Week 6, Spring Term 2021
Dear Boarding Families,
As we round the final bend and head towards the last few weeks of the term, it has been pleasing to see a wonderful feeling amongst our boarding community. I am sure the boys are looking forward to the end of the year and getting to spend some time back home but I can assure you that the boys have been having a good time at school and making the most of their time here with friends.
This week we have had the last of our Year 12s who have been in the house during the ATAR exam period leave, which is always a proud moment mixed with a tinge of sadness. We trust that the boys have put everything into their time here at Scotch, including these final examinations and we look forward to seeing them again at Valedictory dinner on the 27th November. I would like to thank the parents of our Year 12s again for their support of our boarding programme at Scotch and for entrusting a large part of your son’s adolescent years in our care. Unfortunately, I have read that young men don’t fully mature until they are between 25-32 so I don’t think you are out of the woods just yet! My wife might even suggest that timeframe be extended! Hopefully the boys have enjoyed their time at Scotch and forged a strong foundation for adulthood.
As the Year 12s become Old Scotch Collegians, we have had a ceremony recently, forging a new tradition as our Year 8 boys were allocated into their Senior Clans for next year when they join the ‘big house’. At our fortnightly Boarders’ Assembly, the Year 8s were welcomed into their Clans by their Head of Residence, House Mother and Year 12 Clan leader. The boys will have a chance to participate in their clan groups for our annual paintballing day on Sunday 28th November. Year 8 parents would have received an email today with your son’s Clan allocation.
I also spoke to the boys last night about a couple of exciting opportunities that we are getting off the ground for them this year. I have been speaking with the head of junior development at the Cottesloe Golf Club about a programme for our boarders. We are lucky that he is a past Scotch parent. We have come up with an opportunity for boys who are keen on their golf to have a rolling booking for two groups to play 9 holes on a Saturday afternoon after PSA sport for a heavily reduced green fee. This is a great chance for boys to play at one of Perth’s premier courses regularly. We have had some interest from some of our golfers which is great. If the programme grows, we will look to put on a coaching clinic for those who are beginners and looking to learn the game. We have already had a number of boys show interest which is great. Another programme that we are launching is our “Life Skills” programme and we are starting with a practical workshop skills course that the boys can do outside of school hours, the idea being that once a week for an hour or so boys can stay behind with one of our Design and Technology staff and make some cool projects in the workshop. Ideas could be things like building a toolbox, or a fancy letterbox for their home, a bedside table or a gift for Mother’s Day! Mr Van Ingen-Kal has kindly volunteered to take the reins of this course and we have had a few boys show interest. We are also looking to start a car skills course in the Middle School House where one of our Facilities staff has volunteered to teach the boys how to change a tyre and check the oil and water of a car to help get them excited about that. Please feel free to speak to your sons about these opportunities and encourage them to ask questions or volunteer. Like most things, it’s more fun when more people get involved! Building on life skills, we have also been running our Tomorrow Man workshops for our Year 10s and 11s, which has been a great success and we have just locked in our new Year 10 group for next year to start the first of their ten workshops next term.
We have quite a busy week coming up in boarding, but it should be a lot of fun. On Friday 26th November we have Shearer House coming down to the boarding house as the first of what we hope to be all houses coming down this year to pay us a visit. They will have a short tour of the boarding house before playing some soccer games on the oval in front of boarding and then staying for a BBQ dinner. Thanks to Mr Galipo and Kalib Dempster Park for organising this event. On Sunday 28th November we have paintballing but then in the afternoon we have our incoming Middle School students over for an afternoon recreation activity and then staying for a sleepover as part of their orientation experience. They will then have a big day of Orientation in the Middle School and Senior School the next day. The current Year 6s will spend time in classrooms having a day ‘as a Year 7’ which I am sure will be filled with fun activities. Our current Year 7s will be going on an excursion to one of three great venues and our current Year 8s will be spending the day in the Senior School for ‘Transition Day’ meeting their House heads and student leaders. There will surely be a lot to talk about next Monday night, the boys will be buzzing!
Speaking of Orientation, a huge thank you goes out to Mrs Sullivan and Mr Mecham for their work with our Welcome To Scotch College online transition programme. Mia has been coordinating our incoming boarders to catch up once a week online via Microsoft Teams to check in on them, ask questions and do a few activities to get to know each other and where everyone comes from. Hopefully it gets the boys really excited about joining Scotch next year! Boys have also been meeting current students and this week’s session will have a special chat for parents to catch up with Mia and Sean and each other. This programme is going from strength to strength and I really appreciate the hard work that our fabulous staff are putting into it.
