Primary School News

The Value of Reflection 

Dear Primary Parents,

As we near the midpoint of the school year, it’s the perfect opportunity for students, parents and teachers to pause and reflect on the journey so far. Semester 1 has been a whirlwind of activity, filled with academic challenges, exciting sporting commitments and meaningful learning experiences. The coming weeks is a perfect time to assess how we can continue to grow and build on our achievements in all these areas.

Reflection is more than just looking at grades and reports. It’s about understanding progress, identifying strengths and setting realistic goals for Semester 2. Encouraging the boys to take ownership of their learning encourages resilience, responsibility and a growth mindset.

For our students, this reflection should be a positive experience. They might ask themselves:

• What subjects or activities did I enjoy the most?
• What challenges did I overcome?
• How can I build on my successes and improve in areas where I struggled?

Parents can support this process by celebrating effort and progress, not just final results. Conversations at home about learning experiences can boost motivation and help children see the value in perseverance and adaptability.

As a Marist community, we embrace learning as a lifelong journey. The values of humility, love and service guide us in encouraging students to view their education not just as preparation for the future, but as an opportunity to grow in wisdom and faith.

After such an engaging and fulfilling Semester 1, I look forward to our boys approaching Semester 2 with optimism, determination and the knowledge that they will no doubt reap the benefits of the effort they put in throughout the whole of Semester 2.

Romero Centre Donations

Thank you to all the families who have shown their support for the Romero Centre by bringing in some supplies to re-stock their pantry so they can continue to help those in need over the holiday break. Each class was allocated a certain type of food so that there was some variety in what was brought along. The class colours and the suggested items are listed below but of course; any donations will be gratefully accepted by the organisers. 

Blue – Jams or Spreads (honey, peanut butter, strawberry jam)

Gold –Packets of white rice and soap

Maroon – Plain Flour and sugar

Red – pasta and pasta sauce

Silver – long life milk, tea and coffee

Violet – tinned chickpeas, tinned red kidney beans and tinned corn

White – tinned coconut milk, tinned tomatoes and tinned fruit.

Primary Athletics Carnival

A reminder that our Primary Athletics Carnival will be held on Monday 23 June during Periods 1-6. The boys will be wearing their sports uniform to school on this day and, just as it was for our swimming and cross-country carnivals, participation is key to the success of this day. There are athletic as well as novelty events scheduled for the day and all boys are expected to participate unless injury or illness prevents them from doing so. For more details about this carnival, please refer to Mr John Lambourne’s section of this newsletter.

Primary Pastoral Leader – Anthony Graham

It was a joy on Tuesday to come together for one of our most meaningful assemblies of the year—the presentation of the Marcellin Champagnat Awards. This special event recognises those boys who have gone above and beyond in the classroom, consistently demonstrating the values of perseverance, kindness and commitment to learning. Congratulations to all of our award recipients—you continue to be wonderful role models for our community.

Year 12 and Primary Buddy Program Begins

Last Thursday, our Year 12 students and Primary boys met for their first buddy experience of the year. The seniors organised games for the boys to enjoy and our students were enthusiastic and respectful participants. It was heartwarming to see the beginning of strong connections and friendships forming across year levels. These buddy moments will continue into Term 3, leading up to the special tradition of helping our seniors celebrate their graduation by creating their poster tributes.

Tuckshop Update for This Friday and Encouraging Healthy Choices

A quick reminder that this Friday, due to the Secondary Athletics Carnival, the primary boys will be using the grandstand tuckshop, as the main yard option will be closed. We’ve also had some conversations with students around tuckshop purchases. While it’s kind to want to treat a friend, we’ve reminded the boys to only buy items for themselves.

 Additionally, we’ve noticed some students buying multiple ice creams and sugary drinks in one break. While a treat here and there is perfectly okay, we encourage families to monitor purchases and have a chat at home about balanced choices - especially as our Year 5 students have recently learned about healthy eating in Health and PE.

Finishing the Term Well

From a pastoral perspective, Term 2 is often the most demanding. Boys are navigating winter uniforms, packing bags for various co-curricular activities and staying on top of assessments. With almost 90% of students involved in sport this term, it’s natural for energy levels to dip.

We’ve been encouraging the boys to focus on the small positives—showing up with a good attitude, supporting a mate or completing a task with care. Even a simple mindset shift like “What am I looking forward to today?” can help boys find joy and motivation, especially as the finish line for Term 2 comes into view. A well-earned rest from next Wednesday is certainly on the horizon.

As the cooler mornings continue, we’ve noticed more boys opting to wear long pants to school. A reminder that black socks or College grey long socks must be worn with long trousers. We also ask families to ensure that all uniform items are clearly labelled—this helps us return misplaced items quickly and keeps everyone looking sharp as we move into the final week of term.

Primary Learning Leader – Jen Little

Please see communication that went out about our Year 6 Study Skills Presentation to assist with transition to Secondary Schooling.

To support the transition to Secondary School, we will be hosting a Study Skills presentation for Year 6 students, accompanied by at least one parent or guardian. This session will take place at 6:30pm on the evening of Monday 29 July at Marist College Ashgrove. The exact venue on campus will be confirmed closer to the date, based on expected attendance.

The presentation will be conducted by both myself and our Middle Years Learning Leader, Mr Ashley Hutchings. We will cover the following topics:

• The brain’s role in processing and storing information in long-term memory
• Practical study strategies designed to support students’ academic development. 

Following the session, the Primary Team will offer three supervised study afternoons (dates to be confirmed) where students can apply the strategies introduced. These sessions will only be available exclusively to students who attend the initial presentation.

