Primary School News

Dear Primary Parents,

Last week, we held both our Primary Cross Country and our Primary Swimming Carnivals under blue skies on Friday. The day was a wonderful opportunity to get our boys to mix across the year levels to encourage effort and celebrate teamwork. The cross-country course was designed to be a challenging run of either 2km or 3km, depending on what level the boys competed in. The hill up beside the pool, affectionately known as Heartbreak Hill, was a test of endurance and required the boys to put in a big effort at that stage of the run. What I was most impressed by was the number of boys who were running their hardest right to the end of their race. The support from the grandstand was also excellent. 

The swimming carnival provided another opportunity for the boys to develop team spirit and support each other in pursuit of points for their team. The feedback from the boys was overwhelmingly positive with most stating that the novelty events were something they had never experienced at a swimming carnival before, and these events were a highlight of their day. The two carnivals ran smoothly, and this is a testament to all the primary staff who assisted on the day by running events, supervising students or recording scores. 

Last week, I shared my belief that Term Two is the busiest term for our Primary boys and after walking around The Flats on Saturday morning, watching football and rugby trials (after a big Friday of activity), nothing I saw has changed my mind! Thank you for getting your sons organised and resourced for everything that is timetabled or calendared during these busy weeks. I look forward to seeing many of you over the coming weeks.    

Anzac Day March

As mentioned last week, all Primary boys are invited and encouraged to join us for the ANZAC Day March on Thursday morning. Boys are asked to wear their formal Winter uniform, including their formal hat, and their blazers. The meeting time is 7:15am in the grounds of St Finbarr’s School at Ashgrove. There are many boys who will be involved in various other events on Thursday morning, and I wish them well for these.

Primary Pastoral Leader – Anthony Graham 

In our recent technology classes, we discussed the critical importance of managing one's digital footprint and the implications of online behaviours. It has come to our attention that several students are using social media applications like Instagram and TikTok, which have a minimum age requirement of 13 years. As digital citizens, it is vital for students to understand the responsibilities associated with using these platforms and to comply with age restrictions. Parents are encouraged to monitor their child's app usage to ensure it aligns with these guidelines, helping to foster a safe and responsible online environment.

Camp Reminder for Year 5 Students

Just a quick note to remind Year 5 students and their families about the upcoming camp. Students in 5 Maroon, 5 Silver, and 5 Violet will be departing on Monday 29 April, while the remaining Year 5 classes will follow on Monday 27 May. Parents are asked to drop their child off at the bus stop from 7:15am. Any later than 7:45am, parents are asked to use the Moola Road drop-off and walk down to the bus stop. Boys will stay at the bus stop and Hayden Oval and will not go back up to the classroom prior to departure. Please ensure all belongings are clearly labelled and that you pack appropriately for the activities planned. Should you have any questions regarding the camp, feel free to reach out to the respective class teacher or Mr. Graham for more information. Let's get ready for an exciting and educational experience outdoors!

Lost Property

After the sports extravaganza on Friday, we have a lot of lost property left behind. Rash shirts, hats, goggles and towels are common items that were left behind. If your son is missing anything, please ask them to pick it up on the seat in the quad area. They have also been reminded here at school. 

Primary Sport - Mr John Lambourne

Achievements

Congratulations to Mitch Belyea (6R), Jack Rayner (5R), Harry Stevens (6G), Lachie Widt (6V) and Harry McConnell (6W) – shadow, who have been selected to represent Met North AFL 10-12 Years at the upcoming Queensland School Sport State Championships.

Roman Krutil (6B) attended Round 2 of the Australian Karting championship in Seymour, Victoria where he finished 3rd, out of 66 competitors from Australia and New Zealand, in a fiercely contested race. This places Roman 3rd overall in the National Championship with three rounds to go.

Marist College Sporting Expectations

At Marist we often talk about being 100% Marist 100% of the time. This means that we represent our school with pride, no matter the situation. The boys are constantly reminded of the importance of representing our college with pride on the sporting field. Win, lose or draw they should do it well. In the competitive environment of schoolboy sport, this can sometimes be challenging. However, at Marist, we are known by the very high standard of which we hold ourselves to. The three violets of humility, simplicity and modesty provide us with a constant reminder of the people we should be. The image below, developed by the AIC schools, also provides a reminder of the expectations for all parents and spectators. 

Sports Training and Clashes

With the myriad of opportunities on offer for the students’ clashes are unavoidable but never a problem if communicated. Families are reminded that co-curricular 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.

Marist Primary Cross-Country

Results

Colour Champion

1st        Blue – 4085

2nd      Gold – 4570

3rd       Violet – 4827

Year 5 Race

1st        Spencer Davis-Dodd (5V)

2nd      Lewis Shirley (5W)

3rd       Harry Geraghty (5M)

Year 6 Race

1st        Sam Mellifont (6R)

2nd      Will Weight (6W)

3rd       Aidan Field (6V)

10 Years Age Champion

1st        Thomas Laherty (5V)

2nd      Taylor Milligan (5B)

3rd       Ben Crerar (5W)

11 Years Age Champion

1st        Owen Ambrose (6G)

2nd      Riley Freer (6V)

3rd       Daniel Sadimenko (5M)

12 Years Age Champion

1st        Finn Beaver (6G)

2nd      Fred Little (6B)

3rd       Nick Bray (6W)

Marist Primary Swimming Carnival

Results

Colour Champion

1st        Blue – 2236

2nd      Gold – 2089

3rd       Violet – 2033

Term 2 AIC Sport

Rugby Union

Football

Cross Country

Training – Monday, Wednesday & Friday

Venue: McMahon Oval

Time: Training starts at 7:00am sharp. Students are to arrive at 6:45am and sign into the session with their student ID card.

Chess

Charles Scarcella – Primary Chess Coach

Chess Coaching – All boys are welcome

Monday – Primary Library – 7:15 – 8:20am

Tuesday – Room 103 – 3:20 – 4:45pm

The first round of AIC Chess begins this Friday, 26 April, and Marist is facing Villanova at home. We expect a challenging first round so please make sure everyone continues to practice hard in preparation.

The Marist Primary AIC Chess team is divided into three separate teams, Junior A, Junior B and Junior C, along with reserves. The competition for the places in the Primary Chess teams is quite tough, with almost double the number of boys at chess compared to the number of spots available in the team.

To give as boys as possible the opportunity to compete, the Junior C team will be rotated each week, allowing for all boys that want to compete in AIC Chess an opportunity to represent Marist. The Junior A and Junior B teams will remain for the Top 8 players. It is important to note, however, that reserves are always needed as it is highly likely that there will be at least one player who may have unavailability each week and as a result, reserves are encouraged to always show up in case they are needed.

I am looking forward to coaching the boys and seeing their improvement over the term, and if you have any inquiries regarding the teams or the chess season please feel free to email myself or Mr Lambourne.

Charles Scarcella - cms.scarcella@gmail.com

Sports Photographs

We are always on the lookout 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.

College App

Please ensure that you download the College App to your smartphone. This app will be used weekly 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 College 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 the boys be 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.