Pacific Islands

Boarding Schools

Many kids from the Pacific Islands complete their secondary education in Australia and New Zealand. Here are four Queensland schools with long relationships with island kids.

September 4, 2019
travel-big-img

Rebecca Murphy

September 4, 2019

Stuartholme

With only 680 students, Stuartholme is small enough for each girl to be personally known, yet large enough to offer an extensive, relevant and dynamic range of opportunities. Away from the classroom, the range of enrichment and co-curricular activities allows each girl to build self-confidence whilst developing her talents and interests. Only six kilometres from Brisbane’s CBD, Stuartholme provides the girls with a quiet, safe environment where they can live and learn.

In many ways Stuartholme functions like a village, it is a highly relational, inclusive educational community where everyone knows and cares for one another.

Boarders have been at the heart of the school since it opened in 1920. Today, the Boarding House is a home-away-from-home for 120 boarders. 

New Dean of Boarding, Karen Davies, brings to the school a passion for developing wellbeing amongst young people that will strengthen the comprehensive holistic care of Stuartholme girls.

The Boarding House vision is to inspire all boarders to do their personal best, to aim for excellence academically and/or vocationally, to develop high level inter-personal skills and to become compassionate and inclusive young women.

Stuartholme employs boarding staff who are skilled and passionate about providing expert care and support for adolescent girls. 

The wellbeing program is designed to help boarders develop a set of wellbeing skills through a strengths-based approach so that girls believe in their own potential, know that making mistakes is part of life and are confident that they can adapt their mindset and behaviour when needed.

Stuartholme School encourages students to recognise their responsibilities as global citizens who are passionate advocates for social justice. A Stuartholme education allows students to develop an in-depth awareness and understanding of international issues, develop their capacity to recognise another person’s perspective and communicate ideas across diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds. Students are empowered to make a profound difference to the communities they come from and to the wider world.

To find out more please visit www.stuartholme.com

Boarding at St Peters Lutheran College

Co-educational Brisbane boarding school St Peters Lutheran College has a proud boarding tradition—one that opens the door to a vast range of educational and co-curricular opportunities. Since 1945, St Peters has been a home-away-from-home for students from all around the world. Currently, we house over 170 boarding students from rural and regional Queensland, the Northern Territory, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, Southeast Asia and beyond.

St Peters is a place where the whole family can stay together. Our approach to boarding is modelled off the family unit, with opportunities for boys and girls to interact at meal times, study sessions and during organised activities. There are a range of support systems in place for each student—it is essential that each St Peters boarding student, from Year 6 to Year 12, receives the care and support they need throughout their schooling years and our unique mentorship initiatives ensure this. 

By boarding at St Peters, your child will learn independence and organisation. They will have access to nutritious food, onsite healthcare facilities, a dedicated pastoral care team, weekly worship opportunities and a wide range of recreational activities. St Peters boarders develop a strong sense of self-belief and friendships bonds that last a lifetime. The sense of community displayed by our boarders is unlike anything else. 

St Peters has an enviable reputation in the community for providing a high-quality education where we challenge minds, nurture hearts and build futures. Students in Years 6 – 10 follow the Australian curriculum whilst students in Years 11 and 12 can choose to follow either an ATAR, International Baccalaureate or Vocational Education pathway. The comprehensive co-curricular program on offer involving sports, music, robotics and service learning is second to none.

St Peters boarding is a true home away from home for our boarders. To find out more about boarding at St Peters Lutheran College, visit: www.stpeters.qld.edu.au

Boarding at Brisbane Grammar School

At Brisbane Grammar School, students from diverse backgrounds live the School’s core values of endeavour, learning, respect, leadership and community.

The School’s ambition to be the best school for boys in Australia creates an environment where boys realise their promise and pursue their talents.

Brisbane Grammar School’s proud boarding history began when the School opened in 1869. Today, a modern relevant boarding program engages and supports boys on their school journey.

The Harlin House boarding precinct is set in the heart of the School’s inner-city campus. The House caters for 100 students, with individual rooms for senior boys and three dormitories for boys from Years 5 to 10.

Brisbane Grammar School’s broad liberal education aims to develop multi-literate students who are critical, reflective and creative thinkers. Each boy is challenged to fulfil his potential and achieve his best. 

Student wellbeing is central to the School’s mission. Teachers support boys to be happy, confident and resilient, both at school and as lifelong learners. A dedicated student wellbeing team implements the School’s formalised wellbeing program, which aims to monitor each student’s progress.

Beyond the classroom, boys are encouraged to make the most of the School’s co-curricular activities, which include sport, the visual and performing arts, and special interest clubs and activities. By developing their talents and pursuing their interests, boys make friendships and learn teamwork and leadership skills.

The School takes part in a variety of competitive sports and activities. As part of its unique educational experience for boys, BGS also provides students with adventure-based education at its Outdoor Education Centre at Moogerah, west of Brisbane. Visit brisbanegrammar.com.

Boarding at St Margarets, Ascot

For Allysah Toua of Papua New Guinea attending Australia’s St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School has been an incredible experience brimming with opportunities that will help her foster her full potential.

“Studying in Brisbane has been great because of the amount of opportunities the school and living in Brisbane have to offer,” she said.

Allysah loves that she gets to play volleyball and cricket for the school and also enjoyed her stint on the basketball team.

The Year 11 student, who first joined St Margaret’s as a boarder in Year 8, also embraces the city’s many experiences and events.

“Brisbane is a very multicultural city and I love the fact that I get to experience amazing culture and tradition at places like Eat Street and through festivals such as the BrisAsia Festival, Cinco de Mayo, Paniyiri and the Pasifika Gold Coast,” Allysah said.

Earlier this year Allysah was appointed as a Brisbane International Student Ambassador which has opened the door to a wide range of activities and lifestyle experiences across the city.

The St Margaret’s boarding house is just as culturally diverse as the city in which it is situated with students hailing from rural and regional areas of Queensland, NSW and the Northern Territory as well as overseas locations including Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands and Asia.

Each year, the boarding house hosts a ‘See my difference, See my worth’ festival designed to celebrate the boarding community’s vibrant cultural diversity through activities and experiences.

Boarders also have the chance to visit their friends’ homes during a special boarders’ long weekend, allowing them the chance to experience a very different life outside the city, often in rural and regional centres in Queensland and New South Wales. www.stmargarets.qld.edu.au

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Pacific Island Living