Boarding Services
SMUS boarding students live with a caring and enthusiastic team of residential staff. We select our boarding staff carefully, which shows in their commitment to our students’ personal, social, and academic development.
Contacting Boarding Staff
The following is a directory of staff listed alphabetically by last name. Click on a staff member's name to get their email address.
If you need to speak with a boarding staff member during the day, call Sally Green in Boarding Services at 250-370-6157 or call the main switchboard at 250-592-2411.
After school and in the evenings, you can call the boarding house offices:
| House | Phone Number | Fax Number |
|---|---|---|
| Barnacle/Winslow House Office | 250-370-6184 | 250-370-6144 |
| Bolton/Timmis House Office | 250-370-6185 | 250-370-6145 |
| Harvey/Symons House Office | 250-370-6186 | 250-370-6146 |
For after-hours phone numbers for house parents, see the "Contact Staff" section in the Boarders' Handbook.
Staff Directory
| Steve Bates |
Teacher, Senior School Mathematics, Junior House Parent, Harvey House |
| Ian Bendfeld | Assistant House Parent, Harvey House |
| Melanie Bendfeld |
Teacher, Senior School PE, Boarding Activities Coordinator |
| Lindsay Brooke |
Director of Athletics, Senior House Parent, Barnacle House |
| Peter Butterfield |
Teacher, Senior School Choral Music, 5th House Parent, Bolton House |
| Kate Carlson |
Assistant House Parent, Symons House, Teacher, Senior School PE |
| Deanna Catto |
Teacher, Senior School Mathematics, Senior Assistant House Parent, Symons House |
| Mark Catto | Senior Assistant House Parent, Symons House |
| Claire Clarke | Junior House Parent, Winslow House |
| Lynne Cordy | Boarding Services Coordinator |
| Aimee Daly |
Teacher, Senior School Social Studies, Senior Assistant House Parent, Barnacle House |
| Reagan Daly |
Teacher, Senior School PE, Geography and History, Senior Assistant House Parent, Barnacle House |
| Mike Danskin |
Teacher, Humanities and PE, Assistant House Parent, Bolton House |
| Amanda Daum | Senior Assistant House Parent, Bolton House |
| Clayton Daum |
Teacher, Senior School Modern Languages, Senior Assistant House Parent, Bolton House |
| Jake de Goede | Junior House Parent, Barnacle House |
| Brady Doland |
Teacher, Senior School PE, Assistant House Parent, Barnacle House |
| Riley Doland |
Teacher, Middle School Mathematics, Science, Communication Skills and Learning Resources Support, Grade 8/9 Boarding Coordinator |
| Emma Donald |
Fifth House Parent, Symons House, Alumnus, Class of 2014 |
| Sarah Donatelli |
Teacher, Middle School Science and Math, Assistant Houseparent, Winslow House |
| Keith Driscoll | Director of Residence and Student Life |
| Evan Fryer |
Assistant House Parent, Barnacle House, Teacher, Senior School Mathematics |
| Elisha Gardiner |
Teacher, Senior School Ceramics and Sculpture, Assistant House Parent, Timmis House |
| Matt Gardiner | Assistant House Parent, Harvey House |
| Mat Geddes '93 |
Head of Mathematics, Senior House Parent, Barnacle House, Faculty Representative, SMUS Society Board of Governors, Current SMUS Parent |
| Orla Glen |
Junior House Parent, Harvey House, Alumnus, Class of 2013 |
| Jessica Hanna | Assistant House Parent, Timmis House |
| David Heffernan |
Grade 8/9 House Parent, Alumnus, Class of 2006 |
| Angus Henderson |
Teacher, Senior School Geography, Fifth House Parent, Barnacle House |
| Theresa Hogg-Jackson |
Senior House Parent, Winslow House, Boarding Counsellor |
| Jean Hollingworth |
Senior Assistant House Parent, Harvey House, Alumnus, Class of 1998 |
| Tom Hollingworth |
Teacher, Middle School French, Senior Assistant House Parent, Harvey House, Boarding Grade 8 Advising Coordinator |
| Zyoji Jackson |
Teacher, Middle School Mathematics and Science, Senior House Parent, Winslow House |
| Peter Jones | Senior Assistant House Parent, Winslow House |
| Raechel Jones |
Teacher, Senior School Social Studies and PE, Senior Assistant House Parent, Winslow House |
| Nikki Kaufmann |
Teacher, Senior School PE, Head of PE, Senior House Parent, Symons House |
| David Kerr |
Teacher, Senior School History, Senior House Parent, Harvey House |
| Susan Kerr | Senior House Parent, Harvey House |
| Graham Lilly |
Teacher, Senior School Economics, Fifth House Parent, Harvey House |
| Jake McCloskey |
Grade 8 Houseparent, Alumnus, Class of 2009 |
| Carole McMillan |
Head of Personal Counselling, Boarding Counsellor |
| Lisa Mulvihill | Assistant House Parent, Symons House |
| Laurie Parker |
Community Services Coordinator, Senior House Parent, Timmis House |
| Jane Rees |
Teacher, Middle School, Senior Assistant House Parent, Timmis House, Alumnus, Class of 1986 |
| Spencer Robinson | Senior Assistant House Parent, Timmis House |
