From the Director of Boarding - Nick Byron
In the last two weeks I have once again been fortunate enough to spend time with boarding families at their homes and in their communities. Whilst this has meant plenty of hours behind the wheel, this time has certainly helped me to appreciate the sacrifices boarding families make to give their sons an education.
Following the Churchie game tomorrow, we have three consecutive home games and I’m hoping to catch up with many families on the sidelines over this time. The Grammar Downlands game will be a big occasion of course, especially as it follows the Boarding Mothers' Lunch on the Friday.
Another event of interest for our boarding families will be the Headmaster’s Drinks that follow the game against The Southport School. I anticipate all of our Heads of House to be at that event, so it will be a great chance for everyone to catch up.
I have been working hard with Chartwells and our boarders to facilitate changes to the Term 3 menu. As many parents are aware, the meals in the dining hall are never going to be as desirable as the fast-food options down the road, though they are designed to be highly nutritious and of substantial volume. I appreciate the efforts of the boys on the Food Committee, and our Head Chef is doing his best to adapt meals to the tastes of our boarders with the inclusion of some classics like parmis and schnitzels. The food in the dining hall will always be a topic of conversation, and whilst the options may not always be what they want, the quantity of food is always there, so there is no reason any boarders should be hungry. Please ask them to talk to boarding staff and they will assist in ensuring your son gets enough food.
As discussed at the Boarding Parents' Support Group Meeting in Term 2, our Heads of House will be reviewing our policies regarding the use of mobile phones, laptops and gaming devices in boarding. Given the announcement from the Queensland Government that mobile phones will be banned in schools from 2024, we want to start on our consultation with parents and boarders this term. Head of Stephens House, Mr Phil Kefford, has taken the lead on this review. As communicated earlier this week, a "Teams" meeting has been scheduled for Wednesday, 16 August at 7:00pm. (Thank you to those who pointed out the November typo.) This open forum should provide the opportunity for parents to discuss what could be done. I will email the link to the meeting again on the day. In the interim, the following link provides a useful review of the many studies into mobile phone use in schools from around the world.
The negative impact of mobile phones: research around the world (innerdrive.co.uk)
Whilst we are at the halfway point of the term, I know many families are beginning to consider their plans for the end of term. The sign up for buses to the airport and to Goondiwindi-Moree are available on the Parent Lounge. I remind parents to also consider journeys for the start of Term 4 and airport pick ups. Parents must sign their boys up to a bus, as well as entering the details of flights on their end of term Reach leave request. Further to this, I remind parents that boarders should be at School for the entirety of the final week, with permission to leave early obtained from Mr Oliphant as Head of the Senior School.
Finally, I wish to give some of the upcoming social events a promotion. Some feedback I’ve heard from our older boarders is that socials are ‘fake’ and therefore they don’t want to go to them. As such I’ve attempted to organise a few different things throughout this term. The cooking classes were not well supported but I’m hoping the movies on Sunday, the trip to Southbank the following week or taking the young ladies from Somerville House in Brisbane on a walk through Queens Park for the Carnival of Flowers will provide them with a good opportunity to make some new friends and practice their social skills. Please discuss these.
I look forward to seeing you soon.
Nick
