Primary School News

Holiday Time Online

Dear Primary Parents,

With the holidays just ahead, I hope that all boys will spend lots of time reading, getting outdoors and generally taking advantage of their time away from school. There is however the possibility that your son will be spending more time on a device than he is currently whilst at school. With this increase in time engaged online comes an increase in risk if there are no parameters in place around what your son can and cannot access whilst online.

Last week, I had a conversation with a staff member who had spent some time talking with Year 6 students and was concerned about the fact that these boys shared that they had apps on their phones that they are too young to have. Most concerning was the lack of filters applied to these apps to help keep these boys safe online. This staff member also commented that this resulted in the boys using language commonly used on these apps that is designed for a more mature audience than our Year 5 and 6 boys.

If you provide an internet enabled device to your son, in addition to monitoring what they are accessing, you might like to read the following tips and start a conversation with them to help keep them safe whilst online. Even though many apps have age restrictions, it is evident that a number of our boys still have these apps on their devices.

1. Understanding What’s Safe to Share: It’s easy for children to overshare without realising it - something as simple as including “MCA” in a username or enabling location settings can reveal more than they intend. Encourage your child to protect their privacy and avoid sharing personal details publicly. What they post should reflect the same care and responsibility they’d show in person.
2. Think Before You Post: We remind students that their digital footprint is lasting. A helpful test: if it’s not something they’d feel proud showing to their teacher or parents, it’s probably not the right choice to post. Even deleted content can be saved or shared by others, so thoughtful posting is key.
3. Promote Kindness and Courage Online: The Marist value of love calls us to treat others with gentleness and compassion - including in digital spaces. If your child sees unkindness or exclusion online, it’s not “dobbing” to tell a trusted adult - it’s brave, caring, and the right thing to do. Looking out for others is part of how we build a supportive community.
4. Trust Needs Real-World Roots: Remind your child that just because someone shares similar interests online - whether that’s Roblox, sports, or favourite YouTubers - doesn’t mean they are who they say they are. Connections made online should never replace real-life friendships. They should only interact digitally with people they know personally.
5. Not Everything Online is Made for Children: While TikToks, YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels can be entertaining, they often aren’t filtered for age. These platforms may expose children to swearing, negative behaviours, or inappropriate content - even if it seems harmless or funny to peers. These messages can shape how students speak and behave, sometimes without them even realising.
6. Keep the Dialogue Open: Most importantly, keep the conversation going. Let your child know you are there to listen and help - without judgement - if something online feels confusing, upsetting, or just not right. Your support and interest show them they’re not navigating these spaces alone.

I would like to wish all Primary families a safe and happy holiday break and I look forward to seeing everyone back here in the Primary School on Tuesday 15 July next term.

Primary Learning Leader – Jen Little

By the end of this week, end-of-semester reports will be accessible to all parents through the Parent Orbit App. An email notification will be sent to inform you of their release. In the meantime, teachers have already begun marking and providing feedback for Term 2 assessments, with much of the feedback already available to students. 

Our teaching staff dedicates significant time and effort to prepare this feedback, which is vital for advancing students' learning. I take this opportunity to thank them for their incredible dedication this semester to the learning of all boys. It is important for students to reflect carefully on the feedback if they are to see real improvement. 

In addition to feedback, students can track their progress by calculating their Grade Point Average (GPA). This numerical score provides a more precise comparison of their performance. For Year 5 students, this will likely be the first time they calculate their GPA, and it will serve as their baseline. Year 6 students were taught how to calculate their GPA last year, so they should already have this information saved as part of their academic record. 

To clarify, calculating the GPA involves adding up the numerical scores for each subject and dividing by the number of subjects studied. An increase in GPA compared to last year indicates progress in learning, while a decrease may suggest the need for greater effort in study and classwork. Below is a table with the numerical values for each grade to help your child calculate their GPA. 

Over the holiday period, I strongly encourage parents to work as a collective with your sons when it comes to calculating the GPA and reflecting on areas for improvement. This will help strengthen the partnership between the home and the school and assist in the meaningful setting of goals as a springboard for Semester 2. I take this opportunity to wish everyone a safe and relaxing break and look forward to seeing you all for the commencement of Term 3.  

Literacy and Numeracy Trophies 

Congratulations to the following Year 5 Classes who took out last week’s Literacy and Numeracy Competition, setting the bar high for the competition. 

Literacy – 5 Gold 80.83% 

Numeracy – 5 White 90.38% 

Year 6 did not complete any competition last week due to assessments.

Primary Sport

Mr John Lambourne – Head of Sport (Primary)

Primary Athletics Carnival

The day dawned to darkened skies, but spirits remained high as early showers cleared to reveal a beautiful winter’s day—perfect conditions for our much-anticipated Primary Athletics Carnival.

Excitement and energy were in abundance as boys arrived eager to participate. The focus of the day was on enjoyment, giving it a go, and supporting one another through fun and friendly competition.

The colour novelty events saw teams neck and neck throughout the morning, with plenty of cheering and enthusiasm on display. However, it was the Age Championship events where the competition truly came alive. The Red team showed remarkable consistency and determination, dominating across the championship events and claiming overall victory for the day. Silver placed second, with Gold close behind in third.

A heartfelt congratulations to the Red team on a well-earned win!

Congratulations also to 5 Blue and 6 Blue who were crowned Bin Ball Champions.

A sincere thank you to every boy who approached the day with great attitude and energy. Your willingness to give your best and support your team made the carnival a true celebration of participation, sportsmanship and school spirit.

Primary Athletics Age Champions will be announced at an assembly next term.

Red                  8595

Silver               6491

Gold                 5973

Blue                 5601

Violet               5494

White              5279

Maroon           4846

Term 3 AIC Sport

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 Parent Orbit 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: Marist Basketball singlet, Marist Sport shorts & blue Marist Sport socks

Fixtures Friday evening.

Training twice / week.

Tennis – Maximum 8 boys / grade

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

Fixtures Saturday morning – please be aware that there may be Friday evening fixtures in 2025

Training twice / week.

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

Uniform: Marist rugby league jersey, Marist rugby shorts & Marist team sport socks

Fixtures Saturday morning.

Training twice / week.

AIC Track & 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 28
• Wednesday, September 3
• Thursday, September 11
• Wednesday, September 17

AIC Championships – Thursday, 9 & Friday, 10 October – QSAC

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

Sports Training and Clashes

With a myriad of opportunities on offer for the students, clashes are unavoidable but never a problem if communicated.

Families are reminded that cocurricular activities should not impede on any student’s academic performance.

If sports training clashes with music or morning tutoring it is asked that boys alternate from week to week.

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

Parent Orbit App

Please ensure that you download the Parent Orbit app to your smart phone. This app will be used 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 Parent Orbit 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.