Boarding News

Dear Boarding Parents,

Recently I have been reminded of the many diverse activities and experiences available to boarders at Marist College Ashgrove. The boys are seriously lucky to have staff, parents and the wider community thinking of them and adding new opportunities to their list of options in what is already an extensive offering for boarders. Three activities that have recently been made available to the boarders are as follows.

• Astronomy nights – our Year 6 and 7 boarders have been very fortunate to have Marist teachers, Ellie Kenny and Mic Travers bring in this activity on Monday nights. The boarders go down to McMahon Oval and have enjoyed looking at constellations through telescopes and have also used Apps on school iPads to help navigate the sky. It is proving to be a wonderful experience for the boarders and is really adding to their knowledge of astronomy.

• Excursion to a Kingaroy solar farm thanks to All Energy Contracting – we are very grateful to our school Careers Counsellor, Tara Franklin for setting up this great industry experience. Around 30 boarders in Year 11 and 12 will be visiting this solar farm on 1st June to look at the operation and to learn about this industry and the career opportunities it offers. This may lead to future work opportunities for our young men and certainly a great learning experience for all.

• State of Origin on the oval – watching the State of Origin is always an exciting night in boarding and this year we are planning something new and special. The boarding community will watch game one on the new electronic scoreboard on McMahon Oval. No doubt there will be plenty of doonas and pillows brought down, but the boys will love the experience of watching it all together.

Also, a reminder that our Boarding Family Day is coming up on Saturday 10  June. Tickets to attend are free and the whole family (including relatives) are welcome. Make sure you book and I look forward to seeing you there.

Tickets are free for families, for catering purposes please register your interest on this link  - https://events.humanitix.com/2023-boarding-family-day.

Cloncurry Show Footy Clinic

We're thrilled to announce that Marist College Ashgrove is sponsoring the Cloncurry Show again this year and is inviting children aged 8 to 12 years old to a complimentary Junior Footy Clinic on Friday 16 June from 2:00pm to 3:30pm at the Cloncurry Showgrounds Main Oval. The entrance is via the main gates on Daintree Street, and we'll meet in the top right corner of the football oval. The first twenty children to register will receive a Marist College Ashgrove Footy Pack! No experience is necessary as we'll be running footy drills and ball games. It's sure to be a fantastic time!

Boarding Recreation - Mr Blair Whitlock

On Thursday, we started a new initiative called the 'Kitchen Helpers', where a small group of boarders head over to the kitchen and help the catering team with some basic food preparation for the meals ahead. It's a great way for the boys to get to know the kitchen staff better and develop a better appreciation for all the work and effort that goes into feeding the boarding school. Thanks to Nathan Ayre (Director of Catering) and his team for welcoming the boys and teaching them a few things along the way! Thanks also to Mena McLean (Campus Minister) for coming down and keeping the boys on task.

Friday kicked off with some Touch Rugby League on the oval before heading down to Southbank for the new Fast and Furious movie. It's amazing that they are still making these movies (I think this was number 10!) but the boys still enjoy them, so we keep going! Saturday saw round five of the AIC take place with home games against St Patrick's College. The 1st XV had played earlier in the week, so it was a good opportunity to support the 1st XI Footballers who had a strong 3-1 win on the day. Saturday finished off with a trip up to the Albany Creek Skateaway for a small group of boys. We were joined by Stuartholme and Somerville boarders on the night and the overwhelming feedback from the boys was that Roller Skating is far harder than Ice Skating! Go figure.

A small group of keen fishermen headed up to Deep Water Bend on the Pine River on Sunday morning for a fish. While most of the time was spent snagged, being bitten by mosquitoes or feeding Toadfish, it was a cracking morning for it and we think we've located "THE SPOT" for next time. The last activity of the weekend was a trip up to Chermside to stock up on supplies. It was another busy weekend and somehow we are already heading into Week 7!