Support for Boarders
One of the great strengths of the Boarding Program is the quality and depth of the relationships built between the School, families and girls.
relationships in the boarding house
The independent living skills and an ingrained culture of determination to achieve their best are core to our boarders’ experience. With a wraparound team of support bridging both the Boarding House and day school, the girls are provided with a safe space to challenge themselves and try new things at every opportunity.
Our Boarding House is a residential community with a strong culture of collaboration. Building robust relationships is critical for collaboration and we purposefully have formal, informal, staff-led and student-led activities to embed and strengthen relationships.
The diversity of our Boarding House community is truly unique, it comprises of interstate, international and local boarders living and sharing experiences, promoting and exploring questioning and perspectives of self-identity and others.
The extensive role models and layered support structure for the girls, comprising of parents, peers and staff assist in creating compassionate and curious young women who motivate one another.
Middle Years Support
For our younger boarders in the St Hilda’s Program (Years 7 – 8), we provide a higher level of care to ensure girls feel supported and acclimatise to life in the Boarding House.
A staff member is specifically allocated to our Middle Years boarders, and assists them with key components of boarding life, including but not limited to study and organisational skills, health and wellbeing and managing relationships. This designated staff member is also highly connected with teaching and wellbeing staff at the School, as well as parents and the Boarding House professional team.
At MGGS the care and support for our boarders is purposefully planned to ensure a sense a place, connection and community. For our new boarders, their orientation to the program is one of care and thoroughness making MGGS their ‘home away from home’.
Open Communication
Through boarding, the girls develop a strong connection to their peers as well as the many adults that care for them. Feeling supported and comfortable are key stages in feeling a sense of belonging, and with young and dynamic professional staff who reside amongst the girls in the Boarding House, we aim to reflect the scope of personalities and needs of each girl in the diversity of our Boarding School Team.
Collaboration between boarding staff and boarders is critical in responding to the girls’ needs and we strive to work together to continually change and find improvements. The Boarding House has a fluid and open door structure to enable girls to speak with staff at any time.
The staff know the girls really well and provide hands-on support and guidance and are strong role models. They are there when the girls return from school and they are there when they go to bed.
International Boarders
With our boarders spanning Australia and, in many cases, the globe, they bring with them a wide range of abilities, learning experiences and expectations.
For International Students, girls are supported with their English across all subjects by an experienced team of educators. The International Coordinator spends a great deal of time with the girls in and out of the classroom and we are fortunate to have an Old Grammarian working with us who also acts as a translator.
I get to live with girls from all over the world who each bring something different, and everyone has different and intriguing experiences. I feel incredibly lucky to live on campus, immersed in this amazing community.
Rural Boarders
With a majority of our boarders hailing from rural areas of Australia, we understand that many challenges will arise with making the move to boarding school in Melbourne. Our diverse and supportive community of staff members and students warmly welcome new members of the community and are available at all times to ensure a smooth transition.
When I first came to the Boarding House, I had a hard time with homesickness and I never thought I would ever consider the boarding house as my ‘second home’ but after three terms of getting really close to both boarding girls and day girls, it feels very normal to be here.
Annette Law, Year 11
Regular excursions around Melbourne are available to Boarders, providing opportunities for girls to immerse themselves in the culture of Melbourne, and experience all that life in the city has to offer.