We hope this evening will not only help students feel more prepared for the journey ahead but also reinforce the valuable partnership between home and school in supporting student learning. It is therefore paramount that at least one parent is also in attendance.

Please use this link to secure your place at the presentation. Should you have any questions, please contact Jen Little: littlej@marash.qld.edu.au

Dates for Release of Assessments for Core Subjects

By now, a number of assessment tasks have been released to the Student Café and Parent Orbit App. It is important that students are reviewing their grades and noting any feedback provided by classroom teachers. Ideally, this should be conducted with parents who are the first educators of their children. Please see below for the dates that assessments have been scheduled for release this term.

Literacy and Numeracy Trophy Winners

Literacy and Numeracy continue to be a focus in the Primary. Congratulations to the following classes for their success last week.

Primary Sport

Mr John Lambourne – Head of Sport (Primary)

Achievements

Congratulations to George Bond (6B), Will Davies (6S), Charlie Maclean (6G) and George Swan (6G) who have been selected to represent Marist College at the Met North Regional Cricket (10-12 Years) trials.

Primary Athletics Carnival

Congratulations to the following boys who have been selected as team captains for next week’s carnival.

Blue – George Bond and Gus Graham

Gold – Charlie Maclean and Noah Newman

Maroon – Angus Lippett and Will McLaren

Red James Midgley, Patrick Thirgood and Viaan Fernando

Silver – Miller Exintaris and Will Smith

Violet – Ted Macpherson, Sawyer Martinez and Sebastian Rokonayalewa

White – Aaron Doyle and Jack McCurry

Primary Athletics Carnival will take place Monday, 23 June – McMahon and Hayden Ovals. All Year 5&6 boys are expected to attend in their College Sports Uniform. Parents are welcome to attend.

If your son will be attending school and is unable to participate due to illness or injury, please notify Primary Reception primaryreception@marash.qld.edu.au.

All other absences are to be logged on the Parent Portal following normal procedures.

Hats, sunscreen and water bottles are extremely important, teachers will have sunscreen available for boys to reapply, and the boys are expected to take responsibility to ensure they stay sun safe and hydrated.

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

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.

Primary Athletics Age Championships

Nominations will close Friday, 20 for boys wishing to compete for Track and Field Age Champion.10 Years (born 2015), 11 Years (born 2014) and 12 Years (born 2013).

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

Boys may also nominate to for 1500m and discus, both of which are not part of T&F Age Championship but are district events.

Marist Primary Track & Field Age Championships Nomination

Term 3 AIC Sport

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 Parent Orbit App.

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

Basketball – Maximum 40 boys / grade

Uniform: Marist Basketball singlet, Marist Sport shorts & blue Marist Sport socks

Fixtures Friday evening.

Training twice / week.

Basketball Trials

Year 5 & Year 6

Friday – Champagnat Centre & Multipurpose Courts – 3:30 – 5:00pm

Tennis – Maximum 8 boys / grade

Uniform: Marist Tennis polo, Marist Tennis shorts & white Marist Sport socks

Fixtures Saturday morning – please be aware that there may be Friday evening fixtures in 2025. Training twice / week.

Tennis Trials

Year 5

Thursday – 6:45–8:15 AM

Year 6

Friday – 6:45–8:15 AM

Rugby League – Maximum 30 boys Year 5 and 34 boys Year 6

Uniform: Marist rugby league jersey, Marist rugby shorts and Marist team sport socks

Fixtures Saturday morning. Training twice / week.

Rugby League Trials

Year 5

Saturday – Hayden Oval – 8:30am

Year 6

Thursday – McMahon Oval – 3:30 – 4:45pm

AIC Track and Field

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

These meets are conducted as time trials for boys wishing to qualify for AIC Championships.

• Thursday, August 28
• Wednesday, September 3
• Thursday, September 11
• Wednesday, September 17

AIC Championships – Thursday, 9 and Friday, 10 October – QSAC.

Uniform: Marist Athletics singlet, Marist Sport shorts & white Marist Sport socks

Track and Field training begins in Term 3, T&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.

Term 2 AIC Sport

Rugby

Football

Chess

AIC Chess – Round 7 vs Padua College

Sports Training and Clashes

With a myriad of opportunities on offer for the students, clashes are unavoidable but never a problem if communicated.

Families are reminded that cocurricular activities should not impede on any student’s academic performance.

If sports training clashes with music or morning tutoring it is asked that boys alternate from week to week.

Sports Photographs

We are always on the look-out 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.

Parent Orbit App

Please ensure that you download the Parent Orbit app to your smart phone. This app will be used to inform you of sporting fixtures, cancellations and bus arrival information.

Late Pick Up After Sports Training

“PLAN B”

It is important that both parent and student are aware of the pick-up procedure if afternoon sports training is cancelled or if parents are running late for pick-up. As soon as a decision is made to cancel a sporting fixture or training, a message is placed on the Parent Orbit app. If training is cancelled, boys can remain in the primary school or walk to an arranged pick-up point when the time arrives.

Afternoon sports training sessions are scheduled to finish by 4:45pm. We ask that boys are picked up at this time. Any boy who is still at their training venue at 5:00pm will be directed to the After Hours Boarding Reception area / College Health Centre so that he may be collected from there. After Hours Boarding Reception can be contacted on 07 3858 4619.

In the case of bus arrivals from external sporting venues, boys will be sent to After Hours Boarding Reception 15 minutes after the bus arrives back at the College. Parents are asked to collect their sons from this location.