Welcome back for Semester 2!
We hope you all had a lovely time with your girls at home. It was great to see them as they returned to Boarding, catching up with their boarding friends and talking about all the things they did while they were home. We welcomed a new member to Catherine House, Oscar the fish.
This semester sees three news Roles in Boarding. Mrs Judith Cumpsty has been in the role of Acting Head of Boarding throughout Semester 1. She has ensured that our students have had a smooth transition and has provided excellent care for your daughters. She has now decided to relinquish this role and take up other duties at the College. We thank Mrs Cumpsty for her dedication to the role and for all she has done in Boarding this year.
For the rest of this year, Ms Fiona Hepi will be the Director of Boarding, and we congratulate Mrs Lynn-Maree-Maree Byrne and Ms Donna Gill on their new roles as the Co-Assistants to the Director of Boarding. They are both highly experienced and knowledgeable and will provide a continuity of the high standard of care we deliver in our Boarding House. This means that Mrs Byrne and Ms Gill will assume the responsibilities of the day-to-day running of the Boarding House, as they did during Mrs Cumpsty’s absence in Term 2.
Donna and Lynn-Maree-Maree will continue to be the house mother in their current houses and fill their current role as Co-Assistants to the Director of Boarding. If you would like to speak to Donna or Lynn-Maree-Maree please call 0457 518 349.
The Co-Assistants will ensure that your daughter/s’s needs are met, and Fiona, Donna and Lynn-Maree-Maree will monitor the new email address of DirectorofBoarding@stbrigids.wa.edu.au.
About our Boarding Mothers
Donna Gill started at SBC in 2011 as the SBC “A” Grade hockey coach, where she would pick the Boarders up for training each week and went on to win the Grand Final! The Head of Boarding approached Donna at the time about working as a House Mum. She had just completed her studies and successfully become a Professional Counsellor—what better way to use these skills than working with teenage girls in a Boarding environment. Donna started her journey as a Casual Housemother as she still had children at school. Donna’s eldest daughter did two years as a Boarder at SBC, and her son did one year at Mazenod college before they moved to Perth. Donna then became Full time and was appointed Team Leader in 2014. Due to her children attending Boarding, Donna can relate to all the challenges of having a child in Boarding, away from the family home, that may arise.
Lynn-Maree-Maree Byrne started as a House Mother at St Brigid’s Boarding in 2008. She has been a Team Leader since 2014 and is delighted and excited to be able to take on this added responsibility in the care of our Boarders.
Lynn-Maree has worked in all our boarding houses and with all-year groups. She has been in Mercy House for the past three years. Lynn-Maree loves to do craft activities with the girls and take them on adventures. As she was born and lived in the country till 1992, she has spent the last 30 years in the city but counts herself as a “country girl, who just happens to live in the city”. Her favourite thing about being a House Mother is seeing the girls arrive as young girls and blossom into lovely, mature, respectful and well-educated young ladies. Lynn-Maree loves to see the “old girls” come back for reunions and provide tours of Boarding. They are always excited to see the changes made over the years.
Donna and Lynn-Maree are “Country Girls” born and bred in small country towns. They look forward to their new role and will endeavour to keep your girls happy and healthy and provide your daughter with an enjoyable Boarding experience at SBC.
We would also like to introduce you to our newest house mother, Sarskia Hawkins who started last term, not long after making the big move from QLD to WA. She grew up on the Gold Coast and has absolutely loved the change of scenery here in Perth. Sarskia started her journey working with young people in 2018 as a Cabin Leader at an American summer camp in Minnesota! Were she had so much fun throughout her time there (although not much sleep) and it solidified that she wanted to continue working with young people. After coming back and settling into normal life again she worked as an Educator at Robina State Primary and while there she decided to start studying a Bachelor of Community Welfare at Southern Cross University and is about half way through the course. Each of these experiences have led her here to boarding and she feels so privileged to be a part of the girls lives and to be able help them. She has loved her short time here at boarding and is looking forward to the rest of the year.
A recent trip to the Kalamunda Vinnies Op Shop and Aldi was lots of fun. The girls were so excited to be able to purchase some clothing and give them another life. The winter jackets were trendy.
Upcoming House Mothers Recreation for August are:
Each weekend we try to offer something specifically for each year group. Manicures and Pedicures, Makeup/Music & Meditation, Games night, Father’s Day & Male cards, making scones, Bingo Night, walk to Lesmurdie Falls, bookmarks, and Friendship bracelets. This will be offered along with other Recreation outside of Boarding.
We have recently provided all the boarding houses with Netflix on the house television. We hope this will bring the girls together to watch shows in the common areas. It will also lessen the data downloads that the girls use on their laptops.
Boarders Long Weekend
Boarders Long Weekend is fast approaching, though it seems we have just returned from the end of the semester holidays. Boarding will be closed from 5 pm on Thursday 18th August at the end of Week 5. The deadline for getting leave-in is Monday 8th August. This allows staff to collate all the leave and arrange for transport to East Perth Train Station and the Airports. We would appreciate it if you put your leave form in on REACH as soon as possible, even if you pick your daughter/s up and do not require boarding transport.
REACH leave – If you are putting in leave for your daughter/s, please pop in as much information as possible. If going on City/Midland/Carousel leave with another girl/s, we require the name of the girl that will be going with your daughter/s.
That way, we can match up the two or more leave forms and approve them much quicker. Just a reminder that leave forms should be no later than 9 am on Thursday mornings.
Thank you in advance for your consideration of this.
Kind regards
Fiona, Donna and Lynn-Maree
