From the Head of College

Mr Michael Newman

Honoured Guests attend Marist this Week

Happy Father’s Day to all our dads at the College. To mark this important day, Marist College Ashgrove will be recognising all our fathers with a breakfast at McMahon Oval, this Thursday 29 August from 6:45am. We are honoured to have as our guest speaker, Doug Baird - OAM, father of Cameron Baird VC. Doug was awarded an OAM for his service to veterans and their families. His son, Cameron, is the most recent Australian to be awarded the Victoria Cross after being killed in action in Afghanistan in 2013. Corporal Baird’s service in the Australian Army included deployments to Timor Leste, Iraq and Afghanistan. We are honoured to have Doug’s presence at this year’s Father’s Day Breakfast where he will tell the inspiring story of his son Cameron, to us all.

On the Australian Army website, it states the following, “Corporal Cameron Stewart Baird, MG, exemplified what it meant to be a commando, living by the attributes of uncompromising spirit and honour, which in turn earned him the unconditional respect of his fellow commandos. His leadership in action was exemplary, constantly inspiring those around him to achieve greater things. Corporal Baird was an extremely dedicated and disciplined soldier, always striving for excellence in everything he did. Corporal Baird died how he lived - at the front, giving it his all, without any indecision. He will forever be remembered by his mates and the soldiers he served with in the 2nd Commando Regiment.”

On Wednesday, at the College Assembly, we look forward to an address by one of two former Prime Ministers who attended Marist College Ashgrove, Sir Julius Chan. Sir Julius completed senior in 1958 after passing the subjects of English, Mathematics 1, Chemistry and Physics. He distinguished himself at rugby, playing in the undefeated 1st XV for 3 years in a row (1956–1958) and being chosen in the Associated Schools Representative team each year. Sir Julius began his political career in pre-independent Papua New Guinea in 1968, later becoming the second Prime Minister of this new nation on 11 March 1980. On his return to the College in July 1981 he spoke to his fellow Old Boys – “I am an Old Boy of Ashgrove, and I am a Prime Minister. Without the first, I very much doubt whether I could ever have become the second. There is no question that my thinking has been coloured greatly by the years I spent at Ashgrove and although I was not a completely finished product when I left, I was at least reasonably sure of which direction I would take, and what my views were on the qualities required for leadership.”

We look forward to hearing the story of Corporal Cameron Baird by his proud father, Doug and an address by Sir Julius Chan. The experiences and inspiration they will share are much appreciated. Like all fathers, we thank Doug and Sir Julius for their words of wisdom and genuine care and love for others.

God of the journey, we pray for all our dads this Father’s Day. May you bless them with your kindness and enable them to be men who exude the qualities of inspiration, goodness, forgiveness, compassion, bravery and leadership. Amen.

Sir Julius Chan in 1981 with Br Alman Dwyer – Marist College Ashgrove Headmaster

Father's Day Breakfast

Tickets: Please RSVP by 12:00pm Wednesday 28 August 2024

https://events.humanitix.com/2024-father-s-day-breakfast

For further information please contact Ellen Kassulke events@marash.qld.edu.au

Marist College Ashgrove Long Lunch

This Saturday, on Hayden Oval, we look forward to gathering in friendship, companionship and fraternity for the 2024 Marist Long Lunch. The long lunch, which has been sold out for months, promises to be another special occasion and one where we celebrate each other and the boys. The event starts at 12 noon, concluding at 6:00pm. You are invited to bring your own food and drinks are to be purchased at the event. All proceeds go towards the College Foundation and the building of further resources for the boys at the college. My special thanks are extended to a very generous group of staff who make this event happen, namely – Ellen Kassulke, Antonia Svenson, Bethany Halpin, Dominique Hall, Jack Johnson, Steve Thornely, Denver Jensen, Dylan Gower, Callum Clark, Dane Rowe, Matt Darch, Nathan Ayre and the amazing Grounds and Hospitality Teams. Enjoy everyone!

Year 5 and 7 Orientation Day 2024

Our annual Year 5 and Year 7 Orientation Days will be held this Friday 30 August. This day is a student free day in Queensland. During the Orientation Day, the boys will be undertaking introductory activities, academic testing, competitive games and getting to know you type activities with the other boys. A sausage sizzle and fruit will be provided for lunch. This is always an enjoyable and exciting day together. To commence the day, new students are asked to be dropped at the college bus stop at 8:15am, where staff will walk the Year 5 students to the Saint Marcellin Centre and Year 7 students to the Draney Theatre. At this point, the boys will be supervised and given instructions for the day. My thanks are extended to Mr Anthony Graham – Pastoral Leader, Primary, Mr Gareth Kolkenbeck-Ruh – Pastoral Leader, Middle School, Pastoral Leaders, the Academic Care Team, Primary teaching staff, school officers and our senior students, who will accompany and lead the boys throughout the day.

We look forward to welcoming our future students to the college.

2025 Year 5 Information Night

The Year 5 2025 information night will be held next Tuesday 3 September at 6:00pm in the Draney Theatre. Light refreshments will be served from 5:45pm in the Draney foyer. We look forward to welcoming all our new and existing families for an informative evening as we prepare for Year 5 2025. The Year 7, 2025 Information Night was successfully conducted last night. My thanks are extended to Mr Michael Connolly (Assistant Head of College – Primary) and Mr Gareth Kolkenbeck-Ruh (Pastoral Leader – Middle School) who have organised both events, respectively.

