Boarding News

Dear Boarding Parents,

Last weekend was another planned sleepover for a number of boys who will be joining Marist College Ashgrove as boarders in 2024. I am particularly proud of our current boarders (especially our younger boys in La Valla Residence) who were so welcoming and included the sleepover boys in all their weekend activities. Thank you to Mr Hardy, the La Valla Residence staff and Mr Whitlock who ensured a fun and memorable three days for the boys. Attending the Year 7 Orientation Day on Friday, as well as being part of the weekend in boarding, provided a thorough introduction to the school. It was lovely to see the Marist value of family spirit on display for these new boys and their families.

We have also been listening to those Year 11 students who've applied for the role of 2024 Boarding Captain, delivering a speech to the boarding community over the last couple of weeks. Thirteen students applied, which is pleasing to see, and it has been great listening to each of them articulate what being a boarder means to them and how they would aim to lead if given the opportunity in the Boarding Captain role. Many have referred to past and present Boarding Captains as someone they aspire to be like and how they want to continue and add to the positive traditions in our boarding community. They have also shown pleasing insight by articulating new initiatives they'd like to introduce for the benefit of everyone in boarding. The two Boarding Captains for 2024 will be announced in the first week of next term, and I congratulate all the students who've applied.

As mentioned previously, the College is aiming to expand our boarder bus service to benefit families. We will be communicating in the coming days about a trip to Moree and also a trip to Roma, which we hope will assist at both the end of term and the start of next term. It is important that these services are well subscribed to ensure their viability, and we ask parents to consider if this might work for you. Please keep an eye out for correspondence and make contact if you have any questions.

Boarding Recreation - Mr Blair Whitlock

It was great to have many of next year's La Valla boarders in-house for the orientation day on Friday and a weekend of Boarders' Recreation! The boys settled in very quickly and got stuck into the activities, which was fantastic to see!

Friday kicked off with a trip down to Brookside for the Years 8-12 boys before heading over to Eat Street in the evening with several other boarding schools in attendance. The 1st V Basketball had their final home game of the season on Saturday with the boarders filling the bleachers as they won a tight game against St Laurence’s College. A small group then headed down to Suncorp for the Dolphins' final game of the season against the premiership contenders, NZ Warriors. It was an exciting game, made all the more interesting with the RAAF Riverfire jets flying overhead on the drive home. An hour in the gym rounded off a busy Saturday, with plenty of tired bodies around the dorms.

Sunday saw a few games of Slip n Slide Baseball take place down on Cameron Oval. This game has become a favourite over the last few terms with different year groups facing off against each other. It’s a hybrid of Cricket and Baseball, with batters sliding into safety at each base. The boys had a quick swim to cool down before lunch and a trip down to Southbank to round out the weekend's activities.