From the Head of College

Mr Michael Newman

The Value of our Boarding Students

Earlier this year, I was speaking to a few boarding students in the dorms on arrival back from their holiday period. It is always great to see the boys returning – happy, excited and raring to go for another term. During the visit to his dorm, one Year 7 boy was telling me about the enormous size of kangaroos that he had encountered over the holidays and his interesting ordeals with them. What a treat it was to listen to his stories, however seemingly embellished they sounded! The boarding boys certainly provide us with a different perspective on our more familiar Ashgrove and surrounding Brisbane world. In fact, I would suggest that one of the secrets to this wonderful school, history and culture that permeates Marist College Ashgrove, is the presence and company that our many boarding students provide.

Linda Stade, an educational writer, speaker and consultant from Perth recently wrote a piece regarding the value of boarding students to a school. Her feature opens with, “The benefits of boarding school are not limited to the boarding students themselves. The positives that boarders bring to a school community are significant.” She goes on to outline in greater detail the many advantages boarders bring to a school community:

Having lived in unique tight-knit communities and being given a lot of real-life tasks and responsibilities on farming properties and the like, boarders demonstrate a quiet confidence, resilience and are grounded. When they are exposed to different people and ways of life, boarders tend to share their stories of country life and the environment which is invaluable learning for city dwellers. Boarders learn to be independent from living away from home and so too, foster a strong culture of independence within the school. Boarders have high levels of participation in a school because they live there and bring a great sense of fun as they tend to exhibit outside voices with big laughs and look for the plainest things to be enjoyable. Likewise, boarders have a wonderful sense of community – they are loyal, have real school spirit, pride in their school and are keen to be at everything. Boarding students don’t choose who they live with, in fact, they just have to get on with living with others leading to a sense of maturity, tolerance and patience. Finally, Linda Stade believes that boarders, with their sense of independence and resourcefulness and the way they immerse themselves in school culture often emerge as strong team players and leaders.

We are certainly grateful for the many gifts that our boarding students and their parents give to the Marist College community. With this in mind, we are looking at ways in which our day students can get to know our boarding students fully and on a more personal level. Stay tuned with more to be announced in this space over the coming weeks.

God of the journey, we pray for all our boys from the city and their country peers. May they continue to be proud students, building closer friendships and be filled with the spirit and excitement of all that Marist offers. Amen.

Biannual Marist Schools Conference 2022

Marist College Ashgrove welcomes to Brisbane, the Provincial of the Marist Brothers and Old Boy - Br Peter Carroll, National Director of Marist schools Australia - Dr Frank Malloy, Marist Brothers, Marist Heads of College from around Australia, leaders, associates and friends of Marist schools to the biannual Marist Schools Australian Conference and celebration of the sesquicentenary of Marist Education. Hosted in Brisbane this year, this event will include presentations by Prof. Br David Hall - Chair MSA Ltd Board, Dr Frank Malloy, Br Peter Carroll, Dr Sally Longley and Dr Vyom Sharma. Held at the Brisbane Powerhouse this conference will include input, liturgy and musical items presented by our students. My special thanks to Bruce McPhee, Liam Beatty, Andrew Butt, Fr Alatini, Danielle Lynch and Mena McLean who are especially assisting at the conference. All members of the Marist College Ashgrove Leadership Team will attend for varying parts of the conference. This biannual conference is important in setting the direction, expectations and culture expected in our Marist School System into the future. I thank especially Mr Mark Elliot - Regional Director of Marist Schools Australia for organising this conference with his Assistant, Mrs Helen Quirk. We look forward to welcoming our Marist friends and affiliates to Brisbane.

Year 12 Exam Block – Final Internal Assessment

The Internal Assessment Item number three examination block will be held from Monday 1st -Wednesday 3rd August. I wish all Year 12 boys the best of luck as they prepare and revise for these exams. An examination timetable was emailed to parents and students. It can be found on the Portal, under “Exam Schedules”. This is the final assessment piece which will be followed by the external exams which make up 50% for maths and science subjects and 25% for all other subjects towards each boy’s overall ATAR grade. Following this final Internal Assessment (IA) will be an important revision period, mock exams, further revision and the external examinations from Week 4, Term 4. Best wishes gentlemen with these final internal assessments (IA’s).

