Deputy Head of College News

Welcome Back!

Welcome back to all members of the College community. In particular, we warmly welcome all new members, including students, staff and parents.

As is always the case, there are many questions to start the school year. Please find below some key information that parents should be aware of as we start the new year.

Streamlining Classrooms: Laptop Cases and Bag-Free Learning in 2026

From 2026, the College will provide a dedicated laptop case for students in Years 7–10 to safely carry their devices throughout the day and when travelling to and from school. This initiative will extend to Years 11 and 12 in future years, supporting a consistent and streamlined approach across the College.

Over time, our approach to student bags has evolved. Before lockers were introduced, students often carried multiple bags between classes, sometimes resembling pack horses! Today, even with lockers available, many still bring heavily packed bags into classrooms. This creates clutter, limits movement, and poses safety risks, with up to 30 bags on the floor during lessons.

To create safer, more agile learning spaces, from 2026:

• Students in Years 7–10 will no longer bring bags to classrooms or carry them throughout the day.
• All materials and school bags will be stored in the student’s provided lockers.
• Laptops will be carried in the College-provided case.

• Books may be placed inside the case or carried alongside it.

   

We know this is a change, but it reflects common practice in many Australian schools. It also helps students move more freely, reduces trip hazards, and encourages thoughtful organisation of learning materials.

In terms of roll out, Years 7 and 10 will receive their new laptop carry bag along with their laptop at the start of the year. Years 8 and 9 will be issued with the carry bag in the first week.

As with any new routine, questions may arise, and we’ll work with families and students to find practical solutions. For Health and Physical Education (HPE), students are encouraged to source an MCA drawstring bag for transporting their gear at school.

Thank you for your support as we prepare for this transition. Together, we’re creating safer, more focused classrooms for every learner.

Safe Travel and Parking

With the return of student travel to and from school and the concentration of sport training occurring before and after school, it is imperative each of us meet our responsibilities with respect to safe driving and car parking. Please ensure you follow all signed parking instructions. By way of example, parking over yellow lines along the Glenlyon Road exit to the College causes much congestion and is unsafe for our students, neighbours and other drivers. Each afternoon Frasers Road sees a number of buses, cars and student pedestrians from both Marist and surrounding schools. Your support with and driving through this area at this time with an extra level of awareness and care will greatly assist in a safe passage home for all.

Statement of Commitment to Child Safety and Wellbeing

All children and young people who come to Marist College Ashgrove have a right to feel and be safe. We are committed to the safety and wellbeing of all children and young people. We are committed to providing a child-safe and child-friendly environment, where children and young people are safe and feel safe, and are able to actively participate in decisions that affect their lives.

We have a zero tolerance for child abuse and other harm and are committed to acting in students’ best interests and keeping them safe from harm.

The College regards its child safeguarding responsibilities with the utmost importance and is committed to providing the necessary resources to ensure compliance with all relevant child protection laws and regulations and maintaining a child-safe culture.

College Child Safeguarding Officers

As part of our faith basis, duty of care obligations and legislative requirements, Marist College Ashgrove is committed to providing a safe environment to all students and to uphold their best interests and wellbeing.

With this in mind, the College has ten College Child Safeguarding Officers to whom staff, parents and students can report any instances of considered inappropriate behaviour by staff, parents or other students. Should you or your son want to report any kind of inappropriate behaviour, you may do so either in person or via one of the email addresses below.

Phill Holding - Deputy Head of College (Acting) - holdingp@marash.qld.edu.au

Gareth Kolkenbeck-Ruh - Assistant Head of College - Students (Acting) - kolkenbeckruhg@marash.qld.edu.au

Paul Blinkhoff - Assistant Head of College - Primary School - blinkhoffp@marash.qld.edu.au

Jim Noble - Assistant Head of College - Boarding - noblej@marash.qld.edu.au

Ieti Fetaliga - Pastoral Leader - Senior School (Acting) - fetaligai@marash.qld.edu.au

Michael Colquhoun - Pastoral Leader - Middle School - colquhounm@marash.qld.edu.au

Anthony Graham - Pastoral Leader Primary Years - grahama@marash.qld.edu.au

Genevieve Long - College Psychologist - longg@marash.qld.edu.au

Brodie Sheehan - College Psychologist - sheehanb@marash.qld.edu.au

Jorge Ruiz - College Psychologist - ruizj@marash.qld.edu.au

Supervision of Students Before School

The College’s formal yard supervision of students commences at 8:15am every school day.

