Deputy Head of College News

This week I would like to touch base on two topics I know a number of our families are dealing with as our boys look toward returning to school – beyond the usual conversations/arguments around what constitutes an appropriate haircut and what the College really means when we say “socks up” (to just under the knee for anyone who isn’t sure). That is – school transitions and vaping.

School Transitions

It goes without saying that every year, we have brand new Years 5 and 7 students who we take much care in transitioning to the College, alongside a number of students in Years 6, 8-11 who are also new to Marist College Ashgrove. Even with a substantial orientation program for our new students, there will always be nerves of anticipation, ranging from very mild to almost crippling anxiety. Each student is different and therefore, will deal with the transition in their own special way. None of these ways is more “normal” than the others.

An expert on change and transitions, Bill Bridges, suggests that there are seven types of loss associated with change and transition.

Loss of: identity; turf; structure; control; future; attachments; meaning.

If you are a parent of a new student who may be struggling with his transition to MCA, I would encourage you to listen to what he is saying and before you respond, take a moment to reflect on what type of loss he may be feeling. You may then be able to craft a response which targets a little more accurately what he is feeling, but also how he might be able to manage those feelings and consider how he approaches his next day at school.

If you need more support in this area, I would like to point you in the direction of the MCA School TV website. School TV has a plethora of topics related to “the multitude of modern day challenges in raising happy, well and resilient young people”. One such topic is school transitions. If you would like to explore this topic further, please click here. (While you are on this site, you might like to explore the variety of other topics available to you and your son/s.)

For those of you with boys returning to the College, your son/s may also be experiencing some anxiety around changes in moving from one year level to another. The seven types of loss may exist for him as well, for any number of reasons – change in friendship groups; new teacher/s; moving from middle to senior schooling; trying new co-curricular activities (the list is endless). 

Should any of you notice that your son is experiencing difficulties in starting the 2022 school year, please know that beyond the above, we also have a number of staff who can help out. Your son’s Pastoral Group teacher is a good starting point, alongside his Head of House or our Primary Pastoral Leader, Michael Connolly. Should you wish for more professional advice, you could also contact one of our College counsellors – Jorge Ruiz, Genevieve Long or Erin Pownell (counsellors@marash.qld.edu.au) – who will be able to speak with you and/or your son regarding his concerns.

Please know that we understand that being part of a large community can have its challenges, for new students and returning students alike. Please also know that we will do whatever we can to help all our students settle and feel safe at MCA as quickly as possible.

Vaping

As any parent knows from the media, vaping is currently an issue that is plaguing schools, towns and countries around the globe. It appears that currently, young people see vaping more in line with chewing gum (based on the flavours available, design of the vapes and the lack of any kind of uncomfortable side effects) and therefore, they find it difficult to understand why adults keep going on about how dangerous it is.

Of great concern, we know that in the US, 26 deaths have now been directly attributed to vaping and some 1300 injuries, of which 80% are under the age of 35 years. Stories like 15-year-old Dakota Stephenson in Australia are surfacing following admittance to ICU and a lucky health escape due to vaping. This Sydney teenager developed what doctors call EVALI, a new lung illness emerging from vape usage. It is for these reasons of safety and duty of care for your son, that Marist prohibits the use of vaping at the College or in College uniform or associated events. This is a similar stance to drugs. We do not take lightly the fact that you send your son to school with the expectation that he is safe and not exposed to any unnecessary dangers, including vaping or drugs from their peers.

I wish this section of my article was about a magic phrase or fix I have for convincing young people that they are taking a massive risk by vaping, particularly as there are no long-term studies regarding the possible future impacts of this pastime. Unfortunately, it is not. Instead, this section is about asking you as parents to reinforce our stance as a College in communicating to the boys that, not only are vapes, or electronic cigarettes potentially extremely harmful (regardless of whether they contain nicotine or not) but that they are also subject to the Queensland smoking laws. This includes that vapes cannot be used in no-smoking indoor and outdoor places (of which schools are included) or sold to children under 18 years of age. (Queensland Health – Electronic Cigarettes.)

Should a student or employee of the College be found vaping on College grounds (or in College uniform, or when representing the College), then as a choice of their action in breaking the law, they are responsible for the consequences of these actions. For our students, this can mean putting their enrolment at the College in jeopardy. Marist College Ashgrove will take this stance for all families of the College.

I write this information to you, not as a threat regarding your son’s enrolment, but as tools you may wish to use in your kit of things to help discourage your son in buying or accepting a vape, or should he have already experimented or started, in reminding him that should he feel the need to bring a vape to school or smoke while on school property, the consequences will be very serious; regardless of whether he feels that vaping is similar to chewing bubble gum or not, and regardless of whether he thinks that as adults we are overreacting to this particular pastime that is very popular among adolescents across the country. If you have any concerns specifically with your son in this area, please contact our Head of Students, Mr Peter Serone – seronep@marash.qld.edu.au.

Sometimes, our role as parents and teachers is to do our very best to help our children learn when they may not understand the impacts of their attitudes, actions, impulses and behaviours. By reminding our boys that there will be consequences which they will face should they literally choose to break the law, this is one of those times.

Partnership

I look forward to continuing to work with you as parents and guardians in producing outstanding young men who, in Marcellin’s words, are good Christians and good citizens. Please don’t hesitate to make contact should you feel there are other topics that may need addressing throughout the school year as we work to help our boys navigate their journey in moving from boys to young men who have the support and encouragement to do their absolute best to live out our motto and Act Courageously.