SENIOR SCHOOL
Boarding update
It has been a busy period for everyone involved in the boarding community , with a variety of sporting , cultural , academic and social functions filling the calendar . Many of the regional field days are held in Term 3 and some of our boarders returned to their hometowns to enjoy the festivities .
The Dowerin Field Day is always a big event and again this year we had a strong contingent of Guildford Grammar School representatives , from casual strollers , to the GGS Rock band , the Head of Senior School and the Headmaster . It was great to hear the teachers at the Dowerin Primary School tells us that there is a real buzz around the town about our transition to co-education next year and this was a theme evident at all the field days . We continue to eagerly plan for the inclusion of female students into boarding in 2020 .
Once winter set in many of our students took up the challenge to learn how to cook , with our junior boarders competing in the Malcolm Hall Bake-Off , run by Claire Hughes , and our Year 12s completing a 9-week course on food preparation run by Monica Gordon in the Preparatory School kitchen . Both courses were great activities for our boarders to not only develop new skills but also to learn from each other socially and to build stronger relationships . The Year 12 course culminated with a 5-course buffet
Graydon , Rueben and Durak .
meal prepared for staff and it was great to see how far the boys have come from struggling with boiling noodles to creating a variety of complex dishes .
The social event of the year ( besides the Year 12 Ball ) is always the Year 11 River Cruise and this is usually the first time many of our boarders have attended such a formal event . We were honoured again to host the preriver cruise party , with boys and their dates parading around the Chapel to get photos as the sun set before taking off to the Barrack Street Jetty . It is a testament to the passion and pride our boarders have for their school that they want to bring their dates to their ‘ home away from home ’ and hopefully this is a tradition that continues to grow . It is also a wonderful new tradition that while the boys are on the cruise many of the Year 11 parents get together to share a meal with some of our boarding staff . Again , this is a testament to the strong bonds that form within our community and something we at Guildford Grammar School Boarding are particularly proud of .
Mr Matthew Weston Head of Boarding
Boarding connecting with Silver Chain
The boarding community have reached out to a group of local residents living in Silver Chain accommodation , forming friendships and sharing stories at their regular catch-ups .
One of the Senior School community service initiatives this year was the development of a relationship between the senior boarders and some of Silver Chain ’ s elderly clients living in the local area .
When we started working with Silver Chain we realised there was a need to engage with elderly and socially isolated people in the Guildford area . These members of the community have become disengaged and isolated due to a lack of transportation and a lack of support networks .
In recognising this need we knew there were ways that we could work to address this isolation and provide some companionship for some of Silver Chain ’ s clients .
To date some elderly residents have visited the school for a tour of the Chapel and afternoon tea with the boarders , a group attended a performance of Jesus Christ Superstar , and we also took a group through the Art Exhibition in October .
We are proud of the work that we have done to help alleviate social isolation and the students have enjoyed the conversations and learning more about some of the older members of our community . We genuinely feel that we have added some valuable new members to our community through this initiative .
From Silver Chain The first group of Silver Chain clients attended a tour of the school ’ s Chapel followed by a wonderful afternoon tea served by the Guildford Grammar School boarders and enjoyed sharing stories of their experiences of Australia in the 1950s and 60s .
Another small group of Silver Chain clients also attended the school ’ s production of Jesus Christ Superstar and were very impressed with the standard of performance and musicianship .
Our clients have thoroughly enjoyed engaging with the school and connecting with the school ’ s community and one commented that “ the boys are really respectful and that means a lot ”.
Rhian Chin Community Care Manager Volunteer Silver Chain Group
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