Week 4, Spring Term 2024
Dear Boarding Families
We are in full swing of Spring Term and the community is a hive of activity. Our new leaders have been working hard to set a good tone in the houses and are quickly learning their craft, the most important message from our staff is to trust themselves and take it one step at a time.
This week our leaving class of 2024 have started the ATAR and IB examinations. There have been numerous trips to the UWA library for study on the weekends and boys coming in to work together at prep with our teaching and tutoring staff to fine tune their examination responses. Our boys are well prepared and well supported. We wish them all the very best over the next two or three weeks as they undergo their final examinations.
Our new Year 11 and Year 12s have had a busy first few weeks. Notably, they have had their House Head meetings which have helped them reflect on their reports from the previous academic year and set some goals for the next twelve months. If any parents were unable to be present for their sons’ House Head meeting, you are most welcome to get in contact with your son’s House Head to arrange an online or telephone meeting, or a face-to-face meeting at another time. We warmly extend this invitation to include your son’s Head of Residence, so that if you are coming to Perth, please make a time to visit us in boarding and check in on your son’s progress.
Our new Year 11s and 12s also headed out on the Bibbulmun Track last week to see the beautiful forests of the South-West. I was introduced to a new word today, Shinrin-yoku, which is a Japanese term that translates to “forest bathing”. I think this encapsulates a lot about the “why” we have run the Bibbulmun Track programme for over 25 years now. The Japanese practice of Shinrin-yoku, or forest bathing, is the simple and therapeutic act of spending time in a forest. If you’ve ever been in a forest, listened to the birds and watched the sunshine filtering through the leaves, you’ve already participated in one of the best things you can do for your physical and mental well-being. Even Japanese doctors promote forest bathing as a relaxing break from hectic urban life. I highly recommend you do a quick google search on Shinrin-yoku and generate a discussion with your son about the benefits of the Bibbulmun Track. Once our boys are out in the forest, we as staff can create a safe and peaceful space to have meaningful conversations about their transition to adulthood and create a true rite of passage experience for our boys. The photos of the boys on track are amazing and the stories that have come back about their time away have been both heart-warming and entertaining in equal measure.
On a similar theme, it isn’t long before our Year 8 students begin their G.R.OW.T.H. programme. Group 1 leaves on 5th November. Half the cohort will move to Moray and participate in outdoor learning and adventure activities, and the other half of the cohort stay on campus and complete activities that promote self-awareness, servant leadership and managing relationships. It is a time to move beyond the syllabus and participate in existential learning. At this important time of their lives, as they begin to transition from Middle School students to Senior School students, it is an opportune moment for students to take stock, ask important questions of themselves and others, and start to lay some foundation stones for the next important phase of their life.
In Week 6, on Wednesday 13th November, our Year 8 students will be allocated into their Senior Clans in boarding. This is during the changeover day from the two groups in the G.R.O.W.T.H programme, so all students should be present for this important boarding assembly. Our senior clan structure is a vertical pastoral care structure whereby boys, and by extension parents, will be allocated within Blair clan or Stirling Clan. They will be introduced to their new Head of Residence and House Mother, as well as Yr 12 student leaders and other students. Each Head of Residence will then accompany the boys from Year 9 through to their graduation in Year 12. Our current Heads of Residence are Mr Mecham (Blair Clan) and Mr Montgomery (Stirling Clan). However, with Mr Montgomery’s recent promotion to lead our community as Head of Boarding in 2025, we are currently advertising for a new Head of Stirling Clan, both within Scotch and externally. I encourage parents to help spread the word by passing on this link to any excellent teachers that they know might be interested.
On other staffing matters, I would like to inform our parents of a few updates. Firstly, Mr Michael Ninkov will be leaving Scotch at the end of the year for a one year leave period. Michael and his partner Julia are moving to the UK where he will take up a position at the very prestigious King’s College in Wimbledon. This is a fantastic opportunity for Michael and Julia and we wish them all the very best in their new adventure. Mr Alex Wood is also leaving us temporarily as he takes Long Service Leave for the first 6 months of 2025. Alex has worked in boarding for many years and is a much-respected member of our team, we wish him well and look forward to welcoming him back upon his return. Also, Mr Chris Stretch has informed us of his intentions to move on in 2025. Chris has been with Scotch boarding for around 16 years as a staff member as well as 5 years as a boarder himself. Stretchy is a much-loved figure in our boarding house and a barometer for our culture. His knowledge of our boarding operations is second to none and he will be missed, however, he has exciting things on his horizon and he will be moving back closer to home in Katanning to start his next chapter in 2025. We will update our families with new staffing announcements as they come to pass, and we look forward to planning for this next stage of boarding at Scotch. The appointment of Mr Montgomery as Head of Boarding and Mr Hindle as Head of Middle School with Executive oversight of Boarding will provide good stability for further growth from next year and Mr Gill and myself will ensure a thorough handover is done over the next few months.
I wish all of our families the very best over the next fortnight. Next weekend is the Scotch College PSA bye so I am sure that if there are no other sporting or school commitments, many of our boys will be bursting at the seams to get home for a recharge. Our boarding houses will remain open for this weekend but we are willing to help with any transport requests as they may arise, please be as proactive as possible in this regard.
All the best
Jordan
Bibbulmun Track Year 10 (New Yr 11s) – Palings Rd to Northcliffe
A beautiful section of the track that the boys walked. Began very wet and the garbage bag rain jackets were not good enough. A few hills into Pemberton but a great walk through the big Karri forest. day bags, bbq and extra support from Mr Montgomery made for an amazing week.
Started day 1 with rain bucketing down and a 20km walk with big bags. For the rest of the week, we got day bags at all points that Mr Montgomery could access. The weather was warm and sunny. On Tuesday we got to stay at the caravan park and had hot showers and a BBQ for dinner and brekky the next morning. At the last hut we got a swim in the lake. Thanks to Mr Montgomery for making it a lot easier for us. Tom Falconer-Radford.
For this walk it was easily the wettest I’ve ever been on for Bib track. I really like how they have added a block of chocolate for dessert to the menu. The destination still felt like every other walk – leaves and trees, but I enjoyed walking past the farmland and through Pemberton, that was cool. The day bags were extremely helpful and thanks to Monty for being so dedicated to make sure we got them every day. Cooper Messina.
Bibbulmun Track Year 11 (New Yr 12s) – Inlet Rd to Peaceful Bay
This is the second last leg of the Bib Track for these boys. The next walk is into Albany for the End to End celebrations in Feb/Mar 2025. There are some magnificent photos of the bay and inlets. The boys walked with Sean Mecham and Scott Galipo.
Man of the Week
Congratulations to Flinn, Kidd and Jake on their achievements this week!!
MSR – Flinn Robinson
Blair Clan – Kidd Ching
Stirling Clan – Jake Daw
Around the Houses
Halloween came to the Houses yesterday. A huge thank you to Paula Montgomery for decorating the SSR Reception and providing buckets of lollies. And Kathy Finlayson was seen baking cupcakes and decorating the MSR for Halloween. Thank you ladies, very much appreciated.
Friday Morning chats with KL
BBQ Night for MSR in SSR
Great night for MSR boarders invited for a BBQ at the Big House! The boys enjoyed games on the lawn and burgers and chicken satays for dinner. The new Boarding Leaders took the lead and made sure it ran smoothly.
Van teaching Ben to play the guitar.
Meet the Mentor
