Welcome Back!

Dear Shore Boarding Community,

I hope you are well and have enjoyed some quality time with your sons.  I have heard many stories of how the joy and good times have become just that little bit more emphatic and meaningful when we take a different look at the world around us.  The excitement that resounded through the boarding houses this week when Year 12 returned is only matched by the yearning felt by parents as they waved them goodbye.

We are about a third of the way through the year already, and our Year 12s have less than 15 weeks left after you take out exams.  We have embarked upon an educational journey never before experienced, and this only gets more interesting when our boarders start returning to the boarding house.  Boys love rumbling and tackling each other, and keeping the reins on this has been a challenge in itself.  I guess our female counterparts are dealing with the same thing, albeit replace “rumbling and tackling” with “hugging.”

Nevertheless, our boarders have remained busy, as you will see in this issue.  They have stayed in touch with some bizarre study habits and socialisation.  Again, I have heard so much feedback about the resilience, independence and determination shown by our boarders as they have managed the many learning avenues that they have travelled since being away from school.

“Zooming” has entered our lives and our vocabulary, just as “texting” and “emailing” did all those years ago.  The difference this time was the speed at which it arrived, with most of us introduced to it literally overnight.  Even so, what would we have done without it?  It has helped us stay in touch and engaged, so important in our current climate.  Zoom has allowed me enter worlds of staff meetings, individual and large parent group meetings, interviews for boarding positions and even a Year 12 boarding 18^th birthday!

Thank you again for everything.  We, in Shore Boarding, cannot adequately put into words how much we appreciate your support.  It has been a true team effort getting where we are now, and this will continue to be so moving forward.  Wishing you all the very best; we hope to see everyone again soon.  Stay well, and remember to please get in touch if there is anything we can do to help you.

Best wishes,
Brendan

(Photo is of Year 12 Back at Last!)

Photos from Home

The boys from Barry House enjoyed the freedom that came with being home and away from school, but school work wasn’t forgotten completely.  How strange it must have been to be at home but still at school, with lessons being completed, all from the comfort of your own bedroom.  Recess, lunch and free time meant playing with the dog, riding motor bikes or even surfing on the farm!  Check out the photos of what our boys have been up to…

Farm Surfing Video at Tambar Springs with Callum Simson

Newest Member Of Hodges House

On Friday 8^th May, Mr and Mrs Philips welcomed their beautiful baby boy, William (Billy) Jack Philips, into the world.  Billy was a healthy 3.81 kg. 
Congratulations from us all!

Good Friday 2020

Traditionally for Good Friday we are either celebrating with friends at home or in Sydney for the Royal Easter Show.  Sadly, due to Covid-19, neither of these options were available.  One thing still remained and that involved a delicious seafood lunch but just with Dad, Mum and my older brother, Benjamin. The food was plentiful and involved making a video for Robson House after an Instagram challenge to show what everyone was up to in the kitchen or in their firepits.

Generally, at Christmas we enjoy a whole salmon baked in the oven so we decided to do this for Easter this year.  The smallest whole salmon that Mum and I could purchase was 3.6kgs so it lasted several days.  The oven was pre-heated at 180 degrees Celsius and we placed him diagonally on a baking tray on top of copious amounts of greased foil.  Then Benjamin and I did six cuts, two centimetres deep, on both sides of the fish before filling with butter and garlic and seasoning.  The fish was wrapped in the foil before baking for 1 hour and 20 minutes.  Served with a potato bake and green salad it was a delicious Good Friday lunch, albeit a little bit different this year.

Thomas Duddy

Distance Learning – In The Outback

Doing school at home was a very weird experience for both of us and our sister.  Home is normally a place where we just relax on holidays and the work we do is all farm related not school related.  Initially it was quite difficult to get our heads around Distance Learning from home as there were always the temptation to go out on the farm and play golf in the back paddock or open the fridge for the 5^th time in 10 minutes hoping that something would appear since we last opened it.  However, once we got into a good routine, we were able to schedule into our recess and lunch breaks a dirt bike ride, a game of golf or something totally unrelated to school.  Besides the fact that nothing beats ‘Face-to-Face’ teaching, missing familiar faces and that daily social interactions was something you take for granted.  It’s now great to be back and fingers crossed all goes well for the future.

Charlie & Toby Weston

Message From The Hodges House Captain

As the year 12 boarders are settling back into the normalities of school and boarding, we all have reflected on the isolation period at home.  Although, we are extremely happy to be amongst each other again, there are apparent similarities we all enjoyed whilst working from home.  Not wearing a school uniform, the time to be our families and work on passion projects at home.  With the limited time before your return, make the most of the situation to organise yourself for your arrival at school.  Polish off your notes, keep on top of your work and enjoy your time with family.  There are also similar issues we had whilst studying back at home.  I personally can attest to the difficulty of studying without a structured day like at school. Towards the end of working from home, I found it extremely useful to structure my day in around 30 minute blocks.  By using a diary (Google Calendar also works great) I found I could best distribute my time, working efficiently whilst also allocating time for other hobbies, remember it’s important to have a break.

