A vibrant start to the boarding year

It’s hard to believe we’ve already reached Week Five, and all our boarders have just returned from a well-deserved long weekend. The start of each year brings its challenges, particularly for our new boarders. Living away from home for extended periods requires adjustment with new surroundings, new routines and new friendships to navigate. Fortunately, everyone has been settling in well, forming connections and embracing boarding life.

To assist with the transition into boarding, our new boarders started a little earlier. This meant they could set up their rooms and find their bearings around the Boarding House, before the hustle and bustle began. This year the group of 21 new boarders played games, went for swims and enjoyed an ice-cream at Mends St. There was much excitement when dolphins were spotted playing in the shallows and someone discovered the jellyfish in the river. Just having the space to breathe and slowly pace yourself, helped everyone ease into boarding.

To further unite the boarders and build a sense of community, the first part of the first weekend of term was a 'closed' weekend. This meant, the boarders engaged in planned activities over Friday and Saturday, rather than going out with family and friends. The Prefect team was responsible for organising the activities and planning the events. This year all boarders have been placed in one of four houses and throughout the year, they will be competing for points to go towards an ultimate treat for the boarders in that house.

The first event in which the boarders competed was 10-pin bowling on Friday night. It was a great opportunity for everyone to get dressed up in their house colours and have some fun. There was only one boarder who cracked a score over 100, but there was definite improvement in style and scoring, as the night progressed.

On Saturday the boarders headed to Cottesloe Beach in the morning for some team activities and photo opportunities. It was great – not too hot, too cold, too rough or too crowded. We had a sandcastle competition, beach cricket, group photo challenges and supervised swimming. That afternoon, we had a range of activities back at the Boarding House – ranging from dodgeball in the gym, to puzzles and games to art and craft activities. Everyone found something to keep them happy and engaged. The weekend wrapped up with a special trip to Carousel Cinemas for a screening of Wicked the Movie.

Penrhos boarding is a happy and vibrant community. If you popped in at any time, you would hear laughter and see the boarders playing and having fun. Of course, there are moments of homesickness and challenges along the way, but our boarders are resilient, and together, they support one another in creating lifelong memories.