Tanglin Highlands Programme Parent Handbook 2024-2025 by Tanglin Trust School

A Warm Welcome to the Tanglin Trust School Highlanders!

On behalf of the entire Tanglin Trust School community, congratulations and best wishes to all parents and students embarking on this exciting new chapter: the inaugural year of the Highlands Programme at our Gippsland, Australia campus.

This pioneering programme marks a signiﬁcant milestone for Tanglin Trust School, bringing our holistic educational philosophy to the breathtaking Australian landscape. We believe deeply in the power of experiential learning, where students engage with the world around them through hands-on exploration, critical thinking, and real-world applications.

The campus and programme have taken considerable eﬀort to develop. Thank you to the Governors for believing vehemently in the importance of providing this experience for Tanglin students. Thank you also to the founding Head of Campus, Mark Cutchie, and his wife, Sharon, who have done a brilliant job project managing the site, working with colleagues to develop programmes, and establishing Tanglin as members of the Rawson and Gippsland communities.

The Highlands Programme, with its focus on the academic curriculum, outdoor education, adventure activities, and sustainability initiatives, will provide a unique and enriching learning experience. Students will have the opportunity to develop essential life skills, such as resilience, teamwork, problem-solving, and independence, while immersed in a stunning natural environment.

Living and learning within a residential setting away from home fosters a sense of community and encourages personal growth. It provides a safe and supportive environment for students to step outside their comfort zones, embrace new challenges, and develop the conﬁdence to navigate life's adventures with independence and resilience.

We understand that this transition may present a range of emotions for both parents and students. We are committed to supporting you throughout this journey. Our dedicated staﬀ, comprised of experienced educators and outdoor specialists, are passionate about creating a nurturing and enriching environment where every student can thrive.

We encourage you to actively participate in the Highlands Programme community. Attend school events, connect with other parents, and engage with your child's learning journey. Together, we can create a vibrant and supportive community that fosters a love of learning and a deep appreciation for the natural world.

Welcome to the Highlands Programme! We are thrilled to embark on this exciting adventure with you.

Craig Considine CEO

Tanglin Gippsland Philosophy

In preparation for Tanglin Trust School’s centenary celebrations and in the wake of the Covid pandemic, the school’s leadership team was determined to create a signiﬁcant experience for students that would give them the mindset and skills to thrive in a changing world.

Tanglin Gippsland was established to build on the legacy of Tanglin’s Cameron Highlands programme from the 1930’s, with a new Highlands programme envisaged to stretch and strengthen students physically, emotionally, academically and relationally. The campus supports and contributes to the Mission and Vision of Tanglin Trust School.

Tanglin Mission

Tanglin Trust School has a long tradition of providing British-based learning with an international perspective. At Tanglin, we strive to make every individual feel valued, happy, and successful. Responsibility, enthusiasm, and participation are actively encouraged, and integrity is prized. Working together in a safe, caring yet stimulating environment, we set high expectations whilst oﬀering strong support, resulting in a community of lifelong learners who can contribute with conﬁdence to our world.

Tanglin Vision Statement

We aspire to be the best school in the world with a dynamic learning community that nurtures and inspires every individual to be the best they can be. Our core values of Respect, Responsibility and Purpose are at the heart of everything we do across the school.

The Highlands Programme

The Highlands programme has been speciﬁcally designed to focus on the development of three essential attributes of Curiosity, Conﬁdence and Community in students.

Curiosity

Tanglin Senior School students understand that learning is sometimes a diﬃcult, complex process but that challenge is something to be embraced and enjoyed. They understand how the learning process happens and employ learning habits and strategies to further their own learning independently. They have the conﬁdence to take risks and make mistakes in their learning, recognising that this is a crucial aspect of the learning process. They know that learning is enhanced when they understand others’ perspectives, cultures, beliefs, and values. The Gippsland residential experience will be a unique opportunity for students to embed many of these learning habits even further.

The development of curiosity at Tanglin Gippsland is primarily achieved through the academic programme. It is enhanced by engaging students in an experientiallearning based curriculum that gives them ample opportunities to take risks and learn from their mistakes in a real-life or outdoor context.

