Head of Students News

Punctuality and Attendance

As with any school, the core business of Marist College Ashgrove is teaching and learning. Our purpose is to provide an education that equips students to pursue whatever goals and aspirations they may have beyond their time at the College.

We often speak about providing a holistic education. This extends far beyond academic achievement and encompasses the development of both the hard and soft skills that enable young people to thrive when they leave our gates and enter the wider world. For this reason, the College does not shy away from important conversations around uniform, punctuality, personal presentation and the way students interact with others. These are all key contributors to future success and align strongly with both our Catholic and Marist understanding of education.

This term, the College will have a particular focus on attendance and punctuality. As outlined in previous communications, we maintain an attendance expectation of 95% or above. We do so because 95% attendance equates to no more than 10 days absent from school in a year. This closely aligns with the Australian workforce, where employees typically have access to around 10 personal leave days each year to manage illness, caring responsibilities and appointments.

Unfortunately, a number of students fall well below this expectation. Attendance rates of 90% equate to approximately 20 days absent each year, while attendance of 85% or 80% can result in students missing up to 40 days of schooling annually. When considered across an entire school journey, this level of absence has a significant impact on educational outcomes, as well as student wellbeing and connectedness.

The College therefore takes a strong stance on attendance as part of our commitment to helping students develop habits that will serve them throughout their lives.

Punctuality is equally important. This includes arriving at school on time each morning, ensuring students are on campus before 8:30am and ready for the start of the school day at 8:35am. It also includes arriving punctually to every class throughout the day.

Pastoral Care Group teachers and classroom teachers have been asked to be particularly vigilant this term in reinforcing these expectations and holding students accountable when lateness becomes a pattern. Students who arrive late to school on three occasions without legitimate and documented reasons will be issued with a detention. Similarly, students who are late three times to a particular class may be issued with a detention by their classroom teacher.

We would appreciate families having a conversation with their sons about the importance of attendance and punctuality. We recognise that there are, at times, legitimate reasons for students being late or absent. However, these circumstances should not become ongoing patterns. The consequence of losing personal time through detention reflects the importance of being present and punctual for both school and class commitments.

We thank parents and carers for their ongoing support in helping us foster these important habits and expectations.

Year 11 Leadership Process

Last term, our Year 11 students began the leadership selection process as we move towards the appointment of our College Captain, Vice Captains, House Captains and Boarding Captains for the coming year.

This process has been the culmination of a journey that has developed over several years. Through the Year 10 and Year 11 ASH programmes, students have explored the many dimensions of leadership, including service, responsibility, character and the importance of leading by example. These learnings have now led students into the formal leadership selection process, where they have been invited to nominate and present themselves for the various leadership positions.

It is an exciting time for our Year 11 cohort, and we are continually impressed by the quality, maturity and commitment shown by students who are willing to step forward to serve their peers and represent the College community.

With speeches and interviews in the coming weeks, we look forward to announcing our College Captain and Vice Captains at our Assumption Mass in Week 6, with the appointment of House and Boarding Captains to follow later in the term. We congratulate all students involved in the process and thank them for their willingness to contribute to the life of the College through leadership and service.

Importance of students taking responsibility and meeting obligations!

Being 100% Marist includes taking responsibility and meeting one’s obligations. This means accepting accountability for behaviour when mistakes are made and completing any sanctions issued when actions fall short of the student code of conduct.

It is disappointing that a number of students are not meeting these expectations and appear to be forgetting that attending Marist College is a privilege, not a right. Basic expectations and responsibilities apply to all students and must be upheld.

As a result, students who fail to attend and complete assigned lunchtime or afternoon detentions will not be permitted to represent Marist College in weekend representative sport and activities. In the rare circumstance where a student is unable to attend, a letter from home must be provided in advance.

Furthermore, students who demonstrate repeated noncompliance in meeting their obligations may be required to remain at home for a period of time. A parent and student re-entry meeting will be required prior to returning to the College.

We thank parents for their continued support in this matter. As a College, we recognise that students will make mistakes. Our priority is to ensure that they learn from these experiences and grow as individuals. Meeting obligations is a key part of this process; failure to do so indicates that this learning is not taking place.