Loving boarding life at St Catherine’s

FOR Albury residents, Andrew and Jenny Stern, selecting a school for their two daughters, Julia and Charlotte, had to provide not only exemplary academic and co-curricular offerings but a quality boarding program as well.

“Living in Albury, we needed to ensure the school we selected not only had a well-run boarding house but also ticked the boxes on which parents are focused, such as a strong academic focus, a good music program and a variety of sporting options,” Jenny explains. “We were very impressed with St Catherine’s School as many of the facilities had recently been upgraded and the smaller size of the school gave us a lot of comfort that our girls would not get lost in the system. In particular, as boarding parents, we wanted to ensure our girls felt their home away from home was a safe and inviting environment to live in and also close to the city.”

For Julia Stern (Year 10) and her sister, Charlotte (Year 9), they knew St Catherine’s was the right school for them following their overnight stays in the Boarding House.
“I really liked St Catherine’s because I was able to sample boarding and stay over in the Boarding House and go to school the next day a couple of times throughout the year. This was great as I was able to get an understanding of the environment that I would be a part of for the rest of my schooling years,” Julia says.

Both girls have embraced all St Catherine’s has to offer both academically and across its co-curricular programs with Charlotte involved in St Catherine’s unique Leadership Diploma, netball, tennis, cross country running and rowing, recently competing in the premier schoolgirl rowing event, the Head of Schoolgirls, on the Barwon River in Geelong. “Rowing is a big commitment, but it has been a really good experience. The Head of Schoolgirls was such a good weekend and a really great way to make new friends and become closer to some girls that I did not know as well,” Charlotte says.

Julia believes the greatest benefits of boarding at St Catherine’s are the opportunities to live among her peers “I enjoy living with my friends who treat you like a sister. Becoming a boarder has made me organised and focused, which I wasn’t when I lived at home.

All of the boarding staff are particularly compassionate and supportive when you need their help. Having the boarding house directly on the school’s premises is also very helpful when it comes to needing access to certain facilities and teachers’ help.”

The rewards for Andrew and Jenny have been in watching the girls grow in independence and confidence.

“Boarding at St Catherine’s has taught the girls to be independent and to live with an array of other girls from different backgrounds from around the country and overseas. St Catherine’s offers so
many different activities that students can participate in and being a boarder, the opportunities are almost limitless,” Jenny concluded.

Limited boarding places available for 2019

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