The core of the Highlands academic programme is based on units of work sourced from the Year 9 Maths, English, Science and Geography curriculums at the Singapore campus. These core subjects are complimented by other traditional subjects such as Computer Science, Languages, Art and others, along with Co-Curricular Activities and a strong emphasis on the development of Life Skills.

The primary difference between the Gippsland and Singapore campuses, is the way these subjects are delivered. Each unit of work has been designed to focus on students learning experientially and, as much as possible, in the unique Gippsland outdoor environment. There will be plentiful opportunity for students to engage in cross-curricular field work in the region, developing and applying their knowledge in different academic disciplines.

This engagement with the outdoors is designed to instil a strong interest in and reverence for the natural world around our students and a desire to understand how to live in our world more sustainably.

Conﬁdence

The development of conﬁdence is primarily achieved through Tanglin’s hiking and outdoor education programme. Conﬁdence will be enhanced by encouraging students to participate in activities that take them out of their comfort zones and challenge them to live, learn, work and play in a variety of new ways and settings.

Tanglin embraces Johann von Goethe’s belief that “there are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children. One of these is roots, the other, wings.”

This is one of the greatest beneﬁts of the Highlands programme, where students will have the chance to stretch their wings. It is only natural that we want to protect our children, however, removing risk and danger might appear to be helping a child, but it can ultimately have the opposite eﬀect.

We believe a child cannot learn how to face their fears, if they are never put in a situation where they will feel fear, likewise, we can’t teach a child to evaluate danger, if they are never exposed to it. With safety being at the core of all we do, the Highlands programme is designed to develop conﬁdence by carefully introducing students to situations or activities that have elements of fear, risk, and danger. When students develop conﬁdence through new or unfamiliar activities and environments, it can awaken a new level of self-belief and strengthen their character.

Our hope is that this will go on to developing grit, perseverance and resilience, traits we believe are essential for students to face the challenges associated with the senior years of schooling, university and their adult life.

Community

The development of community is primarily achieved through our residential programme. It is enhanced by expecting students to put others before themselves by sharing in and contributing to the daily habits, responsibilities and chores required to maintain an eﬃcient, productive and caring community for all.

In their book Parenting Beyond Your Capacity, Joiner and Nieuwhof note: The right community is not only important because of what it gives to your children, but also because of what it requires from your children.

In our community, students are given much, but much is also required of them. They are required to contribute to the routines and upkeep of their home away from home and that includes doing daily chores. They are also required to not just think of others but to actively engage and build into them by showing kindness, helpfulness, tolerance, and forgiveness.

Every person in our community is valued and we place a high priority on face-toface relationships, therefore, students have very limited access to all forms of screen-based technology. The irresistible lure and addictive nature of technology and social media comes at great cost to children’s health and wellbeing, which is why we are conﬁdent that their time without it, is of great personal and relational beneﬁt to them.

Learning

The academic programme at Gippsland is a continuation and extension of that which is found at the Singapore campus Students will focus on core subjects in Maths, English, Biology and Geography during the Highlands Programme with History, Art, Computing and Languages also included in the curriculum.

During their time in Gippsland, students do not ‘miss out’ on any classes in Singapore Instead, staﬀ have taken units of work from the Singapore curriculum and now deliver them in Gippsland in a more experiential way that will enhance understanding. For example, the Year 9 Science curriculum already includes a botany unit, and students will now study it in the Australian bush where they are immersed in a variety of ﬂora species.

Students who receive learning support provision in Singapore will be well catered for in Gippsland by our experienced teaching staﬀ, who will accommodate and support individual students’ needs in all learning tasks. Key information and LS notes will be shared with Gippsland teaching staﬀ by our Learning Support team, to ensure that transition of teaching between campuses is seamless.

Accommodation

The campus has two dormitories, one for boys and one for girls and are separated by a large common space that can also be divided into two sections The dorms are divided into 10 rooms and each room has the capacity to sleep four students.

The rooms are identical, except for one in each dorm that has been customised to assist with disability access. Each room has two bunk beds, four closets and an ensuite that has two vanities and a separate shower and toilet The rooms are kept warm by an in-ﬂoor heating system.