| Amanda Rosts |
Learning Resources Support, Senior School, Grade 8/9 House Parent |
| Kyle Shaw |
Teacher, Senior School Science, Assistant House Parent, Bolton House |
| Linda Shew | Seamstress |
| Amy Stark |
Humanities Teacher, Middle School, Junior House Parent, Timmis House |
| Darin Steinkey | Senior House Parent, Timmis House |
| Tiffany Webber |
Learning Resources Support, Senior School, Teacher, Senior School Communications 12, Assistant House Parent, Winslow House |
| Donna Williams |
Head of Music, Teacher, Senior School Strings, Fifth House Parent, Winslow House |
Cellphones
Parents and students can also set up a cellphone account for the school year. Parents can have the bills either sent to their home address or make sure that the Boarding Services Office has the billing details necessary to forward bills to the student. Cellphone bills cannot be paid through the school.
Cellphone use is prohibited during the following hours
- during prep time (6:30-8:30 pm Monday-Thursday);
- during class time;
- after curfew; and
- before 6 am.
If using a cellphone, boarders should note that inappropriate use could result in confiscation.
Landlines
Boarders can have a landline phone activated in their room with authorization from their parents. The SMUS phone system in residence includes voicemail and competitive long-distance rates.
The options available are:
- internal (campus-wide) and local (Victoria) service only;
- internal, plus long distance; or
- no service whatsoever.
Boarders should bring their own phones. The school charges a monthly user fee in addition to long distance charges, which are listed in a statement sent to parents. Students who use their phone inappropriately may have their phone lines removed.
No off-campus calls should be made from or come into boarders' rooms after curfew or before 6 am. In case of emergency, contact the houseparents.
Laundry
Laundry staff handle the bulk of students’ clothes and deliver clean clothes to their rooms. Students can also do their own laundry in their boarding house, which is recommended if they need items right away. The school has commercial machines and we are able to handle large amounts of laundry. Students should not expect a one-day turnaround, nor should they bring dirty laundry from their trips home back to campus.
Services
- Name tags (free)
- Name tags sewn in by seamstress
- Mending or hemming
- Mesh bags for small items
- Dry-cleaning pick-up/drop-off twice a week
To send letters or small packages to students, senders should label the mail as below:
Brenda Smith (Boarder)
c/o Mrs. Sally Green
Symons House - Room #207
St. Michaels University School
3400 Richmond Road
Victoria, BC V8P 4P5
Canada
All deliveries to boarders must be sent to the Boarding Services Office; deliveries are never brought directly to the houses. All parcels, in addition to being marked with the boarder's name and address, should also say, "c/o Mrs. Sally Green" to ensure there are no delivery mix-ups.
Students who are mailing letters or packages home can purchase postage from the Campus Shop or visit a post office in the nearby Hillside Shopping Centre. If the package is a priority, students can courier items through the school reception office and have the cost charged to their student account.
Travel
Students can travel to and from Victoria through the Victoria International Airport or the BC Ferries terminal at Swartz Bay. For long weekends and school breaks, SMUS runs a bus service to pick up and drop off boarders from the ferry terminal. Students can also arrange a shuttle bus to the airport through YYJ Airport Shuttle.
Boarders without Borders
Boarders without Borders helps connect our boarding and day communities. Through this program, day families can host boarding students in their homes for a Sunday meal once or twice a year.
This initiative is greatly appreciated by the boarders, who enjoy a home-cooked meal and a family setting. The hosts enjoy having a guest who can tell them about different places and sometimes about other cultures. Boarders without Borders builds lasting friendships between boarding and day students.
Boarders’ Cake Service
Boarding parents can still celebrate their child's birthdays by sending them a cake through the Parents’ Auxiliary. Cakes can also be arranged for other events, including academic or athletic achievements.
Fill out the online Cake Order Form at least one week before the cake delivery date.
The cakes available are:
- Chocolate or white cake with choice of filling (three sizes, ranging in price from $35 to $67)
- Oreo Cookie cake (three sizes, ranging in price from $35 to $67)
- Dairy Queen ice cream cake (three sizes, ranging in price from $39 to $57)