Homestay Tips: Practical Guidelines
Dear Host Parent,
We are very grateful for your help to host the children. We believe your input will be invaluable and will make a difference in the lives of each student that comes through this program.
Your love and support to them while they are away from their own homes and families will be cherished and greatly appreciated. The relationships that you build with them will make a lasting impact beyond the 2-weeks study tour. We trust that God will bless the children and your family and the experience will be one that will bring praise and glory to God.
We have put together this information kit that we hope will help you bring out the best possible experience for the students. Each family situation will be different but when the heart and intention are right, God will bless both the family and the student richly.
|
 |
Roles & Responsibilities
During the two-weeks stay, please provide food and lodging to the students placed in your care.
Please ensure you have arranged transport for the children to and back from school during the week days. Their classes start at 9.30am and ends at 2.30 pm.
There are a few transport options:
- You can fetch them to and back from school on your own daily.
-
You can arrange with another host parent to do the same.
- You can bring them to the following pick up points by ….
-
Waverly Christian College
-
Car Park at …..Rd at Box Hill
If you have opted that the children you are hosting needs public transport please ensure that you pay for their transport fee.
Students pick up and parking at the college
Please come in by the second gate and park at the car park in front of the gym. The students will be in the gym after 2.30pm and they will only be dismissed if you come in to sign off the register. Days when they have an excursion and a tour, the dismissal time will be 6pm. The same procedure applies. The teacher will stay until 3.30pm after which a afterschool care fee may be incurred. |
View Larger Map
|
Recommendations & Suggestions
The children are away from their homes and family in a new country and may be feeling a little disorientated and homesick. At the same time they are excited and are looking forward to a rewarding experience and a taste of Australian life.
They will benefit from the rich differences in culture. They however may or may not enjoy the differences and we will have to be alert and sensitive to the individual child.
Household Chores
Not many teenagers are over the moon with household chores, it is good for them, as what we as parents would call character development. It will be up to our individual parent’s innovations to get them to enjoy this part of their home stay. Our recommendation is that if our own children do it why not my home stay children. After all that is what is expected of Christian Aussie kids…. but don’t be devastated when you meet with less than wholehearted enthusiasm. Most of them are from a one- child family.
Food
Feedback from our previous students and host parents indicated that food can be an interesting matter of concern. It certainly depends on the individual.
Some are adventurous and happy to try all kinds of exciting new cuisine, others are more conservative. Most of them being teenagers are ravenous. Like all of us we tend to miss what is familiar, after a series of exquisitely exotic meals we wish for our staple diet. Sandwiches are not the most popular. We have provided microwave ovens in the classrooms for them to warm up their lunches.
Recommendations: fried rice, noodles.
Weekends
Please feel free to include them in what your family does during the week ends - church or picnic BBQ or to the sea side, or to footy or sports training. I am sure they will enjoy a slice of Aussie life that will enhance their experience greatly. They will appreciate a little explanation why the weekend is sacrosanct to a typical Aussie family.
Arrival and first meeting with student.
Students will arrive at College at 10.00am in the morning.
They will be assembled at the College Auditorium. Feel free to park at the car park outside the College Gym. The entrance to this care park is as indicated on the College map.
Host parents please assemble at the section allocated for them.
A teacher will call the names of the students and will usher them to meet with the host parents.
Host parents please sign that you have the students in your care.
You can leave thereafter. Please do help them with their luggage which will be placed just outside the auditorium.
|
