Primary School News

Head of Primary - Michael Connolly

Dear Parents,

I hope everyone enjoyed the long weekend and you managed to find some time to reflect on the significance of ANZAC Day. I would like to thank and congratulate the boys who marched with our community on Friday at our ANZAC Day march. I am sure it was an effort to get out of bed and attend in the showers of rain but, the boys who did this certainly did us proud with their behaviour and reverence shown throughout the march and the ceremony. A number of parents spoke with me on Saturday and remarked that the Marist boys who attended were a credit to the college with their behaviour and discipline during both the march and the ceremony. Thank you to the boys and the families who made the morning possible.

Our Lenten Appeal fundraiser on Thursday last week was a great success and I would like to thank all the families who contributed to this fundraising initiative. Our end goal was to raise as much as we could for St Joseph’s School in the Solomon Islands and the boys certainly did their bit to involve themselves in the activities on offer to help the students of St. Joseph’s.

This morning at our Primary Assembly, I encouraged the boys to learn from Pope Francis and try to be humble. To go about their work quietly, trying to always think of others. I reminded them that there will be teams selected over the next two weeks in various sports and all boys are encouraged to act humbly and think of others during this time. Mr Lambourne also spoke to the boys about the reasons we play sport here at the college. It is to participate; to represent the college and it is a wonderful opportunity to make connections with other students in the cohort.

I trust that the parent teacher interviews have been a positive experience for all parents and that the boys have some goals to aim for during the term ahead.

I wish everyone an enjoyable Week Two in the Primary School.

Primary Learning Leader - Jen Little

The Importance of Reading:

Given the relative newness of the term, I thought it would be timely to engage you with some interesting statistics on the importance of reading. Ideally, students should spend about 20 minutes reading each day as part of their routine homework. While some boys are passionate readers who can't put a book down, others find it a continuous challenge. For those in the latter group, it's highly recommended to incorporate reading into their daily routine, as it helps establish valuable lifelong habits. Over time, these routines can become second nature and even enjoyable.

Given the information below, I cannot stress enough the importance of nightly reading for our Primary students. Please reach out if you require any assistance with finding suitable reading materials for your sons. The library staff will be a wonderful asset for you.

According to wordsrated.com:

• 15 minutes of daily reading can make people feel 69% more accomplished, 55% more relaxed and 33% happier.
• 30 minutes of reading can lower heart rate, blood pressure and reduce feelings of distress.
• Compared to non-readers, regular readers have on average been found to have around a 50% increase in both vocabulary and fact-based knowledge. Students who read for 20 minutes daily are exposed to around 1.8 million words annually.
• On standardised tests, they are more likely to score in the 90th percentile.
• Children whose parents read to them frequently are 3 times more likely to be frequent readers themselves.
• Achieving good grades at the age of 16 can be increased by 90% from just 10 minutes of reading each day.

According to postpress.com.au:

• Bill Gates, the principal founder of Microsoft, reads 50 books a year – almost a book a week.
• When asked how he learned to build rockets, future-thinker and technology entrepreneur Elon Musk said, “I read books.”
• Mark Zuckerberg, creator of Facebook, has made it his mission to read a book every two weeks.

At Marist College Ashgrove Primary School, we encourage a love of and commitment to reading by:

• Teaching the Fly and Hunt process in formal library lessons and in class
• ASH Reader Challenge
• Attendance at Brisbane Writer’s Festival for nominated students
• Incorporating guided and shared reading into our literacy program
• Incorporating Novel Studies in English
• Organising and engaging in Book Week Celebrations that include author visits
• Opening the school library before school and at both breaks
• Marist Reading Night

Primary Pastoral Leader - Anthony Graham

It has been wonderful to see the boys return to school in such high spirits and wearing their full formal uniform with pride. A big thank you to our families for your support in ensuring the boys are dressed appropriately, including their blazers and formal hats when travelling to and from school. The boys are looking incredibly smart and setting a strong standard across the College.

As part of our Men of Courage program, our Year 5 boys have continued exploring the Friendology program. This week, they are focusing on understanding the difference between tricky social situations and behaviour that is "mean on purpose," while developing practical strategies to navigate these moments confidently and respectfully.

Meanwhile, our Year 6 boys have been unpacking the importance of values when faced with a "fork in the road" — reflecting on times when they have chosen either the right or wrong path and the lessons learned from these experiences.

Next Wednesday, our Year 5 and Year 6 students will attend a performance by Brainstorm Productions focusing on resilience, safety, and empathy — all critical life skills that complement the messages we are embedding through our Men of Courage program.

We look forward to a great few weeks ahead as the boys continue to build their character, strengthen their friendships, and develop their leadership across the Primary School.

Head of Sport Primary - Mr John Lambourne

AIC Sport Draws and Team Selections 

Marist College has the largest participation in all AIC schools and has the greatest number of teams in each year level of the AIC competition. 

In most instances each college will nominate A, B and C teams and these teams will play in their graded draws, there may also be occasions when teams match up in a D draw. Colour teams play in a supplementary draw which means that to secure games for as many boys as possible and to ensure some level of fairness in the competition, coaches and coordinators try to balance the colour teams. If a boy moves between colour teams he is not being “dropped” merely coaches are trying to keep the teams in balance. 

While I understand that this is quite complicated, and every boy wants to be selected in the best team, coaches and coordinators do all that they can to ensure that all boys get a game and that boys are picked in teams commensurate with their ability. 

I appreciate your support in respecting coaches and team selections. 

Achievements 

Congratulations to Will Jackson (6G) and Jack Rayner (6B) who have been selected to represent Marist College at the Queensland School Sport State AFL Championships (10-12 Years). 

Congratulations to Kai Mackenna (5W), Benji Robertson (6V) and Anderson Wild(5G) who were selected in the Brisbane Metro team that competed in the state titles over the holidays for Little League Baseball in the Major Team - Division 1. 

Congratulations to Liam Tamer (6V) and Josef Windisch (5G) who have represent Marist College at the Queensland School Sport State Squash Championships. 

Marist Primary Cross Country 

Results:

Colour Champion 

• 1st - Blue 
• 2nd - Maroon 
• 3rd - Silver 

Year 5 Race 

• 1st - Kai McKenna (5W)
• 2nd - Luca Bryant (5W)
• 3rd - Rylann Boyter (5S) 

Year 6 Race 

• 1st - Miller Exintaris (6S)
• 2nd - Charlie Taylor (6W)
• 3rd - Sawyer Martinez (6V) 

10 Years Age Champion 

• 1st - Ryan Wallington (5B)
• 2nd - Cooper Kadri (5R)
• 3rd - Jimmy Scalongne (5R) 

11 Years Age Champion 

• 1st - Geordie Egerton (5G)
• 2nd - Leo Mylne (5B)
• 3rd - Alex Dunbar (5M) 

12 Years Age Champion 

• 1st - Daniel Sadimenko (6R)
• 2nd - Jack McCurry (6W)
• 3rd - Will Davies (6S) 

Term 2 AIC Sport 

Rugby - Training Schedule 2025 

Football - Training Schedule 2025 

Sports Training and Clashes 

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

Families are reminded that co-curricular 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 

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 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.