Learning and Teaching News

Year 7-10 Exam Block Schedules

Last week the Term 2 Year 7-10 Exam block schedules were released to students and parents. The exam block runs from Friday 9 June until Thursday 15 June.  Due to the College Athletics Carnival on Friday 16 June, any make-up exams due to illness will take place on Monday 19 June. Timetabled classes will run as normal for all year levels throughout the entire exam block (including the make-up exam day) with students expected to attend class when not in a scheduled exam. 

Room allocations are listed on the exam block schedules.  If the exam is held in a classroom, students’ class numbers (e.g.  English 8.2) will be listed alongside what room they will attend.  Cohort exams are held in the Gym (Champagnat Centre), with the Gym 3 classroom being used for students who have extra time exam provisions. If a student has additional exam provisions, he will receive an email directly from the Centre for Learning Enrichment advising him of his exam time and place. 

The exam timetables are available to view via the Parent Portal under Exam and Assessment Schedules and Information. 

Year 10 and 11, 2024 Subject Information Night

Just a reminder that the Year 10 and 11 (2024) subject information night is being held tonight in the Champagnat Centre.  All students should attend this event with a parent/carer. Year 10 2024 will commence at 6:00pm with Year 11 2024 to follow at 7:00pm. Subject display stands will be available for parents and students to peruse and ask senior teachers relevant questions. 

Year 11 Reporting 

Year 11 Unit 1 reports will be released on both Student Café and Parent Lounge at the end of this week. Please note that students can change subjects up to and including Wednesday 7 June (Week 8).  Please come to the Studies Office and collect a subject change form if required. 

How to Reference for Assignments

This video is designed to guide students through the process of referencing for assignments that have a research component. We will walk you through accessing our research guides, using our compiled referencing guide, and understanding the APA 7 style referencing mandated at our college. We will also provide a practical example of how to reference information from a website, explain the concept of in-text referencing, and discuss the importance of paraphrasing.

Languages Week 

In Week 4, MCA Languages department celebrated Languages Week. This was an opportunity for the teachers and students of French and Japanese to celebrate our languages and to shine a light on the rich variety of activities, both cultural and linguistic, that we share together on a daily basis in the languages classrooms and beyond.

As Language subjects, we enjoy the benefits of being in the top scaling subjects in Queensland at ATAR; however, this doesn’t just end with academics. Some of our students come from native-speaker backgrounds and so this is a natural next step for them to bring their language out of the home and into more formal learning. Others just have a passion for all things either Japanese or French. In Week 4 we celebrated all of these students and their commitment to their language study with the rest of the school community with daily activities for all students and teachers to enjoy and experience.

We showcased French and Japanese music at as many opportunities as possible, from replacing the ding ding of the school bells with the likes of Edith Piaf, La Marseillaise, to the more contemporary hip-hop tunes of Bigflo and Oli on Monday as well as a Primary baking competition. Tuesday our architecturally able students built French monuments out of spaghetti and marshmallows. Wednesday, the Year 6 cohort sang together at assembly a song which they had been learning in class. This was twinned with sales of typical French patisserie. Some Japanese students also presented a Japanese folk tale on Assembly and Japanese snacks were sold in the yard. On Thursday we converted our dedicated French Classroom into a French Restaurant which was christened “Chez Marcellin” for the evening to enjoy French Raclette and Fondue, typical French autumnal fayre with our Year 10, 11 and 12 Students. On Friday we had French and Japanese music played by our DJs in the Yard and sack races on Hayden Oval, which our Primary students won outright against some of our over-confident Seniors.

All in all, it was a fun week with many students and staff around the college turning out to support and to enjoy the fun.  The Languages Department have decided to donate the $1200.00 made from the sale of the French and Japanese snacks to Marist Solidarity.

A huge thank you goes out to the Languages team and everyone who assisted in making all of these events possible. 

Early Morning Master Class - English

Last Friday morning, the Year 12 General English students were invited to an early morning masterclass, focusing on their IA3 Short Story. The students met in the library at 7:30am and had an opportunity to show their drafts to another English teacher for advice and feedback. Quite a few students availed themselves of this opportunity in the hope of producing the best piece of imaginative writing possible and gaining as many marks as possible on their final internal assessment. It was a successful morning, and the room's vibe was positive. Thanks to Bonita Gerry, Kathryn Badini, Damian Nelson, Adam Knight, Jo Howe, Colleen Robertson, Mel Taylor, and Steve Littleton for giving up their morning to help the students out.

Nathan Wallis – Neuroscience Education

Marist College Ashgrove is fortunate to have secured Nathan Wallis to present to our parent community on Wednesday14 June at 5:30pm. Nathan is a neuroscience educator who will discuss with us everything about the teen brain. 

Over 500 tickets have already been sold for this event!  I encourage you all to come along and listen to Nathan – he is an excellent presenter and will provide you with some valuable takeaway messages.

 https://events.humanitix.com/nathan-wallis-conscious-intelligence 

Year 12 Academic Interviews  

Year 12 Academic Interviews commenced last week. These interviews are for all Year 12 students and their parents. Your son’s progress will be discussed, alongside fielding any questions you may have in planning for their post-school pathways. These interviews are for both ATAR (Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank) and non-ATAR eligible students.  If you are having difficulty or have any questions, please contact curriculum@marash.qld.edu.au

Many thanks to Adam Knight, Tara Franklin, Roxanne Rosenberg, Jess Turschwell, Ellie Kenny, and Robyn Gooley for conducting these important interviews with the students and their parents/carers. 

Year 11 2024 (current Year 10s) subject selection and SET planning

As outlined in a letter recently sent to parents and carers, Year 11 2024 subject selection opens this Thursday 1st June. On Thursday, all current Year 10 students will be emailed the online subject selection link. Students are to work with parents to enter the subjects for study across Year 11 and 12. The subject selection receipt should then be printed, signed by both student and parent/carer, and returned to the Studies Office by Monday 12th June.

All subjects selected will be checked and confirmed during the SET Plan interviews at the end of this term and the start of Term Three. Please refer to the letter sent from MCA Learning and Teaching on May 26th for more details and key dates. 

Tutoring at the College

Tutoring at the College is available for all students, and outlined below are faculties where your son can receive assistance.

*Other faculties by appointment with classroom teacher.

Additionally, the CLE run touch-base tutoring for specific students in the College. For more information, contact CLE@marash.qld.edu.au 

If you would like an external tutor, please find a list of Old Boy tutors here.

Senior Library Hours

Our senior library is open from 7:30am every morning until 5:00pm Monday-Thursday. It closes at 3:30pm on Fridays. 

Your son is encouraged to head to the library before and/or after school to complete his homework or study, free from the distractions at home.

Study Hall

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: 2023 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 librarian will be on duty from 5:00pm-8:00pm to assist if required; however, these are not tutoring sessions.