I had a great time with Richard Foster last weekend at the Albany Agricultural Show, meeting current families and a lot of Old Scotch Collegians and past parents who are living in the region. I think Scotch made a great impression and we look forward to visiting again in March for our Year 12 Bibbulmun Track walk into the Southern Terminus. This week Sean Mecham and I are heading to Esperance to visit our families in the region and we are really looking forward to that as well. We have a function on Saturday night, please encourage people you know from our broader Scotch community to come along.
Finally, this week I sent all boys and parents a survey trying to get some feedback on how boarding has gone for you in 2021, given that we made a fair few changes twelve months ago. You have all been emailed a link to that survey and I would appreciate you taking the time to let me know your thoughts. The link to the survey is here . I have used many of the same questions from our 2018 MMG survey so I will be able to compare the data. Our next MMG survey is scheduled for 2023 so this will serve as a nice halfway point and given that there have been a number of changes in boarding, I think it’s a good time to do it.
I wish you all a wonderful next two weeks and look forward to seeing you in Perth when you come and collect your boys.
All the best
Jordan
‘Welcome to Scotch’ boarding transition online sessions
Mike Valentine, Sean Mecham and Mia Sullivan facilitated online meetings with parents and incoming Middle School residence boys.
Kav Termperley Songwriting Workshop
Sean Benny Yr 11 Stirling was recently able to participate in a song writing workshop with Eskimo Joe’s Kav Temperley. Kav was so impressed that Sean was given the opportunity to record one of his original songs! Well done Sean!
Clan Announcements
New Blair Clan boys coming in to Senior School boarding next year (L-R) Xavier Risinger, Pam Seaby (House Mother), Jayden Clarke, Tim Jordan, John McGinniss, Andy Mellor, Mike Liu, Tyler Messina (Capt of Blair) Absent: Jamie Bowie and Jarred Coppen.New Stirling Clan boys coming in to Senior School boarding next year (L-R) Richard Hales, Digby Smith, Gilby Lodge, Louis Liu, Henry Dyke, Cambell Johnston, Nic Chi, Tom Sounness (Capt of Stirling), Nick Chadwick, Marika Ball (House Mother) Absent: Austin Roberts.
New Stirling Clan boys coming in to Senior School boarding next year (L-R) Richard Hales, Digby Smith, Gilby Lodge, Louis Liu, Henry Dyke, Cambell Johnston, Nic Chi, Tom Sounness (Capt of Stirling), Nick Chadwick, Marika Ball (House Mother) Absent: Austin Roberts.
Sid Cullen Falconer and Oscar Rogers presenting at boarding assembly to the boys about their Bib Track walk in Pemberton last week.
TJ – Next Gen Academy
Clan Foosball
Last week, during Clan meeting time, we decided to have a Foosball (table soccer) clan challenge between Blair and Stirling, as there were a lot of boys away on Bibbulmun track.
The rules for the clash were: each clan would have two boys represent their clan at Year 10, Year 11 and Year 12, and the first pair to score three goals were the winners of the match.
First up were the Year 9s with Hudson Hammond and Toby Jones representing Blair who came up against Stirling’s Ben Riggs and Rory Purser in the first match. The game went goal for goal until Blair knocked in the 3rd goal to give them the first match of three, 3 goals to 2.
Next up were the Year 11s with Blair’s Sacha Faneco and Jensen Westerman taking on the Stirling’s Sean’s, Bonney and Benny. The Sean’s scored the first goal but Blair came back and equalised. The Sean’s then scored the next two to take out the match, and even up the Clan score to one match each.
For the decider Blair selected Coen Livingstone and Eason Tan, whilst Stirling called on Tim Hardcastle and Ed Graham. Once the trash talking had finished the game began with Stirling taking an early lead. By now the crowd were getting behind their Clan with a deal of chanting. After a tense minute or so Stirling snuck in a second goal and the pressure was on Blair to respond. A short time later Stirling knocked the 3rd goal in to win the match and take the day 2 matches to 1.
All in all this was good fun.
Richard Hales
When Kindy came to visit
We received a request from one of the Kindergarten boys, Stewart, desperate to know what it is like to live at school.
The Kindergarten children were delighted to venture into the Keys Boarding House as part of their unit of inquiry into ‘How the World Works’. Stewart was particularly interested to understand why our older Scotch boys sleep at school and how a boarding house works. The Kindergarten children were eager to find out if the boys have a play room, bathroom and a bed to sleep in.
Thank you, Mr Owenell!