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New Boys
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Boarder Lines - Newsletter 1, February 19991999 has got under way on 'The Hill' with the typically stifling heat that heralds the start of a new school year. Much activity took place over the holidays as works commenced to upgrade and improve facilities. We apologise for any initial inconvenience however the boys are now all settled in and ready to tackle their academic studies. In both McMeckan and School Houses, construction went flat out over the holiday period to transform the 'prep' rooms. The top prep rooms will eventually have separate bed/desk areas for Year 11's and the bottom prep rooms are being equipped with more secure desks, new carpets, heating and lighting and being wired up to the School's network. While at Arthur Robinson general painting, maintenance and refurbishment took place. Plans have also been finalised for the landscaping of the backyards of School House and McMeckan. It is hoped by the end of July these major works to the prep rooms and the back yard areas will be complete. While there will be some disruption and inconvenience, we welcome the School's financial commitment and desire to upgrade the boarding facilities.
New BoysWelcome back to all the old hands and a special welcome to all the new boys and their families. We trust they will find their years at Scotch enriching and rewarding and they will make the most of what the School has to offer. Scotch prides itself on its friendly and open family atmosphere and we hope that when you drive into the Hill you always feel most welcome. Enjoying a game of table tennis at Cowes New staffMr John Flynn and his wife Cathy and children Sarah, Josh and Tom have settled very happily into School House. John was formerly assisting Hunter McWhinney in McMeckan House and prior to that had a stint in boarding schools in the United Kingdom and Queensland. John holds the newly created position of the Sir Ian McLennan Chair of Technology at the school. He is a keen sportsman who still enjoys a game of hockey. He is also involved with the Sea Scouts and other outdoor activities. We welcome John and his family to School House. Kieran Jones has joined Hunter McWhinney's team in McMeckan. Keiran has only been at Scotch for a year, but she is a very experienced teacher. She brings to the Hill a great deal of enthusiasm and expertise in the teaching of English as well as a general willingness to get involved in the Hill community. Jamie Kane is a new teacher to Scotch this year and is assisting John Flynn in School House. Jamie is a highly qualified person holding degrees in Law Commerce and Letters from Melbourne University. He has considerable expertise in Computing and is also a very keen bushwalker and outdoors person. I am sure his talents will be put to good use on the Hill. Mrs Jacqui Gill comes to us for a year on exchange with Mrs Yvonne Bills as the matron in McMeckan House. Jacqui hails from Shrewsbury School in England near the Welsh boarder. It is a highly regarded School and we look forward very much to Jacqui's input to Scotch and wish her a very happy and productive year in Australia. The Galbraith Family have very happily squeezed into Callantina Lodge and are enjoying their new abode. Boarders Parents AssociationThe Boarders' Parents Association fulfils a very important role in the Hill Community. Under the wise chairmanship of David Knight, it acts as a conduit for parents concerns on boarding matters and most importantly facilitates social interaction and goodwill among parents of the Hill Community. The dinner on the 13th March at the Cardinal Pavilion is an event not to be missed. We are also trying to compile a Boarders' Parents Contact List. If you wish to join that list and are happy to disclose your address and telephone number, we can then circulate that among all the parents. I would like to extend also a special thank you to those mums who came and assisted on New Boys day and helped overcome some of the anxiety for new parents on this big occasion. Hill leadersThe Hill Captain for 1999 is Hugh Cameron. Hugh comes from a well known Phillip Island family who have had a long connection with Scotch. This is his fourth year on the Hill as a boarder in McMeckan House. He is currently stroking the 1st VIII and is vice-captain of boats. He will set a fine example to all the boys as Hill Captain. He is backed up by an excellent group of leaders: Arthur Robinson
Kinman Chen :Captain
School HouseNick Reid : Captain
Sam Ross } Joint Vice
McMeckan
Julian Brown : Captain
We congratulate also Hugh Cameron and Bryce Alexander on being appointed school prefects. The class of '98 set a fine example with their academic scholarship, sporting achievements and general involvement and contribution to the School and Hill community. 47% achieved an ENTER over 90,(Scotch overall 44.5%) 10.6% over 99. Paul Greening, last year's Hill Captain, was dux of the Hill with a score of 99.55. A lot is expected of our Year 12 leaders. They are all prefects and are given a great deal of responsibility in the supervision of the younger boys and in setting the tone and morale of each House. One of their most important roles is to act as peer support for the new boys. Each prefect is assigned a new boy and acts as a mentor and big brother in assisting his smooth transition to life as a boarder. Overseas boysOverseas boys sometimes find the transition to being away from home and living in Australia a difficult one. To ease their concerns and help them adjust, Mr Jim Van Dort, our Head of Indonesian at the school, has been appointed as a liaison officer on the Hill. Jim is not only fluent in Indonesian but speaks Cantonese as well. Jim remembers well, his