From the Head of College

Genuinely Humble

When the Australian Census was recently released, a prominent state newspaper summarised the outcome as “religion is dying in Australia”. Notwithstanding that, there were many categories that were reported upon, yet, it was interesting that the newspaper was mostly interested in the decline of traditional religions and the increase of secularism, i.e., the rising number of people claiming to have no religion. It seemed that the journalist was rejoicing in this supposed decline. The Catholic Church and Christianity, in general, has certainly, in recent times, come under question and lost favour with people. Our response can really be only one of humility and a trust in God.

But what is true humility? Sunday’s Gospel (Luke 14: 1,7-14) reminds us to always be humble, choosing the lowest place at the table. St Marcellin Champagnat called us, as Marists, to be humble, like Mary. Mary’s humility is exemplified in the Magnificat (The Song of Mary - Luke 1: 46-55) where she says, “all generations will call her Blessed but only because of the great things the Lord has done for me. Holy is God’s name.” Mary recognises that her giftedness, talents, acceptance of bearing Jesus and the adoration to follow, only occur because of the great gifts God has bestowed upon her. 

True humility takes the focus off ourselves – the me and the I. It recognises someone else, a God, the transcendent, is greater than we are. True humility encourages one to thank God for giving them their gifts and talents to perform and succeed. True humility trusts in God. Surely, the value of humility as modelled to us by Mary and that underpins our Marist charism is something that is positive and good, given to us from our traditional Christian faith and still relevant even in an ever-increasing secular society. 

God of love, may all members of the Marist family humbly rejoice in and gratefully use our gifts and talents from you, for the greater good. Amen. 

Marist Chapter

On the weekend, 150 delegates gathered at Mary Mackillop Place in North Sydney for the biannual Marist Chapter. This Chapter gathered together people from around Australia who were representatives of their local Marist Associates. Brisbane and Queensland had many representatives present. The Chapter reflected upon spirituality, and the anticipated direction of Marist Ministries and undertakings into the future. Topics discussed included: inclusivity, the Plenary Council, reflection, charism, our place in the Church, Indigenous equality, ecology, engagement, acceptance, welcome and hospitality. For Marist friends of the College who would like to be involved in a local Marist Associate group into the future, please contact, Mr Matthew Jones jonesm@marash.qld.edu.au 

2023 Marist Extend Program

It is with great excitement that Marist College Ashgrove announces a new opportunity for our day students into the future. This opportunity is to take advantage of the new Extend Program. A day student who participates in this program, rather than leaving after school at 3:10pm, can be involved in a fuller day at the College. I outline the details of this new program below –

Marist Extend

• Marist Extend is a new program - unique to Marist College Ashgrove - that has been designed for boys in Year 7 who wish to extend themselves further. 
• Launching in 2023 it caters to boys who are ambitious and want to dedicate more focus to their academic interests and co-curricular pursuits.
• Marist Extend will run from 3:00pm to 8:00pm, Monday to Thursday, out of the Marist Boarding House and includes academic Support, meals and activities. 
• Marist Extend is a very special opportunity and will be offered on an application only basis.
• With Marist Extend your son will enjoy a richer experience in his schooling journey whilst also achieving a greater connection to his study, his peers and Marist College Ashgrove. 
• The Marist Extend program encompasses meals with our Boarding students, student choice of co-curricular activities and dedicated academic support to help them gain more traction in their studies. 
• The program provides busy parents with peace of mind that their son is being challenged and guided within the Marist spirit. 
• The daily fee for the program is $70 and includes meals, 1 hour of academic support and co-curricular activity.

• Marist Extend is part of our boarding program and is managed by our dedicated Boarding team, all of whom are qualified and experienced in care and guidance of our boys. 
• Marist Extend helps boys develop good routines, good study habits and a sense of independence, all within the safety of the Marist Boarding House. 
• Marist Extend is ideal for students who would benefit from more structure and guidance in their academic studies with academic staff on hand to support them in dedicated study sessions.
• Marist Extend offers Marist College parents an exclusive service whereby their son can be challenged/mentored for Monday to Thursday after school until 8:00pm. 
• Marist Extend ensures your son is safe and sound, busy and cared for within the Marist College school grounds until the time you collect him for home. 
• When you pick your son up at 8:00pm from the college, he will have completed his co-curricular, be showered and clean, have eaten a nutritious meal and have completed his homework – ready to spend further quality time with his family.

For more information or to make further enquiries contact noblej@marash.qld.edu.au.

Confirmation 

An important part of the new Year 12 ATAR system is the ‘Confirmation’ of student-completed internal assessments by teachers throughout Queensland. Panels are formed on Friday, 2nd September to view and confirm grades/marks given by teachers throughout Queensland. It is a necessary and important moderation and quality control process for all senior students. Upon Confirmation, the grades from the three internal assessments will make up either 75% or 50% of the overall mark that contributes towards a student’s ATAR result. I thank the many Marist College Ashgrove teaching staff who will generously be sharing their expertise with panels this Friday. To allow this Confirmation process to occur, Friday 2nd September is a student-free day for Queensland students. 

