All Saints College Parents & Friends Association

ALL SAINTS’ COLLEGE PARENTS’ & FRIENDS’ ASSOCIATION

BOARDING SUB-COMMITTEE MEETING

Saturday 9th February, 2013

Library

Meeting Opened : 3.11pm

Attendance: Brian & Maree Plummer, Ian Menzies, Dr Peter Miller, Trevor Maher, Wendy Langfield, Hayley Bradley, Brad Allen, Gill McAllister, Rebecca Shaw, Peter Gorman, Lisa Jones, Scott Hewitt, Tony Card, George Keech, Grant & Annette Piper, Julie Porter, Kim Stokes, Nigel &Wendy Wass,

Apologies: Tamara Willcox, Jane Menzies, Heather Cozens, Brad & Bec Hurley, Judy & Tony Elias, Sonia & Jason Muller, Michael & Belinda Peterson, Grant Keech, David & Johanna Wong, Martin & Susan Milton

Prayer: Rev. Tony Card

Business arising from previous meeting:

 Air Conditioning application completed

Motion “That the minutes from the Boarding P&F meeting dated Saturday 27th October 2012 be accepted and endorsed as read”

Moved: Nigel Wass Seconded: George Keech

Correspondence out: Request to Stewart Ross to send home a copy of each boarding student’s timetable again this year

Correspondence in: Good response from Yr 12 parents regarding existing Air/Con at Marsden

President’s Report: Brian Plummer

 Welcome to the meeting and especially to new parents, the year is off to a very positive start

 Position Vacant- Boarding P&F Representative, please contact anyone on the committee for more details (see separate attachment)

 Thanks about the Saturday sports bus being reinstated

 Social function at our place-Tottenham on Sat 23rd March. We live 60km from town and 4 hrs from Bathurst so bring swags etc (Invitations out soon)

Business Manager : Trevor Maher spoke on accommodation at Britten House and information has since been communicated to families. Clinic to be kept mainly for medical and respite purposes Treasurer’s Report: Read by George Keech

29/09/2012 to 31/12/2012 as per attached statement:

29/09/12 Balance Forward $4,014.50

31/12/12 Closing Balance $4,014.50

Head of College Report: Dr Peter Miller

General matters

1. Thank you – It has been wonderful to be a part of and see the great deal of work undertaken by our parents at the end of last year and again at the start of this year. In particular, thank you to Brian Plummer for his work around Watson House. Also, many thanks for your work at the working bee tomorrow.

2. Enrolments in 2013 – We have commenced this year with another significant growth in student numbers in our secondary school. Boarding numbers are stable but continued growth in the day school has seen a 30% growth in three years. The total student population from Pre-Kinder to Year 12 is over 520 students.

3. Boys’ Boarding development –work with the architect is ongoing. More information as developments take place.

4. Holiday maintenance – Over the holidays the focus in the boarding houses was on bathroom renovations. Painting and repairs in both Watson and Marsden have significantly improved bathrooms in both girls’ and boys’ boarding houses.

5. Saturday sports bus – this will be running again this year.

6. All Saints’ College P&F Association changes – attached is a letter to parents sent this week. The Boarding parents will be able to continue to operate with the same level of activity in the past and autonomy but as a sub-committee rather than as a separate entity.

General Business:

 Discussion on convenience of 10am opening times for boarding houses at beginning of Term

 Timely communication regarding textbooks and activity week- information was far too late in Term 4 to boarding families, especially second hand book sale. Brad Allen will ask that this be communicated at the beginning of Term 4. Overall dissatisfaction with Campion books, late, incorrect, expensive, bad condition etc proposal to support local book shops. Dr Miller and Stewart Ross will meet with Campion to address concerns and provide an update

 Activity week-request for costs to be emailed to parents at beginning of Term 4

 Vote of thanks from Nigel Wass to Brad Allen on improving the situation at Watson House and retaining the numbers in boy’s boarding

 Long discussion on responsibilities of the school, day and boarding parents regarding parties and alcohol. Host parent form application on the website covers everything and is clear-cut (zero tolerance of alcohol). Communication between parents, staff and students is essential and the staff will continue to be vigilant in this matter. Social interaction between day and boarding students/families encouraged as it is an important aspect of the school and appreciated by boarding families

 New parents commented that they did not have any contact phone numbers of boarding staff or houses etc and no information on daily/weekly routine. Suggestion that this be done and communicated to families and that all information to go in a starter pack for boarders

 Great injection of talent across amongst the new boarders, especially sporting and equestrian

 Working Bee a huge success-photos and information on the boarding website under Watson & Marsden House

 Raffle of a signed sports shirt at social function in March

Watson Report

I'd like to congratulate David Grant on becoming dux for ASC in 2012. It was nice that it was a boarder and a lovely young man. All Year 12 are to be congratulated on their achievements.

We have had a successful start to the Year with existing and new students coming to school. We have 13 new students in year 7, 9, 10 and 11. A 30+% increase in boys boarding. We now have 33 boy boarders.

Our year 12 leaders from Marsden and Watson, Alan Mayhew, Andrew Kelleher, Zoe Clarke and Sammy Lloyd organized the “The Great Amazing Race” style activities to get everybody together on the first weekend. It was a success but the coolish weather made the music and pool party atmosphere a little grey.

