From the Acting Head of College

Mr Charles Brauer

What a wonderful sight we witnessed today - our Marist Family gathered as one at our Inaugural Mass, Investiture and Academic Awards. Gathered together in the spirit of acknowledgment and celebration, readied to stride with pride and humble confidence into 2024.

Connection. What a timely and terrific theme our Seniors of 2024 present. Beyond being connected to each other for the year ahead, we are strongly bound to a proud tradition of Marist education which extends 206 years around the world and now 84 years as Marist College Ashgrove. Our College is as vibrant as ever. Today, 1499 families, 1778 young men of Marist, 141 teachers and 146 permanent non-teaching staff, are galvanised together as stewards - stewards of a rich and authentic, full and whole, Catholic education in the Marist tradition. From the “burbs” to the bush, from over the border or over a sea, we gathered as one, connected as one.

239 new families, two additional Year 5 classes, a masterplan being realised with the soon-to-be-opened new primary building, the strengthening of our academic program, the enrichment and expansion of our music & arts program (with our musical ‘Jersey Boys” around the corner!), the continued high levels of participation in sport, the reinstatement of life-changing immersions to Timor-Leste, Cambodia, Santa Theresa and Alice Springs, the reinvigoration of our MATES service & outreach program – look out for our Boarder Blitz! These realities paint a wonderful and colourful tapestry of our College’s vibrancy. The connected threads of this tapestry – you, me, us. Our people.

We are extraordinarily proud of our staff – their expertise, experience and dedication. Our 141 teaching staff work tirelessly to enable our young men of Marist to do their best in the classroom.

We will take time in the coming weeks at the Academic Assembly, to welcome back and celebrate our 2023 Seniors who excelled with their studies. We celebrate – 100% of our students achieving a Queensland Certificate of Education, Louis Rebula achieving the highest possible ATAR of 99.95, a continued increase of students achieving an ATAR above 95.00 and 149 students achieving one or more vocational education and training qualifications. Most significantly, 28% of our students achieved an ATAR greater than 95.00 – evidencing a continued increase in academic performance when compared to the average of student outcomes since the inception of ATARs 4 years ago.

You can see – and you know - what we are achieving together at Marist College Ashgrove is in marked contrast to recent reporting which, unfortunately, was not only misleading but which also took a simplistic view of the reality of staff movement, not just at the College but also across the education sector. I want to acknowledge a simple truth - the quality teachers on staff that we are so fortunate to have, are unsurprisingly in demand. Look at their achievements with our young men, and the reputation they have across the education sector. Sometimes, as is normally the case, some may choose to pursue career development by becoming heads of a teaching faculty or even principalships, or they stop teaching for personal reasons to start a family or move interstate, or a myriad of other reasons. Staff change is part and parcel of every industry, and education everywhere.

What I can’t let by without comment is the misleading conjecture relied upon in recent reporting and which I want to address very clearly. For this year, the College has retained 88% of its permanent teaching staff. Furthermore, both our College Leadership Team and Middle Leadership Team (comprising of 38 our Pastoral Leaders, Curriculum Leaders and Program Leaders) remain unchanged, aside from one staff member who attained an external promotion and three staff on short-term or parental leave. In the context of teaching staff, last year the College farewelled 16 permanent teachers and 7 contracted teachers. These simple facts affirm the continuity and stability of our leadership and teaching staff.

What I am interested in is telling the factual story of what our students, staff, parents, guardians and community have achieved by working together. Record enrolments, hundreds of new families, staff turnover significantly less than industry average, ATARs and other academic achievements above our peer schools, and most importantly, engaged, hardworking and committed staff and students all tell the true story of Marist College Ashgrove.

School partnerships with parents and guardians are fundamental to a healthy and rich education of young people. To our parents and guardians, I join with the entirety of our staff body honouring the decision you made to entrust the education of your son to us. Your countless hours of pick-ups and drop-offs, lunches and leftovers, homework and homework-not-done-notes, and of course your countless hours of service in kind across so many of the College’s activities –– demonstrate your dedication to your son. Your son can’t do it without you. We can’t do it without you. We are connected in partnership. I, together with all our staff, will do all we can to honour both your decision and our partnership for the full and whole education of your son.

Our Marist Family today gathered as one. Connected as one.

Together, we have so much to be proud of as we start this new year. I am proud of each of you.

You as student

You as teacher.

You as staff member.

You as parent.

You as friend.

Congratulations to our Seniors of 2024. We walk with you throughout this special year in your life.

Congratulations to our student leaders. We trust you with your guidance of us.

Congratulations to our 316 academic award recipients. We celebrate your gifts and efforts.

2024 Inaugural Mass, Investiture and Academic Awards

I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to those who made today’s celebration possible. To Fr Alatini our Mission Team, under the gifted leadership of Mrs Anna Nasr, thank you for your tireless efforts and attention to detail with creating a beautiful Eucharistic celebration. To our Academic Care Team under the diligent leadership of Ms Jen Smeed and Ms Roxanne Rosenberg, thank you for ensuring, through today’s academic awards, the rightful acknowledgement of academic achievement and excellence. To our Events and Marketing Team, particularly Mrs Ellen Kassulke, Events Coordinator, thank you for all the planning and preparation involved in making our Inaugural Mass a success.

To our young men of Marist, those of our music ensembles/band, Music team led by Dr Andrew Butt those of our choir, thank you sharing your gifts and talents with us this afternoon. The Services team led by Mr Matthew Tarlinton. The Pastoral Care Team led by Mr Peter Serone. All parents and carers who attended. Finally, all staff present, supervising, moving students onto and off of buses, preparing lunches, presenting and contributing.

May each of us experience, and share generously with one another, the gifts of connectedness - the gifts of support, comfort and encouragement. May this galvanise our Marist family to our Mission – inspiring our young men of Marist to love. To learn. To lead. To serve.

May our loving God with Mary our good mother and St Marcellin Champagnat walk with all members of the Marist College Ashgrove Family.