Examinations

Best wishes to our Year 12 and Year 9 students who continue their examinations this week. All Year 7, 8, 10 and 11 students will be undertaking their exam block from Monday, 5th September to Friday 9th September. The Years 5 & 6 students continue their assessments and exams over the coming few weeks. My thanks are extended to all our professional teachers who have set, will mark and then report on the boys’ progress at the end of term 3. Good luck, gentlemen. 

Year 9 Camp

Best wishes to our Year 9 boys who are undertaking their annual camp from Monday 5th– Thursday 8th September. Students will participate in an adventure-style camp and will complete a range of activities such as bushwalking, mountain biking and canoeing.  Students will be required to prepare and cook their own meals, carry their backpacks and sleep in tents. The camp will be held at HRIS - Total Adventures – Noosa North Shore and DEFG - CYC Numinbah Valley (Gold Coast). We thank the following staff for their generosity and care of the boys over these days: Peter Serone, David Meehan, Ryan Apps, Stan Kosiek, Brett Gillett, Brendan Kiernan, Terry Quain, Scott Minogue, Julia Wilken, Carl Palmer, Will Burkett, Harrison Gates, Richard Aplin, Dallas Williams, Pat Denkes, Andrew Devoy, Paul Knight, Zubin Varghese, Jorge Ruiz and Genevieve Long. Enjoy, gentlemen! 

Go Kart Challenge 2022

The annual Go Kart Challenge at Ipswich City Dirt Kart Track at Champions Way, Willowbank Racing Precinct will be held this Friday, 2nd September. This competition is a joint Boarding and Technology Department initiative which in 2022, has been running for 9 years.  This extra-curricular Boarding Club involves two teams of five students, each from Years 9 and 10. The program requires the students to overhaul the karts used from the previous year, clean up and replace broken parts, reassemble and tune the karts ready for the competition. They will race against students from Muller College, Bray Park State High School and Sandgate District State High School. Thank you to Andrew Devoy who hosts the challenge each year along with Matt Dempsey, Blair Whitlock, Peter Gaiter and Sr Liz Dangerfield.

Inaugural Marist Long Lunch

This Saturday, 3rd September Marist College Ashgrove will host its Inaugural Long Lunch. I very much welcome to the College our present and past parents and associates of the College to celebrate and socialise together at this luncheon. This event will be held on Hayden Oval and has been generously organised by the creative and energetic events, marketing, technical, grounds, parents and facilities teams. I thank these teams and our Director of Development - Ms Cathy Stacey, who will be inviting all parents to contribute to the new Master Plan Building Program for the future. I look forward to meeting with parents and associates at our first exciting Long Lunch together.

Gripps Music Camp

Congratulations to the following Primary School students - Gabriel Pua (6R), Lleyton Viljoen (5B) and Pedro Chadud (5W) who will be attending the Gap Region Instrumental Primary Performers School (GRIPPS) Camp commencing this Sunday, September 4th. 

Approximately 200 children audition each year for a maximum of 120 positions.  Students from 15 State and Private Primary Schools in The Gap area are invited to participate. The school will be conducted at The Gap State School and Rivercity Church over 4½ days, culminating in a concert at The Gap State High School on Thursday, September 8th.  Music teachers and instrumental instructors from many of the schools, together, with professional musicians, who are highly respected in their fields, will be working with the students.

GRIPPS is a joint Rotary Club/Gap Schools initiative which provides an opportunity for many talented young musicians to further develop their musical skills and friendships, and is co-ordinated by Principals and instrumental teachers and instructors of the Gap Cluster. Thank you to all of our Marist instrumental music teachers for preparing the boys for auditions including Janelle Lee Long for co-ordinating the auditions for our boys and assisting the GRIPPS committee in the preparation and running of the music camp.

2022 Early School Leavers Survey

The Queensland Government is seeking the support of the school community for the annual survey of Years 10, 11 and 12 students who left school in 2021, before completing Year 12. This short, confidential survey collects information regarding what young people are doing the year after leaving school. The results of the survey help provide valuable information to improve services available to school leavers in the future. 

Between August and September, Marist school leavers can expect to receive instructions to complete a web-based survey or will receive a telephone call from the Queensland Government Statistician’s Office. Please encourage them to take part. If their contact details have changed, please assist the interviewer with their updated details or forward the survey to their new address so they can participate. Thank you for your support of Next Step post-school destination surveys in 2022. For more information, visit www.qld.gov.au/nextstep/  or telephone toll free on 1800 068 587.

Start QUT Program

The Start QUT Program is where high-achieving Year 11 and 12 students have an opportunity to extend their studies in their final years of high school and complete university subjects. This is a great opportunity to get a head start on a chosen undergraduate course, or to try out an area to see if you like it. Once your unit is completed, you can receive advanced standing for your studies, putting you ahead of peers when you start your degree. 

