Primary School News

Dear Primary Parents,

Stewardship

As we look forward to celebrating the opening of our new St Marcellin Centre, I took the opportunity last week to meet with each group of boys, as they moved in, to emphasise the importance of being good stewards of our remarkable space. Stewardship means taking responsibility for maintaining and caring for our environment and our facilities, ensuring it remains a welcoming and functional place for everyone now, and in the future. In simple terms, I asked them to take good care of everything until the next group of boys arrive to use it. I asked the boys to commit to keeping our spaces clean, respecting the shared areas, and using resources wisely. By fostering a culture of respect and responsibility, we not only preserve the building's beauty and utility but also create a positive and sustainable environment for all who walk through its doors. I challenged them to honor this new chapter in Marist College’s history with the dedication it deserves.

I hope to see many of you at the Mass and official opening this Thursday. Happy Champagnat Day!

Primary Pastoral Leader – Anthony Graham 

Reflecting on a Memorable Camp at Tallebudgerra Recreation Centre

Our recent camp at Tallebudgerra Recreation Centre on the Gold Coast was an incredible experience for all involved. The highlight for many was the exhilarating canoeing sessions, where students not only honed their paddling skills but also enjoyed the beautiful natural surroundings. The high ropes course challenged us physically and mentally, pushing us out of our comfort zones and fostering a sense of achievement once we conquered the heights. The delicious food provided throughout the camp kept everyone energized and satisfied, making mealtimes a much-anticipated part of the day.

During our prayer sessions, we took time to reflect on the various challenges we faced during camp and discussed the strategies we used to overcome them. These moments of reflection were instrumental in building resilience and a supportive camp community. As the camps have now concluded, it's heartening to see the strong new friendships that have formed among the boys.

Upcoming Events

True Colours Day - Wednesday

A reminder that True Colours Day is this Wednesday. This is a fantastic opportunity for the boys to show off their favourite sporting team’s colours. It’s not limited to just blue or maroon for State of Origin—any team's colours are welcome!

Champagnat Day - This Thursday

This Thursday, we will celebrate Champagnat Day, a significant event in our college calendar. Boys are required to wear their full academic school uniform and bring their sports gear. In the afternoon, we’ll have a binball competition, a fun and competitive way to end the day. Boys can travel home in their sports clothes after the event.

Public Speaking

Mrs Kylie Tippins

Last Tuesday night, our Year 5 public speaking boys presented their speeches for the final time.  They entertained us with speeches about Harry Potter, bugs, interpreting how parents talk, and one young man took us back to the 80's! Congratulations to Alex Warren for being our Speaker of the Night.  All boys should be applauded for participating in public speaking for the first time.  

Round Robin Debating – MCA/SLC/ATC/PC

Mrs Robyn Brown

Our last debate for Round Robin Debating Competition was last Tuesday.

Both teams did very well with their arguments and rebuttals.

Team 1 came away with yet another win making them undefeatable throughout the competition. The team consists of Joe Campion, Cormac Gannon, Harry McConnell and Barney Armstrong. Speaker of the night was awarded to Cormac Gannon

Team 2 narrowly missed winning their debate but still proved to be a strong opponent. The team consists of Will Minahan, Jono Lutkic, Lincoln Bartlett and Dom Guinea. Speaker of the night was awarded to Lincoln Bartlett.

Well done for such a great competition boys.

Primary School Sport

Mr John Lambourne – Head of Sport (Primary)

AIC Cross Country Championships

Congratulations to all the Marist College Primary athletes for winning the AIC Cross Country Championships Primary Aggregate for the second year in a row. Special congratulations to the Year 6 team for winning their age group.

AIC Cross Country Championships Results

Year 5

Top Six Marist Placegetters

1. Daniel Sadimenko – 4th
2. Toby Patricks – 9th
3. Jack McCurry – 14th
4. Thomas Cramp – 18th
5. Aaron Doyle – 22nd
6. Spencer Davis-Dodd – 26th

Year 6

Top Six Marist Placegetters

1. Finn Beaver – 1st
2. Freddy Little – 5th
3. Riley Freer – 9th
4. Owen Ambrose – 11th
5. Nick Bray – 13th
6. Will Minahan – 15th

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 and Blue MCA Sport socks

Fixtures Friday evening.

Training twice / week.

Tennis – Maximum 8 boys / grade

Uniform: MCA Tennis polo, MCA Tennis shorts and 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 and 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 and 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

Marist Primary AIC Chess 

Round 5 vs St Laurence’s College  

Seb Kaminski 6R 

After school last Friday, our primary chess cohort had their final AIC fixture in the Draney Theatre. SLC arrived, we introduced ourselves and began our matches. Once the first match had concluded, we – as usual – had a drink and some pastries to fill us up for the next game. Though both our Junior A and Junior B teams fought well, we didn’t end our season on a good note, as both teams unfortunately lost to SLC. 

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 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.