For many regional families, choosing a secondary school involves more than finding the right education. It also means considering whether boarding is the right pathway for their child and, just as importantly, whether the boarding house will become a genuine home away from home.
To help families explore that decision and better understand what makes a positive boarding experience, Gippsland Grammar will once again take its Boarding Roadshow across regional Victoria this August, meeting with both prospective and current boarding families throughout East Gippsland, South Gippsland and the Latrobe Valley.
The Roadshow provides families with the opportunity to meet members of Gippsland Grammar’s Boarding and Enrolments teams, ask questions about boarding life and discuss how the school’s boarding house, known as ‘Blackwood House’, supports students academically, socially and personally throughout their secondary years.
Gippsland Grammar deputy principal Bo Power said the Roadshow reflected the School’s commitment to building strong relationships with boarding families, wherever they lived.
“For many families across Gippsland, the right education can also be the furthest away,” Mr Power said.
“Our Boarding Roadshow is about bringing that conversation closer to home.
“We want families to have the opportunity to meet our team, ask questions and explore whether boarding could be the right pathway for their child, without first having to travel to Sale.
“Strong relationships are at the heart of our Boarding community, and those relationships begin long before a student moves into Blackwood House. Just as importantly, the Roadshow allows us to reconnect with our current boarding families and continue supporting them throughout their child’s journey.”
Current boarding families are also encouraged to attend the Roadshow, providing an opportunity to reconnect with the Boarding team and continue the strong partnerships that support students throughout their boarding journey. Where possible, members of the Boarding team will also visit current boarding families in their local communities during the Roadshow.
Families attending the Roadshow will also be able to learn more about Gippsland Grammar’s Rewarding Boarding initiative, introduced this year to recognise the long-term commitment families make when choosing boarding for their child’s secondary school education.
Under the initiative, families who commit to a full six-year boarding pathway from year seven to year 12 receive their year 12 boarding fees fully waived, a simple commitment the School describes as “Pay for five, receive one free.”
Located alongside Gippsland Grammar’s Garnsey Campus in Sale, Blackwood House is Victoria’s only boarding house east of Melbourne’s suburban fringe and has welcomed boarders from across regional Victoria, interstate and overseas for more than 100 years.
Students can choose from full-time, part-time and casual boarding options, allowing families to select an arrangement that best suits their circumstances while benefiting from the academic support, wellbeing programs and co-curricular opportunities available through the School.
Year 11 boarder Mikayla Armstrong, from Mallacoota, said she quickly found a sense of belonging after joining the Blackwood House community in year nine.
“It was a strange feeling knowing that I was having to start fresh with all my friends and social connections, but I started to feel like I was belonging when I was able to move around the school on my own and when fellow classmates called me by my name and asked how my day was,” Mikayla said.
“It made me feel like I was a classmate or a friend, not just the ‘new kid’.”
ROADSHOW EVENTS
Wednesday August 5
– Bairnsdale, 1.30pm, afternoon tea at the Old Grain Store
– Omeo, 7pm, dinner at the Golden Age Hotel
Thursday August 6
– Orbost, 1.30pm, afternoon tea at Sailor’s Grave Brewery (Marlo)
– Mallacoota, 7pm, dinner at the Mallacoota Hotel
Friday August 7
– Lakes Entrance, 11am, morning tea at Albert & Co
Wednesday August 12
– Traralgon, 1.30pm, afternoon tea at MoMo’s
Wednesday August 12
– Yarram, 7pm, dinner at the Commercial Hotel
