Boarding Mission, Communal Living Philosophy & Values

Boarding Mission
At Branksome Hall, we are deeply committed to fostering a supportive and vibrant Boarding community where young people can thrive. We focus on developing an internationally-minded environment that values agency, empathy and cooperation. We strive to help the young people in our Boarding community live their best lives, build resilience and character, and forge positive relationships that will last a lifetime.

Our programming strives to connect Boarding students with the broader school community and combines creativity and experiential learning, designed to align with the values of Branksome Hall and the IB Learner Profile. This program presents a unique opportunity for both Boarding and Day students to form friendships as they learn from one another and explore their interests. The Boarding staff play a critical role in shaping this culture and teaching girls and all students essential life skills to promote self-advocacy, well-being and independence.

Boarding Leadership Team Responsibilities

The Boarding Leadership Team is composed of the Director of Boarding (Jill Strimas), the Assistant Director of Boarding (Sheryl Al Khatib) and the Senior Boarding Advisor (Victoria Lock). A member of the team is on-call 24 hours a day to support the well-being of our young people. The Boarding Leadership Team has responsibilities as “in loco parentis" for all Boarding students, meaning they will act in the best interests of the student as a caring and responsible adult.

Boarding Communal Living Philosophy

At the beginning of each year, all members of the Boarding community co-create a Communal Living Philosophy that reflects the values, diversity and unique qualities of our community.  

Boarding at Branksome Hall is a community whose nurturing approach creates an environment where students feel cared for and supported in their academic and co-curricular endeavours, and where they are empowered to live as their best selves.

It is a place where learning continues beyond the classroom and there are opportunities to develop leadership and teamwork skills. We embrace the cultural diversity represented by our students, who come from around the world. In Boarding, our students aim to become globally aware and community-minded learners and leaders.

Keeping the Communal Living Philosophy in the minds and hearts of Boarding community members helps everyone to work towards creating the kind of home environment that reflects our shared goals.

Our School Values

The Branksome Hall Boarding community is guided by the Branksome Hall values, which form the foundation for everything we do:

Sense of Community

Inclusiveness

Creativity

Making a Difference

We are deeply committed to being a values-driven community. Branksome Hall promotes a culture that enables students to explore their potential and try new roles through experiential learning. Our students are prepared, intellectually and emotionally, for the world that awaits them after they graduate from Branksome Hall. We encourage each student to take responsibility and advocate for their learning needs, as well as their physical and emotional well-being.

Branksome Hall promotes social-emotional learning as an important life skill for students to acquire and practise. Parents play a vital role in partnering with us to assist their young people to become capable and confident young adults and to reinforce the values of our community:

Sense of Community

As we fulfill Branksome’s mission and vision, we build a community where we value and respect each other’s needs, contributions and well-being. We create a supportive environment where we feel that we belong, and are inspired to do our most meaningful and impactful work.

Behaviour Statements:

• We build relationships based on empathy and trust and find opportunities for meaningful connections.
• When making decisions, we pause to consider their impact on the well-being of the entire community.
• As a community of learners and leaders, we respect diverse opinions and perspectives and create opportunities to engage in open and trusting dialogue.

Inclusiveness

As an inclusive community, our world view respects the fundamental dignity of each person. We create an inspiring, dynamic and caring environment where we champion diversity in its broadest sense.

Behaviour Statements:

• We seek and honour diverse voices and perspectives.
• We listen actively and take time to understand and connect with each other.
• We create and engage in meaningful opportunities for dialogue.

Creativity

Creativity encourages us to be unafraid to approach new ideas and opportunities confidently, enthusiastically and passionately. Building on our strengths and authentic selves, we acknowledge and appreciate imperfection as part of the learning and creative processes. We persist through challenges and take risks, creating space for innovation and expression.

Behaviour Statements:

• We have agency, voice, choice and ownership for our learning and individual passions.
• We engage enthusiastically with others in creative collaboration.
• We ask questions and are open to new ideas and approaches.
• We identify new thinking and are inspired by existing ideas and concepts.
• We create space and time to take risks, experiment and explore.

Making a Difference

As learners and leaders, we inspire each other to shape a better world and have meaningful impact. We believe in each other and we are mindful of our words, actions, assumptions and biases. We know that at Branksome, we can contribute to making a difference and in doing so, there is mutual benefit and growth.

Behaviour Statements:

• With compassion and humility, we ask ourselves and each other what positive impact we are having in shaping a better world.
• We empower and uplift each other to engage authentically and collaboratively with the Branksome community and to more broadly effect change.
• We seek feedback from the communities with whom we collaborate and engage to understand our impact.