Learning and Teaching News

A heartfelt welcome back to our families - whether your son is beginning or you can claim veteran status! Marist College Ashgrove aims to grow your son in the Marist tradition; in order to love, to learn, to lead and to serve. As part of the holistic education we offer, we are here to accompany you on your son’s journey through College in growing your young man to a man of substance.  

Please read the newsletter each week to stay informed of curriculum matters happening at the College and contact us (as per below) should the need arise. 

Congratulations to Year 12 2024  

As mentioned in the Head of College article, our Year 12 cohort of 2024 performed admirably in their exit results at the end of last year. We would like to acknowledge the grit, determination and hard work of not only the students, but the teachers, support staff, parents and carers who guided, assisted, challenged and supported these boys on their academic journey.   

 The improvements we continue to witness with our Year 12 exit results allow them all to maximise their post-school intentions – whether this be at university, through a trade or traineeship, the workforce, or other learning opportunities. We have great stories slowly coming in of boys who have achieved the aspirations they had worked towards whilst here at the College and we are proud of these young men in reaping the rewards for their application.   

For an outline of the Year 12 2024 results, please see the Head of College article.  

Academic Care Team Term 1 - 2025  

Marist College Ashgrove’s Academic Care Team (ACT) works with students to track and assist their academic growth at the College. The ACT is divided into several roles:  

• Assistant Head of College - Learning and Teaching: Mr Adam Knight. Adam oversees learning and teaching across the whole College. Along with Kathryn Badini (see below), Adam has a particular focus on the senior years (Years 10-12). Adam can be contacted at knighta@marash.qld.edu.au  
• Assistant Head of College – Learning and Teaching (Middle Years): Mrs Leigh Jackson oversees the Middle Years academic programs (Years 7–9), working closely with students and staff to ensure a successful learning journey for our boys. For inquiries, Leigh can be contacted at:  jacksonl@marash.qld.edu.au   
• Curriculum Leader - Senior Years: Ms Kathryn Badini. Kathryn primarily focuses on student tracking across the senior school (Years 10-12). This includes the Year 10 preparation programs and subject selections. She assists boys in subject selection and with their many pathway options in senior schooling. Kathryn can be contacted at badinik@marash.qld.edu.au   
• Curriculum Leader - Middle Years: Mr Ashley Hutchings. Ashley works with Middle Years students (Years 7-9) on academic success through our student tracking program. Ashley can be contacted at hutchingsa@marash.qld.edu.au  
• Primary Learning Leader: Mrs Catherine Barnett (Term 1): Catherine works closely with primary school teachers to develop an engaging and targeted curriculum for Years 5 and 6. She tracks student progress and is focused on continual improvement for all. Catherine can be contacted at barnettc@marash.qld.edu.au   

The Middle and Senior years Academic Care Team can be accessed at the Studies Office (under the Resource Centre). The Primary Learning Leader is located in the St Marcellin Centre. Please feel free to contact the relevant member of the ACT if you have any questions about your son’s subjects or overall academic progress across the year. 

Curriculum Leaders 2025 

Our Marist College Ashgrove Curriculum Leaders (CLs) lead the subject areas in departments across Years 7-12. These CLs are experts in subjects within their departments and work with their departmental staff to build programs aligned with the Australian Curriculum and the Queensland Years 11 and 12 syllabuses. Please contact any of the CLs below if you have questions about a subject within their department.  

Year 12 Academic Leaders – 2025 

Throughout the course of the year, our academic captains will lead initiatives as well as promote curriculum activities throughout the College.  We wish all our leaders a successful year.   

Vice Captain: Aidan Phillips 

Ridley: Matt Rowston 

Ephrem: Joshua Dale 

Foley: Daniel Kelly 

Gilroy: Ben Hartfiel 

Harold: Hudson Engstrom 

Ignatius: Elliot Schanzl 

Rush: Micah Netzler 

Slattery: George Kettle 

Student Monitoring Week  

James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, encourages a rethinking of goal setting to maximise change. Focus on the process and habits that lead to a goal being achieved rather than the end product. It is the incremental and sustained shifts in behaviour that make goals achievable.  

2025 is a new year, providing an opportunity to pause, reflect and assess whether we achieved our goals in 2024. Perhaps we fell short and now is the time to consider how we can adjust our habits to achieve them in 2025. 

