Essential Guide for Preparing Your Student for Boarding School
Explore the key factors boarding schools consider when selecting students, steps schools and families can take during the application process, essential preparations needed before sending a student to boarding school, and strategies to help your student excel academically. Additionally, learn about the expectations regarding homework, extracurricular activities, and uniform regulations at boarding schools.
Download Presentation
Please find below an Image/Link to download the presentation.
The content on the website is provided AS IS for your information and personal use only. It may not be sold, licensed, or shared on other websites without obtaining consent from the author. Download presentation by click this link. If you encounter any issues during the download, it is possible that the publisher has removed the file from their server.
E N D
Presentation Transcript
So your student wants to go to boarding school for Year 7 & beyond How you can help Please note the information given in this presentation is a guide only and may not suit all individual situations. Policies referenced are subject to change and while every effort is made to ensure the information given is accurate, no guarantee is made. Last updated May 2020.
What boarding schools look for when selecting a student to attend their school Family support Does the family want the student to be away from home, and if so, why? are the family prepared to do tough love Does the student want to come to boarding school? Determination of the student to succeed Student s: school attendance school involvement school grades extra activities & sports Funding who is going to pay the costs
What can schools do to help the family apply to a boarding school? Ask the family to: Contact the boarding school for an application (normally 18 months before the year they want their child to attend) Get a copy of the student s: birth certificate (not extract) past school reports immunisation record supporting letters from current school and community members school and community awards copies of any religious ceremony records (baptism, etc.) Start the process of applying for ABSTUDY
What schools can remind families of What families need to organise before sending their student to boarding school: Duplicate Medicare card student's own bank account and EFTPOS card student's Tax File Number student's dental check up student's hearing check up Student s eye testing The family have someone in Perth to be a guardian, in case of an emergency.
How to help prepare your student for boarding school
Boarding School and Homework Starting now ask your student to do a minimum hr study after dinner every night Give your student extra homework Get your student to read as much as possible Once your student is at boarding school: Your student will be expected to do a minimum of 1 hr of homework a night Your student will be expected to do swimming lessons & school swimming carnivals. Your student will be expected to wear all school uniform items all day including shoes & ties.
Living as a boarding student Get your student to attend school camps at their current school. Get your student to start spending weekends away from their immediate family. Boarding students are expected to sleep in their own bed (sometimes in their own room) alone. Boarding students are encouraged to join in as many activities as possible. Joining in helps student to feel at home and they will make lots of new friends. Get your student to role play how to introduce themself to a stranger. Remind your student that they cannot just walk into someone s room get your student to knocking on classroom doors before entering Remind your student they need to say please and thank you.
How to help prepare the family for sending your student to boarding school
Remind families to talk about money for the student to attend boarding school The family will need to provide money for their child while in Perth Your student will need money for weekend activities Your student will need money for personal items Your student will need money to buy medicine if they get sick The family will need to cover additional costs Ask the family to discuss with the boarding school what they will and wont pay for: School uniforms & shoes Laptops School books Pens & pencils Sporting fees and sporting uniforms School camps Boarding house activities Parents need to know how much is the gap and how they are going to cover the gap in fees Remind the family to apply for ABSTUDY The student will need a Tax File Number (ABSTUDY will be stopped when the student turns 16 years old)
Health and Hygiene Things to remind your student s family to discuss Making sure their child has their own Medicare Card so the can go to the doctor in Perth Making sure their students are sent to school with enough clothing (for winter & summer) and toiletries. Remind families to check for nits, ringworms and boils If needed treat the students before them back to boarding school Ask the local health centre to forward the student s record to the boarding school
Boarding School Remind families that: Homesickness is normal If your student is aware of that the family is missing them this may make your student's homesickness worse. They need to have regular contact with their child Remind the family to only contact the student after school, when fits around sports and homework The student needs to have contact person in Perth for emergencies During mid term breaks / long weekends in term 1, term 2, and term 3 the boarding houses close. ABSTUDY does not cover travel for the student returning home It is very important that your student returns to school on the first day of each new term.