Year 9 Academic Conversations

The Year 9 boys will commence their academic conversations this week. These conversations provide a time for each student with their parent/s and a teacher to discuss the student’s selected subjects and future pathways. This is an important conversation as the boys now move into the senior pathways of study. My thanks are extended to Jen Smeed, Tara Franklin, Adam Knight, Ellie Kenny, Andrew Devoy, Andrew Butt, Ashleigh Morrison, Josh Mulligan, Rebecca Taylor, Kylie Bowman, Lucia Del Vecchio, Pierce Hardy, Christine Larson, Sharon Davidson, David O’Brien and Steve Littleton for undertaking these meetings with the boys and their parents.

Jumpers and Jazz Performance

Best wishes to our Big Bands 1 and 2 who will be performing at the annual Jumpers and Jazz Festival in Warwick this Sunday, 31st August. The Jumpers and Jazz Festival brings together a program of over 100 event experiences across the region during the ten days of the festival. The 2022 Jazz Band performers over this festival include - the Angela Fabian Band, The Soulmen, Dezzie D and the Stingrayz, Aaron West and the Custodians, Slips and the FW’s, Peaches and the Alphasonics, Jess Spina Quartet, The Magnificence, Big Kitty, Melody Graves and the Hokum Redemption, Mal Wood Quartet, Australian Army Ensemble, UQ Big Band and our very own Marist College Ashgrove Big Bands.

Marist boys performed mid-week in 2021, with their quality recognised leading to a further invitation in 2022 and a performance this Sunday on the main stage. If you are visiting, live locally, are a boarding parent or a past associate of the College, do make yourself known to the band and the crew on Sunday. My thanks are extended to Andrew Butt (Head of Music), for his organisation of this performance and for accompanying the boys to Warwick.

College Foundation

This Monday evening, 1st August, the College Foundation Committee meets. This meeting follows a planning day held last Saturday. The College Foundation aims to encourage the Marist College family to contribute towards the resources and facilities of the College for the future and to provide opportunities for boys who would not have previously have been able to afford a Marist education, the opportunity to do so. At present, the College Foundation supports 27 boys in their education at Marist through fundraisers such as the Champagnat Trust Sports Lunch and Tower Art Show. The Building Fund is a tax-deductible voluntary contribution payment opportunity that is presented on all fee statements and that parents are encouraged to contribute towards. Ms Cathy Stacey, our new Director of Development will be providing other opportunities for associates of the College to be involved in contributing towards our new and ambitious Masterplan into the future. My thanks are extended to all members of the College Foundation, namely: Langton Clarke (Chair), Br Dan Hollamby, Rebecca Pini, Sandra Poon, Tim Galligan and Tim Heenan.

Blue and Gold Concert

The biannual Blue and Gold Concert will be held this Thursday, 28th July at 7:00pm in the Draney Theatre. This concert proudly showcases the exceptional talent of our boys and the exceptional standard of music at the College. A highlight of the evening is the combined performances of the boys with family and friends, this year, all in a safer COVID environment. My thanks are extended to our professional music staff, namely: Andrew Butt, Megan Harmston, Catherine Wasserman, Alison Braidwood, Melanie Stewart, Darian Johns, Rhiannon Fenn, Enrico Le Mura, Vanessa Mitchell, Brodie McAllister, Caleb Colledge, Carmen Hooper, Douglas McRae, Evalyn Legried, Jamie Kennedy, Monash Lal, Sam Vincent and Laurent Dubois.

I look forward to joining you at this much anticipated music concert.

For tickets, please go to: https://events.humanitix.com/blue-and-gold-concert-2022

Head of College Tour

The Head of College Tour for Term 3 will be held this Friday, 29th July from 8:30am. We look forward to welcoming prospective families to the College to see and witness our College on a normal school day, with the usual College atmosphere. This tour includes a presentation and speeches in the Draney Theatre, a tour of College resources, a chance to ask questions to present students and a morning tea together. A reminder that Marist College Ashgrove’s major intake from 2024 will be in Year 5 with the construction of our new modern and purpose-built teaching and learning classrooms for the Primary School. Only a small number of students will obtain a place in Year 7 with boarding students given priority.

My thanks are extended to our team who have organised, prepared and will facilitate the day, namely: Meagan Loane (College Registrar), Carmen Mapri (Assistant College Registrar), Jen McNamara (Assistant College Registrar), Matthew Tarlinton, Nathan Ayre, Dane Rowe, Matthew Darch, Callum Clark, Gary Keown, Andrew Butt, Bethany Halpin, Sonia Hobbs, Sophie Tuffley, Mena McLean, Mary Stirling, Liam Beatty, Andrew Devoy, Andrew Fogarty, Derek Lennon, Christine Larsen, Jack Johnson and Denver Jensen.

