FROM LEFT : TIM YOUNG , HENDRIK OOSTHUIZEN , KATE RAFFERTY
‘ Hello Guney , how are you settling in ?' I have been asked this question so often , by so many staff , in the short time I ’ ve been here that my responses may have become a little repetitive . However , it ’ s not my responses that I want to talk about , but rather the sentiment conveyed by those asking the question .
To be working at Scotch implies being busy ( probably an understatement ). Yet , with this reality comes a shared experience among staff of starting our journey here . It ' s a memory so deeply ingrained that we never forget how we felt and how we acclimatised . This appears to be as true for those in their second year as it is for those in their forty-second year .
Therefore , the question is actually a statement . To me , it translates to : ' If you are having difficulty with anything , I understand and am here to help if I can .' It is a demonstration of empathy and an acknowledgment of a shared experience . Lastly , and perhaps most importantly , it says , ' I know who you are and you are not alone .'
In short , I have been welcomed with kindness , understanding , empathy and a spirit of camaraderie that I don ’ t think I ’ ve experienced anywhere else . So , my response ?
‘ I think I ’ ve settled in as well as could possibly be expected . Thank you for asking . How are you ?’
GUNEY DOGAN – FORM TEACHER FOR 7GD / TEACHER OF BIOLOGY
For me , joining Scotch wasn ’ t just a new start at a new school – it was a new start in a new country , ten thousand miles away from the life that I knew and loved in the UK . Having left behind
close friends and family ( who are still trying to figure out the time difference when they call ) it was important to me that I was joining a new community who were going to help me settle in and get to grips with everything that Australia has to offer .
Scotch has undoubtedly done that . It is somewhere that is filled with happy and friendly faces . The customary ' g ’ days ' I ’ m greeted with around the campus from both staff and pupils alike are filled with genuine care about how I am finding not just Scotch life but life as a whole . ( Although the boys ’ most pressing concern seems to be whether I ’ ve chosen a ' footy ' team yet ). I feel exceptionally lucky to have joined a school that puts family at the heart of everything it does , and I ’ m excited to grow my connections and contributions to that Scotch Family .
TIM YOUNG – DEPUTY HEAD OF JUNIOR SCHOOL
I came to Scotch in Year 9 from Koonung Secondary College . In my first few weeks I felt that I had started to settle in , thanks to the people that I previously knew helping me find my way around , and meeting lots of new people .
I have appreciated how supportive or caring my teachers have been in order to catch me up or even just in the yard , helping me find my class or where the first aid room is . I also have really enjoyed the atmosphere when the 1st XI cricket team is playing and there are lots of people in the stands chanting , singing and cheering . That has been one of my favourite things so far .
HARRISON MILLAR – YEAR 9
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