Those boys who are attending sports training or other planned activities will be supervised by the adult(s) in charge. From 7:30am, boys are welcome at either of the libraries or the Centre for Learning Enrichment for tutoring and other assistance.

While there are always adults around the school from 7:00am in a coaching or tutoring capacity, Marist College Ashgrove does not provide formal supervision of students not attending sport training, music rehearsal or tutoring prior to 8:15am. Parents are responsible for their sons prior to this time.

Student Absentees – Parent Communication 

The College requires all absentees to be communicated via Parent Orbit. This includes all day absences, early departures and late arrivals. Instructions for adding an attendance record are set out below: 

Student Absentees – Late Arrivals 

Students are required to be at school before the first bell rings at 8:30am each morning. Students who arrive late are required to sign in at Student Admin before going to class. Parents will receive an SMS message if the student presents without an acceptable reason for being late. Note: all morning training sessions finish before 8:00am, giving students ample time to change, eat and arrive at their pastoral group on time.

Students arriving late throughout the day are required to sign in at Student Admin before going to class.

Student Absentees - Early Departures 

For students in Years 7 to 12 who are departing the College throughout the day, students must sign out at Student Admin before departing. If you would like to collect your son, please meet him at Tower Reception.

For students in Years 5 to 6, parents are required to come to Primary Reception to collect their son.

Have Your Family Circumstances Changed?

To ensure you are receiving communications from the College, please log into Parent Lounge to check and update your Address Details. These details can be found under the Parent Address menu.

As part of this process, we ask that you please check, update or add an Alternate Emergency Contact for your family. This person will be contacted should you be unavailable in case of an emergency.

Where there has been a family separation and parents now reside at different addresses, please be aware we can effectively manage separate contact details on our system without compromising communication regarding your son. In the case of separated families, it would be ideal to have an Emergency Contact listed for each parent.

Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us if you need help navigating any changes (including new family court orders or conditional communication) through the Parent Portal. Our Data Management Office, Stuart Booth is available to support you in this area. Email: booths@marash.qld.edu.au or Phone: 07 3858 4508.

Media and Communications Agreement

Please note that as per your signed enrolment agreement, unless communicated in writing to the College, you consent to the use of your son’s image, in photographic and video format, and his name in the publications of College related material. If we do not hear from you, we will assume that your preferences remain unchanged.

How Can I Help or Get Involved?

Many of our parents are keen to help in some way to contribute to the Marist community that we are so well known for. Two ways to do this are through volunteering in the College Tuckshop during the day, or through the Sports Canteens on the weekend.

If you would like to volunteer in the Tuckshop during the day, please click on the relevant link below. Our Tuckshop convenor Josie Loucas will take your details and be only too happy to welcome you into the Tuckshop volunteer family. If you are too nervous to volunteer on your own, there is always the possibility of signing up with a friend. Just let Josie know if you want to be there at the same time as a buddy and I know she will help you out. We have parents who leave at the end of their son’s schooling journey commenting on how much they loved their regular (weekly, fortnightly or even term-by-term) Tuckshop catch-up with friends over the years.

Term 1: https://signup.com/go/ZVFWidm

Term 2: https://signup.com/go/kAUjwQw

Term 3: https://signup.com/go/BQxUQqh

Term 4: https://signup.com/go/fPZxAXJ

For Sports Canteen volunteers, please keep an eye out on the App for calls to sign up. Remember – if you feel more comfortable with a friend, please rope them in and take them along. The more the merrier!