SETTLING INTO BOARDING

We recognise that boarding school requires adjustment for everyone in the family. Boarding will be a challenging experience for your daughter as they leave the familiarity of home and move to a more communal style of living. It may not always be easy, but the gains to be made are enormous.

At the beginning of every year we have our Boarders’ Retreat which is vital to fostering our positive and inclusive culture. It helps settle our newest members into our community, developing and strengthening relationships.

Pastoral Care Time

This happens in year groups fortnightly. This is an opportunity for ākonga to connect with each other and a staff member, often discussing ideas and learning more about one another.

Mentoring Programme

Our mentoring programme is a significant part of our pastoral care in the House. Each senior student mentors a junior during their first year in the Boarding House to help establish them into the new environment, build relationships and give them confidence and security. Pairing up mentors and mentees can be challenging and it is important that we get this right. We know our seniors’ personalities well, however the challenge is the new students whom we may have only met once or twice. The Director of Boarding completes home visits where possible before the new boarders come into the House, and this is a huge help in deciding the pairings.

The mentoring programme has created an inclusive culture and the interactions within year groups are positive giving each boarder a strong sense of belonging and family.