Learning and Teaching News

Year 12 Gold Optimus Breakfast 

Last Tuesday morning, our 60 Year 12 Gold Optimus Award recipients and their parents/carers came together for the Annual Optimus Breakfast, a wonderful morning celebrating the hard work and success of our Year 12 students who received over 80% in General subjects or an A in Applied subjects for each subject studied in Unit 3. 

This year we were fortunate to welcome The Honourable Justice Kerri Mellifont as our keynote speaker. Justice Mellifont spoke to the boys about the incredible privilege of education that they have been afforded and congratulated them on taking advantage of this. She gave the boys seven pieces of advice that she has learnt across her career so far. 

We have included a very brief summary below -  

1. Never give up. There is always a way through and there is always help if you need it. 
2. Be at peace with who you are. Justice Mellifont stated “I am honest, and decent, and reliable, and I act with integrity, and I work hard. I am also kind. Those things are enough.”
3. Justice Mellifont spoke of the importance of kindness, explaining “Kindness is an underrated quality. Some mistake it for vulnerability or a weakness. But it is not, and if you can learn to be kind to yourself too, well, the sky is the limit.”
4. Be a sponge – really take in what is happening around you and recognise and respect the diversity of life
5. The importance of making mistakes. That it is okay to make mistakes and the importance of learning from this.
6. To acknowledge that your career need not be linear – “for some of you, you will start on a career path, and it will be right for you, and that is how you will continue. For many, it will not be such a straight path. That is okay too. Some of the most successful people in this world had false starts.”
7. Justice Mellifont concluded with “The very last thing I want to say something about is that sometimes you really need to remind yourself not to take yourself so seriously. Particularly important with the insidious effects on our wellbeing of social media – just about all of it is nonsense. So, what do I do when I am at risk of taking myself a little seriously?  I have a little fun!”

The Honourable Justice Mellifont brought along her barrister robes for the boys, parents/carers and staff to try on. A real treat! 

The College thanks the Honourable Justice Mellifont for her time and her words of wisdom and generosity with her time. 

Congratulations to all the 2024 Year 12 Gold Optimus Award recipients:

Year 5-8 Academic Awards and Year 11 Optimus Awards  

Year 11 Optimus and Years 5-8 Academic Achievement Awards will be presented during the College assembly this week, Wednesday 31 July from 1:00pm-1:50pm. Parents of award recipients have been emailed and are welcome to attend. 

Award recipients will be included in the newsletter next week. 

Old Boy’s Afternoon Math Tutoring 

Old boy Maths tutoring is available to students on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday afternoons in the Senior library from 3:10pm-5:00pm. All are welcome. 

Semester 1 Academic Report Update 

Due to the large volume of make-up exams from Term 2, 2024, we have reissued all reports for Years 7-10. If your son completed a make-up exam from term 2 at the start of this term, these results will now be reflected on their report. All reports are now able to be accessed again via the Parent Portal. 

If you have any questions or concerns, please email curriculum@marash.qld.edu.au  

Parent/Teacher/Student Interviews – Week 6  

We believe that education is a collaborative effort, and we are grateful for the unwavering support of our parents and the wider community. PTS interviews are an important part of your son’s educational journey. One that allows for a time to reflect on his strengths, but also discuss opportunities for areas of growth and improvement. To ensure timely feedback and discussion we will be offering PTS online on the 12th of August (Week 6). Please keep an eye out for when booking times open in the coming weeks. 

Term 3 Assessment Schedules  

The Term 3 Assessment Schedules for each year level were released last week. These schedules can also be located in the Student Café and the Parent Lounge. Your son is encouraged to download this schedule and transfer assessment dates to his College Diary.

Subject Selection Year 9 2025 

Current Year 8 students will be choosing their electives for Year 9 2025 over the next two weeks. The Year 9 Subject Handbook along with instructions for selecting subjects will be sent home this week. 

Electives need to be decided by Tuesday 6 August. 

Subject Selection Year 10 2025 

Performance and Pathway conversations continue this week for our current Year 9 students. If your son has not booked an interview and would like to discuss his subject choices, he will need to email Mrs Rosenberg to find a suitable time. 

Electives need to be confirmed by Tuesday 6 August. 

Elevate Live Parent Webinar 

The latest in the series of live parent Webinars hosted by Elevate Education is scheduled for 7 August. Here’s what Elevate will be covering on the night:   

• Using praise and reassurance to motivate your child   
• Setting relevant and effective goals for your child   
• Helping your child to stay motivated long-term  

Topic: How to Get (and keep!) Your Child Motivated 

Details Wednesday 7 August 6:30pm-7:30pm (AEST) 

Registration: Click here to register for free

Old Boys Tutoring List   

Please find here a list of Old Boys who are available to tutor your son outside of school hours. This list can also be located on the parent portal or via this link.Please note it is the parent’s responsibility to organise and liaise tutoring times with the Old Boys.

Year 12 Night Study Sessions    

The Night Study Sessions are weekly study times available to Year 12 students who wish to work in collaboration with their peers for assessment, complete revision, revisit classwork or work on external exam preparation. 

When: Every Wednesday during term time from 5:00pm-8:00pm 

Where: Senior Library

Who: 2024 Year 12s only

Requirements:    

• Current ID card is to be presented on arrival    
• All students must sign in and out of the library    
• All standard library rules are to be followed (including no eating)    
• Normal student behaviour expectations apply; if these cannot be met, boys will be prohibited from returning to future sessions    
• Students are free to wear full College uniform or plain clothes    
• Students are free to arrive and leave as they see fit. Supervision is only provided in the library between 5:00pm-8:00pm. 
• Students are to be in the library only. This is not a time for sport or social gatherings.

A supervisor will be on duty from 5:00pm-8:00pm to assist if required; however, these are not tutoring sessions. 

Study Tip