Primary School News

Dear Primary Parents

I spoke at our Monday morning assembly about the need for the boys to put their best foot forward over the next few weeks to ensure they finish off the term to the best of their ability. I also reminded them that being tired wasn’t an excuse for making bad choices that had a negative effect on themselves or those around them. 

I shared with them the fact that early on Sunday morning, I was able to watch the finishing stages of the Mooloolaba Triathalon. From the comfort of a shady tree on the side of the main road, I watched in admiration as hundreds of runners pounded the pavement in search of the finish line. I explained to the Primary boys the fact that after the tough swim and bike legs, the athletes still had to conquer the gruelling 10km run in oppressive heat if they were to achieve their goal. Many of the runners were clearly physically exhausted and in considerable pain as they continued to put one foot in front of the other to do just this. What struck me was the determination and grit that these participants showed to get the job done. Although some slowed to a walk to recover for a time, not one runner stopped moving forward or gave up on their goal. Not one of them used ‘being tired’ as a reason to stop or give up.

I challenged our boys in Years 5 and 6 to set goals for the last three weeks of term and learn lessons from the athletes on Sunday. By working hard, being self-disciplined, and staying determined, all our boys here in Primary are capable of truly wonderful things, as long as they keep putting one foot in front of the other in pursuit of their goals.  

NAPLAN Assessments

By the time this newsletter appears online, our Year 5 boys will be only one sleep away from starting their NAPLAN assessments. The boys will complete all four assessments from Wednesday to Friday this week. I would like to thank our Primary Learning Leader, Ms Jen Little and all our Year 5 teachers for the work that has gone into preparing the boys to do their best across the three days of testing. I hope the boys are looking forward to putting their best foot forward this week. A reminder for all Year 5 boys to bring a fully charged laptop and their charger to school every day this week. 

Coding Fun

Our Year 5 boys have been learning how to operate our Ozobots using block coding in our technology classes over the last fortnight. They are doing a great job of getting their Ozobots to follow their instructions on a map to travel to MCA and back home successfully.

Pastoral Leader Primary School – Anthony Graham 

GEM @ Marist – Focus for the Week is Empathy

Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of others. It is a crucial social and emotional skill that helps individuals connect with others, build positive relationships, and navigate social situations effectively. In primary school, the importance of empathy cannot be overstated as it lays the foundation for a child's future social and emotional development.

Here are some of the key reasons why empathy is important in primary school students:

1. Building positive relationships: Empathy helps children develop strong, positive relationships with their peers, teachers, and other adults. By understanding the feelings of others, children can relate to them better and build connections based on mutual understanding and respect.
2. Developing social skills: Empathy is essential for developing social skills such as communication, cooperation, and conflict resolution. When children can put themselves in someone else's shoes, they are better equipped to resolve conflicts, communicate effectively, and work collaboratively with others.
3. Fostering emotional intelligence: Empathy is a key component of emotional intelligence, which is the ability to recognize and regulate one's own emotions, as well as understand the emotions of others. Children who develop strong empathy skills are better able to manage their own emotions and respond appropriately to the emotions of others.
4. Encouraging kindness and compassion: Empathy helps children develop kindness and compassion towards others. When children can understand how others feel, they are more likely to be kind, considerate, and helpful towards them.

By demonstrating empathy, and simply doing something kind to someone else, it releases a happy chemical called oxytocin.  This chemical has a lasting effect, even greater than sugar high from chocolate! At Marist we instill in the boys to be kind to one another and appreciate everyone's unique skills and differences.

Fun watching: Hugh Van Cuylenburg on Amazon Prime. His speech is about celebrating gratitude, empathy, and mindfulness.

Date Claimers

• Year 5 Breakfast – Tuesday 21 March @ 8:30am 
• Year 5 Musical – Thursday 23 March 
• Primary Swimming Carnival – Friday 24 March 
• Year 5 Camp – Monday 27 – Wednesday 29 March 
• Year 6 Parliament excursion – Tuesday 28 – Thursday 30 March [day depends on class]
• Primary Assembly – Friday 31 March @ 9:00am in Draney 
  • Invites will be sent to parents next week for those receiving an award

Primary SportMr John Lambourne – Head of Sport (Primary)

AIC Swimming Championships

Congratulations to all swimmers who were part of the Marist College Ashgrove Swim Team for the AIC Championships held last week.

Special thanks to all the boys for their hard work and coaches; James Boyce, Damian Bromley and Ziggi Jacks as well as the team of assisting coaches.