By Jooya Kalantar (12HS)

A message From Your Housemaster

A long time ago, in fact in the last century, a young boy packed his bags one Sunday afternoon to go on a journey.  Ahead of him was a life unknown.  As he arrived and made his way through the wrought-iron gates, sandstone buildings towered above, full of secrets and stories that whispered through its corridors, along silent tiled foyers and up marbled staircases and wooden bannisters.

For six years he was let out only occasionally.  For the first five years the only overnight leave he enjoyed was for his grandparents’ golden anniversary.  Sure, every three weeks or so he was permitted to leave the campus and visit his parents, but back he came as the sun went down to a world that was becoming more and more familiar to him.

Certainly, there were battles to be won: credibility, respect, finding your place.  The young man soon learnt from observation that it takes an age to build a reputation but a moment to lose it.  To start, best to keep your head down and grind.  There were also times when justice deserted him, when the authorities blamed him for crimes he didn’t commit, and when others he deemed less able were given a ride they didn’t deserve and hadn’t worked for.

He thought at first that this was a difficult life but it wasn’t long before he realised that amongst it all, he loved it.  He cherished every moment.  The friends he made then are his best friends still, over 35 years later.  Every time they catch up, they regale one another with stories of the good times.

Today, every now and then, he still sees young men who wear the uniform he once wore, who are experiencing what he once did too.  And even though his loyalties have shifted, he still gets a lump in his throat.  He realises that he is the man he is today because of the lessons he learnt then, because of the mentors who taught him what is right and wrong, of how he must live a life of virtue, dignity and respect.

That is boarding.  Tough times are more easily overcome when you are surrounded by strong friends, families and mentors.

The point is that life moves on.  Tough times do get better.  The only variable is time.  Challenges will always present themselves but inevitably they pass, and almost always we emerge as stronger people.

There is a poster hanging in Barry House that repeats the words of John Wayne, legendary Hollywood actor.  It says simply,

“Tomorrow is the most important thing in life.  Comes in to us at midnight very clean.  It’s perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands.  It hopes we’ve learned something from yesterday.”

Studying From Home

Over the holiday break, we have all found ourselves locked at home very limited in terms of social interactions and are stuck twiddling our thumbs looking for something to do.  As a boarder there is slightly more scope for what we can do to keep ourselves occupied and many students have taken the opportunity to get ahead on some school work going into Term 2, including myself. Studying (especially during the holidays) can be incredibly painful when you are cooped up in a stuffy room for hours on end with an aching back and throbbing head.  Luckily, I have the mighty Macintyre River roaring out the front of the house and when I feel myself getting less efficient, I have moved down there at times to study and get a breath of fresh air.  I find working in an environment like this is incredibly beneficial and a major advantage of living rural.  Having a study break is even more rewarding when you can go for a paddle or fly off the rope swing.  It’s been great getting some work done by the river but now as it’s getting colder and colder I might find myself relocating to beside the fire!

Charles Dight

Boarding Is Awesome

I started boarding in year 12 because I was keen to get more independence, save a lot of time commuting, and really enjoy my last year at school.  Although I was initially a little worried about getting to know everyone and fitting into the house, in hindsight it was one of the best decisions I have made.  Having that extra time each day has meant I’ve been able to spend more time exercising and hanging out with mates while maintaining a solid amount of study.  It has given me so much more time in the day to do things I enjoy and overall has made school a lot better.

As a former day boy, I’ve been lucky enough to also keep my connections to Mathers and all the guys there which has been great.  However being a part of School House has also been awesome as I have had the chance to meet all of the blokes and share laughs.  Every day people are making me crack up and I’m always happy in the house.  I only have a few terms left here now but I know that they will be some of my best at school.  I’m really glad I made the decision to do boarding and I’d highly recommend any day boys consider it.

