Week 9, Winter Term 2023
Dear Boarding Families
Its nearly the end of term and, for senior school families, the end of the Academic year! For our year 12s, many of them have only a few examinations and a graduation ceremony before they officially make their way onto the next phase of their young lives.
The past two weeks has seen our Year 11 and Year 12 boys undertake their end of year examination period. The boys have done a good job balancing their commitments and it has been great that our House Mothers have taken a more active role in supervising the students during the day, working hours that they don’t normally work in order to prioritise our boys during this stressful time. We hope the boys have made the most of our evening tutors, in conjunction with the advice from our Assistant Heads of Residence, and that they achieve the results that they have been aiming for. We have also had two weeks of activities for our AAP boys, last week the boys were given time to complete their certificate courses and this week there has been a range of activities for them to do, such as a course to attain their “white card” for the construction industry, an RSA course for the hospitality industry, and a two day first aid course.
Kerry and Theresa have also used this time with me to do some furniture rearrangement to try and reinvigorate our downstairs common room and encourage more of a café style kitchen/dining experience for our boys. Some of our boys have been using their study breaks to help us juggle things around and it has been nice to have their input into how they currently use the space and how they would like to see it used in the future. I have also had the pleasure of a few parent conversations this week who have also given their input. Our Senior refurnishing project is an exciting one and we hope to continue to make good progress over the next term, to the point that we can host a family function at the end of next term.
The last few weeks has involved Scotch’s Art exhibition and there is a large number of boarders who have contributed. Some of the art work is outstanding! I walked around and took some photos of boarders’ work. I didn’t get them all, but a good showcase of what our boarders have been producing. I love seeing our boarders making art, taking photos and making things in our woodwork and metal work after school workshops with Mr van Ingen Kal. It is so important that boys continue to nourish their creative streak. It was also wonderful to see a number of boarders at Scotch Rocks, playing music on stage at the Rosemount Hotel recently.
This week we have had our Year 10s on Expeditions. Some boys have been up north on the Karijini expedition, whilst others have been down south in Margaret River, either caving and climbing, walking the Cape to Cape, mountain biking, or horse riding. Some lucky boys have also been off to New Zealand! Our Year 10 boys that spent that last week of their school holidays in July in Exmouth on Expedition were able to spend this last week of term at home.
Next Term
Next term starts in a an unusual way for boarding families, particularly those that have boys in both boarding houses. Please note that the Middle School boarders are due back in Residence on 9th October and start school on 10th October. Our new Year 12 leaders are also in on this day. The Senior School Boys are back in Residence on 10th October for school to start on 11th.
I will be hosting a Parents Committee meeting at 1pm on 10th October. I apologise if Middle School families are not able to be there for that meeting, due to drop off being the day before, but it was impossible for me to have a common day. As always, all parents are invited to join, please send me through any topics of conversation prior to the meeting. The Dining Hall is being used on that day, so we will hold the meeting downstairs in the Senior Boarding House. This can give parents a good look at the space and we can discuss our plans for renovation and refurbishment, as I have a meeting with the architect during the holidays, and a meeting with our CFO in the first week of term.
Also in the first week of term we have our Yr 12 Boarding Graduation Dinner which takes place at the Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club on Thursday 12th October, the night before March Out. Friday 13th October has an Assembly in the morning, followed by a House Assembly for the boys and March Out is scheduled to begin at around 11:40am. March Out is a fantastic spectacle and I encourage all families to consider being there, not just Year 12 families. It really is a fantastic day on the Scotch Calendar.
Next term we have a number of families joining our community. In fact, at last count, we have 12 new boys starting boarding next term! 6 new permanent boarders, and 6 current day boys that are boarding for a temporary period. We look forward to welcoming them all into our community. The word is spreading fast that Scotch Boarding is the place to be! It’s a very good sign and a testament to the pastoral and academic support that our boarding staff give to our boys and their families. As of 2024, we will be very close to capacity in boarding at Scotch, which is fantastic. I was recently in Esperance with Mr Gill and Mr Kyle connecting with our current families and also some families that are joining us in 2024 and 2025. It is always such a pleasure to meet families in their own backyard and we had a wonderful time in Esperance. We were hosted for dinner and lunch at family homes, visited farms and stayed at lovely accommodation owned by a Scotch boarding family. We also had the privilege of being toured around the region by Jason Riggs, father of Ben in Yr 11, and seeing the amazing Cape le Grande National Park with all of Esperance’s world-renowned beaches. We love travelling to the regions and believe it leads to building genuine relationships with our families and helps our boys feel more at home in our boarding community.
