A typical day at GSG

Connection, Care and Community

Access to nature, connection to home and specially trained supervisors make GSG your first choice for boarding.

At Great Southern Grammar, boarding is the heart of our school community. We know sending your child to boarding school is a huge undertaking, and we’re here to help make the transition as smooth as possible for the whole family.

As a boarder at Great Southern Grammar, your child’s happiness and safety is our first priority. Every adult who works in boarding has specialist training to care for our boarders.

We work closely with the Australian Boarding Schools Association (ABSA) to ensure that our care of your child is in line with the National Boarding Standard for Australian Schools and Residences.

Real talk: GSG boarding

The person who is going to be most affected by the transition to boarding is your child. It’s an exciting time, and we’ve got some insights from Alex, one of our Year Eight students. Alex is here to take you through a day in the life of a GSG boarding student.

Start your day!

I like to squeeze in every last second of sleep, but my boarding friends make getting out of bed just a bit easier.. Once we’re up, dressed, tidied up, and ready to go, we head to the Dining Hall. It’s open til 8.15am and I love that I get to catch up with my friends over breaky.

One of the best things about boarding is that it’s on campus. When I was in Primary School, I took the bus (it was 45 minutes each way) but now all I have to do is walk across campus. Most mornings, I have time for a quick chat with Mum or Dad — they like to catch up each day, and honestly, so do I.

It’s a nice walk, too. There’s so much space at GSG, with access to Oyster Harbour for exploring. I don’t feel like I’m so far from home because I get to spend lots of time outdoors. 

Head to school!

In the afternoon!

When school ends at 3.10pm, there is still lots to do, but first things first: afternoon tea. We have afternoon tea at the boarding house. It’s usually fruit, veggies, and some kind of yummy cake or biscuit.

After that, some kids rush off to training, some of the older kids have jobs, and others head out to the courts or the oval for a kick of the footy. I joined a couple of teams when I got to GSG and it was a great way to meet lots of new people. If you’re not sporty, don’t stress. Joining just about any activity will help you make friends.

If you’re not in an organised activity, there’s time to go for a bike ride, walk out to the bird hide, or just explore the campus. Apparently, it's 144 acres and I think it’ll take me until at least Year 10 to explore every bit of it.

A Day in the Life of a Boarding Student - Video

Meet Mariella (Baudin) and Chloe (Camfield). They've created an amazing "Day in the Life of a Boarding Student" at Breaksea House.  Dive into their journey and experience the unique life of our boarding students through their eyes!

Evening activities!

Dinner is at 5.40pm. The food in boarding is good! Mealtimes are when being a boarder feels like I’m part of the biggest family ever.

The older students can be super helpful when you’re feeling homesick or overwhelmed. Between them, the Boarding Supervisors, the Gappies, and the other kids in your house, there’s always someone around to help you cheer up if you need it.

At 6.40pm on weeknights, we’ve got prep. That’s when we do our homework, study for assessments, or read. It was a big adjustment at first, but my tutors and boarding supervisors gave me lots of study tips so I try to use them to make the most of my study time.

After prep, there’s time to relax — call your parents, play games, or watch TV. There's options for movies, TV and even Xbox.

Lights go out at 9.00pm for Year Sevens and Eights. At first, I found it hard to fall asleep because I felt homesick. My Boarding Supervisor was really helpful during that time. I still miss home, but now that I’ve made connections at GSG, I feel at home here, too.