Each bunk has a space for students to keep a few small items and a light to allow for students to read at night and if they need to get up during the night. Students are encouraged to bring photos from home as they will be able to put these up in the head space of their bed.

Each dorm has a staﬀ member living at one end of it should students need assistance during the night.

A priority of the Highlands Programme is to develop student’s ability to forge and maintain good relationships with their peers; in addition, living in close quarters with others is a valuable opportunity for teaching patience, sharing, social inclusion and cultural diversity.

Prior to their arrival in Australia, students will complete a form with the names of four other students with whom they would like to share a room. Staﬀ from Gippsland and Singapore will then allocate students to a room with consideration to the social, emotional, physical and educational needs of each person. Staﬀ will ensure that each student will share a room with at least one person on their list.

The Tanglin Gippsland Team will work with the Year 9 Tanglin Team to devise equitable and balanced rooming allocations which will be shared with students and parents a few days prior to their departure for Gippsland. Whilst it is intended that these room allocations are for the length of the programme in some circumstances a change may be beneﬁcial, and this will be communicated on a case-by-case basis. It is worth noting that whilst some time will be spent in their rooms, students will have many chances to spend time with other friends during classes, meals, leisure time and group activities.

Students will be provided with all bedding requirements, including, mattress, waterproof mattress protector, ﬁtted base sheet, top sheet, doona, doona cover, pillow, pillow protector and pillowcase. Students will be provided with fresh linen at least once a week and all bed linen are laundered by a commercial laundry.

Each student is provided with a cupboard that is 60cm wide, 60 cm deep and 210 cm high and includes hanging space, shelves, and a lockable container. Students will need to provide their own combination lock.

Students will be allowed to personalise their rooms with photos, posters and other personal items they bring with them. This will give their bedrooms a more homely feel and help them to feel settled.

Beginning and end of the programme

This programme is designed to be something of a coming-of-age experience for all students who participate. As such there will be both an opening and closing ceremony to mark the start and end of the programme, setting the scene for what is to come, and celebrating all of the successes the students enjoy throughout it. All students and staﬀ who attend Tanglin Gippsland will be recognised through an Honour Board which will capture their name and the year they attended.

Behaviour

Students are expected to behave to the same high standards to which they are held at school in Singapore. Staﬀ at Gippsland will follow Tanglin’s investigations and search protocols should there become a need. Serious breaches of discipline (such as absconding from site, being out of rooms post ‘lights out’, violent conduct, racism or continual failure to follow instructions) will result in referrals to Head of Campus and/or Head of Senior School (Tanglin) and may result in removal from the programme.

In the event that a student meets the threshold whereby they are removed from the programme parents will be expected to collect their child within 48 hours and bear all costs associated with transporting them back to Singapore.

Detailed policies pertaining to behaviour can be found at the end of this document.

Birthdays

Students whose birthdays fall during their time in Gippsland will still get the chance to celebrate the occasion. Staﬀ will provide a birthday cake for the student and an extra phone call home will be arranged for the student to share the occasion with family. Parents are welcome to send a small gift to their child, but this should be kept to a shoebox size or smaller and of nominal value. Parents should plan ahead if sending a card or present to allow for postage delays and staﬀ will happily assist to store a gift prior to the birthday.

Catering

The campus has a large dining room that has enough space for all students, staﬀ and staﬀ families to comfortably eat together. Students will enjoy a broad variety of healthy dishes that are freshly prepared by the chefs, catering team and, at times, the students as well. The students will have breakfast, lunch and dinner provided each day as well as morning and afternoon snacks to give them the energy they need to participate in the rigorous programme. Fruit is always available in the dining room and common room kitchenette.

Students with specific dietary needs will be catered for whether due to allergies, cultural or faith-based reasons and vegetarian options will be provided if necessary. While on hiking or field trips, students will mainly eat dehydrated meals that are specifically designed to deliver the nutrients and calories they need, but in a light and convenient package that is easily stored in backpacks and then rehydrated and cooked by students when needed.

