A boarding parent’s perspective

A boarding parents’ perspective

Annette Thomas (1992) Mother of Evelyn Thomas (Year 9 boarder)

The exciting yet daunting journey to send our daughter to Boarding School started before she was even born. For us, living in a small country town with just a Primary School meant we needed to think about how we would educate our children in their teenage years, before we had even had them. We were both fortunate to have been boarders ourselves (I was a Penrhosian) and we knew there were a myriad of benefits that awaited our children at Boarding School that were not just educational. Although it is challenging to realise that you only have 11 years to parent your child full time before they need to leave home, it makes you aware of how fast that time goes.

Evelyn was a voracious reader in Primary School and enjoyed Enid Blyton and other similar books that depicted Boarding Schools with French lessons and midnight feasts. When we talked about going away to High School in Perth, I don’t think she pictured the modern buildings and Boarding House at Penrhos. During Evelyn’s final year of Primary School, after touring the College and completing the entrance tests, I think it became real for her and she was eager to start Year 7, imagining all the fabulous opportunities. As an avid fan of knitting, crochet and fabric craft, the tour of the Creative Arts and Design Centre was eye opening. When we walked up the stairs and saw the fabric creations lining the walls, I could see Evelyn was thinking “This is where I belong”. An extended impromptu tour of an art room to see what students were currently working on was wonderful. I could appreciate it from her point of view now, Evelyn had probably never imagined a room lined with sewing machines, a food lab still smelling of recently baked goodies or a classroom dedicated to teaching Italian. There seemed to be everything; netball courts, a sparkling swimming pool, a gym, a huge and enticing library and I think she was amazed.

Evelyn was enthusiastic and it made the journey from Primary to Secondary School all the more exciting for us to. The planning and the packing were approached with gusto and I kept wondering, “Is this too good to be true? Will it all fall apart later when we leave her?”. True to form, Evelyn settled in well with a great group of Year 7s, some of whom were also the first in their families to be a boarder, while others were old hands who had seen their siblings packing and unpacking for years. The Year 7 parents were a great support, with an organiser who set

us all up in a chat group so we could keep in touch (which was terrific during COVID-19). The first few years are now a blur of new friends, new subjects, new sports and wonderful staff.

Evelyn made friends with day students, and they welcomed her into their homes to do simple things like bake cookies, have a swim or play with the family dog. We have appreciated the support from other day and boarding parents which has enabled Evelyn to train for and play football outside of school, which she is passionate about. It has also meant the odd shopping trip, beach swim and mini break from the Boarding House.

Evelyn recently told us that as a Year 9 she had reached ‘Half-Way Day’ (halfway to graduating from Year 12!) and it seems to have gone very fast. At the moment she is on a much-anticipated Outdoor Education Camp involving lots of snorkelling, while we are here at home, busy with harvest awaiting the animated phone call that will fill us in on the adventure. In a fortnight Evelyn will be packing up her artfully decorated room and boxing up her pot plants to come home. She and her brother (a Year 7) will ensure that the car is packed to bursting, perhaps even needing the roof rack and our youngest (aged ten) will be anticipating their return with excitement. There is always a period of getting back into balance as a family, but we are used to the ebb and flow now as they leave and return to us.

As daunting and challenging as the journey can sometimes be as you parent your child from a distance with periodic visits and school holiday breaks, there are also moments of great joy. We have watched our daughter blossom, becoming more independent, more mature and striving to do her best in everything she puts her mind to. Evelyn has made wonderful friends, is taught by passionate teachers and cared for by considerate staff, while enjoying the wonderful camaraderie that is Penrhos College.