From Head of Lacey House, Damien Thompson
Lacey House is 140 students strong with a support network of twelve Mentors and a Head of House. Our students range from Years Five to Year Twelve and each one of them is unique in their abilities, challenges and the pathways that they need to follow to find success. Our strength as a House lies in our strong student led Mentor groups and House meeting framework that thrives on the input of our senior boys and the enthusiasm of the younger students.
Big Brother programs this year have made an immediate impact on the wellbeing of our students. The Year 12 group were simply awesome in the way the connected to their little Year 7 brothers on their first day of school. I have seen numerous examples of the senior boys chatting with the younger boys and heading off small problems that could have led to much bigger issues. I encourage you to talk with your son about how they can utilise this program for their best benefit. The Year 10 and Year 5 Big Brother program is paying huge dividends with the a much easier transition of our Waterford Campus boys into Our Lady’s Mount campus.
A significant change is occurring around academic progression from Year 10 to the senior courses. The boys are being guided with significant input from Heads of Department and their teachers towards making better choices for their senior study pathway. Each of the boys (and their parents) in Lacey House will have an interview with an external careers advisor to assist in this decision. I will follow this up with a chat with each boy regarding their final decision. The monitoring of their results and application grades helps guide the access each boy will have for certain courses as student selections are not automatic.
We have enjoyed the Year 7 camp, the Amazing Race, the CAS and the House Swimming Carnivals. There has been much debate and discussion of the Mentor Group Competition and great opportunities for the Year 11 boys to step up and take on the challenge of raising funds for our charity, RUOK Day. We are constantly seeking to build stronger connections between House and home, between parents and Mentors, between students and Mentors and between students and their peers. I am always delighted to hear from parents about the great things that are happening in your son’s life as well as the moments they need extra support from us.