Gill and I, took all year 7 and 8 boarders out for a supper treat to McDonald's on Tuesday night to talk to them about how they are settling in and give them a chance to ask questions about the start to the year. We will be taking all students out for a break in the evening this term in various groups. The staff in Watson House have commented on the great atmosphere in the boarding house at the start of this year. All of the existing boarders have contributed to the successful integration of the new boarders in Watson House. The new and existing students have been enjoying meeting new mates and helping each other in this first term. It has been very pleasing and enjoyable to watch.

Watson house has seen some change to the house and what we are doing this term. We have moved the pool table into the room to the side of the common room and making this another area to relax and play. This has proven successful so far with both the girls and boys using the table which is nice. One of the Watson boys and a year 10 girl have ask to restore the table as their project in their Restoration Unit in Design and Technology.

As a result of the arrival of the pool table, years 7 to 10 are now doing their prep in a classroom after dinner and then returning to the boarding house. This has been working well and students are adapting well to this arrangement.

The junior bathroom has had a facelift. It has had a deep clean, re grout, freshly painted and had new shower fittings fitted. This was all going well until a storm and flood from above caved in the ceiling. This is the first stage of an ongoing improvements to be made to this part of the boarding house.

Outside the walls we have made progress in simplifying and improving the Watson house grounds. Thanks to Brian Plummer's organization and manpower from Tim Allen and Adam Plummer, we now have an impressive new paved path leading into Watson House. The short green lights that were in disrepair have been removed and plants that have been suffering in pots have been replaced (and will hopefully survive ). The beach volleyball court has been poisoned for weeds, the new sand acquired and will be worked on very soon.

I'd like to thank Mr David Cox and Mrs Tanya Silvester for donating the paint for the Watson House front verandah. I'd also like to thank Mrs Helen Forbes-Nobes for donating an ironing board cover that is already in use in Watson House.

The Watson House staff office has also had a new work bench fitted and is a much better working environment for staff in the house. In staffing news, Adrian Chavez departed and Chris Hovenden has taken to his role in the house very well. He is a very good addition to the Watson staff.

We are all looking forward to the rest of 2013 ... Brad Allen

Marsden Report

Staff:

 We have commenced the year with Cassie Pearce and Gemma Clipsham returning from maternity leave

 A very big thank you to Meg Hitchick who filled in during term 4 last year as Assistant Head in their absence– Meg is still on standby for this term

 Rachel Charlton (tutor) will leave us mid- March (week 7) to take up a post as a Paramedic  Amie Little (tutor) will also leave us at the end of this term – I would like to express my thanks to both for being a wonderful part of the team at Marsden – I am really sorry to see them go

 Chloe Jones and Bec Calvert are continuing on in the role of tutor

 We have a new tutor, Lucie Bauermeister, commencing at the end of February

Students:

 We have 60 girls in Marsden currently:

o 9 x Year 7 (8 new)

o 6 x Year 8

o 5 x Year 9 (2 new and 1 more will be coming term 2 possibly)

o 13 x year 10 (3 new)

o 11 x year 11 (6 new)

o 16 x year 12

 We welcome a Japanese exchange student into Year 11 for approx7 months – she is a delightful girl and she is settling in well

 19 new girls are keeping us all busy and we have commenced our Orientation Program with all the new students

 Brad and I will continue with an Orientation Program for the Year 7 students for the rest of this term

 Brad and I took all Year 7 and 8 students to Macca’s on Tuesday night for supper and a bonding experience

 As the term progresses, other year groups will also get the opportunity to go out

First weekend of the term - Saturday 2 nd Feb:

 Well done to the 4 leaders (Zoe, Sam, Alan and Andrew) for organising “The Great Amazing Race” around the school Campus. They had great assistance from the Yr 12 boarders who supervised “the stations” – shooting baskets, returning tennis serves, a run up Britten Hill, a swim, a computer activity, a Drama skit ……… a good time was had by all participants! (photos and report soon on the web pages)

 This was followed by a swim for those who braved the cold water on a cool and cloudy day!

 To finish off a great day - a Movie Night in both houses and the girls had a pyjama party!

Work and Improvements around Marsden:

 3 of the 4 bathrooms have been painted, have new shower heads, and are about to get new mirrors – it is a great improvement and brightens up the bathrooms considerably  Bathroom 4 should be finished by the middle of next week

 We recently had a leak that went into a bedroom (old pipes corroded) so all bathrooms will be getting new mixer taps and pipes at the next school holiday break

 The junior laundry has got a set of pigeon holes which now doubles our capacity for storage of items and for bedding and clean sheets when they return from the school laundry

 Still awaiting another quote for cork tiles in the junior Prep room to finish off the improvements to that room

 Senior common room has had ceiling fans installed at the beginning of term – (junior common room already had them)

 All bedroom cubicles have new curtain hooks and rods installed –this is a huge improvement

 We have 2 new bookcases - courtesy of the Woodharts

 2 new “sitting rooms” with flat screen TV’s

 Thanks to Nigel and Wendy for installing a dripper system in one of the garden beds adjacent to the house

 We need some new plants

 We will be replacing more mattresses this year -most girls will then have a relatively new mattress

 Thank you to Mark and Maria Kamper who are donating a washing machine to us

 Future improvements include the moving of the shed at the entrance, an outdoor setting, a pergola, lattice to separate the carport, hanging baskets – (an outdoor café style welcome area)

Gill McAllister

Meeting closed: 4.15pm Next Meeting: Sat 11th May 2013