Reflecting back over the end of this extended first term, and my first as Director of Boarding, I have nothing but admiration for both the boarders and our boarding staff that work alongside them. To be, in most cases, so far away from home and live amongst such a diverse range of nationalities is a learning curve that our students seem to embrace readily.
All the students, and many boarding staff, are busy studying, joining in activities and playing sports but they still manage to find a balance within their lives to rest and have fun with friends. We have an interesting weekend activity programme and students have had fun at local waterparks, dinners out at restaurants, been to street markets and visited art galleries.

Boarders play a prominent role in the life of the school and are active in the majority of our sports teams, take part in school productions and organize major events such as the Moon Festival. Throughout all of this term, the boarding staff contribute by helping out, coaching teams or cheering from the sidelines at sports matches.
Our main focus this term has been on developing a Wellness programme to encourage our students to think more about their health and wellbeing. The nursing staff have been working on a health and hygiene promotion programme, which has included nutritional advice, and an influenza vaccination programme just last month.

The development of the Boarding Bites Café to include healthier food options has been an interesting project led by the older students which have encouraged many younger boarders to get involved in making and trying out new recipes and selling them to our community.
As the year progresses we intend to introduce many new initiatives to help the students continue to achieve balance within their lives.

I am sure that you, as parents, cannot wait to have your sons and daughters home again and to be able to spend quality time with them. We also look forward to seeing them back again at the end of October ready and refreshed to start work again for what will be a relatively short term.