QCAA Confirmation Day

Year 12 completed pieces of assessment will be confirmed this Friday 30 August. This is a student free day to allow our academic staff to complete this important task which makes up a significant component of a boy’s internal grades towards their ATAR results. For ATAR subjects, the internal grades make up 75% of their marks, except for Maths and Science which make up 50%. The remainder of their ATAR marks will be made up of their results in the external examinations which will occur in Term 4 from 21 October to 12 November. I thank our professional Year 12 staff who will be moderating and confirming Year 12 results this Friday.

Year 7, 8, 10 and 11 Exams

The Year 7, 8 and 10 exams commence next Monday 2 September and conclude on Friday 6th September. The Year 11 exams commence on Tuesday 3 September and conclude on Wednesday 11 September. I wish all boys the best of luck as they study and prepare for these important exams. All marks and comments will then be found in the parent portal along with grades for progress. Best wishes gentlemen and thank you to all our generous teachers for preparing and marking these exams.

Year 9 Camp 2024

The Annual Year 9 Camp will be held next Monday 2 September until Thursday 5 September. This camp will be conducted at Noosa North Shore, Total Adventures Camp. The boys will be participating in a range of water and land-based activities designed to challenge the boys and help build resilience. This is a compulsory activity, so students who for permitted reasons cannot attend the Year 9 camp, will need to stay at home for the week as there are no Year 9 classes. My thanks are extended to - Phill Holding, Scott Minogue, Andrew Gibbs, Jorge Ruiz, Brendan Kiernan, Pat Denkes, Kathryn Badini, Gareth Kolkenbeck-Ruh, Chris Daykin, Lucy Naughton, Stewart Moore, Ellie Kenny, Steven Edwards, Mandy Kelly, Matt Millward, Marcus Schrader and AJ Gray for attending and encouraging the boys on this camp. Enjoy gentlemen.

Late Notice Fee

Just a reminder to all families as per your initial enrolment agreement, Marist College Ashgrove (similar to other independent schools) insists on a term’s notice if you are looking to move your son to another school. This ensures that all associated costs and staffing allocated for your sons which have already been employed, will be covered. In essence, this means that other parents at the College do not have to share in the payment of your son’s allocated costs not covered, at your departure. Failure to provide a full term’s notice leads to a late fee of one term’s school fee payment. I thank you for your understanding.

Parent Orbit

We are excited to announce the upcoming launch of our brand-new college mobile APP designed to enhance communication and streamline various school-related tasks.

Here’s a summary of the fantastic features you can look forward to in Parent Orbit:

Push Notifications / Notification History

Stay informed with targeted notifications relevant to your child, such as extracurricular practice updates. You can acknowledge notifications and easily view and search through the notification history.

Attendance and Absences

Submit and acknowledge absences on the go, also you can view your child’s attendance history. This feature helps ensure accurate and up-to-date information on student whereabouts.

Student Details

Access comprehensive information about your child, including general details, medical records, extracurricular history, and academic reports. You can also email class teachers directly through the app.

Calendars

Keep track of your child’s activities with access to their electronic diary in day or month view. The app supports a multi-student view and allows you to customize calendar feeds.

Accounts

Easily access and make payments for school fees and events via links to Parent Lounge, ensuring a hassle-free experience. You can also link directly to your Monitor (tuckshop and other miscellaneous payments) account via the app.

Parent Profile

View and update your personal details, address information, and view your login history. This ensures the school has the most accurate contact information and allows you to review account access history.

We believe Parent Orbit will greatly improve your experience and keep you connected with your child’s school life. Stay tuned for more details on how to download and start using the app! My thanks are extended to Mrs Linda Pettit (Director of Systems and Compliance) for organising the rollout and education of this new APP for the college.

Economics Lecture

Year 12 Economic students and staff had the pleasure of attending a luncheon provided by the Economic Society of Australia (Queensland Branch) at the Hilton Hotel, Brisbane City last week. During this luncheon, we had the honour of listening to a lecture by the Deputy of the Reserve Bank of Australia, Mr Andrew Hauser on the state of the Australian Economy. If you are interested in finding out about a possible increase or decline in interest rates in the coming months, get to know one of our informed Year 12 Economics students, post this lecture. My thanks are extended to Mrs Liz Walsh Curriculum Leader – Commerce, Mr Stewart Moore and Mr Steven Edwards who accompanied the boys with myself to this interesting economics lecture.

Frasers Road Closure

Brisbane City Council is upgrading the stormwater drainage system in Ashgrove on

Frasers Road and Tay Street, as part of the Venus Street, Ashgrove Drainage project. The council will be installing new underground stormwater pipes to improve safety and amenity in the area. The work will be taking place along Frasers Road at the intersection of Tay Street and Mirrabooka Road, Ashgrove and will commence on Monday 2 September and is scheduled to finish late December (weather and site conditions permitting). These works involve the closure of a section of Frasers Road and a detour (pictured below) being put in place for traffic entering Frasers Road from Wardell Street – please follow this link for further details.