Learning and Teaching News

Academic Award Night

Congratulations to the students who achieved an academic award during our awards night held at QPAC on Monday 11 October.  Your dedication, hard work and commitment to your studies have not only set you apart but also inspired others around you.  This accomplishment is a testament to your pursuit of knowledge and willingness to go the extra mile in your educational journey.  It is important to also thank our wonderful teachers at Marist College, your parents, mentors and the Marist community for their support and encouragement that has contributed to your success so far. 

The overall DUX of each year level are: 

Year 5      Nathan Wright

Year 6      Matthew Davies

Year 7      Aarav Patel

Year 8      Connor Campbell

Year 9      Daniel Thirgood

Year 10   Micah Netzler

Year 11   Harrison Dyer

Year 12   Oliver Lee

Parent/Teacher/Student Interviews

Thursday 12 October

On Thursday 12 October, online interviews will take place.  During these interviews, parents, students, and teachers will discuss your son’s results so far this semester, including ways in which they are able to improve on their learning across Term 4.  Students are encouraged to attend in full school summer uniform.

If you were unable to make any of the interview times made available, please contact your son’s subject teacher for feedback. This is also the case throughout the term – if you ever have questions about your sons learning, or content throughout the term, please ensure that your first point of contact is the classroom teacher.  They are far better placed to answer these subject specific questions.

Year 12 Masterclasses 

Week 2 of our Masterclass timetable begins this week, running from Tuesday to Thursday. 

All students must log in via the QR code located on the door of each masterclass room.  A roll will also be taken.  Masterclasses are compulsory.  Students need to be dressed in full school uniform and ensure they have all the required equipment for their subjects (e.g., calculators, plays/novels etc.). 

If you have any questions about General subject Masterclasses, please contact Roxanne Rosenberg at rosenbergr@marash.qld.edu.au or Adam Knight at knighta@marash.qld.edu.au  

For boys who are not enrolled in any General classes and therefore will not be required at General subject Masterclasses, the College is running Skills masterclasses across weeks 1-3 of Term 4. These classes are designed around the concept of life skills required after school.  If you have any questions about Skills Masterclasses, please contact Mrs Robyn Gooley on gooleyr@marash.qld.edu.au  

The External Exam block runs from Monday 23rd October to Tuesday 14th November 2023. The External Exam block schedule, as well as the required equipment lists are available on the Marist portal (via this link for parents and via this link for students), and on the QCAA website.  

Leader Visits to Year 8 Maths Classes 

To best prepare our boys for NAPLAN next year and encourage our boys to continue to develop the skill of appropriate and logical working out in Mathematics, leaders will commence visits to our Year 8 maths classes this week. Leaders will be giving students who are working out exceptionally well a raffle ticket. These will be drawn on the College Assembly each week for the term. Students who win this will be rewarded with a $10.00 tuckshop voucher or a front-of-line tuckshop pass. We look forward to observing our boys as they continue to develop their numeracy skills in the classroom.

Future Problem Solvers

Future Problem-Solving Program (FPS) is an international educational program that focuses on developing critical, creative, and futuristic thinking skills.  It challenges students to apply their minds to some of the significant issues facing not only the world of today, but also that of the future.  Past topics have focused on Wearable Technology, Personalized Medicine, Youth in Competitive Sports, Insects, Mining and Building Green with topics for 2023 including, E-Waste, Digital Realities, the Robotic Workforce, and a Throw-Away Society. 

Making use of what is referred to as ‘the 6-step process’, the program asks students to brainstorm challenges and problems related to a topic; identify an underlying problem characteristic to this; brainstorm solutions; develop and apply criteria to evaluate these; and then devise a plan of action.  It not only teaches students how to think and how to use their imagination in applying research and strategies to resolving issues, but also offers a wealth of flexible and cross-disciplinary activities that connect to all curriculum areas.

