From the Head of College

Mr Michael Newman

World Youth Day Reflection

The World Youth Day at Lisbon occurred earlier in August with some 60 000 young people in attendance. What an amazing event World Youth Day has come to be. To have so many young people, joined by faith from all around the world, united to hear and be inspired by their leader, Pope Francis, is inspiring and hopeful. I can only imagine how Pope Francis may have felt having to say something of meaning, that would captivate a young audience to inspire them in their faith. In his first address, he gave his young listeners these practical thoughts: He encouraged the young people gathered to consider how they live inclusivity in their own lives, i.e., their ‘in’ and ‘out’ groups and to ask questions about why they might be accepting of one group but not another. He told the young people present to keep asking questions as to why we sometimes exclude people.

In a second address, Pope Francis spoke to the perceptions and esteem each young person gathered should have of themselves. In doing so, he encouraged them in the most simple and humble way to believe that God loves you as you are, and to trust in the Father’s love, and Mary our mother. I quote:

“I encourage you to reflect on the beautiful fact that God loves us.

God loves us as we are, not how we want to be or how society wants us to be.

As we are!

He calls us with our faults and failings, our limitations, and our hopes in life.

That is how God calls us.

Trust, because God is a father and a father who loves us.

This is not very easy.

And for this reason, we need a great help, the mother of the Lord.

She is our mother too.

She is our mother.”

Wednesday 3rd August 2023

World Youth Day, Lisbons

God of love, we pray for all the young men of Marist and all young people of the world that they may believe in their own God-given goodness, and with Jesus and Mary make a difference in our world. Amen.

Marist Teacher Attends

Marist teacher and Boarding Co-ordinator Mr Brad Winchester attended World Youth Day in Lisbon. He shared some of his experiences and his developed understanding of a Marist spirituality which is practical, down-to-earth and centered around living a positive life as a better Christian person.

”I had the privilege of participating in the 'Young Marist Emerging Leaders Pilgrimage' held in Lisbon, Portugal this year. Alongside me were seven other young teachers from various parts of Australia, accompanied by two experienced Marist Brothers. The pilgrimage commenced with an enriching experience at the Marist Youth Gathering, hosted at the 'Maristas' school in Carcavelos. This leg of the journey brought me face-to-face with fellow young educators and youth ministers from around the globe. Through collaborative group activities and listening to Marist Fathers, Brothers and Sisters, it made the experience memorable.

World Youth Day marked the heart of our journey. This was eye opening as over a million individuals from across the world flooded the streets of Lisbon to express their faith. Some of the highlights of World Youth Day were the Welcome Ceremony and the opening Mass where Pope Francis spoke to the pilgrims gathered. There were many interesting workshops that were accessible throughout the 7 days.

Our journey concluded in Lyon, France at the Hermitage. Here, I delved deeper into Marcellin Champagnat's story who was the visionary behind global Marist Education. Exploring sites like La Valla, his first home, and retracing his steps back to the Hermitage was a remarkable experience, concluding the pilgrimage in a special way.

I'm truly thankful for the opportunity to have deepened my faith and gained insights into Marist education during this remarkable journey. This opportunity provided me with a deeper understanding of Marist Education, and what it takes to be a leader within our schools.”

Year 9 and 10 Retreats 2023

Best wishes to all boys in Years 9 and 10 who will be attending their respective retreats this Thursday and Friday 24th and 25th August, respectively. These retreats are always enjoyed by the boys as retreat facilitator, Mr Michael Fitzpatrick skillfully leads the boys through reflection, contemplation, and prayer with their peers. The boys discuss relationships, leadership, journey, and their story with God. My thanks are extended to our Assistant Head of College Mission - Mrs Anna Nasr who has organised this opportunity for the boys and the Religious Education teachers who will be joining the boys for these retreats. Enjoy, gentlemen.

Year 12 Mock Exams

All Year 12 ATAR eligible boys will be undertaking their postponed mock exams from Monday 28th August - Wednesday 6th September which will include a mock external exam for every General subject. Students will return to normal classes from Thursday 7th September until the end of the term at 3:10pm on Thursday 14th September. The schedule for these mock exams was released late last week. This information was also emailed late last week and can be found within the Parent Portal under the Exam and Assessment tile. Good luck, gentlemen and do study diligently at this very important time of your academic studies.

Year 9 Exam Block

All Year 9 boys will be completing their examinations from Monday 28th August - Thursday 31st August. This information was also emailed late last week and can be found within the Parent Portal under the Exam and Assessment tile. These exams form part of the formal assessment for Term 3 subjects. Good luck with your revision and the actual exams. My thanks are extended to our Curriculum Team led by Ms Jen Smeed (Deputy Head of Learning and Teaching) and Mrs Roxanne Rosenberg (Assistant Head of Learning and Teaching – Middle School) and all Year 9 teachers for preparing and organising these exams for the boys. Good luck boys.

Father’s Day Breakfast

The annual Father’s Day Breakfast will be held on Thursday 31 August from 6:45am-8:15am at the McMahon Oval Grandstand. The morning will include breakfast and addresses from Matthew Webster, Board Director of Meals on Wheels Queensland and myself. We wish all dads a happy Father’s Day and we look forward to sharing this important time with you and your son on Thursday week. Tickets to the Breakfast can be purchased here: https://events.humanitix.com/2023-father-s-day-breakfast. I look forward to joining you for this annual event.

