Head of Students News

Week 4 Pastoral Activities 

Week 4 was a busy and rewarding week in the pastoral space, with our Year 8 and Year 9 students participating in a range of valuable experiences designed to promote personal growth, reflection, and connection. 

On Monday, our Year 9 students took part in a Retreat Day facilitated by Michael Fitzpatrick. The day encouraged students to explore their own faith journeys, reflect on our Christian values, and consider how these values can help them engage positively with others. By all accounts, the day was a very positive and meaningful experience for those involved. 

On Tuesday and Wednesday, our Year 8 students participated in their annual Kokoda Challenge. Working in House groups, students trekked through Mt Coot-tha, where they were challenged to collaborate as a team, support one another, and build stronger connections with their peers. Alongside the physical challenge, students also learned more about the history of Kokoda and its significance within the broader story of Australian history. 

On Thursday, the Year 9 cohort participated in a Pastoral Day led by Daniel Principe, featuring three engaging and thought-provoking sessions. 

The first session focused on empathy, values, and character formation. Students explored topics such as gender stereotypes, healthy expressions of masculinity, body image, digital wellbeing, online safety, and media literacy, including critically examining popular cultural messages. 

The second session centred on building positive connections, developing integrity, courage, and respect. Students discussed romantic relationships, the influence of sexualised media, navigating increasing social and relational complexities, and strategies for responding to peer pressure in healthy and respectful ways. 

The final session focused on personal growth and confidence-building, equipping students with practical communication skills and strategies for strengthening self-confidence. Students also had the opportunity to engage in small-group discussions, workshops, and case studies, allowing them to reflect more deeply on the topics presented throughout the day. 

Overall, it was a wonderful week of pastoral experiences for our middle school students. These activities provided valuable opportunities for reflection, growth, and connection, and we hope many of the conversations begun throughout the week continued at home with families. 

Supporting Student Accountability 

At Marist College Ashgrove, we work hard to develop strong partnerships with families in the shared goal of forming young men of character, responsibility, and integrity. 

We understand that, at times, young people make mistakes. This is a normal part of growing up and learning. As the adults in our community, our role is to establish clear expectations, work alongside students when mistakes occur, and, where appropriate, implement consequences that support learning and growth. 

Recently, we have experienced an increasing number of situations where students have not followed through on formal sanctions issued by the College, such as lunchtime detentions, after-school detentions, or other disciplinary consequences. For these measures to be effective, it is important that students are supported in meeting these commitments. 

We are therefore asking families to pay particular attention when their son receives a formal sanction. These will always be communicated to families via email and, in some cases, may also be accompanied by a phone call. We would greatly appreciate your support in ensuring that your son follows through with the consequence that has been assigned, not to mention supportive conversations about the matter at home. 

In the rare circumstance that a student is genuinely unable to attend a scheduled detention or other sanction, it is important that the College receives prior notification, and an alternate negotiated. Just as in the workplace and broader community, if a person is unable to meet a commitment, they are expected to communicate this in advance. This is an important life skill that we are working to instil in our students. 

Where students fail to attend a sanction without prior notification, the matter is likely to be escalated. In such cases, the concern extends beyond the original issue to the student's decision not to follow through on a reasonable expectation and commitment. 

We thank parents and caregivers for their ongoing support in helping us develop personal responsibility and accountability in our young men. Working together, we can ensure that students learn from their mistakes and continue to grow as respectful and responsible members of our community.