At this stage of the competition, the Year 11 team – Harrison Dyer, Maximillian Bathersby, Remy Versace, and Alex Apelt should be congratulated on their efforts.  They have worked extremely well to achieve pleasing results in two practice problems focusing on E-Waste in Nigeria in the year 2047, and the adoption of Digital Reality technology in Tokyo 2044.  Their qualifying problem focused on the adoption of a Robotic Workforce and the implications this presented for human workers in Australia in the year 2044.  This was evaluated very strongly with the boys making it through to the National Competition.  This places them into the finals in which they compete against other schools from across the country, in a two-day program being completed on the weekend of the 14th and 15th of October.  Feedback throughout the competition thus far has drawn attention to their strongly researched range of challenges, their logical thinking, and their use of clear explanations to support the different aspects of the 6-Step Process.  Additionally, they have also received very pleasing results on the preparation of an action plan that has outlined the ways in which their solutions would be implemented, thereby achieving the goal or ‘charge’ of the Future Scene.  Moving forward, all students should consider involvement in the program because of how it teaches them to problem solve, to use their imagination, and to work as a team. 

David O’Brien (Humanities Curriculum Leader and FPS Facilitator) 

Marist Reading Night – Term 4 Books for PNG Kids

Thank you so much to the families who have already donated books for this wonderful cause.  Please keep the books rolling in. Delivery is to the Senior Library.

Senior Library Hours

Our senior library is open from 7:30am every morning until 5:00pm Monday-Thursday. It closes at 3:30pm on Fridays. 

Your son is encouraged to head to the library before and/or after school to complete his homework or study, free from the distractions at home.

Year 12 Night Study Sessions

Year 12 Night Study held on Wednesday will not be starting until Week 2.  There is no Night Study in Week 1. The Night Study Sessions are for Year 12 students who wish to work in collaboration with their peers for external exam preparation. 

When: Starting Week 2, every Wednesday from 5:00pm-8:00pm, concluding at the end of external exams

Where: Senior Library

Who: 2023 Year 12s only 

Requirements:

• Current ID card is to be presented on arrival
• All students must sign in and out of the library
• All standard library rules are to be followed (including no eating)
• Normal student behaviour expectations apply; if these cannot be met, students will be prohibited from returning to future sessions
• Students are free to wear full College uniform or plain clothes
• Students are free to arrive and leave as they see fit. Supervision is only provided in the library between 5:00pm-8:00pm.
• Students are to be in the library only. This is not a time for sport or social gatherings.

A librarian will be on duty from 5:00pm-8:00pm to assist if required; however, these are not tutoring sessions. 

A quiet designated study space will also be available during the day in the Library

for Year 12s – starting from this week onward until the end of external exams. 

Study Hall – All Year Levels

Every Tuesday and Thursday morning, teacher librarians in the senior library offer study hall sessions from 7:45am to 8:30am. These are designed to build the student’s capacity to study independently by teaching them critical skills for the first 15 minutes of the session, then offering independent supported study for the remainder of the time.

Tutoring at the College 

Tutoring at the College is available for all students, and outlined below are faculties where your son can receive assistance. 

*Other faculties by appointment with the classroom teacher. 

Additionally, the CLE run touch-base tutoring for specific students in the College. For more information, contact CLE@marash.qld.edu.au.

Accessing Student Results 

Student results and feedback for assessment items can be accessed by parents on Parent Lounge. The 1 minute clip below shows how you can access student results by subject or for every subject in one document –

Alternatively, please follow the steps below which highlight how to access your son’s results and feedback.  

1. Open parent portal and click on “Parent Lounge”

2. On the left-hand tab select “Curricular Activities Due” and select “view all activities” on the top right-hand side of page.

This will take you to a screen that lists of your son/s assessment to complete or has been completed. 

3. Click on a subject to view feedback. 

4. Once you click on the subject you will be able to find the following information: 

1. Task sheet for assessment – this will outline what your son needs to do to complete the task successfully 
2. Draft due dates and due dates
3. Criteria sheet
4. Feedback 
5. Result