What we're loving here at Boarding Schools Expo Australia.

Cooler mornings …hello March

I hope you've had a good month wherever you are.

It's been full of devastation for a number of our school communities in southern Queensland, and their families. We hope those affected are able to access the help & assistance they need, and that they have the love and support of many.

We were able to donate to two separate charities : one that was led and driven by students from a northern NSW University and the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal (FRRR) which acts via project funding to support the strengthening of our rural and regional communities.

We're looking forward to the launch of our virtual platform in April and have been working behind the scenes to ensure our schools have their booths set up ready for you to visit anytime from wherever you call home. Keep an eye out for our invitation for you to register for ‘Boarding Expo 365’ - an online virtual expo ‘open’ 24/7 right from your kitchen table. Our intention is to make the discovery of boarding school and school communities as accessible as possible - regardless of where you live.

This month we're bring you a few of our favourite support and non-profit organisations as we keep Australia's flood victims in our hearts and minds. All of these support boarders and/or rural communities in some way and we really wanted to give them a shout out.

I can't decide if I'm looking forward to the weather cooling down or not ?! On one hand, cool weather is full of creature comforts like winter casseroles, woollen jumpers and open fires…. on the other hand those icy mornings out here on the western plains of NSW can make it difficult to get going some days ! We've had the mildest summer I can remember (not one single day over 40!) and there's a little bit of me that feels like I haven't ‘earned’ the cooler change.

One thing for sure I cannot wait for daylight savings to end ! Getting up in the dark for weeks and weeks every year…. dragging myself to the finishing line that is END OF DAYLIGHT SAVINGS, well, it makes me want to move to Queensland for a couple of months every year !

Hope you have a great couple of weeks, and feel welcome to share our newsletter with a friend who may be considering their boarding school options.

Amanda x

This is how they do it….

Boarding Schools Profile

Boarding at St Gregory’s College offers students an outstanding individualised schooling experience at an affordable price. Set on approximately 300 acres and less than an hour from Sydney, our College affords families the benefits of a city-based education in a uniquely rural setting.The College has five Boarding Houses, offering individual rooms, that bring boys together from all over Australia; predominately from country NSW, but also places such as Lord Howe Island, Groote Eylandt, Queensland, the Northern Territory and ACT.The boarding staff, many of whom are also teachers at the College, are committed to the quality care and supervision of the boarders, under the direction of the Director of Boarding. Supportive relationships are forged, which are based on trust and mutual respect so that boys are valued for their individual qualities and talents. It is this teamwork that ultimately provides the Boarder with the support and space to grow and develop to the fullest. A wide variety of young men, individually different and from a range of diverse backgrounds and geographic locations, learn to live, pray, work and play together.

Ruby Riethmuller is only 24 years of age but despite being so young, she’s making a huge impact on teenage girls lives across the country. Ruby after attending Ascham School as a boarder and heading off to college at St Andrews, knew she wanted to do something to give back. So she started an organisation called Woman Kind - helping young women, through the tough times of teenage hood. A simple way to describe what Ruby does is she offers a “big sister service” going in to boarding schools, running hands on programs offering 24/7 support for teenage girls. And it's going gangbusters!!

When we chat with Ruby she tells up all about her organisation Woman Kind and what drives her to want to help others at such a young age. We chat about the time she won the Buy From Th Bush Big Break Competition, and how she’s starting a 24/7 support app to help young women, We talk about her school days at Ascham, the challenges boarding school brings being surrounded by SO MANY GIRLS and how to access support if you’re ever in need of any.

Whether you’re at boarding school listening to this, or parents who have been there and done it, you’ll want to tune in to this one.

(If you have a guest suggestion for our Podcast please get in contact with us via our website.)

Some of the things we're loving…..

Share our newsletter with a friend and let them discover the good news about boarding and building communities away from the places we call home.

Enjoy your week, tune in to Destination Boarding, The Podcast,

Until next Month,

Amanda

I acknowledge that the land on which I work and live is the traditional land of the Wiradjuri Nation. I pay my respects to Elders past and present and extend that respect to all First Nations people.