Boarding
Student responses:
- Boarding instils life skills such as organisation and cooperation. Age 14, Canberra.
- Happy family and sharing things with friends. Age 15, China
- The sense of friendship and family. Everyone is there to help you through hard times and the good as well. People are prepared to have a good time and you immediately feel relaxed and at home. Age 14, Canberra.
- Year 12 corridor and the unforgettable moments. Age 17, Western Sydney
- Being able to turn to any of the girls for help and knowing they will always be there. Age 17, Sydney
The Boarding House has a variety of local and overseas students. The number of each varies from year to year, but generally there is a 50 / 50 split.
We have students from local Sydney, country and coastal NSW, as well as South East Asia and the Asian Pacific region.
The boarders are encouraged to make friends with their day school friends to help broaden their school life and interaction with the day school.
Day families transport Boarder’s to sport on Saturday and these friendships are important to the girls.
The College Nursing Sister assesses the level of the illness and will usually take the student to the local doctor for assessment. If the student is ill enough to be bed-ridden for more than a day her guardian will be asked to take her home until she is well enough for school.
Parents are welcome to visit their daughters any time they are in Sydney and are welcome to join us for dinner or take their daughter out for afternoon tea or dinner during their visit.
The boarders consider the connection with all year groups to be a very special feature of boarding at PLC Sydney. There is always someone to talk to or spend time with. There really is a strong family atmosphere in the house and the girls genuinely care about each other.
The girls can walk to the Croydon shops every day after school or on Weekends. They go in groups to Burwood either during the week or on weekends. Years 7 to 9 are escorted to Burwood by a senior student or staff member. All other years go to the shops in pairs. Leave is open in the sense that we do not have restrictions on the amount of weekend leave or day leave requested.
Years 7 to 10 have their Phones, i-Pads, Laptops and any other devices placed in a secure cupboard every night before bed. They collect these items in the morning. Years 11 and 12 keep everything with them and learn to manage the use of these items.
Yes and no. The senior students choose their roommates in 2nd semester. All Year 7 to 10 room allocations are arranged by the Director of Boarding, matching like-minded students, but also acknowledging that boarders need to learn how to share a space with others. Sharing a bedroom is a large part of the boarding experience and this is where tolerance and patience is developed in the individual. Friendships are forged with the most unlikely people over nightly conversations and sharing of ideas, hopes and dreams..