Thanks,
Tom Gordon

Cooking For The Family

We put it out there and challenged the Barry House boys to put their cooking skills to the test during the holidays by preparing and cooking a meal for their family.  We have had plenty of practice over Term 1 with many opportunities to share ideas from far and wide to cook for the House, especially in our international cooking series.  We had an overwhelming response, too many to include here, but it was fantastic to see how many Mums, Dads and siblings were spoiled by their Shore Chef.  The list would make a great menu:

Starters

• Ricepaper rolls
• Chicken San Choy Bow

Pasta

• Spaghetti Aglio e Olio with prawns

Seafood

• Steamed Black Drummer

Poultry

• Chicken Schnitzel
• Lebanese feast – chicken shawarma
• BBQ chicken with vegetables and mash potato
• Chicken Cacciatore

Lamb

• Lamb marinated in lemon, garlic and rosemary, rice pilaf and greens

Meat

• Home-made meat pies
• Steak and home-made chips
• Beef Massaman Curry
• Rump steak with grilled corn, steamed broccoli and herbed potatoes
• Rump steak with wedges and mushroom sauce
• Beef Tacos

Salads

• Thai Beef Salad
• Walnut salad
• Cherry tomato and feta salad

Dessert

• Double-Decker Love Heart Pavlova

Survival In North Sydney

It’s a good time in North Sydney… in some instances.  We can walk to the shops, no crowds, we can walk to North Sydney Oval No 2 and there are only a few people exercising.  It is a lovely place with a beautiful pitch and couch growing to the boundary, but enough of that.  Mr Stocks, Mr McGee and I and of course Kim, really appreciated the arrival of the Year 12 boys and of course look forward to everyone returning…hopefully not that long.

It has been interesting with all the Zoom lessons not only for staff but also the boys.  I think it will change in some way the connection with teachers and the Shore boys and I feel in a really positive way.  I taught my Year 9 class yesterday and it was amazing…. The boys were so delighted to be back at school and all of them were really happy to learn at school.

In addition, it has been great to Zoom the boarders and we have all been very happy with our conversations as tutor group and the boarding house.  I think now that most of the boys have visited the RAIG gym with a great opportunity to enjoy this amazing place.

Sam Walker

Return To Boarding

There is always a sense of excitement and somewhat wonder about coming back into the boarding house.  This sense of excitement was even more so after the extended break due to the COVID-19, so coming back into the boarding house after the quarantine break was very special as it also marked the first-time students would step foot inside of the new RAI Grant Centre which has been in construction for over 2 years.  Included in the new development is a new terrace on the southern side of Hodges and Barry.  On Sunday evening, the otherwise quite backyard of Mr Fitch and Mr Morris quickly became louder and louder as boys from the four boarding houses were welcomed onto the new Boarders Terrace for dinner.  We were treated to pizzas where the boys told stories about their own isolation followed by a tour of the new centre led by Dr Peterson.  To say the new facilities that the boys will have access is breath taking would be an understatement.  The classrooms, the basketball courts, the swimming pool and gymnastics area, and especially the new strength and conditioning area are world class.  As you can see in the pictures.  It was an honour to be asked to score the very first basket (slam dunk) on the new courts in front of the year 12 boarders, and I know that boys will be enjoying this facility for years to come.

James Wallace (12HS)

Quarantine and Distance Learning – Challenging and Rewarding

On the positive side, I have learnt new technology e.g. using zooms for online lessons and Microsoft teams to chat with teachers and other students about homework and these cool technologies allowed me to attend classes in different locations while we are not able to attend classes face to face.  I am able to keep learning while in Hong Kong and also when I am in quarantine in Sydney.  I also have had the chance to connect with my family during this time as well – I value the comfort and support that only parents can provide at this time.  However, I did encounter some difficulties while I am doing distance learning.  Some of the difficulties include time zone differences as Hong Kong is 2 hours behind Sydney so for early lessons, I find it hard to interact well with my teachers and classmates due to local noise control requirements.

I am also worried initially about my academics now that physical teaching and tutoring has to be stopped as we transition to online learning.  However, Shore has a very systematic distance learning plan and everyone at Shore is focused on making this difficult period as effective as possible for all students.  For example, the teacher librarians are willing to sacrifice their leisure time after school hours and offer support to students who may be struggling with organization in terms of distance learning (and different librarians have all been assigned to different houses).  In addition, , Shore is offering additional support for boys in Year 11 and Year 12 with online tutoring delivered by Old Boys.  This is a great opportunity to learn challenging concepts as we are fortunate enough to have the 2019 group happy to give us a hand with getting through online learning by sharing notes, essays and whatever they think (or we think) that can help us go through this time of uncertainty and maintain our strong academic results as a community.  The measures implemented greatly improve my general wellbeing and help me to organize my work during this stressful time in a more disciplined way.  My tutor Mr Hogan also offered to support us by providing us with a pastoral outlet and communication as frequent as possible.  Reaching out during tutor groups or possibly in person to discuss the main concerns and frustrations and where possible provide practical advice and strategies help us to overcome our daily challenges.  I feel so blessed having many great people around to help out when I am in need.