The Gippsland campus is a nut-free environment.

Co-Curricular Activities and Free Time

The Highlands Programme and the Gippsland campus is designed to keep students active and engaged in a variety of learning and recreational opportunities. However, students are also given chances to take responsibility for their own entertainment and amusement rather than always having it provided by staﬀ.

Therefore, co-curricular activities that are commonly found in Singapore will be limited in Gippsland. There will be opportunities for those students who need to maintain regular practice on instruments (including piano), as well as those who are required to maintain regular strength and conditioning work.

Alongside planned activities, lessons, and Co-Curricular Activities it is important that students have the time to spend unregulated and unplanned time with one another where they can choose what to do. Away from the distraction of technology they will be able to choose what to play and there will be opportunities for outdoor play, informal games of sport, conversations, reading and engaging in other hobbies and interests and we encourage to bring small games/cards etc. which they can use in these times.

We hope that each student will bring a novel that they will read, and then ‘gift’ to the Gippsland Library. In this way students can share those books enjoyed by their peers.

Community Service

Students and staﬀ undertake community projects that are designed to serve the campus community and the broader local community that the campus is located within. The aim is to give students skills related to the tasks they perform, experience in building teamwork and a heart for serving others even if there is no direct beneﬁt for them.

Community projects may include clearing the hiking trails we use, being ‘buddies’ to the younger children at the local primary school and kindergarten or assisting with tree planting for Landcare initiatives to minimise erosion. On campus projects may include stacking and splitting ﬁrewood for the long winters, pruning the orchard, planting out the vegetable patches and the development of new garden beds.

Communication with Home

One of the primary objectives of the Highlands Programme is to provide a ‘Rite of Passage’ experience where students start to develop independence from home while still being supported by a caring community. To enable this, students will have limited chance to communicate with parents and guardians.

Students will be allowed to travel with mobile phones to the campus, however, they must hand them in to staﬀ who will keep them safe and return them at prearranged and supervised times for students to call home on.

Students will not have access to email or social media during their stay in Gippsland. Instead, we will be expecting students to write letters home, and we encourage you to write to them as well. To write to your child please use the address below.

Student Name

Tanglin Gippsland PO Box 93 Rawson, Victoria. Australia. 3825

Note: Please do not send any parcels, boxes or food items.

Emergency Contacts

As with any time away from home it is imperative that accurate contact information is provided. This is initially captured on the consent form you have completed, but it is your responsibility to update the school should your contact information change whilst your child is at Gippsland.

Dates and Travel

Group 1: Thursday 24th April to Friday 23rd May

Flights – SIN to MEL QF 36 2015-0540, MEL to SIN QF 35 1215-1815

Group 2: Wednesday 4th June to Wednesday 2nd July

Flights – SIN to MEL QF 36 2015-0540, MEL to SIN QF 35 1215-1815

Students will be travelling in Economy class on Qantas flights to and from Melbourne. All meals, snacks and drinks are included, and students will have a screen for entertainment. A minimum of six staff will be travelling with the students on each flight ensuring a minimum staff-student ratio of 1-10.

Parents will need to arrange to have their child at Terminal 1 in Changi Airport by 1700 (5.00pm) on the day of departure and will need to pick their child up from Changi Airport on the day they return.

Parents are responsible for ensuring that their child(ren) has the appropriate visa to allow them to travel to Australia for the programme.

Directions

The Gippsland campus is located at 2 Pinnacle Drive Rawson, Victoria.

To drive to campus from Melbourne:

• Take the M1 (known as the Princes Freeway) east bound out of Melbourne.

• Take the C103 exit towards Moe and Walhalla and follow the signs to Walhalla via C466.

• Take C466 to Parkers Corner and turn right onto C481 and follow into Rawson.

• When arriving in Rawson, take a right-hand turn at the ﬁrst round-about and the Campus will be the ﬁrst driveway on the right.

