Deputy Head of College News

The ash dash you say? 

No, it’s the ASH DASH! You know?

The relay up and over the hill, ending with hay bales.

I hadn’t a clue what people were talking about when planning commenced for this year’s final House event of the year a few weeks ago. What a spectacle it turned out to be! A mixture of Chariots of Fire, It’s a Knockout and the Stawell Gift, all wrapped into one display of high-energy colour. A highlight for me, was the expert coaching offered by our Heads of Houses on how to get a hay bale down and back without it falling to pieces, just as their dreams of the House Cup may do!

Most significantly today’s ASH DASH was the reminder the event offered with highlighting the vital role our House system plays in caring and supporting our young men to their best. The vertical House system for our Year 7 to 12 students and families is 30 years old this year. This structure was introduced to the College, and to like-minded Catholic schools, to ensure priority is given to the individual pastoral care of students.

The practice of pastoral care within our Marist Family can sometimes be taken for granted. It’s part of our DNA. It’s what we do naturally without hesitation. However, this is not the case for every school community. Pastoral care is grounded in our Catholic faith tradition, whereby, the human dignity of another is to be affirmed at every turn. We see this each day when a teacher goes beyond the bells to support a student. We see this when the meal trains kick into gear when one of our families is experiencing difficulty. We see this when a teacher extends a second or a third (and sometimes a fourth!) chance for a student to do better. We see this when we spend idle time listening to each other. 

Today, at first glance we all saw the ASH DASH. By slowing down a fraction and taking a second glance we may have seen our House system in action. By pausing and gazing further into the occasion we see the intentional time, effort and energy we place in ensuring we foster a sense of community for each other. A community in which we feel valued and cared for.

The year ahead which remains (the Term 4 ASH DASH!) has an abundance of wonderful community celebrations for us to enjoy. Amid the haste and noise, may we seek to discover the essence of these occasions with encouraging and caring for others.

Year 11 and 12 Blazers

Please refer to today’s App notice for more information.

Travel Pick-up and Drop-Off

It’s imperative each of us meet our responsibilities with respect to local Council parking restrictions. 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. Additionally, the Glenlyon Road entrance and the nearby student drop-off and pick-up bay are for staff and Marist Swimming members only. This is not a general student drop-off and pick-up area. Your support with the above contributes to the safe arrival and departure of our students.

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 4: https://signup.com/go/gTXaxUA

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!