friendship
boarders share a unique bond throughout their boarding years, and those friendships will stay with them throughout their life. this sense of brotherhood is shared with boys at all levels of the college, whether boys are day students or boarders.
spirituality
to pay tribute to our history and school values, community mass is celebrated in the chapel every saturday evening. boarders who remain in the hostel over the weekend play a significant role in supporting these times. we welcome families of boarders to join us. boarders also celebrate a uniquely hostel chapel service on sundays when they return from weekend leave. year levels in each dormitory also gather to lead prayers every weekday evening before bedtime.
sport, art and culture
sports, art and culture are an integral part of sacred heart. boarders are expected to participate in at least two co-curricular activities year round, to take full advantage of the wonderful facilities the college has to offer. the chosen activity may facilitate transport arrangements, otherwise, parents and caregivers will be financially responsible.
catering
all meals are catered in our spacious dining hall. the menu is nutritious, varied and plentiful. it adapts to reflect seasonal produce and to accommodate weather conditions. menus are rotated on a monthly cycle, but usually follow a similar guideline: breakfast options are both continental and cooked, including cereal, fruit and hot food, lunch is both a cooked and cold, with a large salad and fresh fruit servery, and dinner includes a cooked dish, fresh vegetables and dessert.
holidays and weekends
the hostel is closed during the school holidays and public holidays, and all boarders must find alternative accommodation during these times. we advise of dates in advance to ensure plenty of time to plan arrangements for the break. holiday dates must be honoured, and arrangements not made for outside these times – to maximise school time and learning opportunities.
boarders are welcome to leave the hostel for a weekend to go home, or to stay with friends or relatives.
study
all boarders partake in supervised study sessions throughout the school week. minimum study times are one and a half hours for year 9 and 10 boarders, and two and a half hours for year 11 to 13 boarders, with an emphasis on personal responsibility for achievement and success.
devices
balanced with traditional teaching and learning methods, technology plays an integral role in learning at sacred heart. to support this, boarders may bring in their own devices for the purpose of learning. stand-alone monitors and gaming devices are not permitted in the dormitories. parents and caregivers need to ensure that all devices are covered by their household insurance and each individual boarder is responsible for the security of their own devices.
all boarding houses have access to wi-fi. to maintain cyber-safety, students must connect using only the school network – no other provision is accepted.
boarders may bring mobile phones to the hostel. during the week, boys in years 9 and 10 hand in their phones each evening and, if used appropriately, they are returned the following afternoon. boys have possession of their phones over the weekend. in all other year levels, phones are the individual's responsibility, but they must be kept at the hostel and not taken to school.
support services
boarders have access to our on-site health centre 24 hours a day. the centre is staffed by a registered nurse during school hours, and a hostel matron or supervisor during evenings and weekends. if a student requires any medication, this will be stored in the health centre and administered under the supervision of staff.
the hostel also has an on-site laundry where staff regularly wash, dry and iron boarders’ clothes.
