Page 7 - Southwell School Boarders Handbook

START OF THE YEAR
This is a three-day cycle which helps everyone to settle into the School and Boarding House Routine. Specific dates and times will be communicated to parents prior to the start of term.
Day One: New Boarders arrive from 3.00pm onwards. New parents who have not met the School Nurse are asked to meet to discuss any health problems the student may have. A meeting of new Boarders’ parents with the Heads of Boarding is held while the Boarders are organised into games by the House Tutors.
Day Two: The new boarders and the new day students meet with their class teacher and are then taken to their classroom, where the morning is spent in School orientation. During the afternoon all new students in Years 5-8 are placed in their summer sports groups.
Boarders who were in the Boarding House the previous year check in from 3.30 pm onwards. The School Nurse, Miss Sheryl Thomas, will be available to discuss any new medical or health concerns.
Day Three: School officially starts with new and old students together. Each new student in a class is assigned to a returning student who will act as their “buddy” to help the new student to learn the routines.
ACTIVITIES OUTSIDE THE SCHOOL
Allowances may be made for students to participate in activities outside of school under the following conditions:
Parents must approve.
Where at all possible, activities should be arranged at times that do not clash with normal school hours or with scheduled school sports practices and activities. Should a boarder miss prep (homework) due to this activity, it is their responsibility to complete their prep in their own time. In cases where choice of times are beyond the control of parents, such as with Representative Team practices, allowances can be made in consultation with Heads of Boarding. Early or late meals need to be booked by the student prior to leaving for their activity off site.
The Boarding House Mother will book the required taxis for such activities, but please communicate times and details of the activity in order for this to be done well ahead of the required time. It is not possible for the boarders to be accompanied by House Staff and Boarders are encouraged to have a mobile phone with them that is charged and has sufficient credit in case they need to communicate with the Boarding House Mother. The cost of all taxi trips are charged to parents’ school account once received from the taxi company.
We urge parents to endeavour to limit their children’s participation to only one or two such activities, as frequent variation in routine can be disruptive for students.
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