeting, I will be arranging for an online MS Teams chat for those parents who are interested. We are still trying to embed a regular parent committee with year group representatives which will help us plan events as well as be a good vehicle for constructive feedback on boarding. On that note, I will also be sending out a survey to all parents shortly asking for your feedback on boarding, considering that we have had a significant change of structure this year. Our senior staff had our Boarding Planning Day last Wednesday where we came up with some exciting idea for the next 12 months. If you are interested in joining the 2022 Boarding Parent Committee, please email me directly at Jordan.Owenell@scotch.wa.edu.au and I will make sure that you are invited into that MS Teams meeting. One of the things I am keen to get parent involvement with this year is our annual Boarding Week, including “Ag Day”, which has been locked in for Friday June 10. We are hosting marching down at the playing fields next to the boarding house and we will plan to have a number of stalls that help promote regional WA and our international boarders within the school. Any parents with small businesses from regional WA would also have the chance to promote their business or support the event, as well as us organising to showcase careers in regional WA for our senior boys to see. Please contact me if you’re interested.
I wish all families a safe and enjoyable weekend and I hope that harvest is going well so far for the farmers.
All the best
Jordan
Bibbulmun Track – Year 7
Year 7s about to start the Bibbulmun Track at Mt Dale walking through to Mundaring Dam with Head of Outdoor Ed, Shawn Brogden and Reverend Gary.
Year 7 Bib Track walk 1 – 4 Nov 2021
Bibbulmun Track – Year 8
The Year 8s walked from Gringer Creek to Swamp Oak. Rhys Holdman and Seb Crossley walked with the boys. A new starter, Oscar Male, joined the group. Oscar had a great time and fitted in well. We look forward to welcoming him in 2022 into Year 9.
Year 12 Stirling Clan dinner
Last night Richard Hales and Marika Ball went out for a relaxed and enjoyable dinner with the new Year 12 Stirling clan boarders at Allegro Pizza in Nedlands.
Katanning Ag Show
Our Headmaster – Dr O’Connell, Assistant to the Head of Middle School Residence – Mia Sullivan and Jordan attended the Katanning Ag Show on 22nd and 23rd October. Mia had two lovely farm visits with new starters in Year 7 next year – the Macnamara’s and the Hewson’s.
The Scotch Pipe Band played and were a resounding success.
Covid 19 Digital Certificates
Thank you to all the parents and guardians who have already sent through a copy of their son’s Covid 19 Certificate. Many of the boarders will be receiving their second Covid 19 vaccination, and with this in mind, we require a copy of their Covid 19 Digital Certificate.
To get a copy, you need to access it through the MyGov Website. Please email it to HealthCentre@scotch.wa.edu.au
Please feel free to contact the Health Centre on 9383 6818 if you have any questions or concerns regarding the Vaccination.