Boarding News

Last Friday night saw the annual Night on the Green take place under the stars on the grass bank adjacent to the Cyprian Pavilion. This event has been held for a number of years at Marist College Ashgrove to showcase the musical talent of our boarders, as well as our invited guests, the Year 11 and 12 boarders from the Stuartholme School. There were a number of individual performances, duets and bands and the breadth of talent was evident for all to see. We are very grateful to the Marist Technical Team for their expertise with lighting and sound and to our Recreation Officer, Blair Whitlock for his organisation behind the scenes to make this event so special. Night on the Green is attended exclusively by Year 11 and 12 boarders each year and it is definitely something the younger boys look forward to as they come up through the grades. Many younger boys could be seen watching from a distance out the window of their dormitory. This was my first time experiencing Night on the Green and it was a thoroughly enjoyable and unique event which celebrates the diversity of our boarders and the offering for them at the College. 

At the start of this term, we commenced a new tradition of Friday evening BBQs down at the Grandstand. All boarders and boarding staff members congregate down there on Fridays and it is wonderful to see many games of touch footy being played on McMahon Oval before and after dinner. We are also fortunate to have the Grandstand Canteen open at this time each week so that boys can buy a treat if they wish, or purchase important supplies such as toothpaste, deodorant and soap. I am grateful for the initiative of one of the school’s great helpers, Rebecca Jorquera who came up with this idea to enhance the experience of the boarders. We all really enjoy it!

This coming weekend commences with a student-free day on Friday and then a designated Boarders’ Free Weekend. I know a good number of boys are looking to take advantage of the long weekend to go out with friends and family and I repeat my plea from last week for parents to submit leave requests well in advance to ensure that we can be organised with our boarding program. Thanks in advance for your help with this. We have the boarders from our Go Karting Club racing their awesome kart at the annual schools go-karting challenge on Friday, as well as AIC Basketball and Tennis fixtures on Saturday and the inaugural Marist Long Lunch. A really busy weekend overall.

The Year 9 boys started Exam Block this week and the Year 12s also continue their Mock Exams. Other year levels will have exams and assignments due over the last couple of weeks and we are working with the boarders to ensure they are preparing well and managing deadlines. The boarders are very fortunate to have so many staff members around who can help them to understand the work and to break down the steps in preparing for an assessment task. All the boys need to do is ask for help as required. Please contact your son’s Boarding Coordinator or me directly if you have any concerns.

Sunday Night Mass

Boarding Recreation - Mr Blair Whitlock

Week 7 saw our traditional Night on the Green music event taking place on Friday evening. The event is open to all Year 11-12 boarders from Marist and Stuartholme as well as any younger boarders who are keen to perform. The boys had been practising all term and were certainly looking forward to taking the stage. We had Year 8, 9, 11 and 12 bands perform before the open mic started, which is always interesting! It was a great night all around and many boys are already discussing what they might do next year. We’ll be sending out a full video in the coming weeks.

It was a lighter weekend on the rec front with assessment and exams starting the following week for most year groups. Outside of their sporting commitments, there were many boys taking the extra time to focus on their studies which is great to see. On Saturday night a group of boys headed out to Eat Street for a couple of hours alongside several other boarding schools which is always a treat.

On Sunday we ventured up the Coast for the first time this term for a climb up Mt Coolum and a couple of hours at the Bli Bli Aqua Park. It’s a short and sharp walk up Mt Coolum and we were rewarded with stunning views from Caloundra to Noosa. The weather quickly packed in as we walked back down and headed over to the water park. Two hours of wipe-outs took the sting out of the boys before driving back to school for Mass and a Sunday Roast!