Primary School News

Dear Primary Parents,

This week is a very exciting week for all boys and staff here in the Primary School. We have four Year 5 classes away at camp from Monday to Wednesday, so we wish the boys and the staff three days of experiencing new, exciting adventures and challenging themselves while they are away. While these classes are away at camp, the remainder of the classes will be moving across to the new building. This transition will happen over a number of days as shown in the details below.

Monday            5M, 6B and 6G move to the new building

Tuesday            6R, 5S and 5V move to the new building

Thursday          5B, 5G, 5R and 5W move to the new building

We will have our boys in the new building by the time Champagnat Day is celebrated on June 6. This will be our official opening and blessing of the building and our Primary boys will be very involved in the events of the day. 

Primary Reception

From Week 8 onwards, our Primary Reception will be located in the new building as well. Parents visiting the Primary School will be asked to enter via the main steps at the front of the new building and turn right where the new reception area will be located.

Champagnat Day

We are looking forward to celebrating our Founders Day with a Mass, shared lunch and games afternoon on June 6th. More information on this important date in our school calendar will be shared on Thursday. The St Marcellin Centre will be blessed and officially opened by Bishop Brian Heenan on this special day.

Year 5 Camp at Tallebudgera

Our second group of Year 5 campers embarked on their journey to Tallebudgera Outdoor Recreation Centre this past Monday. The focus of their adventure is on building resilience, fostering teamwork, and cultivating courage. Reports are coming in that they are having an amazing time, fully immersed in activities designed to challenge them and help them grow both personally and as a team. The experiences at Tallebudgera are not only about having fun but also about learning valuable life skills in a supportive environment.

Parent Survey

The 2024 Parent Survey can now be completed via the invitation emailed to you from MMG Education. We encourage all parents to complete this confidential survey to provide their feedback relating to the College across a wide range of areas. If you are yet to complete the survey, I would ask that you please try to find some time to share your thoughts with us. Thanks.

Boys Arriving Early

Each day, I see boys arriving at the Primary School as early as 7:00am. This is a very early start for the boys if they are not here to start training etc. It is important to note that a staff member is rostered on duty each day from 8:15am. The boys who arrive early are not under supervision until this time. This issue will become more of a concern when we move to the new building because currently the staffroom is on the same level as where the boys play so there are always staff coming and going through the area. I am concerned that boys are asking to be dropped off early so that they can play handball from an early hour. If you are in a position to do so, please consider not dropping your son here early if he does not need to be here prior to 8:15am. 

Primary Learning Leader – Jen Little

Please note that assessments are upon us. We strongly discourage students from taking holidays, mini breaks or external appointments during school time, especially when assessments are occurring. Below you will see upcoming assessments in Primary:

Year 5

Year 6

Please note that the Morning Study room is available to all Primary Students. In addition, there are a wealth of revision resources for students on the class One Note, Stile or the Library Guides.

Literacy and Numeracy Trophies

Please see below our winning classes for the past couple of weeks. Unfortunately, last week’s Year 5 Literacy Homework results were quite disappointing. We kindly ask parents to emphasize the importance of students putting forth their best effort on their homework. Some boys are rushing to finish quickly without focusing on quality. Your support in encouraging better work in this area would be greatly appreciated. The winning class in Year 5 for Literacy this week was 5 White.

Year 5

Year 6

Primary Sport

Mr John Lambourne – Head of Sport (Primary)

AIC Cross Country Championships

Wednesday, 29 May – St Patrick’s College – Curlew Park, Shorncliffe

Congratulations to the following boys selected to represent Marist College at the AIC Cross Country Championships.

Selection for many of these boys has been the result of months of early morning wake-ups and a countless number of kilometres.

We wish the boys all the best as Marist Primary aims to win the AIC Cross Country Aggregate trophy for the second year running.

Well done boys and good luck!

Important Event Information

Transport:

Students will be transported to and from the event via Brisbane Bus Line Bus. Staff will supervise students on the bus. 

Students are to arrive at Marist at 7:15am on Wednesday morning.

Students will meet at the College Chapel.

The bus will return at 3:10pm.

What to Bring:

• Marist Cross Country uniform. 
• Morning tea, lunch and healthy snacks. 
• Water Bottle – water tubs will be provided for use throughout the day – but boys must use their own bottle. 
• Running shoes
• College broad-brim hat. 

Race Times:

Year 5 – 10:15am – 2km 

Year 6 – 10:30am – 3km 

Presentation – 1:45pm

Post Cross Country Championship:

All squad members are invited to celebrate the season once we return to Marist with pizzas at the John Eales Grandstand. This will conclude at 4:00pm.

Term 3 AIC Sport

Sign-on for Term 3 AIC team sport is open.

Sport sign-on is accessed through the Parent Lounge.

Please remember to select "Submit to School" to ensure that the sign-on is submitted. This may not be visible on some mobile devices, in which case sign-on will need to be completed via a desktop device.

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 College 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: MCA Basketball singlet, MCA Sport shorts & Blue MCA Sport socks

Fixtures Friday evening.

Training twice / week.

Tennis – Maximum 8 boys / grade

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

Fixtures Saturday morning – please be aware that there may be Friday evening fixtures in 2024

Training twice / week.

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

Uniform: MCA rugby league jersey – please be aware that boys playing rugby league in 2024 will be required to purchase a Marist College Rugby League jersey, MCA rugby shorts & MCA team sport socks

Fixtures Saturday morning.

Training twice / week.

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 22
• Wednesday, August 28
• Thursday, September 5
• Wednesday, September 11

AIC Championships – Thursday, 3 & Friday, 4 October – QSAC.

Uniform: MCA Athletics singlet, MCA Sport shorts & white MCA 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.

Primary Athletics Carnival

Primary Athletics Carnival will take place Monday, 17 June – McMahon and Hayden Ovals. 

All Year 5 & 6 boys are expected to attend in their College Sports Uniform

Parents are welcome to attend.

As with the Primary Swimming Carnival, events will be participation/novelty based. Team meetings will be held in Week 9 for the boys to select team captains.

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 open Week 8 for boys wishing to compete for Track and Field Age Champion. Boys will compete in their age division; 10 Years (2014), 11 Years (2013) and 12 Years (2012).

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

Depending on the number of boys who nominate for each event boys may be required to qualify to participate in Age Championship events.

Term 2 AIC Sport

Rugby Union

Football

Chess

Round 6 will be the final round of AIC Chess fixtures for the primary boys, 

Chess Coaching – All boys are welcome

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

Tuesday – Room 103 – 3:20 – 4:45pm

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 team 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 which may have unavailability each week and as a result reserves are encouraged to always show up in case they are needed.

Marist Primary AIC Chess

Round 5 vs. St Laurence’s College @ Marist College

Round 5 vs. St Patrick’s College

Seb Kaminski 6R

Last Friday afternoon, when others were walking home, both our Junior A, and Junior B teams hopped on a bus to SPC (Saint Patrick’s College) to compete in yet another round of AIC chess. Though it was a very tiring trip both to and from SPC, we kept our minds sharp and fought proudly on the checkered board. After the first round had ceased, we took a break from the board and ate some well-deserved food. Whilst we were eating, we were also chatting with our fellow mates and were giving advice for the upcoming battle. As we all started to conclude our games, we began to look up slowly at the results on a massive screen. We were all rejoiced, as both our Junior A, and our Junior B teams had won. I congratulate all who participated in last week’s round, and we are looking forward to the next one.

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

College App

Please ensure that you download the College App to your smart phone. 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 boys are picked up at this time. Any boy who is still at their training venue at 5pm 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.