Family Visits

The remote location of the Gippsland campus and the nature of the programmes makes parent visits challenging to accommodate. Nevertheless, parent visits may still be possible and must be conﬁrmed by the Head of Campus; parents are strongly encouraged to limit this to one visit. For any potential visit please ensure that notice of the intended visit is sent to the Head of Campus at least seven days in advance. Visits are to happen outside curriculum and expedition time, and with consideration given to any disruption possible to any student or staﬀ member

Parents can take students other than their own into local town with prior agreement, as long as prior written consent is obtained from parents of all invited students. In all circumstances all students are to return to campus at least 30 minutes before ‘lights out’.

Unannounced family visits can be disruptive to the students, broader community and programme so parents, guardians and other family members are asked to not make unannounced visits to the campus while their child is on programme.

Fitness

The Highlands programme has a strong focus on physical fitness and outdoor activities, and it will be a regular part of the daily and weekly timetable. All students are encouraged and supported to develop their physical fitness and abilities, no matter what their physical limitations or experiences are when they arrive. The goal will be for staff to provide instruction and guidance so students can develop or increase their general fitness levels and skills in several outdoor activities. This will be primarily achieved through exercise sessions held most mornings and the hiking programme where students will build up their ability to carry heavy backpacks in hilly and rough terrain.

The greater a student’s ﬁtness level when they arrive at Gippsland, the more enjoyable the physical activity and hiking sessions will be. Class PE and Sport at Tanglin provide some good preparation for the programme, but parents are encouraged to support and provide opportunity for their child to increase their physical activity levels prior to the Highlands Programme.

Gear List

General clothing for around Campus

1 wind proof/ Water resistant jacket

1 Tanglin Gippsland thick ﬂeece jumper (provided)

1 thin ﬂeece jumper

2 windcheaters or hoodies

2 long sleeved t-shirts/shirts

3 short sleeved t-shirts

3 Tanglin Gippsland polo shirts

2 tracksuit pants or leggings (at least 1 made of ﬂeece)

1 pair of jeans or smart trousers

2 pairs of cargo or work trousers

2 pairs of mid-thigh length shorts

1 pair of sports shorts

2 sets of pyjamas (appropriate for season)

2 sets of thermal underwear (either Polypropylene or merino wool)

8 pairs of underwear

8 pairs of socks (for general and sportswear)

1 baseball cap

1 swimsuit (must be one piece)

2 laundry bags (one large, one small)

Hiking clothing for the bush

Footwear

1 Tanglin beanie (provided)

1 neck warmer

1 pair of lightweight hiking trousers (preferably with zip oﬀ legs)

1 pair of hiking shorts (non-cotton, must be at least mid-thigh length)

1 hiking shirt (quick dry, long sleeve, with collar)

2 pairs of hiking socks (wool and ﬁrm ﬁtting)

1 wide brimmed sun hat

1 quick-dry travel towel

1 pair of gloves (ﬂeece or wool)

1 pair of hiking boots (waterproof and above the ankle)

1pair of trainers

1 pair of closed toe sandals or crocs

1pair of casual shoes

Other

Clothing and Equipment provided

1 full set of toiletries (to last 5 weeks)

headlamp (with 2 sets of spare batteries)

1 whistle

1 pair of sunglasses

1 wristwatch (no smart watches allowed)

1 digital camera (optional as students will not have access to phone)

Waterproof Outer layer top and trousers

Work Gloves

Gaiters

Tanglin thick ﬂeece

Tanglin Gippsland beanie

We will also issue all necessary camping equipment (backpacks, shelters, sleeping mats and cooking utensils).

Please note that adjustments should be made based on the season: Gippsland experiences warm-to-hot weather from October to April, while May to September is cool-to-cold. Even during the warmer months, nights can still be quite cool or cold.

Health

The Campus has a dedicated Health Centre that is staﬀed by a Registered Nurse during each school day In addition to the nurse, the campus has an arrangement with a local medical clinic that gives short-notice access to a doctor for nonemergency related health issues. The Latrobe Regional Hospital is another option and is less than forty minutes away.