Teachers have been reviewing their systems in the lead-up to the term and as a school, we will continue this process under the leadership of pastoral group teachers. Pastoral teachers will review targets and processes with boys in the coming weeks. A key focus of these discussions will be on boys changing their own systems and processes to make goals achievable. 

Mentoring weeks will occur during pastoral care during: 

• Week 2 – Years 7 and 8 
• Week 3 – Years 9 and 10 
• Week 4 – Years 10 and 11 

These weeks provide an opportunity for conversations between students and teachers and it is important for boys to identify their goals, the processes that need to be changed and a timeline of implementation.  Some key guiding questions will be: 

• What is my goal? 
• What is my current habit that may limit me from reaching this goal? 
• What habits need to change for me to achieve this goal? 
• What is my timeline for achievement  

Diary Use 

It is expected that each boy has a diary that is free from markings, in good order and filled out at the end of each lesson. 

As a school, we encourage students to be self-regulating and building good organisational habits is central to this. The boys are responsible for their learning and their organisation and preparation will determine their success. 

Teachers will continue to monitor diary usage and assist boys with their organisation. 

As guardians, please continue to sight and sign the diary weekly. Pastoral care teachers will also sight and sign diaries weekly. 

Year 9-11 Subject Changes   

Over the break, students in Years 9-11 may have decided to change elective subjects that they chose last year. If your son would like to change his subjects, please encourage him to visit the Academic Care Office (located under the Senior Library)   

• Year 9 subject changes: Curriculum Leader - Middle Years (Ashley Hutchings) or Assistant Head of College – Learning and Teaching Middle Years (Leigh Jackson) 
• Year 10-11 subject changes: Curriculum Leader - Senior Years (Kathryn Badini) or Assistant Head of College – Learning and Teaching (Adam Knight)  

 All subject changes need to be completed and submitted by Wednesday 5 February (Week 2).  

Year 5 -10 Semester 2, 2024 Outstanding Academic Achievement Awards  

Year 5-10,  Semester 2, 2024 Academic Achievement Awards will be presented at the College’s Inaugural Mass on Friday 31 January. Parents of students who will be receiving awards will be notified over the next week, via email and invited to attend the mass and awards ceremony. A list of recipients will be included in the Week 3 newsletter. 

Head of College Awards for Semester 2 2024 will be presented on year-level assemblies this term. A list of recipients will be included in a newsletter later this term.  

Year 7 Information Night – 3rd February   

This event is organised by the Pastoral Care Team at the College. Mr Gareth Kolkenbeck-Ruh (Pastoral Leader – Middle School) will share valuable insights about the transition of boys into Year 7, while Mrs Leigh Jackson will provide an overview of the academic program and the support offered by the Academic Care Team to facilitate a smooth move into the Middle Years. 

If you have any questions about the event, please contact Mr Gareth Kolkenbeck-Ruh at kolkenbeckruhg@marash.qld.edu.au. 

NAPLAN 

The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) will take place during Weeks 7 and 8 of Term 1 this year. Details about these assessments, as well as arrangements for upcoming readiness tests, will be emailed to students and parents in Years 5, 7 and 9 this week.

Student Laptops 

All Year 7 and 10 students and any new students to the College have been issued with their laptops. Rory Edwards (Director of Information Technology) and his team implemented an excellent plan to ensure students received their devices prior to the start of the term, enabling a smooth transition into learning. 

If you have any questions about your son’s laptop, please contact the College's IT HelpDesk at computerservice@marash.qld.edu.au 

2025 Calendar  

The College calendar provided to each family and available on the Orbit App outlines the scheduled exam blocks across the year for students in Years 7-12. Please ensure you check these Exam Block dates before booking any holidays, as they are an essential and compulsory part of the learning process at the College. Leave is not granted to students during this time.   

 Please note that a medical certificate is required for all students from Years 7-12 who are absent during the exam blocks.  

Assessment Schedules   

From Week Three, your son will have access to his assessment schedule. This can be located on Student Café and the Orbit app. As per the information provided above, your son is encouraged to download this schedule and transfer assessment dates to his College Diary. There will be more information on accessing this information in the Week Three newsletter.