Participating in Exchanges in 2019

Our students at Westminster are extremely lucky to have so many opportunities available to them. I get many enquiries throughout the year from students wishing to participate in Exchanges. Very soon, I will be emailing all students regarding exchange opportunities for next year and beyond. This email will include initial application forms which I would encourage students to fill out during the holidays and send back to me for the beginning of the school year.

Some exchanges, particularly international ones, can take at least six months to arrange, so I always encourage our students to start this process early, preferably at the end of Year 9. During Orientation Day at the end of Week 8, I will be speaking to all the Year 7 students regarding their options for Regional Exchanges in 2019. This year we have had three students go on Regional Exchanges to Ballarat, Bunbury and Perth. Regional Exchanges are available to Year 8 and 9 students only, are two weeks in length, and are dependent of course on interest from other schools.

International exchanges are best done in mid to late Year 10, although we have had a number of Year 11 students also complete exchanges in the latter part of the year (usually post Research Project). There is an expectation though that these older students make every effort to keep up with their normal school work whilst away and maintain regular contact with their subject teachers.

We currently have connections with a number of Round Square schools around the world and although we always do our best to find the right opportunity for our students, there is no guarantee. The best approach for a student to have is to be open about where they want to go and be flexible about when they can go. Some schools in the Northern hemisphere have quite strict rules around when their students can participate in an Exchange and even when they are able to host. Narrowing down choices to specific schools or even countries may mean there won’t be an opportunity available.

On the whole, our Exchanges are reciprocal, meaning we send a Westminster student and we also host their ‘partner’, however there are some times when we are looking for hosts only. This hosting only option is restricted though to our day students. I regularly receive requests for Exchanges from other schools which I always send out to students via email, daily notices and the eNews so please get in touch if you see something that interests you!

Students and parents are also able to search for Exchange opportunities on the Round Square website, www.roundsquare.org. Please use the following information to access the site:

Username: Students
Password: DiscoverMore

RSIS (Round Square International Service) - Service Opportunities

Programs available 2019

Round Square International Service Project, Morocco (16-18 year olds) - Saturday 6 to Friday 19 July
Round Square International Service Project, Borneo (16-18 year olds) - Saturday 7 to Friday 20 December

Please apply directly on the Round Square website. Adults can register on the website to access this information. Students can use the following:

Username: Students
Password: DiscoverMore

Please contact me via Email if you have any problems accessing this or if you wish to discuss the programs further.

Exchanges and Hosting Opportunities for 2019

We continuously have a number of students who would love to come to beautiful Adelaide and I am always keen to hear from families who would like to be involved, even if just for the hosting part. Please find information below regarding our exchange/hosting opportunities for 2019.

Keep in mind though that any exchange to the USA requires a bit of extra organisation with regards to visas so can be a 3-6 month process, that requires you to go to Melbourne for an interview (unless you have a US or Canadian passport).

Argentina

Several students, both males and females, have expressed an interest to come to Westminster next year, ages 15-17 (hosting only or reciprocal exchange). More information will be available early next year once final applications come in at Belgrano School.

Canada

A male and female student (Year 10 in 2019) from Strathcona-Tweedsmuir School in Calgary, have expressed their interest in coming to Westminster next year around July/August. An opportunity would be available for our students to go to Canada at some stage next year.

Student Conferences for 2019

Please find below a list of student conference opportunities available through Round Square for 2019. These are open to all students of Westminster. Some of these require immediate attention, especially those earlier in the year so please email me as soon as possible if you are keen to be involved!

Most have a limit of four to five students, and usually a minimum of three students must be involved for it to be financially viable for us to participate as a school.

This could be the great opportunity you have been looking for to develop not only your leadership skills, but your overall global understanding and knowledge of Round Square.

Melbourne (Woodleigh School), Australia (13-15 year olds) - Sunday 7 to Friday 12 April
Shenzhen, China (15-18 year olds) - Friday 5 to Wednesday 10 April
Round Square International Conference, Indore, India (16-18 year olds) - Wednesday 2 to Thursday 10 October (plus extra days Pre/Post conference)
Round Square International Service Project, Morocco (16-18 year olds) - Saturday 6 to Friday 19 July
Round Square International Service Project, Borneo (16-18 year olds) - Saturday 7 to Friday 20 December

Anyone interested in finding out more information about conferences, or any other Round Square initiative should contact me via Email if in the Senior School, or contact Mr Chris Haines via Email if you are in the Preparatory School.

Julia Chukwuani
Round Square and Exchanges Coordinator