In emergencies, Ambulance Victoria has two different branches within thirty minutes of the campus and also has a helicopter based near the Latrobe Regional Hospital should an evacuation be necessary. The town of Rawson has an Ambulance Victoria branch; however, this branch is not full time and is staffed by advanced first aiders rather than Paramedics. The current Head of Campus, Mark Cutchie, worked as a Paramedic for over twenty years with Ambulance Victoria prior to joining Tanglin.

The Lead Nurse oversees all health-related aspects of a student’s visit including medications, medical appointments, ﬁrst aid and general illness and injury care. Parents will be informed as soon as practical if their child becomes ill or is injured and, where possible, will be given both verbal and written updates and reports.

Infectious disease or illnesses are challenging to deal with in a residential environment. Initially Tanglin Gippsland will use isolation rooms to contain any infection in conjunction with local health oﬃcials. Subject to widespread infections, Tanglin Gippsland reserves the right, and/or may be instructed to close the campus. All parents will need to be able to collect or arrange the safe return of students from the campus to alternative accommodation if required.

All staff are trained in first aid and staff that lead hiking trips are trained in Remote Areas first aid.

Please note: We will always endeavour to contact parents to approve any treatment. Where this is not possible the school will determine the best course of action. Any costs associated with a student’s care by external or specialist providers, will be passed onto parents.

Medications

Parents will need to provide enough medication for the entire duration of their child’s stay at the Gippsland Campus. The nurse can assist with sourcing medications through a local pharmacy; however, this is only for emergency situations.

All medication must come in its original packaging and clearly show the students name, the dose and frequency of administration.

It is intended that, as with other extended school trips, Gippsland staﬀ will administer low-level medications (such as Paracetamol and Ibuprofen) in line with the Homely Remedies protocol, as approved the school and parents in the annual registration process.

Immunisations

Immunisations are strongly recommended for students and parents are encouraged to speak to their General Practitioner for advice on which ones they recommend.

The Centre for Disease Control and World Health Organisation recommend the following vaccinations for Australia: hepatitis A, polio, yellow fever, Japanese encephalitis, rabies, hepatitis B, inﬂuenza, COVID-19, pneumonia, meningitis, chickenpox, shingles, Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis) and measles, mumps and rubella (MMR).

If your child suﬀers a Tetanus prone injury or wound and is not up to date with their Tetanus immunisation, the nurse on consulting GP will decide if they need to be managed oﬀsite until they are safe to return to campus.

Parents are encouraged to also consider having their child vaccinated against Inﬂuenza, particularly if their child is travelling during the colder months, June to September.

Homesickness

It is quite normal and common for students to feel homesick when in a completely new and challenging environment, especially without their normal support structures. It is important for parents to help their child be aware of and prepare for the possibility that they may feel homesick. This is especially important if your child:

• has not had extended periods away from home before

• is hesitant or against going on the Highlands programme

• suﬀers from anxiety or similar mental health issues

• does not know many peers or staﬀ prior to leaving

Parents can play an important and signiﬁcant part in reducing the likelihood or extent of homesickness for their child by:

• having conversations about homesickness, emphasising it is normal, and it can be overcome.

• arranging for your child to have nights away from home.

• promoting the positive and fun parts of the programme while being honest that there will be challenges.

• encouraging them to speak to friends or staﬀ who have been to Tanglin Gippsland or who have had and overcome homesickness before.

• assuring them of your support and concern.

It is also very important for parents to be aware of their own feelings and disposition towards your child being away. If you are negative towards or anxious about the time apart, there is a good chance that your child will be as well. While your child is away, the best ways you can help them settle in and avoid or reduce homesickness is to:

• write to your child at least once a week

• when speaking on the phone, acknowledge the negatives and challenges, but focus on the positives and the successes your child has had

• understand that you may receive letters that have been written when your child feels at their lowest or quite upset. Remember though, that these feelings often pass before you have even read the letter.

• avoid trying to ‘ﬁx’ their homesickness. Do not make deals with them or oﬀer escape clauses. The best way through homesickness is by coming out the other side, not avoiding it.

• encourage your child to keep busy, get involved, make new friends, spend time with others, talk to staﬀ about their homesickness and to focus on the positives

Remember that overcoming sickness is not just possible, but has signiﬁcant impact on boosting your child’s self-esteem, independence and resilience which are vital to their development.

