Primary School News

Dear Parents,

Last week I wrote about gratitude and why being grateful is such a positive mindset to have for everyone in our community.

During our Well Being Week, I invited the boys and staff to write down something that they were grateful for and place it in our lucky barrel here in the office. Boys wrote down experiences that they were grateful for, whilst others wrote down individuals that they were grateful for. Twice a week for the remainder of the term, I am drawing out five slips of paper and rewarding these boys with two Zooper Dooper Ice blocks. One for themselves and one to share with the individual that they acknowledged on the slip of paper.

Below is a list (unedited) of some of the things that our boys are grateful for. It makes for nice reading.

I am grateful for:

My mum and dad

This big, wonderful school

My friend for helping me when I was hurt

A friend for giving me his ticket when I didn’t have one

My friends being there for me all the time

Mr Lambourne for moving the basketball hoops

A friend who asked me if I wanted to go to the library with him

Having all the facilities at this school

Maths every day

All the opportunities in learning and sport and to the teachers that help in class and on play

Having friends who play with me

The school that I go to, and the education provided to me

A peer who stuck up for me in class

Great friends

Mr Trebbin who very kindly carried my heavy bag up the big hill.  Thank you for being such a gentleman – Mrs Geraghty

The library and the teachers in it

My teachers in 5G for always being caring

My family

My friend in class who helps me with really hard stuff

Being a nice friend and helping me

My mum for helping me get ready for school

A friend who teaches me patterns on the rubix cube

Ping pong tables

All the teachers

This lovely community and friendly inhabitants

My friends for making me laugh

My house that gives me shelter and my parents that look after me

Sport options at MCA

Returning lost property without request

My teacher as she is kind

My dog, parents, and sister

My good life

The ability to have so many opportunities in sprots and much more

Having an oval to play on at break and being able to play soccer on the weekend for MCA

The ovals and all the space we have here to play

My fantastic education at Marist and the fact I have an amazing teacher

My friends for always having my back

Round Robin Debating Competition

The third round of the Round Robin Debating competition had both teams arguing that “Summer holidays should be shorter”. Both teams did a splendid job with their arguments and rebuttals and presented very competently. They were debating against the host school, St Laurence’s.

The negative team won their debate, with the affirmative team narrowly missing out. Both teams are to be commended for their time and dedication during the competition and should be proud of the improvement made to their presentation skills.

Congratulations and well done to both teams.

Public Speaking

Last Tuesday night, our Year 5 public speaking boys participated in their last round of speaking at St Laurence's College. Abel Storey spoke passionately about the importance of giving blood and was awarded speaker of the night.  All boys should be congratulated on their efforts over the past 7 weeks, and the improvements they have made in presenting to an audience.

Anthony Graham – Pastoral Leader Primary School

Well-being Week

Last week we celebrated Wellbeing Week. The week provided an opportunity for students to check in with their mental and physical health and reflect on ways that they can look after themselves. The boys had opportunities to do yoga, meditation, mindful colouring as well participate in the staff vs. student touch football game. I trust that the boys went home and reflected on ways that they can continue to monitor their own well-being and identify things that they are grateful for. The staff also participated in a variety of different activities to also support their own mental well-being. A highlight was celebrating breakfast together on McMahon Oval whilst the fog was still blanketing the oval.

Importance of School Attendance

As we enter the end of Term, I stress the importance of school attendance. Regular school attendance is important for academic achievement as well as social interaction and development. When students attend regularly, they have the opportunity to actively engage with the curriculum, participate in discussions, and receive instructions from their teachers. This consistent engagement leads to better academic performance and improved learning outcomes. School attendance is vital for social interactions and development. Schools provide a valuable platform for students to interact with their peers, build friendships, and develop social skills. Regular attendance ensures that students have the chance to engage in group activities, collaborate with classmates, and develop important social relationships.

I am aware that there is a lot of sickness moving around the community at present, so please keep your child home if they are sick.

Police Talk Presentation

Next Tuesday, our boys will attend a presentation by Sergeant Brad Holland in the Draney Theatre. Brad will be speaking with the boys and raising their awareness around two important topics. The first topic is Road Safety on bicycles and scooters. The second part of Brad’s presentation is on vaping and the associated dangers of this relatively recent issue in our society.  Brad is experienced in presenting to young people on these topics and we are very grateful for Brad taking the time to share this important information with our boys.

