Primary School News

Dear Primary Parents,

I am so pleased to welcome you back to school after our extended absence due to Tropical Cyclone Alfred. I know that this has been a challenging time for many of our families, and our thoughts and prayers are with everyone, particularly those who have been affected directly by the events of the last week.

As we return to learning this week, our priority is ensuring that every child feels safe, supported and ready to re-engage with school life. If your family has been impacted and needs any extra assistance, please do not hesitate to contact your son’s teacher. Our staff are here to provide guidance, reassurance, and any additional support your child may need. This morning, we took some time as a Primary School community to gather and reassure every boy that they are safe and well looked after here at school today.

Some changes to our weekly routines and calendared events have been necessary and these have been communicated via our Head of College.

We extend our gratitude to all members of our college staff who have worked hard to keep the college maintained and safe, particularly for our boarders during the last week, and who are now working to clean up and repair the college grounds in preparation for the return of students today.

I wish you all a safe and productive Week 7.

Acting Primary Learning Leader - Mrs Catherine Barnett

It’s hard to believe we are already seven weeks into Term 1! The weeks are certainly flying by. As we approach a particularly busy period of the term, the boys will be completing several assessment tasks in the coming weeks. Please be reminded that your son can access his class OneNote for revision for exams and is able to go to the morning study room each day from 8:00-8:25 in the Primary CLE room for additional support. All assignment work will be completed in class with the support of your sons’ teacher.

Due to the impacts of Cyclone Alfred, some assessment dates for Year 6 may change slightly, however, these will be communicated clearly with your son, so that he is aware of the changed due dates.

Changes to NAPLAN Schedule - Year 5 Parents

As communicated to the school community, our NAPLAN testing dates have changed due to Cyclone Alfred and have been pushed back to Week 8. Please see below for the UPDATED VERSION for the testing of our Year 5 students. I thank the Year 5 teachers for their work with the boys over the past five weeks and wish the Year 5 boys all the very best over these three days. We know that they will do their best and give 100% effort.

A reminder of what students need to bring:

• A fully charged laptop
• Charger (for IT support)
• Wired headphones/earphones - BLUETOOTH ARE NOT ALLOWED
• A pen
• A water bottle

Attendance and Catch-up Tests

It is important that your son is present at school during the testing window. If he is absent due to illness, catch-up tests will be provided, and he will need to complete them upon his return to the College.

Withdrawal from testing

If you would prefer your son not to complete NAPLAN, please contact Catherine Barnett (Acting Primary Learning Leader) barnettc@marash.qld.edu.au  to discuss the withdrawal process and the alternate program available.

Spotlight on Learning

Our Year 5 students have been dedicated to developing their narrative writing skills, building on what they already knew before joining Marist Primary.

A special congratulations to Case Purcell from 5 Maroon for his piece below, written during a 15-minute "Stop, Drop, and Write" session. This is just a glimpse of the incredible writing taking place in our primary classrooms.

Awooooo! The wolf howled under the gloomy full moon. Jacob had been lost in this forest for days with an unending sense of being followed. He looked around at the emerald green leaves and deep brown trees reaching up to the black night sky. The bitter cold air smelt of rotting meat and pure death. The darkness swallowed Jacob’s weak torch beam and anything beyond the light was a pitch black void of terror. He was struggling through the stale cold mud, when CRACK! A stick broke behind him. He bolted forward and started to sprint. Something was following him. Something big!

RAAA! The beast behind him cried.  Jacob jumped over the withered and broken vines to find a deep blue turquoise river. Would the beast be able to swim? He asked himself.  He jumped into the river and sped through the water towards the other side.

Primary Pastoral Leader - Mr Anthony Graham

Building Stronger Friendships Through Friendology

This week in our Friendology program, students explored the important concept of "Mean on Purpose." This session helped our boys recognise and respond to intentionally cruel, rude, or mean behaviour. They reflected on the difference between low-level friendship issues—which are normal disagreements that can be worked through—and deliberate, mean-spirited actions. Learning how to respond in these situations gives our students the confidence to stand up for themselves and others while maintaining positive and respectful relationships.

2026 Canberra Tour – Expression of Interest Reminder

A reminder to all Year 5 parents that emails have been sent regarding the 2026 Canberra Tour. If you haven’t already, please log onto the Parent Orbit App and visit the Events & Payments tile to accept or decline permission by Thursday, 13th March. This will help us finalise numbers and move forward with planning this exciting experience for our Year 6 boys in 2026. We look forward to another fantastic tour!

Year 6 Leadership Day – New Date Confirmed

Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances, the Year 6 Leadership Day originally scheduled for Monday had to be postponed. However, we are pleased to confirm that the event has been rescheduled to Monday, 2nd June. This important day will provide our Year 6 students with valuable leadership skills, teamwork activities, and opportunities for personal growth. More details will be shared closer to the date.

At Marist College Ashgrove, we continue to provide our boys with opportunities to grow in character, resilience, and leadership. Thank you to all families for your ongoing support in these initiatives!