Madonna King and John Rouse Presentation

Marist College Ashgrove is pleased to host a night with Madonna King and Old Boy, John Rouse. Madonna King is one of Australia’s most accomplished parenting journalists and John Rouse, a detective Inspector, who for three decades headed up Taskforce Argos. The presentation will unmask the new world of sexual exploitation content online that too often tricks young people into being blackmailed by their perpetrator. This is a concerning world for parents to navigate with their children. This presentation will be held in the Champagnat Centre on Wednesday, 13 September at 6:00pm. Bookings for this presentation can be made here: https://events.humanitix.com/madonna-king-and-jon-rouse-visit-marist-college-ashgrove. I highly recommend this presentation to all parents.

Queensland Catholic Colleges Music Festival

Marist College Ashgrove ensembles travelled to Villanova College from Thursday – Sunday last week for the Queensland Catholic College’s Music Festival and were extremely successful. Big Band 1, Performance Choir and Chamber Choir all achieved gold. Chamber Strings, Marist Orchestra, Symphony Orchestra, Wind Orchestra and Big Band 2 all achieved silver. There were some 1400 students involved in the festival and our students really did the College proud. Thanks to Mr Andrew Butt (Program Leader Co-curricular Arts) and all our wonderful music staff for your hard work and preparation for this event and a huge congratulations to our talented Marist performers.

Year 5 2024 Information Evening

Marist College Ashgrove welcomes some 200 new Year 5 students and their families both returning and new to the College next Tuesday 29th August. Parents/guardians of incoming Year 5 students are welcome to attend. The evening will include addresses by Mr Charles Brauer (Deputy Head of College), Mr Michael Connolly (Assistant Head of College – Primary School), Mr Anthony Graham (Pastoral Leader – Primary), Ms Jen Little (Primary Learning Leader), Mr John Lambourne (Program Leader Primary Sport) and Dr Andrew Butt (Program Leader Co-curricular Arts). This information session will cover the process required prior to the January commencement day and information on our learning and teaching, sport, performing arts, and college procedures once we commence. The evening will begin at 5:45pm with drinks and nibbles supplied by our ever-generous and inclusive Parents and Friends Association. We look forward to welcoming all our new and returning families on Tuesday week. We thank Mr Michael Connolly (Assistant Head of College – Primary and his team who have organised and will facilitate the evening. Welcome Year 5 families for 2024.

Karting Challenge 2023

The 2023 Karting Challenge will be held on the 25th August at the Ipswich City Dirt Kart Track at Willowbank. This is a very special year as it is our 10th year anniversary of the competition, and we hope to retain the trophy that has had Marist College’s name on it for more than half the years (6 from 9 years) that we have hosted - no pressure, of course!

The event was originally started in 2014 by the “Smith Family” as an activity to engage students who were disengaged from learning and a way to connect industry with schools to foster learning partnerships and possibly provide career paths for those students. This was originally a Boarding recreation activity but has moved into the curriculum as a feeder project to the Year 12 Formula Student Race Car Project which is within the same Certificate II Engineering course.

We thank our sponsors, Bruce Lewis and Craig Heufel from “Onguard Safety Training” in advance for their ongoing commitment to supporting this event again this year. Their enthusiasm and expertise for the event is very much appreciated and the trophies and medallions supplied by “Onguard Safety Training” provides all entrants with a memento of the day which they will never forget.

Special thanks must also go to Angela and Brett from the Ipswich City Dirt Kart Club, Noone Clothing for their support with team shirts and to Mel Noonan from “Mel Noonan Creative” for providing the photography on the day.

We look forward to a strong team effort from our three Marist College teams that are entered and know they will do their best on the day. My thanks are extended to Mr Andrew Devoy (Curriculum Leader – Technologies) for all his planning and preparation for the day, along with Adrian Gray, Peter Gaiter, Brian Dougherty and Nurse Liz Dangerfield who will support us at the track on Friday. Good luck, gentlemen.

Boarding Tour

This week, two of our Boarding Leaders - Ty Casey and David Finch are travelling to AgQuip in Gunnedah where they will join over 130 exhibitors showcasing more than 3000 products and services. AgQuip is Australia's largest premier primary industry field days, and this year is celebrating 50 years. It's an event that we are proud to support each year and provides us with a great opportunity to catch up with our current, past and prospective boarding students. If you are in the Tamworth/Gunnedah area this week, please come and visit us!

Vintage Lunch 2023

The 2023 Vintage Lunch was held on Friday 18 August for Old Boys’ who had left the College for more than 40 years. 140 Old Boys attended a Mass in the Chapel of Our Lady and St Marcellin Champagnat followed by a meal together in the Boarder’s Dining Room. The Mass was celebrated by Old Boy Fr Isaac Falzon. At the conclusion of the Old Boys lunch, Br Neville Solomon, Past Headmaster of Marist College Ashgrove was inducted as an Honorary Life Member of the Marist College Ashgrove Old Boys’ Association. We continue to thank our most generous and loyal Old Boys who continue to support the boys in their education at our College.