Laundry

The Campus has a laundry that has multiple washing and drying machines in it for the laundering of student’s clothes. Students will be taught how to operate the machines and will be expected to launder all of their own clothing on a weekly basis.

All bedding is laundered by a commercial company and students will be provided with fresh linen on a regular basis.

Luggage

Qantas allows for 30kg of checked luggage and 7kg of carry-on luggage, however, students will need to have a maximum of 27kg of checked luggage when travelling to Australia. This will allow students the space to bring home a small number of items from their time in Gippsland.

Students should use a small backpack (commonly referred to as a day pack) for their carry-on luggage This will allow them to keep their hands free to manage their larger bag at the airport and day packs will be used multiple times when participating in a variety of Campus activities.

Checked luggage dimensions.

Carry-on luggage dimensions.

Please note: Students must be able to manage all their luggage at the airport.

Money

There will be limited opportunities for students to spend money while they are at Gippsland As a general rule, students will be able to make small purchases (such as drinks and snacks) when they will be taken to the general store in Rawson. The store is quite small and has a very limited range of products, so parents are encouraged to send enough personal supplies and toiletries to last the length of the programme.

It is recommended that students should bring a maximum of $150 (AUD) for personal purchases. This should not be in the form of cash, but instead a Revolut card (https://www.revolut.com/en-SG/), with money preloaded onto it. Staﬀ will then provide students with access to the money at appropriate times and return any unspent funds at the end of the programme.

Parent Communications

A weekly newsletter will be sent to parents providing an update from staﬀ on what students have been doing in classes, their free time and on hiking trips.

A gallery of photos will be posted twice a week showing a selection of photos covering campus life. A photo of every student will not be provided for every post; however, staﬀ will aim to ensure that each student will appear in the gallery numerous times during their stay There will also be regular Instagram posts documenting and sharing the student experience.

Pastoral Care

The Pastoral Care programme in Gippsland is an extension of that which is currently provided at Tanglin and is overseen by the Head of Pastoral Care and supported by the team in Singapore. In addition to this, the campus has its own Head of Pastoral Care who, along with the teaching staff, are experienced in caring for students in this unique environment. Emotional and mental well-being is paramount as we recognise the many challenges and difficulties that a five-week residential programme can raise for students who do not have their normal support structures and coping mechanisms available to them.

During their stay at Gippsland, students will be divided into four groups and each group will be overseen by a teacher and an intern (or Residential Assistant) who will speciﬁcally focus on the pastoral care needs of the students in that group. It is our aim and hope that all students will support one another in the experience and ﬁnd an adult on campus that they feel comfortable discussing any challenges that they might be facing.

Parents will be notiﬁed of any wellbeing and mental health issues that their child faces while in Australia and be consulted on all care and treatment options and plans.

Prior to students travelling to Australia, the Gippsland team will spend time with the Pastoral Care team and Counsellors in Singapore to, as best as possible, prepare for every student that is attending. This collaboration between the Campuses will continue during and after the Highlands programme to ensure students are well supported and all known issues are addressed.

The Head of Pastoral Care has a range of support services available to them should more advanced levels of care be needed, including access to Counsellors and a Psychologist.

Parents are encouraged to participate in this important area by writing regularly to their child to share news from home and encourage them to make the most of this valuable opportunity.

Photography

Students will not have access to their mobile phones and will therefore not be able to use them for taking photos or videos while at campus or out on ﬁeld trips.

Students are allowed to bring a small digital camera to take photos, but the school and staﬀ will not take any responsibility for the loss or damage of any photography equipment brought by students.

Staﬀ will be taking photos and videos of students on a regular basis and will provide a selection of these for students to keep as a reminder of their time at the campus.

Risk Management and Safety

The campus is a dynamic and living place and every eﬀort is made to mitigate risk, adopt safe and manageable operating procedures, and to train students in staﬀ in how to behave to maintain their safety.

All aspects of life and activity at Gippsland Campus are thoroughly risk assessed, with suitable Standard operating Procedures ﬂowing from those assessments. These are shared with all staﬀ as part of their induction and as appropriate with student.