However, I still prefer face to face teaching and tutoring as I can have more interaction with people. Luckily, this is happening … now that year 12 is the first year group to go back to school full-time. As my time in self-isolation ends soon, I wish to reconnect with everyone in the boarding house. 

Exercising At Home

During a normal school week, students spend the whole day running around with few moments to stop and take a break.  Most days we are training for sport and the days off we’re on the oval playing touch footy.  As this all came grinding to a halt, we’ve had to find other means of exercise and training from home as our bodies are so accustomed to constant physical activity.  Being a boarder has made the process of exercising from home easier with wide open places to go for a run, swim, paddle, whatever your feeling to take a break from schoolwork.  With the gyms being closed, we’ve managed to set up a rudimentary gym here at home, and although it took about a week of preparing the area in the garden for the equipment (and only a slight amount of arguing during the construction process), it is now completed and has been great for keeping our physical activity levels up during our time in lockdown.  A bit of cattle work and odd jobs around the farm have also been beneficial in getting out of the house and moving around.  When we do get back to school soon, it will make the transition back into routine much easier by staying active during the break.

To The Barry House Community

As we enter Term 2 we have seen some development in the situation we are in.  I think we can all say we have found a new kind of respect for Shore and all it provides us with.  With the Year Twelves arriving back into the boarding house on Sunday the 10th of May it is looking positive.  Although restrictions will be hard, we are all in this together.  I would like to address 3 main points that may help you as we move through the term.

1. Obviously it’s a different learning environment at home. This means that some alterations must take place in order to get the most out of each day. This might be breaking up the day into specific times of doing schoolwork, free time, exercise and any other things you might like. Developing a strict routine is essential for efficient learning as well as your own wellbeing.
2. Look after yourself.  Make sure your personal wellbeing is always at the forefront of your routine. This includes going to bed early and waking up at a reasonable hour every morning. Eating healthy food to maintain not only a healthy mind but a healthy body.  Staying active is also important when looking after yourself in these times; going for a simple run, an at-home gym session or even just helping in the garden or going for a walk.  This is what I have found very helpful and I know that when I don’t commit to these, I tend to drift.
3. Finally, it is important to recognise that the School is doing all they can to get us back.  Sometimes this is out of their hands due to changing circumstances but I can assure you they are working very hard.  This means that eventually we will all be back.  Dealing with coming back may be difficult, particularly the shift from being at home for an unusual extended amount of time back into the boarding environment.  Therefore, I encourage you to please keep in touch with your friends from Barry and other Houses to make this transition a smooth process.

I hope that this has helped if you are struggling with anything. Stick to what you know and we will be back together soon enough.

Thanks,
Charlie.

Farming In Scone

Farming in Scone

Quarantine has been an overly unexciting time for many but for me it has been quite the opposite. I am lucking enough to be living on a relatively large property in the Upper Hunter and this has afforded me some leisure’s.  Plenty of space for activity and no limit on the amount of time I can spend outside amongst them. 

My routine, admittedly, has not changed a great deal compared to what it was most holidays. There has always been plenty of work and fun to be had on my property; From constructing yet another of my father’s “necessary” sheds to enjoying the company of my more beastly friends, it has been an active and enjoyable time.

The one thing I must note about how lockdown has affected me is the way it has allowed me to rekindle my love for horse riding. As I am a full-time boarder, I have put very little effort into maintaining my equestrian skills and thus, ashamedly, came away saddle sore after my first few attempts whilst believing I was a professional horseman. In the end, lockdown has forced us to change the way we live and reconsider our goals; this time should be taken as a positive opportunity for personal and community improvement, not something to be dreaded.

Hodges Pets Enjoying Iso

Preparing For Home And School

As an international student living in Hong Kong, I am constantly travelling to and from Australia and as of this Friday will have lived in isolation for a month. After spending two weeks in country New South Wales with the McCreery family, I received a text from my parents informing me that I’d be returning home for the holidays. After landing in Hong Kong I began the three hour process of being checked and tested for the coronavirus, a process that truly made me conscious of the bizarre times we are living in.

The first few days of quarantine were particularly difficult as I was stuck inside at home thinking about all my friends out at the beach or on boats, enjoying the Hong Kong summer. After these first few days it simply became normal and I actually started to enjoy the solitude as it gave me the chance to thoroughly reflect on a teenager’s life. In fact, the peace and quiet granted with solitude actually made me somewhat look forward to round two of quarantine upon arriving in Sydney. I guess after experiencing a total month in isolation, I became more appreciative of the simple things I have access to, which not only included being able to enjoy a bit of tranquility every now and then but also the fact that I spend my time in two great cities that have so much to offer every time I open the doors of both my homes and venture outside.

Nick Spencer