It’s that time of year where one can feel energised to kick through until the end or completely overwhelmed with the ‘process’ to get there.
Me? I prefer to procrastinate my way to the end, hoping that gifts miraculously appear, the house flips itself into a Martha Stewart set and the Paul Bangay fairies work their magic in my garden.
There’s no better way to avoid what I have to ‘do’ than to throw myself into all things boarding schools and right now we’re at full speed.
Our podcast Destination Boarding is rolling out and as we head toward the end of the school year we’re looking forward to releasing our 3rd annual series of ‘Nailing Homesickness’. If you haven’t heard of this series it’s where I have short chats with seasoned boarders about how they felt when they first arrived at boarding school and how they challenged themselves to overcome their heartache and eventually settle in. The chunks of gold throughout this series would have the finance bro’ trying to make a deal – if you have a new boarder in your life share it with them.
I wish there’d been something like this available when my kids were heading off to boarding school – I know, without doubt, it would have helped them.
Still avoiding the garden, I’m off to Mount Isa with 13 Queensland boarding schools to popup for our most remote families. Because I was really hitting my ‘procrastinating’ highs I decided to put together a LIVE Q&A panel for our registered attendees – hosted by Angie Nisbet from Married to the Land podcast fame the panel discussions centre around Past, Present & Future experiences of boarding school with remote parents, ICPA and the schools themselves.
Today, we’re introducing you to the boarding house at Kambala where they’ve completely reimagined how they ‘do’ boarding. Impressive is probably an understatement.
Fernbank overlooks glorious Sydney harbour and houses girls from Years 7 to 11 in twin rooms. So so homely. By Year 12, the girls have the bedroom all to themselves allowing full commitment to those important months of study.
You may not realise that smaller cohort boarding schools (such as Kambala with approximately 50 boarders) are quite common. Kambala is large enough to ensure diversity of friendships, though small enough to ensure that those friendships reflect the familial bonds our kids are used to.
Kambala tells us here that their commitment to best practice in girls’ boarding paves the way for a nurturing environment that promotes the wellbeing of each boarder. A place where every boarder is known by school and boarding staff – just like home.
Enjoy today’s Takeover by Kambala.
PS. To discover everything Kambala are sharing, each topic below is actually a clickable link to their website and videos. Try them out!
Inspiring Courage and Community in Girls’ Boarding
Kambala, a family-style boarding experience.
Located in Sydney’s eastern suburbs and overlooking the iconic Sydney Harbour, Kambala is a vibrant independent day and boarding school for girls. Kambala’s boarding offers a nurturing environment, and we are proud of our purpose to instil unwavering courage and curiosity to educate women of ambition, integrity and consequence. Our boarding community is made up of approximately 50 young women from across NSW, Australia and overseas, adding vibrancy and diversity to our school.
Kambala offers a family-style Boarding experience from Years 7-12, in our purpose-built Boarding House, Fernbank. Fernbank accommodates girls in twin rooms from Years 7-11 and boarders have their own accommodation room in Year 12, which is ideal to support their learning and commitments during those important 12 months.
“Care and community are at the heart of Kambala’s Boarding team, where every girl is nurtured and challenged to realise her full potential for personal and academic excellence. “
– Head of Boarding, Joanna Andrew.
There are a number of common rooms to encourage sisterhood across the year groups and also a generous amount of outdoor space to support healthy living and relaxation. We pride ourselves on a robust pastoral support system, established to guide and assist students in their wellbeing journey. Small cohort mentoring forms a central part of the Boarding program informed by current best practice in girls’ development.
Every Boarder is known and cared for.
A Real Home Away from Home
Kambala’s Boarding experience is a nurturing one, where students develop holistically. Our Boarding model focuses on fostering a strong sense of belonging for our Boarders and a strong sense of community for their families. We support academic engagement, and place an emphasis on healthy lifestyle habits so our girls thrive.
Where every girl is seen, heard and valued.
Girls at the Forefront
At Kambala, each boarder is known by her teachers through personalised attention to her academic and personal growth, fostering an environment where her unique strengths and challenges are recognised. She is seen not just as a student, but as an individual with her own dreams, aspirations and potential, ensuring that her contributions and achievements are acknowledged and celebrated.
A Transformative Learning Experience
A Kambala Education: Uplifting Young Women
We are fiercely proud to be a girls’ school that values an education specifically for girls. To us, every student is remarkable in the making, and through our approach and with our guidance, girls can write their unique story, shape their personal narrative and realise their ambitions on the world stage.
Kambala’s pastoral team supports boarders’ wellbeing, with each new student paired with a buddy to help them settle in.
Thank you to Kambala, Sydney, NSW for showing us around their school. As always, enjoy the resources on our website helping you and your family make decisions about boarding school & supporting you once you’re there.