Congratulations to Will Johnson (Year 12), who completed two subjects, Introduction to Computer Systems and Introductory Engineering Mathematics, receiving two 7s for his efforts. We also wish Sam Wright (Year 11), Kieran Eades (Year 12) and Sebastian Harman (Year 11) all the best as they commence their studies with the Start QUT Program. For more information on this opportunity contact Tara Franklin, Senior Curriculum – franklint@marash.qld.edu.au

Tournament of Minds Regional Finals

Tournament of Minds Regional Finals were held on Saturday, 13th August at St Laurence’s College. From the eight Marist teams, five have been invited to the state finals. These teams and their facilitators are Secondary ARTS – Bonita Gerry, Secondary LL – Lucy Naughton, Secondary SS – Will Burkett, Secondary STEM – Andrew Devoy and Primary ARTS – Rhonda Carson. The state finals will be held at The Southport School on Saturday, 10th September. We wish all our boys and their facilitators the best of luck.

Boarders Night on the Green

On Saturday evening the Marist Boarding School hosted the annual ‘Boarders Night on the Green’ night of musical entertainment. Our invited guests, the Year 11 and Year 12 boarders from Stuartholme were in attendance, participating in the performances and enjoying the evening. We thank the Marist College Ashgrove organising team of Blair Whitlock and the Marist Technical team led by Jack Johnson for facilitating this enjoyable evening for the boys. 

Mel Retchford 

Marist College Ashgrove prays for the repose of the soul of past staff member and parent, Mr Mel Retchford. We welcome back to the College, members of his family for the Mass and celebration of Mel’s life this Wednesday, 31st August at 10:00am at the College Chapel, followed by the wake in the Cyprian Pavilion. We also welcome back to the College many past families and friends who will be joining us. Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace. Amen.

May our loving God with Mary our good mother and St Marcellin Champagnat walk with all members of the Marist College Ashgrove Family.

Upcoming Events

Tuesday 30 August

• Year 12 Mock Exams - continues
• Year 9 Exam Block - continues
• Study Hall – Senior Library
• Reconciliation – Chapel (Fr Alatini Kolofo’ou)
• House Meetings Years 5-12
• Vinnies Meeting - Room 801
• Foley 7’s Grand Final Year 7/8 – McMahon Oval

Wednesday 31 August

• Mass in Chapel – All Welcome
• College Assembly - LIVE STREAM
• Year 12 Night Study Session – Science Foyer

Thursday 1 September

• SVdP Sausage Sizzle – Main Yard
• Study Hall – Senior Library
• Primary Morning Assembly
• Pastoral Group Paper Recycling
• Environment Group Meeting – Room 206
• Seniors Charity Volleyball Game v Mt St Michael's College - Gym
• Year 12 Mock Exams - end
• Year 9 Exam Block - end

Friday 2 September

• Student Free Day
• Go Kart Challenge Day – Willowbank
• College Captain Interviews
• Year 11 Game Changers Twilight Retreat – Marist Centre

Saturday 3 September

• Inaugural Marist Long Lunch
• Boarder Free Weekend
• Round 6 AIC Basketball/Tennis v SPLC (A)
• Round 6 AIC Rugby League (Villa)

Sunday 4 September

• Father’s Day
• GRIPPS Music Camp - starts
• Boarder Free Weekend
• Boarders’ Mass (Chapel) - 6:00pm

Monday 5 September

• Year 9 Camp - starts
• Year 7, 8, 10 and 11 Exam Block - starts
• Year 12 Rec Camp - starts
• Primary Morning Assembly

Tuesday 6 September

• Study Hall – Senior Library
• Reconciliation – Chapel (Fr Alatini Kolofo’ou)
• House Meetings Years 5-12
• Vinnies Meeting - Room 801
• Old Boys’ Association Meeting

Wednesday 7 September

• Green Ash
• Mass in Chapel – special invitation to Ephrem House
• Year 12 Night Study Session – Science Foyer

Thursday 8 September

• SVdP Sausage Sizzle – Main Yard
• Study Hall – Senior Library
• Primary Morning Assembly
• GRIPPS Music Camp - ends
• AIC Track and Field Meet #2

Friday 9 September

• Brisbane Catholic Education Year 12 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Graduation Liturgy – Cathedral of St Stephen
• Year 12 Design Workshop
• Round 7 Primary Basketball v SPC
• Year 9 Camp - ends
• Year 7, 8, 10 and 11 Exam Block - ends
• Year 12 Rec Camp - ends

Saturday 10 September

• Round 7 AIC Tennis/Basketball v SPC (H)
• Round 7 AIC Rugby League (Ashgrove)
• Co-Curricular Photos – Rugby League
• Tournament of Minds State Final

Sunday 11 September

• Tournament of Minds State Finals
• CyberTAIPAN Round 2
• 6.00pm Boarders’ Mass (Chapel)