I also want to alert parents that next term we will be reviewing our mobile phone policy in boarding, with the view to make some changes in 2024. In short, we believe the boys are spending too much time on their phones accessing social media and gaming, and this is to the detriment of their social skills and their overall wellbeing (although the boys may not agree). Specifically, I would like to limit the time the boys get on their phone in the evenings after prep, just before bed. I acknowledge that many boys like that time to call parents, and that this time might also work well for busy parents, so I will look for ways to accommodate that. However, in reality, many of the boys spend most of that time scrolling through social media and being exposed to a blue light just before bed. It has been my longstanding belief that boys don’t need the phones after they hand them in for prep at 6:30pm (Middle School) and 6:45pm (Senior School). I will be putting this on the agenda of our upcoming parent meeting and I do invite your feedback on the matter. I would like to ask parents to consider that their daily phone call to their son be before dinner, ideally at around 5:30pm. There is also an opportunity to text before school. Addiction to devices is a societal issue and it is something that we are exposed to in boarding. Some of our boys are struggling to interact appropriately with people without a screen in front of their faces. We also need to ensure boys are not wound up each evening from social media use and gaming just before bed. I encourage parents to please have this conversation with your son. If, due to work, this time is not possible for families, we can always arrange for a boy to call home on the house phone. I realise that, in a teenagers psyche, this is a hot topic and so I am following a process of consultation with parents, however, from a staff point of view, people who see how they are using their phones each day, we believe that this is a good thing and it is in the interest of the boys overall wellbeing. I would be interested to hear your views on the matter. Any changes are likely to be implemented in the first terms of 2024.
I wish all families a relaxing and restful break, hopefully away from devices! I encourage you all to have a rest, get outdoors, and spend some quality time together.
All the best
Jordan
Yr 12 Boarding Graduation Dinner – Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club
We farewell our outgoing Year 12 Boarders at the Graduation Dinner on Thursday 12 October.
For Parents and Boys still wanting to book, please use the link below:
Yr 12 Graduation Dinner bookings
Surf Lessons
For the new Academic Year 10s next term we are offering Surfing lessons with Perth Go Surf. The boys will have 5 lessons on Saturday mornings at Leighton or Brighton beach. If your son is interested, please email Boarding.Admin@scotch.wa.edu.au for the forms.
Lessons begin on Saturday 21st October.
Recreational Skippers Ticket
In Spring Term boarding are offering the new Academic Year 11s the chance to gain their Recreational Skippers Ticket.
If you think your son will be interested, please check out the link below for the necessary requirements and email me at Boarding.Admin@scotch.wa.edu.au to register interest.
https://www.transport.wa.gov.au/imarine/how-to-get-an-rst.asp
Save the Date – Year 12 Pre-Ball Function 2024
Scotch Boarding will be holding a Pre-Ball Function on Saturday 17 February 2024 at the Cottesloe Surf Life Saving Club from 4:00pm to 6:00pm.
We will be catering the event and the bar will be open for parents of boys and their partners and families.
Year 8 Bibbulmun Track
The Year 8 boys received their Bibbulmun Track Certificates and sew on Waugal badge at Boarders Assembly last week and all seem pretty happy.
Ms Kerry walked with the boys and had a wonderful time getting to know them. Congratulations boys!
Art Exhibition
In Boarding we have many talented boys and the showcase of art and craft within the College provides a wonderful array of boarders work. The annual Senior School Art and Design Exhibition had its opening night on Tuesday 5 September and was held in the Mathematics & Commerce building. Here’s a snapshot of our boy’s work.