Deputy Principal - Director of Students

Thursday, 8 March 2012

Brilliant Boarding

Boarding roles plus leadership roles equal boarding prefect, boarding leaders, boarding council and everyone who makes up the team whether they are house staff, students, boarding managers, laundry or kitchen staff.  While we have key leadership roles contributing to the servant and service leadership model, each and every person in the team demonstrates followership or personal leadership to contribute to the boarding team.  Brilliant boarding at Woodford is very much a team affair.

At the start of the year, those Year 12s who were interested participated in the boarding leaders workshops.  Learning the role of the leader, the responsibilities of leadership and the values and attributes that strong leader’s exhibit provided a wealth of material and encouraged discussion about how these roles would best be practiced at Woodford.  Between the laughter of role plays, the silent activities of consideration and the in-depth discussions, the Year 12 group developed and learned a great deal.  They had experienced boarding life and had clear ideas but needed time to reflect and review their experiences.  Most importantly they took the next valuable step - applying their understanding to how they could contribute positively to life at Woodford as servant leaders.  

This year, paralleling the leadership selection model followed in the day school, most of the boarding roles were elected by student voice.  The plan is for all roles to be elected in this manner from Term 1.  Each boarding house has elected a senior and junior girl to represent them on the Boarding Council, chaired by Susannah Chow, the Boarding Prefect.  This forum gives girls the opportunity to contribute to the goal of ‘Brilliant Boarding’ and to use their skills of understanding, appreciation, problem solving and effecting action through group decision making.  The group works alongside Mrs Black, the Boarding Manager and Mrs. Gallien, the Assistant Boarding Manager.

As an initiative to share the wonderful student art work created in the boarding houses, Susannah has been working with Ms. Benson, HoD Art, and the Year 12 Boarding Leaders to select artworks, have them framed and hung in the foyers of each house.  The girls in the apartments will also select two artworks of their choice.  The intention is to replace this work each year.  I hope parents and visitors as well as students will enjoy sharing in this work.

Linking the day and boarding areas of the school has been a focus for me this term and I have enjoyed sharing and developing helpful, encouraging aspects of both.  The teaching staff visited the boarding houses of their form groups at the beginning of the year, the deans have held meetings with house staff to improve links, and each week house staff share in the pastoral focus work done with teaching staff in our regular staff meeting time.  As a result the day school has modified the process of stepping down from the detention steps to align with boarding and house staff are becoming more familiar with the leadership model and student election process.  Each area has much to share to continue to develop a wonderful boarding experience. 

Mrs Jennie Barrett
Acting Deputy Principal

Boarding leaders' workshop