Easter, family, friendships… a break.
What are you doing for Easter? It’s a great time of year – without the pressure of Christmas but still the tribe descends upon us. Hope you’ve got the team together for a few days.
March went by in a blur here, though I had the absolute gift of a few days trekking Cape to Cape in WA with a group of girlfriends. Many of whom I’ve known for decades, some I met while our children were at boarding school and all of us connected and reconnected during those years.
Boarding School isn’t just about the kids. As parents we are often gifted with lifelong friendships along the way and it’s so so worth it. Make the effort – you’ll be in the winner’s seat for life. I’ve shared a little story about my experience below.
Enjoy your Easter break and I’ll check in next month just before our first in-person Expo for 2024. Did you know it’s our 20th year! Woo hoo! We’ve connected close to 15,000 children to their future boarding school, and you know, we’ve learnt a thing or two along the way
Don’t ever hesitate to get in touch – I’d love to hear some of your stories of friendships forged too.
Have a great month,
FORGING FRIENDSHIPS
A parents’ path through boarding school
Those years at boarding school with your children can be as memorable and wonderful for you as they are for your kids.
The friendships that come your way are unique – there’s already common ground and life goes on from there – together.
Make them, enjoy them and lean on them – boarding parent friendships.
IT’S ALMOST READY SET GO… TO EXPO
Live Expo season is just around the corner
We’re all over the place this year. Literally!
It’s our 20th year and we’ve got more live events than ever before. From Mildura to Mount Isa and everywhere in between.
Kicking off with Dubbo, NSW – Friday 10 and Saturday 11 May. Click below to Register for any of our events – they’re FREE. Always have been always will be.
20 YEARS AND A GREAT CHECKLIST
Let us help you ask the questions.
OK, I don’t mean to brag and I’m not going to try and be humble, but this checklist covers just about every question you could ever want to ask. I guess you could add one about friendships ?
We’ve been talking to families and schools for 20 years and many of those years as a parent of boarders.
Here are the things we’re loving right now…
Go on carve a bit of time out for yourself over Easter
MY FRIEND KATE
I’d like you to meet a remarkable woman
I met Kate while our sons were at boarding school.
Kate has met her health challenges with fierce optimism and courage. She is a joy to be around and here, during this interview with Steph Trethewey of Motherland fame, is the first time she’s made me cry.
SHOP & FEEL GOOD
Feed 10 people without cooking…I’ll show you how.
I love this. Food For Everyone is a business with a social conscience and don’t we love that. You can buy one of their foodie posters and they’ll donate the equivalent of 10 meals to SecondBite. Shop to your hearts’ content – you’re welcome.
ONE LITTLE BINGE SUGGESTION
Do you love Kate Winslet?
I love Kate Winset. Here she is again for your lazy Easter Sunday pleasure (or Easter Monday… or any day for that matter). A dark comedy depicting a year within the palace of a modern European authoritarian regime as it unravels.
Enjoy.
Let’s chat about something close to my heart – the beautiful friendships that find us when our kids venture into the world of boarding school. It’s a journey filled with good times and lasting connections that I have experienced firsthand.
When our children head off to boarding school, they’re not just embarking on an educational
adventure; they’re stepping into a world where mutual bonds are formed, both socially and
emotionally.
We, as parents, also share a common thread – a set of mutual values centred around our
children’s growth, happiness, and success. It’s this shared purpose that often binds us together,
often transcending the other first markers of friendship.
We cover a lot of ground here in Australia to be with our children while they’re at boarding school.
Only a generation or so past, parents might see their kids once a term (only three terms in those
days) if at all. It was a long time between visits or school holidays. Imagine that!
Whether it’s a short drive or a cross-country flight, the effort is a testament to the depth of our
commitment as parents. And amidst the hustle and bustle of these visits, we find solace in
reconnecting with other parents, forging friendships that bring laughter and truly great times.
Supporting each other as we support our children.
But it’s not just parents who understand the importance of these connections – the schools
themselves play a pivotal role in fostering enduring friendships among the parent cohort.
Through a myriad of events and functions organized throughout the year, they provide us with
opportunities to come together as a community. Whether that’s the parent-teacher gatherings to
boarding house dinners, or standing on the sidelines of school sport, these events serve as
catalysts for building and strengthening bonds that withstand the test of time.
If I take you down memory lane for a moment, 16 years ago, when my children first set foot in
boarding school, little did I know the beautiful friendships that were headed my way.
Fast forward to today, and I find myself surrounded by a circle of friends who have become like
family. We make it a point to reconnect at least once a year (and for a couple of us more regularly),
sharing life and all it’s roundabouts just as friends do.
There’s something truly special about watching our children grow up alongside their boarding
school peers. From saying “I do” to navigating career paths, we’ve been there every step of the
way.
It’s something I often talk to families about when they’re in the decision making process – to
remember that the boarding school needs to suit the whole family, not just the child.
A boarding school that truly believes in their boarders as an essential part of their cultural fabric –
not simply offering a school with boarding as an adjunct – will be a school that ensures their
‘parent cohort’ is swept up in the community as a whole.
If you’re still in the decision making process, start with our detailed SCHOOL DIRECTORY – each
boarding school featured puts their own profile together and as a result there’s a lot to be gleaned
from them. Take a look, reach out directly to the school and build your ‘shortlist’.
You can meet close to 80 of these schools this year, face to face, at one of our six in-person Expo
events. I can’t wait to hit the road, starting with Dubbo NSW and finishing in Mount
Isa, QLD this year and I look forward to meeting you – introduce yourself.
Our events are FREE to attend, always have been and always will be. Bringing boarding schools
closer to the places you call home.