Boarding News

We hosted a sleepover experience for a large number of our future Year 7 boarders last weekend. These boys enjoyed a full boarding experience for three nights which included the traditional Thursday night singing practice, war cry practice, supporting our Marist College Ashgrove 1sts Rugby League and Basketball teams and all of the recreation organised over the weekend. The recreation included a trip to Bounce (trampolining centre), a ‘Top Up’ fitness session, a bushwalk and a swim, and a day trip to MovieWorld. The 2026 boys also attended an orientation day at school last Friday which helped them to learn many of the key things they need to know about their new school for next year. Our current boarders did a great job (as they always do) welcoming the sleepover boys and we all look forward to these boys joining us as new Year 7 boarders at the start of next year.

All boys will be busy this week completing exams and other assessment, with the exception of the Year 9s who are away on camp. Our Senior Academic Supervisor, Mr Monk, has done a wonderful job of targeting subject-specific help sessions for our boarders in the different year groups in the lead-up to their exams. Mr Monk has also put together a list of boarders at risk academically and this has been communicated confidentially to our Boarding Tutors so that they can seek out these boys and offer them additional help. Each night the boarders are in supervised study and this provides both the environment and support to allow each boy to achieve to his best standard. I encourage you to check in with your son about his study for exams and encourage his full engagement in this process.

A number of boys have enquired about the possibility of leaving a bit early before the end of the term. It is always our preference that boys finish the school term to ensure they do not miss important learning, but we understand there are many factors to balance at the end of a term at boarding school. If boys want to depart before the end of term, they have been told they must get a permission form from the Academic Care Team and have all teachers sign off to say that they will have finished exams and that all other assessment has been submitted. Parents are asked to follow the usual process of submitting a leave request on REACH to note the departing date, time and method of departure.

Boarding Recreation - Mr Blair Whitlock

It was a busy weekend of rec with the student-free day on Friday and a group of 2026 boarders coming in for their weekend boarding experience! On Friday morning the La Valla and Montagne boys headed down to the Enoggera Reservoir for a bush walk and swim. We are so lucky to have such a beautiful natural space so close to Marist and were able to spot dozens of turtles, two goannas and a tree snake during our walk on the Araucaria 5 km circuit. After a quick lunch at school a group of keen anglers headed out to Shorncliffe for some fishing on the pier. A tricky cross-breeze tested the boys who ended up heading down to the platform at the end of the pier. Best on ground was Saiman KC picking up a handful of small bream but there weren’t any keepers, unfortunately. The final rec activity in an action-packed Friday was a trip out to Tingalpa for 2 hours at the Bounce trampoline park which is a favourite for many of the boys. Any remaining energy was spent with countless dunks, flips, double bounces, dodgeball and various other games!

Saturday morning kicked off with Top Ups which is a basic circuit workout for the younger boarders who aren’t involved in AIC sport to ensure they keep busy and active over the weekend. From there we headed up to the gym to support the Premier Basketball and Rugby League teams in their Round 6 matches against Villanova College. It was almost 3:00pm once the League wrapped up and the boys had a quiet afternoon in the dorms while some opted to get some extra study in ahead of the exam block. The last rec activity of the weekend was a Sunday trip down to Movieworld before bidding farewell to the boarders who will be back to join us in 2026. All in all it was a cracking weekend as we are somehow already in Week 9!