Learning and Teaching News

Year 8 English – Performance of ‘The Stones’ 

On Thursday morning, Year 8 students watched a performance of ‘The Stones’ written by Stefo Nantsou and Tom Lycos. Year 8 student, Meredith Chee, has summarised the performance and message below. The Year 8s also need to be commended for your engagement and behaviour throughout. It was great to see the cohort so thoroughly enjoying a piece of literature. Hopefully, it has struck up some worthwhile conversations both in the classroom and at home.  

Student Summary – Meredith Chee 

Today, Year 8s saw the play called "The Stones" by Stefo Nantsou and Tom Lycos which was an extremely creative art piece that all the boys loved. It was about a sad, true story from 1994 in Melbourne,  Australia. It was inspired by the unfortunate murder of an innocent man by two young boys. The boys were charged with manslaughter after kicking rocks off a freeway bridge, leading to the death of a passing motorist. 

Sam Foster and Hayden Jones were able to act out multiple roles in the same play and make it look like a cast of many, while also involving the crowd, was just absolutely amazing. This showcases the outstanding talent and dedication of both Sam and Hayden. 

The main message that was felt throughout this play is that your actions will have consequences. Although the kid never meant to kick the rock, it still had a dangerous consequence which led to the death of the guy. The other main message is that we all make mistakes, but we all deserve another chance in life to do better. This we thought was just a heartwarming message that we as the audience have all taken into account.  

Overall, this was a great play that all the boys loved and for those in the audience who hadn’t seen a play before, this was a wonderful introduction to theatre and the realm of possibilities you can reach with acting. Especially with only two people, which we all have to say Sam and Hayden you did a wonderful job of doing. Thank you for this opportunity to have our cohort have the pleasure to watch this play and is something that next year's Year 8s should watch. 

Year 12 External Exams 

Last week, the Year 12 cohort commenced their External Assessment for 2025. So far, the Years 12s have sat exams for Design, Accounting, English, Economics, Visual Art, Ancient History, Engineering, Music, Business, Drama and Biology. 

Congratulations to students who have sat the above papers as they have prepared, punctual and worked hard to achieve their best. It has been great observing our boys use their time effectively and put in some obvious effort. 

External exam reminders for all boys:  

• the exam schedule with locations is available on the Orbit App.   
• they can book in times with their classroom teachers during their normal timetabled double periods to ask questions or review content in preparation for their exam.   
• the list of prescribed equipment can be found here - External assessment equipment list (qcaa.qld.edu.au).  

Year 11 Academic Conversations  

From Week 5, parents and our young men of Year 11 are invited to chat about their progress through Units 1 & 2, to see a way forward in preparing for Units 3 & 4. Details will be as per email communication to be sent this week – please note the deadline for bookings. For boys on an ATAR pathway, you will be given an ATAR Estimation range with a print-out of how this is calculated. There is room on this document for students to take notes – it is suggested that students bring a pen with them to these interviews. Any student who is on a non-ATAR pathway will be invited to make an appointment with Robyn Gooley (Program Leader – VET) to discuss progress and future pathway options. Any issues you encountered with bookings, please contact leea@marash.qld.edu.au   

Year 9 & 10 Electives 2026  

This week your son will be emailed his elective choices for 2026.  Please be mindful of the following:  

• If your son would like to change his electives he needs to come to the studies office and collect a subject change form as soon as possible.  
• Students do not get to choose which semester they study an elective in. The electives are placed across each semester to accommodate the number of students wishing to study the subject.      

Accessing Unit 2 reports 

The Year 11, 2025 Unit 2 Reports were emailed to all parents and carers on Friday 17th October.  This email also contained the information below on how to access your son’s report via the Parent Orbit App. 

Please use this opportunity to discuss your son’s progress to date as well as opportunities for improvement moving forward. 

Old Boys Tutoring List 

Please find here a list of Old Boys who are available to tutor your son outside of school hours. This list can also be located on the parent portal or viathis link.Please note it is the parent’s responsibility to organise and liaise tutoring times with the Old Boys. 

Request for Leave – Unapproved Leave Over Assessment Periods  

Please be advised that if leave is not approved for missed assessments (including assignments and exams), a summative mark of NA will appear on your son’s End of Semester Report for the relevant subject. In accordance with the College Examination Policy (available via the Parent Portal) and QCAA guidelines, events such as holidays, weddings, or family reunions are not considered unavoidable and will result in an NA for the missed assessment. 

Students will still be required to complete the assessment upon their return to school; however, no assessments will be scheduled earlier. 

While students will receive formative feedback on the completed assessment, the result will not contribute to their summative grade due to the following reasons: 

• Reporting deadlines cannot be met 
• Academic integrity must be preserved 
• Teacher and staff workload during marking and reporting periods 

• The validity of assessment results within the designated timelines 

   

Please note that this does not apply to leave that has been granted for approved reasons (Illness, etc.) as per QCAA policies.    

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