Frequently Asked Questions
Exeats
A Sign Out is any time after School or during the weekends where your son tells the Duty Master he will be off-site for a given time (for example, after school, he can sign out to Mount Eden). An Exeat is when your son leaves the hostel overnight to go to an approved destination. Click here for more information.
Only boarders can apply for an exeat and this is done through the online system (Boardingware) we use to manage our boarders whereabouts. Steps to registering with this system are sent out before the boarder starts at Tibbs House.
The deadline for entering an exeat is 6:30pm on the Wednesday before the weekend in question and it is strictly enforced. Note: this deadline is the same for both the Parent/Caregiver and the boarder.
When a boarder applies for an exeat, his Boarding Master receives the requests and then waits for his Parent/Caregiver to approve the details (destination, transport, timing etc). This is done in order to get parental approval of the details of the exeat destination so we can be assured of the boarder’s safety whilst he is away from our care on exeat.
All boarders have one late exeat per term with the exception of Term 1 when everyone has two late exeats. Form 7 students have two late exeats per term for the entire year. We encourage boarders and parents to plan ahead in organising their exeats and to resist using their late exeats until it is absolutely necessary.
No, unless it there is a special reason (birthdays, family gatherings etc) and only if it is arranged well in advance. It is also your son’s responsibility to arrange a swap with another boarder and then inform his Boarding Master so we can ensure the hostel runs smoothly over the weekend in your son’s absence.
In the first instance, ring either the Duty Master (09 623 5437) and/or the Duty Matron (09 623 5440). If you are unable to contact either of these people, contact his Boarding Master. Click here for a list of staff numbers.
You need to contact the Headmaster’s Secretary well in advance of your departure date via email ([email protected]) as well as your son’s Boarding Master. Leave from the School can only be granted by the Headmaster.
General Information
In the first instance contact your son’s Boarding Master. If he is unavailable, then you should contact the Director of Boarding.
Tibbs House offers academic support during the weeknight Prep sessions. This tuition service is free of charge to our boarders and occurs in the Quiet Room. There are two tutors available each night – one is a Master at Auckland Grammar School and other is one our Gap Tutors.
There are also several private tutoring agencies in the local area and the Director of Boarding also has a list of Senior School students who offer private tutoring after School hours.
In the first instance, ring either the Duty Office (to speak with the Duty Master) or the Matron’s Office (to speak with the Duty Matron). If you are unable to contact either of these people, contact either his Boarding Master or the Director Boarding. Click here or a list of staff numbers.
This is at the discretion of the parents but a realistic weekly amount would be $20-$30. Most boarders have their own EFTPOS cards (the nearest ATM machines are in Newmarket) and we recommend that they keep no more than $20 cash on them at any time.
Yes. Your son has a locker where he can store any parcels from home although we do ask that food parcels are be kept in an air-tight container. We also encourage our boarders to lock their lockers at all times. For Form 7 boarders who have fridges in their bedrooms, we ask that food stored within them are snacks, fruit, drinks etc and not re-heatable home meals.
Yes, the hostel caterers can cater for different diets, as long as this requirement was declared on your son’s original application form and kitchen is informed of this in advance.
No. Your son’s Boarding Master put a great deal of thought into bed/room allocations and these decisions are made in the best interests of all the boarders.
Every term however, especially in the Junior rooms, boarders are reallocated to ensure that we allow them the opportunity to live with different boarders to foster wider friendship groups within the hostel.
Gardenings are for minor misdemeanours given by Masters and then run by the Prefects. These normally take place at 6pm and boarders are put to work around the Hostel doing chores.
Gatings are issued by Masters/Matrons for boys who are in breach of the Hostel rules or routines. The boarders are confined to Tibbs House after School on the day they are ‘Gated’ and they are put to work around the hostel doing chores.
Masters issue Weekenders for only the most serious of offences. The boarders are confined to Tibbs House for the weekend, they cannot exeat out for the weekend, and they are put to work around the hostel doing chores.
Please see the Duty Master in the Duty Office, or the Matron, when you are on site. If you are staying at the Hostel for longer than a quick drop-off (for example, staying for dinner), you need to sign the Visitors Book in the Matron’s Office. Importantly, to protect the privacy of all our boarders, adults are never allowed to enter bedrooms.
It is his responsibility to organise his own transport to games. Here are some suggestions:
– Use nearby parents of day boarders in his team may also be able to help
– Use an Auckland-based relative or family friend
– Speak to the coach about other possible methods of transportation to the game
It pays for your son to plan his transport well in advance but please note that Tibbs House boarders are not allowed to be transported by day boarders driving their own cars.
Boarders are allowed to miss one Prep session a week but only with the permission of the Director of Boarding. In special circumstances, boarders may miss additional Prep sessions but this is done at the discretion of the Director of Boarding.
Juniors can only go for early morning run in the summer (Terms 1 and 4) and they must always run with at least one other. They must also sign out for these runs the night before.
Seniors can go for early morning runs as individuals and they must also sign out the night before. During the winter terms, the Distance Squad is a good alternative to solo running.
Yes, but there are computers in the Prep Room for boarders who do not have access to a personal device. It is recommended that, given the choice, boarders bring personal laptops rather than iPads as these are far more beneficial during Prep.
Yes, but there are certain times when the phone must not be used – in the Dining Hall, during Prep, and after lights out.
Form 3-5 boarders are not allowed to have devices in the bedrooms at night time. Instead, they store their devices (phones, tablets and laptops) away in a centrally located, safe (accessed via a PIN known only to them) before 9:15pm each night and then collect them after 7am each morning.
Failure to comply will see the cell phone confiscated for a week. Repeat offenders will have their cell phone sent home for the remainder of the term.
Additionally, in the first few weekends, Form 3 boarders have their phone use heavily restricted to allow for them to interact and engage with the peers, the Masters and Hostel life better.
No. Only Form 7 boarders can bring in personal gaming devices and only with the permission of the Director of Boarding. It is the owner’s responsibility to care for the device. There are gaming consoles (an X-Box and a PS2) available for use by any boarder at the Duty Office.
Boarders can bring bicycles to Tibbs House if they are a member of the School’s Cycling or Mountain Biking team. There is a bike-stand but your son is responsible for the security of his own bicycle by making sure it is locked. Helmets are mandatory and must be worn at all times when riding bicycles. Scooters and skateboards are not permitted.
We recommend that each family obtain their own All Risks policy. There is NO insurance cover of personal property and it is the parents’ responsibility to provide insurance for their son’s personal effects whilst at Tibbs House.