From the Acting Head of College

Mr Charles Brauer

What stands out?

What stands out to you? The opportunities. The caring environment.

This question and these answers were a common feature of my conversations with visiting families at last Friday's Head of College Tour morning. I'm forever curious as to both the impressions we provide to prospective families and where their attention is drawn. Together, they provide insight regarding what they value for the education of their son and how this aligns with how we provide for this.

The conversations last Friday were extremely affirming of how we walk the talk by providing an authentic and rigorous whole and full education for young people. Our Year 11 hosts personified the 'stand outs' to our guests - they were welcoming, encouraging, honest, insightful, generous, humble. Furthermore, our Year 11 hosts shone a light on a key 'stand out' upon which we focus much time and effort - enabling each individual student growth to the fullest extent.

The commencement of exams this Friday for Years 10 and 12, with other Year levels in quick order next week, and the annual NAPLAN testing for Years 5, 7 and 9 provides each of us the opportunity to support our students to their best. Our teaching staff are working hard to refine the preparation for these exams and testing. I encourage each individual student and their parents to continue this hard work whilst studying at home. Focusing on renewing study timetables, prioritising school work, eating well and sleeping well should all be a priority of households for the next two weeks.

Task-specific feedback on assessment tasks for students in Years 7-10 will be available for parents via the Parent Lounge from the afternoon of Thursday 28 March.

Harmony Day at Marist

Our Marist Family will celebrate Harmony Day tomorrow, taking time at College Assembly to listen, share and celebrate the diversity of cultures and perspectives that exists within our community. In particular, we’ll participate in a traditional Welcome to Country from local Aboriginal man Aaron Ruska, we'll witness a traditional Pacific Islander dance by our students and share our College prayer in the array of first languages that exist amongst our students.

I’d like to share with you the words College Captain Dom Forbes will offer our assembly tomorrow. Not only will it provide some insight into the messaging to our students, I hope it provides all of our Marist Family.

The theme of Harmony Week this year is Everyone Belongs. We know that really belonging to a community doesn’t mean leaving our cultural identity behind. We will soon hear how this is true for Cyrus, who is going to tell us his story of coming to Australia. And we’ll see an expression of cultural identity in a dance performance from some of our Pacific Islander students.

In our scripture reading today, the Holy Spirit enters the Apostles, giving pilgrims from all the world the gift of understanding in their own languages. This reading reminds us how people can united by a common purpose, yet remain uniquely themselves. Cultural harmony is not about putting different cultures in a blender. Our differences make us stronger.

This land has been home to Aboriginal people for thousands of years and theirs is the oldest, longest surviving culture in the world. We recognise that Australia was established without due respect to First Nations culture. Harmony Week encourages us to keep working towards reconciliation and recognition of First Peoples, and listening to and learning from their stories.

The Australia we know today exists because of waves of migrants who came here with hearts full of hope. There was a time when our country was hostile towards people who came from other countries, and many migrants were too fearful or ashamed to share their language, customs and beliefs. Today, fortunately, people are free to express their cultural identity without shame or fear. All people are welcome, no matter what part of the world they come from, what language they speak, food they eat, or religion they practice.

Throughout our College and especially in our boarding dormitories, we have students who have come from across the Asia-Pacific and beyond.

As part of our Harmony Week celebrations, we will be invited to show our cultural heritage by placing a sticker on a map. We might be surprised to discover how many countries and cultures are represented in our College.

So, during Harmony week and every week, let’s respect and recognise cultural diversity at Marist this week, remembering that Everyone Belongs.

Online Safety

As parents and caregivers, the College encourages conversation around social media at home. Please take the opportunity to reiterate the importance of dignified and respectful interactions whilst online with your sons. The College continues to work with our students about safety online and respectful relationships in several areas including through our ASH program.

AIC Fixtures

This weekend sees the last round of AIC fixtures for Term 12024. In attending games of AFL, volleyball, and cricket, as well as being poolside with our swimmers at different times across the term, the highlight for me has been the spirit in which our boys enter their competitions. Of course, the boys want to win, and, in many cases, they do; however, the spirit they display as young Marist men – win or lose – has been great to see. I thank the boys, and their coaches and managers for the hours of training and competing across the term. Thank you also to the family and friends who support the competitions each weekend, encouraging the Marist values to be present in all actions and interactions.

AIC Sport Code of Conduct

Fundamental to the AIC, is our belief in inclusion and fellowship and the role we each play in fostering this. As a parent, spectator or official, we need to ensure we are welcoming to all involved and treat them with the greatest levels of respect, protecting the rights, dignity and worth of every person regardless of diversity. The AIC provides a Code of Conduct for parents/guardians, spectators, coaches and officials which can be found here.

The AIC supports all efforts to remove poor behaviour from sporting events. In the event that a parent or spectator feels the need to notify the AIC of inappropriate behaviour, they should firstly notify the venue official/College representative at the venue. Following this, any complaint should be then directed to their son's coach, College Head of Sport or the appropriate member of the College Leadership Team.

Travel and Parking

A reminder as the term draws to a close, student travel home and attendance at sport training continues before and after school, it's imperative each of us meet our responsibilities with respect to safe driving and car parking. Please ensure you follow all signed parking instructions. By way of example, parking over yellow lines along the Glenlyon Road exit to the College causes much congestion and is unsafe for our students, neighbours and other drivers. This could also attract the unwanted attention of council parking officials who are issuing tickets to illegally parked cars. Each afternoon Frasers Road sees a number of buses, cars and student pedestrians from both Marist and surrounding schools. Your support with and driving through this area with an extra level of awareness and care will greatly assist in a safe passage home for all.

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