Funding Opportunities ABSTUDY Land Councils Schools Third party scholarship providers Such as: Madalah, Yalari, FMG, AIEF, The Smith Family
ABSTUDY Who Can Access For boarding If the family live less than 56kms or 90 minutes away from the local high school: The family can only get ABSTUDY if the student has a scholarship from the Boarding School or a Third-Party Provider (ie Madalah, Yalari, AIEF). If you don t have a scholarship you may not qualify The ABSTUDY Fare Allowance is not Means Tested and allows for travel to and from school Other ABSTUDY allowances are Means Tested If the family live more than 56kms or 90 minutes away from the local high school: The family can get ABSTUDY even if the student do not have a scholarship The ABSTUDY Fare Allowance is not Means Tested and allows for travel to and from school Other ABSTUDY allowances are Means Tested The student can sometimes bypass the local high school if: The local high school is a limited program school (only goes to year 10) The local high school does not offer a specific program the student wants to do (such as music or agriculture)
How to Apply for ABSTUDY 1. 2. 3. Call ABSTUDY on 1800 132 317 ABSTUDY will send out forms ABSTUDY forms back with any other information need to be mailed back Get families to ask ABSTUDY to send them a Letter of Estimate of what you could receive from ABSTUDY That way it can help families work out the gap that they will need to pay 4. It is recommended that before families accept a school placement until after they know how much they could get from ABSTUDY, as there may be a gap to pay.
Your student's Entitlements - Fees School Fees & Boarding Fees The amount that ABSTUDY will pay is Means Tested based on the guardian s income and how many children they have Some boarding schools are cheaper than others and there will be less of a gap The money will be deposited straight into the boarding school s account ABSTUDY does not cover: Uniforms and school shoes Books and school supplies Weekend activities Personal items Items for school camps Extracurricular activities such as sports or music lessons School social activities such as school balls Extra class costs such as for outdoor education Doctor s appointments
Your student's Entitlements - Travel Transport from home to school for the beginning of each term (x4) If under 12 years old a student requires a supervisor A supervisor can be a guardian/family/community member* who can travel with the student to Perth and get accommodation for reasonable time (which is approximately two nights), as well as meals if included in accommodation bill All transport from boarding school to home at the end of each term (x4) We recommend boarding schools act as a supervisor, but they are not required to If the school won t do it, someone must be found for your student under 12 ABSTUDY DOES NOT cover flights for midterm breaks If your student is considered a vulnerable student or is travelling on weekends they too will need a supervisor to travel with them. At the beginning of each term this is a great opportunity for family members come down to see the boarding school and meet with teachers and boarding staff At the end of each term this is a great opportunity for boarding school staff to meet the student's family and see the community
Your student's Entitlements - Travel Compassionate Travel for your student can get a flight home and back to school if there is a critical injury or illness of a family member* If there is a funeral of a family member* If there is kinship business If the student is sick or injured and needs to return home Compassionate Travel for a family member* to get a flight to and from Perth to visit the student If the student has a serious illness or injury Compassionate Travel has a 2 per year limit *Family Member or Community Member is someone with significant ties to the student
Your student's Entitlements - Travel Orientation Travel For a student who is NOT ENROLLED in the new school or boarding house, to go to interviews or other selection procedures prior to acceptance For a student is intending to board away from home for the first time and is from a remote Aboriginal community; or from a town in a remote location AND it is likely that the student would experience serious problems of adjustment Special Purpose Travel for an family member to visit the school For a boarding student who is under threat of expulsion because of serious problems of adjustment and a visit is expected to stabilise the situation For a student will be participating in a school event, such as but not limited to a graduation, school play, award ceremony, teacher/parent interview or sporting event. A maximum of three return trips per student per calendar year can be approved under Special Purpose visit travel.
Whenever family members are in Perth ask them to visit the boarding school
