Boarding News
Mr Jim Noble, Assistant Head of College - Boarding
Marist College Ashgrove
As we head into Week 5, the term seems to be flying along and yet there is so much to cram into what remains of the 2026 school year. Our Year 12 boys continue with their external examinations and are doing particularly well with this extended period of study and the pressure that comes with it. They have set a great example for the rest of the boarders all year and this has been evident again during their exam period with their consistent effort and maintenance of high standards. I know the Year 12 boys are looking forward to their graduation on 20th November and celebrating the end of their schooling with family, friends and the school community. We wish the boys well at this busy time.
We hosted a special boarding function last week - a gathering prior to the Year 11 Social. All the Year 11 boarders and partners met in the Cyprian Pavilion to enjoy some refreshments before catching the bus to the Year 11 Social. A number of the boys’ parents and family members were able to attend to see them all dressed up for this occasion. I am grateful to Sister Bobbie Mee from our Health Centre, Mrs Belinda Kerwin and Mrs Emelia McCarthy who went to great lengths to decorate the venue, making it particularly lovely for photos. The Year 11 Social is an annual event on the school calendar and it was lovely to see our Year 11 boarders proudly dressing up and being great hosts for their partners.
Something we are very much looking forward to is the second stage of refurbishment of Br Terence Residence over the upcoming Christmas holidays. Stage 1 of this significant project happened last Christmas, and this next stage sees the bottom floor of the Residence being gutted internally and then all the rooms and living areas (including common rooms) being completely rebuilt.
Br Terence Residence is home to all our Year 12 and Year 11 boarders, and obviously the dorm that all of our younger boarders will eventually live in. As the boarders go up through the years, the boys look forward to ‘crossing the road’ to finish their senior years in this building. So, it is exciting to know that this project which has been planned for quite some time is going to come to fruition.
Below are some of the key features of this refurbishment:
- Every Year 11 and 12 boy will have his own room in Br Terence Residence (not twin shared as they have been previously)
- All rooms will have a window
- All rooms will have a door that can be closed when needing privacy
- Significant storage – lots of shelves, draws and wardrobes
- Each room is quite spacious
- All rooms will have king single beds
- The bottom floor will be freshly painted
- New carpet
- All new cabinetry
- Storage under the bed for a suitcase
- LED strip light above desks
- Bunker/coach light above the bed = reading light
- Full length mirror rebated into one of the cupboard doors
- A lockable cupboard for valuables
- Double GPO with USBa and USBc components
The College is committed to providing a high standard of accommodation for our boarders and we look forward to this second stage of the Br Terence Refurbishment enhancing the experience of our boys in the years to come.