Please invite any interested or prospective parents and their sons to contact our Enrolments Office should they wish to attend: enrol@marash.qld.edu.au

Year 10 Immunisations

This Thursday, 28th July during periods 1, 2 and 3 the Year 10 students will be receiving their Meningococcal ACWY Vaccination. This scheme is all part of the annual Queensland Health Schools Vaccination rollout. Thank you to Peter Serone (Head of Students) and Kelly Byrnes (PA to Head of Students) for arranging this for the boys.

Parking Around the College

I would like to remind all members of our College community that the safety of our students and neighbours is paramount when travelling to and from the College. It has been brought to my attention that a few members of our College community are choosing to ignore the parking restrictions on the streets surrounding the College. For your advice, I have been contacted by the Brisbane City Council who have advised that throughout Term 3, they will be conducting patrols to ensure safe parking for the protection of all students. Parking fines may be issued in cases where illegal parking is observed.

Book Week – Theme

Book Week will be celebrated in the Primary and Secondary Library in Week 3 from 25th – 29th July. The theme for 2022 is “Dreaming with Eyes Open” which is about stepping into your own story.

As part of Book Week, the Primary Library have facilitated an author visit from Sam Thaiday and James Colley, a costume parade and other fun activities. The Senior Library will be hosting escape rooms, a top 20 readers morning tea and Kahoot and other activities for the students during break time. Do encourage your son to visit the Library during Book Week and enjoy these activities.

I thank our dedicated and wonderful Library staff for providing these opportunities for our boys this week - Mary Stirling, Lena Crowley, Rebecca Collyer, Madeleine Midgley, Sandra Carozza, Claire-Louise Perrers, Meaghan Round and Robyn Brown.

QATSIF Graduation

Last Thursday 21st July, our Year 12 students - Jackson Tallis, Chastyn Creek, Orlando Leavy and Cadell Hendrikse attended the QATSIF Graduation Ceremony held at QUT, Kelvin Grove. The ceremony was a great opportunity for Indigenous students from right across South-East Queensland to come together and celebrate their educational journey. There were a number of special guests who spoke on the importance of education and how much of an influence each of these young people can have on their peers and wider communities. Aunty Ruth Hegarty, an Aboriginal Elder, award-winning author and patron for QATSIF, spoke about how proud she was to see so many young First Nations people in the room and left the students with the following –

“We celebrate and congratulate you as you proudly and radiantly prove your worth. You carry in your veins the blood of your ancestors that is stronger than skin colour. Your anchor is your Culture. Be strong – shine on. You are the stars that will radiate as you excel. Get out and Lead.”

I thank our Indigenous Support Teacher, Mr Dallas Williams who accompanied the boys for this graduation ceremony. Congratulations boys.

North-West District Athletics Carnival

On Wednesday 27th and Thursday 28th July, Marist College Ashgrove will be hosting the North-West District Athletics Carnival on Hayden and McMahon Ovals. Competing in the carnival are 25 local Catholic and Government Schools with over 500 students over the two days. Thank you to the convenor, John Lambourne (Head of Sports Years 5 and 6), Corey Lucas, Mitch Reid, Ben Maddox and his Year 10 Recreation students who are officials and marshals and Nathan Ayre, Rebecca Jorquera, Matt Tarlinton, Callum Clark and grounds staff for their assistance in hosting and facilitating the event. Good luck to all the Marist College Ashgrove boys competing and welcome to our visitor competitors.

May our loving God with Mary our good mother and St Marcellin Champagnat walk with all members of the Marist College Ashgrove Family.

Upcoming Events

Tuesday 26 July

Year 9 Academic Conversations - continues
Book Week - continues
Memorial of Saints Joachim and Anne, parents of Blessed Virgin Mary
Study Hall – Senior Library
Reconciliation – Chapel (Fr Alatini Kolofo’ou)
Rec Studies Golf Excursion
House Meetings Years 5-12
Foley 7’s Year 11-12
Vinnies Meeting
College Assembly - Live Streamed to Pastoral Groups
Meeting for students interested in finding out about English and Literature Extension – Senior Study

Wednesday 27 July