These are examples of the types of policy we will have available. We are currently working with industry experts to ensure these policies and procedures are the most robust and suitable.

• Enhanced Bushﬁres Operations, Maintenance and Evacuation Plan

• Snake Bites

• Extreme Weather

Student clothing and appearance

As a general rule, the campus has a more relaxed approach to uniform as the priority is for students to wear clothing appropriate for the weather and activities being undertaken. However, students will still be expected to wear trousers, polo shirt or t-short and a ﬂeece around campus. For some excursions, activities and when travelling Tanglin Gippsland trousers, polo shirts, and ﬂeeces are to be worn; these occasions will be communicated with students as they occur.

A practical approach to dress standards is taken at Gippsland for both boys and girls and therefore students must wear clothing that:

• is suitable for the nature of the activities they will be undertaking

• is neat and in good repair, ie. without holes, tears or fraying

• is well ﬁtting, ie. Not excessively tight, loose or skimpy and underwear must not be visible

• has no oﬀensive language or pictures

In addition to the above clothing expectations, students:

• Students with pierced ears should have no more than a single stud earring in each ear.

• Students may wear a small pendant but are not allowed to wear bracelets or rings.

• We do not accept any extreme hairstyles.

• Any hair dyes or highlights must be of natural hair colour.

• Only natural nail varnish may be worn.

• We encourage students to embrace their natural appearance while at school without the need for make-up.

Student Responsibilities

The hope is that students will understand the important role that each person plays in the eﬀective and eﬃcient running of a community. Each student will assist with daily chores that help develop the discipline of caring for and taking pride in their possessions, their room, the campus and the environment.

Chores will include students having to:

• Making their bed and tidying their room each day

• Keeping their bathroom and room clean

• Assisting with meal preparation and doing dishes

• Vacuuming and tidying common areas

• Collecting and stacking ﬁrewood

• Tending to the vegetable patches

• Ensuring laundry is managed

Technology

The campus is intentionally a ‘low-tech’ environment and therefore students will have very limited access to any screen-based devices.

Students are expected to bring their own device and charger for classroom use (the one that they typically bring to school), but this will be stored securely by staﬀ and only made available to them when it is needed for speciﬁc classes or pieces of work.

Phones and chargers may be brought to Gippsland, but these must also be handed to staﬀ and similarly, they will be returned to students each week so that they can call home.

Timetable

Weekday Timetable

7am Wake up

7.15am Breakfast (Roll call 1)

8am House meetings, activity, and responsibilities

9am Learning period 1 (Roll call 2)

10am Learning period 2

11am Morning break

11.30am Learning Period 3

12.30pm Lunch

1.30pm Learning Period 4 (Roll call 3)

2.30pm Learning Period 5

3.30pm Co-curricular activity (Roll call 4)

4.30pm Snacks, showers, house meetings

5.15pm Learning Journals

6pm Dinner and house meeting

7.30pm Campﬁre reﬂection time

8pm House time

9pm Reading time (Roll call 5)

9.30pm Lights out

Weekend Timetable

7am Wake up (Roll call 1)

7.30am Breakfast

8am Pack and prepare for hiking

9am Hiking – with morning tea break (Roll call 2)

12pm Lunch

1pm Hiking (Roll call 3)

4pm Make camp or unpack and clean up

5pm Free time

6pm Dinner (Roll call 4)

7pm Activity or Free time

9pm Supper and reﬂection time (Roll call 5)

9.30pm Lights out

One of the main diﬀerences with our timetable is that we have our weekend on Tuesday and Wednesday and our weekdays are from Thursday to Monday. Due to the area having considerable tourist traﬃc, we prefer to have the bush to ourselves so have changed our schedule to suit.

Transport

The Gippsland campus uses a variety of options when transporting students to and from the campus. These include large coaches, small buses, mini-buses, fourwheel drives and cars and they are driven by both contracted drivers and Tanglin staﬀ.

In all cases, drivers will have a relevant unrestricted license for the vehicle, appropriate experience with the vehicle and due consideration will be given to the route being taken.