Our Boarding House - a home away from home

‘My feelings about boarding from when I arrived until now have changed immensely. Solely because of the love and care displayed by the girls and mistresses. I find that boarding has enabled me to be more mature and aware of others and my surroundings. It has taught me a lot about myself and has moulded me to be a strong and better person. Living in a big community has allowed me to confront my issues about consideration for others.’
- Fifita Fa, Year 12, 2008

Living away from home can be a daunting concept. At the beginning of the year boarders spend a considerable amount of time getting to know each other and the staff at the Boarders’ Welcome Weekend.

Our Boarding House is purposefully small with around 60 boarders. This enables our trained staff to care for each girl as an individual. Mrs Wilson, Head of Boarding, knows that Lisa likes to sleep in and loves horses. Just like in any family girls can voice their opinion on dinner menus and weekend outings.

'Superheroes' was the theme for Year 12 Valedictory Dinner, 2008

Having her own bedroom means she can enjoy privacy and personalise her room with precious photographs of family and friends and favourite pop stars. Each section of the Boarding House has a kitchenette where girls can make after school snacks, popcorn for movie nights or a cup of milo before bed.

Food is important. Our chef is part of our family and creates tasty and healthy meals. Each dinner has a variety of options. Girls and staff eat together in the dining room and regularly enjoy casual theme dinners like ‘fancy hat nights’ or ‘teddy bears’ dinners and ‘birthday girls’ choose dessert.

‘I LOVE the Boarding House at St Catherine’s. The girls are like family to me. I think I’m mixing with more girls in other years than I did last year. I’m getting more work done in Prep and am more focussed.’
- Nicholle, 2008

When girls of different nationalities and backgrounds live in the same community they learn to accept differences and respect each others culture. Girls come to our Boarding House from rural NSW and Sydney itself as well as from Asia and the Pacific.

The Boarders’ Council plays a vital role in the community as it is the collective voice of the girls. Members of the Council are elected by their peers to represent each year group. They meet with Mrs Wilson every week to arrange special dinners and traditional celebrations.

The 'Blue Room' is the heart of our Boarding House. We meet here, with the Boarding Staff, to plan outings and events

Remaining connected to home is important. Parents are in constant contact with their daughters and the School via email and telephone. Mrs Wilson highly values connecting with parents and encourages a working partnership.

When talking about her role in the Boarding House.One of our staff commented ‘It comes from the heart; you have to love what you do’ .

St Catherine’s recognises and delights that girls are girls. They want privacy, they like to laugh and learn and sometime they just need a hug.

Boarding Brochure.pdf (1105KB)
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