Results – Top 3 Placegetters

Year 5

50m Freestyle

Div 1 – Sam Mellifont – 3rd

Div 2 – Finn Beaver – 3rd

Div 3 – Flynn Barrett – 2nd

Div 4 – Aidan Field – 3rd

Div 5 – Will Weight – 3rd

Div 6 – Beau Ballinger – 3rd

Div 8 – Joey Healy – 1st

50m Backstroke

Div 2 – Sam Mellifont – 2nd

50m Breaststroke

Div 2 – Sam Mellifont – 2nd

4x50m Freestyle Relay

Div 2 – Aidan Field – Beau Ballinger – Will Weight – Cooper Chapman – 1st

Div 1 – Ed Heenan – Sam Mellifont – Finn Beaver – Flynn Barrett – 3rd

Year 6

50m Freestyle

Div 1 – Will Hutchinson – 2nd

Div 2 – Abe Patricks – 2nd

Div 3 – Cooper Donaghy – 3rd

Div 4 – Jimmy Travers – 2nd

Div 5 – Liam Adams – 1st

Div 6 – Morgan Elphinston – 1st

Div 8 – Jack Nightingale – 1st

50m Backstroke

Div 1 – Matthew Dillane – 3rd

50m Breaststroke

Div 1 – Will Hutchinson – 3rd

Div 2 – Cooper Donaghy – 3rd

4x50m Medley Relay

Matthew Dillane – Will Hutchinson – Cooper Donaghy – Abe Patricks – 3rd

4x50m Freestyle Relay

Div 2 – Oliver Petrie – Jimmy Travers – Liam Adams – Lleyton Viljoen – 3rd

Div 1 – Will Hutchinson – Abe Patricks – Cooper Donaghy – Matthew Dillane – 3rd

Results

Cross Country

Ashgrove Rangers School Challenge

Last Thursday the Primary cross-country squad participated in the annual Ashgrove Rangers School Challenge, which has been running since 2007. Marist College has won the Champion Male Team 8 times including the last 6 occasions the event has been held.

It was fantastic to see the enthusiasm the primary boys are showing for cross-country and hopefully this sets us on a path to victory in the AIC Cros-Country Championships next term. 16 Year 6 boys and 27 Year 5 boys attended the event with the top 4 finishers accruing points towards the trophy.

Congratulations to the MCA top four; Finn Beaver 4th, Xavier Hunter 5th, Harvey Wise 7th and Fred Little 8th, and to all the MCA runners on retaining the champions trophy.

Cross Country Training

Continues Monday – Thursday mornings.

Boys meet at the swimming pool from 6:30am for a 6:45am departure.

It is recommended that students complete two sessions per week. Students should attend one of the following:

• Monday and Wednesday
• Monday and Thursday
• Tuesday and Thursday

This structure allows students to have a rest day between sessions and to complete different types of training.

Rugby and Football

• All matches are played Saturday mornings, training will be one afternoon and one morning session each week.
• Boys require; Jersey, shorts, and socks - available from the College Clothing Shop
  Boys also require; Rugby: Boots and mouthguard and Football: Boots and shin pads.

Rugby Ready Program

Friday 24 February, 3, 10 and 17 March

Des Connor Park – Field 7

6:45am – 8:00am

Boys are required to come dressed in their Marist training shirt, Marist sport shorts Marist football socks. Boys will also require boots, mouthguard, and a water bottle for each session.

The Rugby Ready Program involves a host of measures such as physical preparation, skill development, correct and safe techniques preparing the players for contact, enforcement of game laws, and management of safety issues such as the Scrum Passport and the “MAYDAY” call.

Whilst there are several reasons for providing such a program, a key driver is wanting to deliver to all students a safe, challenging, and enjoyable rugby union program. To develop the next generation of Marist College rugby players, we must give them the skills to approach the game with confidence and minimise the chance of injury. 

Rugby Union Trial Information

Hayden Oval

6:45-8:00am

Monday, 20 March – Year 6

Wednesday, 22 March – Year 5

Term 1 AIC Sport

Cricket

AFL

Swimming

MCA Primary Swim Squad training sessions will continue Monday and Wednesday afternoons for the remainder of Term 1, 3:30pm – 4:30pm.

Boys attending these sessions will need to bring the following equipment.

• Goggles
• Kickboard
• Short Flippers
• Mesh Bag

MCA Primary Swim Squad Training Timetable Term 1

For further details please contact: swim@marash.qld.edu.au

College App

Please ensure that you download the College App to your smartphone. This app will be used weekly to inform you of sporting fixtures, cancellations, and bus arrival information.

Sports Photographs

We are always on the lookout for photos and action shots to be used for the Blue & Gold, other College publications, season or end-of-year wrap-ups etc. Please follow this link and add your photos - Marist College Ashgrove Primary Sports Photos.

Pick-up Arrangements - “Plan B”

It is important that you are aware of your son’s pick-up procedure if sports training is cancelled or if you are running late.

As soon as a decision is made to cancel a sporting fixture or training, a message is placed on the College app.

If training is cancelled boys can remain in the primary school or walk to an arranged pick-up point when the time arrives.

Sport training sessions finish normally finish by 4:45pm. We ask that boys are picked up at this time, or soon after. Any boy who is still at their training venue at 5:00pm will be directed to the Boarding Reception area so that he may be collected from there.

In the case of bus arrivals, boys will be sent to Boarding Reception 15 minutes after the arrival time of the bus.