Week 2, Spring Term 2022
Dear Boarding families,
It has been a whirlwind start to the term! There is plenty of excitement around our community as the seniors begin a new academic year and the boarders get back onto their PSA sport in the sunshine.
The term started for all Mentors and Senior staff with an excellent Professional Development course delivered by Tracy Hart on Youth Mental Health First Aid. Tracy worked to tailor the course to a residential context, which was very helpful. For many of the senior staff it was a refresher to a course that we complete every two years but for the younger staff, many of whom are studying teaching as a career path, it was an excellent experience. It also helps develop a cohesion and consistency amongst our staff. We have a wonderful and diverse group of staff in our boarding community, all of whom are dedicated to the care of our students. We have a group PD at the beginning of every term to discuss a variety of topics in boarding. I thought this one was particularly noteworthy.
With regards to staffing, we have begun our journey in earnest to replace the irreplaceable, Mr Richard Hales. Parents would know from last term that Richard informed us of his plans to move to Tasmania at the end of the year to be with his wife Denise and commit his full attention to their B&B estate, Tamar House. Richard and Denise bought the property 6 years ago and have been working towards this for a long time. We will miss Richard greatly however, we are very happy for him that he has made the decision to move to Tasmania and on to this next phase of his and Denise’s life. We have advertised for the role of Head of Stirling Clan and we expect to make an announcement in the coming weeks.
We have been lucky to welcome a total of eight new boys and their families this term! We have families coming in from Broome, Geraldton, Kalgoorlie, and Esperance and even Dubai, China and Hong Kong! I have been impressed with the way the boys have embraced boarding so far and also in the way that our current students have welcomed them into the fold. All new boys have been given a buddy, normally their roommate who have been more than happy to show them around both the boarding precinct and day school. The culture that we have at Scotch Boarding is very strong and our numbers continue to grow, which is a testament to everyone involved, including parents who advocate for us in their local communities. Last weekend Mr Mecham and myself travelled to Esperance and this weekend Mr Mellor and I are travelling to Bunbury. In early November Dr O’ Connell and I will travel to Albany. The purpose of these trips is to engage with families in their home towns. We love to see our current families and discover where our boys come from as well as Old Scotch Collegians who want to stay connected to the school and new families who may be thinking about Scotch as a good fit for their son.
The first week of Term was dominated by the changing of the academic year in Senior School and especially by the graduation ceremonies for the leaving Year 12s. We had a wonderful dinner for our Year 12s and their parents at the Freshwater Bay Yacht Club on Thursday night last week and then celebrated March Out on the Friday. The dinner was a fine celebration of the boys and they all spoke so well about each other. The respect that this year group has for each other was very evident and it is clear that they have made lifelong friends during their time at Scotch. We were blessed to hear speeches from Mr Mellor and Mr Hales during the evening, both of whom delivered poignant messsages to the boys. The boys presented the House with a windmill blade, all signed and with their country license plate numbers alongside their names which I think was a great touch. Those from Perth of international students also had their personal touch next to their names too. This tradition started three years ago and we are slowly building our windmill which will be an incredible feature for our lobby in the Senior House in a few years’ time. March Out was, as always, an incredible day, arguably the most special day on our calendar. This day was a particularly special one for Dr O’Connell as he shared that this was the group of boys who were in Year 1 when he started as Headmaster, so for the graduating boys who started in Year 1, they have shared their full Scotch journey together.
The first week of term is also special for our incoming Year 12s and we have had a new leadership group start in boarding this term. Lochie Elliot (Captain of Boarding), Jett Sibosado (Vice Captain – Stirling), Jensen Westerman (Vice Captain – Blair) and Kaymus Brierley (Vice Captain – Middle School Residence) have all made an energetic start to the term and we have had a planning session to discuss everything from our Buddy Up programme with the incoming Year 7s next year, to Boarding Week, Recreation, Clan Games, year group bonding, and everything in between. The boys put in an incredible amount of work to their leadership roles and I look forward to working with the entire Year 12 cohort as we lead boarding over the next twelve months together.
Last Friday we also had a number of our indigenous students perform at the annual Madalah Student Showcase, including Tim Jorda one of our boarders. The boys worked hard to rehearse for the event and performed to a 200 plus people crowd at the crown ballroom. We are very proud of our boys and they represented the College with distinction. Mr Spratt, Mr Mellor, Mr Gill, Mrs Seaby and Mrs Garreffa were all able to attend the event.
Finally, I would like to wish all the farming families the very best during harvest. I know in many regions this has already begun and in other places, final preparations are being made. Im sure all the boys will be pining for home once the work starts because they would love nothing more than being there with you when all the action is happening. Mr Mecham and I were lucky enough to get on a header over the weekend and a huge thanks to the families in Esperance for hosting us.
All the best
Jordan
Year 10s on Bib Track
The Year 10s continued their Bib Track journey through the Dwellingup and Collie Area. They walked from the Swamp Oak to the Harris Dam.
Year 12s Farewell Dinner
The Year 12 Boarders at their Farewell Dinner at the Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club.
Santa and Sid Going to Year 12 Celebrations after March Out
Scotch on the Road – Esperance
Jordan and Sean went to Esperance and met up with past, current and future Scotch families.
Middle School Residence Morning Exercise
In the Year 7/8 house we have a new tradition of running a laps, running stairs, doing a wall sit, plank or whatever the boys might come up with as part of our morning routine.
Year 10s Iceskating
Year 7 and Year 8 Pools Social With MLC
Year 9s at the Perth Royal Show Featured in the Paper
The Blair Clan having Breakfast with the Mellors
Full day of activities: Bounce, Lunch and to the Movies
Year 7 and Year 8 PLC Social
Sydney Star Chad Warner in the Middle School Residence
Chad came to the Boarding House and after chats, pictures and signatures, Chad kicked a footy with the boys outside.
Fran celebrating her Birthday in the Year 7/8 Boarding House
See the picture of the yummy cake for Fran’s birthday and zoom in to Kieran’s hand to see our newest edition to the house..