days as an overseas student in Britain when he lived in Malaysia. ChapelI have already mentioned a number of times the word 'community' in this newsletter. We are strongly in favour of nourishing a vibrant, caring Hill community. We feel that if the boys are happy in their environment and are encouraged to get involved, make friends and feel part of the place, it will eliminate a lot of social problems and they will strive to do their best in an atmosphere of support and encouragement. Once of the great things about boarding is the camaraderie and mateship that it generates which stays with boarders throughout their lives. The chapel should play a pivotal role in fostering and uniting the Hill Community. We have been concerned that with the opening up of weekend leave, there has been a drop off in attendance to Chapel on Sunday mornings. Numbers have been poor and there has been a general apathy and lack of interest among the boys which has concerned the staff for a number of years. After consultation with the Chaplains, and the Hill Council, we have decided to institute a change to chapel times to 7:00 pm on a Sunday night. Reverend Bradbeer announced this to the boys at the end of last term. We are encouraging the boys to get more involved in the service, to form a Chapel band and generally to get more out of Chapel. We recognise that at times this may not suit families to have their sons back by 7:00 pm, so we are prepared to allow some flexibility for two Sundays per term. The arrangement will be reviewed at the end of term. We have a wonderful Chapel and two excellent Chaplains, so we encourage you to attend whenever you are able. Nick BrowneI would like to thank Nick Browne for all his advice and for a very smooth transition. Nick, as the first Dean of Boarding, defined the role and set up the procedures. The Hill Council was an excellent innovation of his and I intend to carry on his good work to the best of my ability. Computer facilitiesGreg Baker, our Director of Computing and Innocentes Porciuncula, senior software engineer, were taken on a tour of each House's computer facilities last week. We all agreed that E-mail facilities were a high priority and that there was a need for an upgrade in the computer hardware currently in use on the Hill. As an interim measure while the renovations are underway an extra telephone line has been installed in each duty room which will be dedicated to E-Mail/Internet use. A computer especially equipped for that purpose will be installed and access will be available under the supervision of the person on duty. Once the renovations are complete each year 11 and 12 boy will be provided with a network point and a special work station will be provided for boys in years 7-10 in their prep room. MusicScotch has a fine tradition in music and an enviable reputation for the quality of its concerts, the Foundation Concert of course being the highlight. One of the outstanding features of the music program is the level of participation by the boys. Over 30% of the boys at the school are learning a musical instrument. Boarders are no exception to this and whether they want to learn for recreation and pleasure or serious academic pursuit the opportunities are there. We have had some fine musicians from the Hill over the years . David Sheludko and Alistair Davey were two outstanding trumpeters of recent years. Both are pursuing further studies in the music field. Many of the boys' talents of course are put on display for the Boarders' Revue. John Ferguson recognizes that not every boy can reach the elite level so to maintain interest a special intermediate strings ensemble has been instituted under the leadership of Peter Krummins. Hopefully this will give boys an incentive to keep practicing and improve their skills. Weekend activitiesI have mentioned already my belief in the importance of developing community spirit and camaraderie among the boys and there is no better way to enhance this than by actually doing things together. Already the new boys have had an orientation tour of the school including a visit to the school archives and a talk by Mr Dick Briggs. This was followed up by a ride to the top of the Rialto Tower. Last weekend we had an excellent trip to Cowes where despite the inclement weather the boys had a great time. This weekend an excursion is planned to the Air Show at Laverton. Angus Walker does a great job organising trips to Mansfield where the boys have built a wonderful hut overlooking the Howqua Arm of Lake Eildon named in memory of Gordon Owen, a former housemaster of Arthur Robinson and Senior Hillmaster who was the driving force behind the establishment of the Lodge. Angus has outlined his plans for the term below. I would like each new boy to get up there at least once this semester.
Merton Hall after a long association with Scotch boarders have decided to take their girls elsewhere this year (the girls don't know what they are missing) However MLC are very aware of our handsome Year 10s so they are keen to continue. So Dancing Classes will take place again this year in the annexe on a Thursday night with MLC Year 10 boarders supplemented by day girls from MLC. There will be 12 sessions at a total cost of $120 per boy conducted by the Merle James Dancing School. All Year 10 boys are expected to attend. It is a highlight of their boarding life. I would like to take this opportunity also to thank Mrs Brenda Upjohn who has done a wonderful job conducting dancing classes over many years on the Hill. Parent/teacher night datesDr Donaldson and Ian Savage were very receptive to the suggestion of having parent/teacher nights on a Monday or Thursday night in future. Planning for next year is commencing shortly.
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