Supporting Your Son
The residential community is operated with the values of the Uniting Church being paramount. It is not only a residential facility but aspires to establish a ‘community’ atmosphere within the context of sound Christian principles. Such a community inevitably finds itself operating in a balance between discipline and individual freedoms, the needs of the individual and the needs of the community as a whole.
It also recognises that the student’s reason for being in the residential community is to acquire the best education possible. To ensure that aim, every attempt possible is made to make the residence a ‘home-like’ atmosphere with accessibility to the staff by the residential students for help with problems encountered during the year.
In their relationship with residential students, the residential staff will carry out their positions of responsibilities with understanding. The relationship is seen primarily as a pastoral relationship reflecting care and concern, balanced by firm discipline. The aim always is to build mutual respect and to develop maturity in your son. Staff should know each boy as an important individual who is part of our community.
Some residential students experience problems with social adjustment. Teenagers quite often set up active social patterns and enjoy a certain amount of independence. Due to the nature of the residential community, and the direct responsibility of the staff to the parents and residential students and the sheer size of our “family” some residential students, at times, find some of the day-to-day workings a bit restrictive.
To help them cope with this new lifestyle, it would be beneficial to discuss with them some of the differences that might be experienced. If you want more background information please do not hesitate to phone the Director of Residential Life, House Mother or Residential Head of Year with your queries. It may be of benefit to encourage your son to make the contact if he is indeed worried about any aspect.
Success in this matter lies in the understanding that a large community, such as ours, is in some respects reasonably inflexible. It is essential that a boarder arrives at an understanding of what is acceptable and what is not and why these things are so. A new boarder has to quickly realise that some social patterns will not fit the new situation and that he must take steps to adjust his behaviour accordingly rather than try to change the community. Our rules and expectations have been put in place with the boys’ best interests and security in mind.