Primary Sport - Mr John Lambourne - Head of Sport (Primary)

Achievements

Congratulations Will Hutchinson (6B) who has been added to the Met North (11-12 Years) Rugby Union squad selected to compete at the State Championships to be held 27 – 30 July.

Term 3 AIC Sport Sign-On

Sport sign-on for Term 3 has been extended but must close Friday, 9 June.

Sport sign-on is accessed through the Parent Lounge.

Please remember to select "Submit to School" to ensure that the sign-on is submitted. This may not be visible on some mobile devices, in which case sign-on will need to be completed via a desktop device.

The Term 3 sports on offer are Basketball, Rugby League and Tennis.

Please note that numbers are limited in each of these sports and that boys are only able to participate in one Term 3 AIC team sport.

Trial details will be published on the College App.

Boys may also choose to participate in track and field, boys of all abilities are welcome to attend track training sessions.

Basketball – Maximum 40 boys / grade

Uniform: MCA Basketball singlet, MCA Sport shorts and Blue MCA Sport socks

Fixtures Friday evening.

Training twice / week.

Tennis – Maximum 8 boys / grade

Uniform: MCA Tennis polo, MCA Tennis shorts and white MCA Sport socks

Fixtures Saturday morning.

Training twice / week.

Rugby League – Maximum 20 boys / grade

Uniform: MCA rugby league jersey (provided by the College), MCA rugby shorts and MCA team sport socks

Fixtures Saturday morning.

Training twice / week.

Track and Field

There are 4 AIC T and F meets scheduled at the end of Term 3.

• Thursday, August 24
• Wednesday, August 30
• Thursday, September 7
• Wednesday, September 17

AIC Championships – Thursday, 5 and Friday, 6 October – QSAC.

Uniform: MCA Athletics singlet, MCA Sport shorts and  Blue MCA Sport socks

Track and Field training begins in Term 3, T and F training is twice a week.

Boys wishing to be considered for AIC selection should also be aware that there will be training and meets conducted over the Term 3 holidays.

Primary Athletics Carnival

Primary Athletics Carnival will take place Thursday, 15 June – McMahon and Hayden Ovals.All Year 5-6 boys are expected to attend Friday in their College Sports Uniform

Parents are welcome to attend.

As with the Primary Swimming Carnival, events will be participation/novelty based. Team meetings will be held next week for boys to select team captains.

Boys may wish to change into coloured outfits, which they can do before Pastoral Group, they may also bring mascots and wear zinc in their team colour if they wish.

Hats, sunscreen and water bottles are extremely important on a day like this, and boys are expected to take some responsibility to ensure they stay sun safe and hydrated.

Each boy is expected to participate in all the novelty events to the best of their ability.

The College tuckshop will be unavailable for the Primary boys on Thursday.

Primary Athletics Age Championships

Nominations are open for boys wishing to compete for Track and Field Age Champion. Boys will compete in their age division; 10 Years (2013), 11 Years (2012) and 12 Years (2011).

Age Championship events are used as qualification events for selection to attend North West District Track in Field in Term 3.

Depending on the number of boys who nominate for each event boys may be required to qualify to participate in Age Championship events.

Term 2 AIC Sport

AIC Cross Country Championships Results

Year 5

Top Six Marist Placegetters

1. Nick Bray – 2nd
2. Freddy Little – 3rd
3. Finn Beaver – 4th
4. Dominic Rowe – 9th
5. Dominic Guinea – 11th
6. Owen Ambrose – 17th

Year 6

Top Six Marist Placegetters

1. Xavier Hunter – 4th
2. Xavier Hill – 6th
3. Matthew Higgins – 20th
4. Riley Peatey – 25th
5. Abe Patricks – 26th
6. Declan Mulqueen – 28th

Rugby

Rugby Union Results - Round 6

Football

Football Results - Round 6

College App

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

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 5pm 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.

Sports Photographs

We are always on the lookout for photos and action shots to be used for the Blue and 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.