Primary School News
Mr Michael Connolly, Head of Primary School
Dear Primary Parents
I hope all students took the opportunity to rest yesterday and refocus on the weeks ahead as we embark on the second half of our first term together. For our Marist staff, Monday’s Spirituality Day was a time of reflection and individual learning as we listened to the words of our presenter, Fr Richard Leonard. Fr Richard, a Jesuit Priest, is currently Parish Priest of North Sydney. Richard is an author, film critic, and some-time contributor to the UK Catholic magazine, The Tablet.
One of the messages that Fr Richard shared that struck a chord with me was the notion of savouring what we have. We were encouraged to take the time to stop and savour the things in our lives that we are thankful for. It needs to be stressed that this need not be material possessions. To take time to stop and savour the fact that certain people are in our lives is good for the soul. Perhaps we can savour those quiet moments in a day where we are not distracted by the busyness of life in all its hustle and bustle. Whatever it is, we should find time to savour it before being in too much of a hurry to move on to the next thing.
For our Primary parents, I sincerely hope that you savour your time in the Primary School and enjoy everything that this College has to offer your son whilst he is in Years 5 and 6. I know from personal experience that time flies by very quickly and our challenge is to make the most of the opportunities given to us all in our Marist community while we are together in Primary.
Primary Can Drive
A huge thank you for the incredible response to our request for soft drink can donations over the last few weeks. In fantastic scenes at 8:00am on Friday morning, our boys excitedly lined up their cans in class lines and proudly added to the lines as more cans were delivered from the classrooms. Thanks to the generosity of our Marist families, we will raise thousands of dollars for our Lenten Appeal and future fundraising initiatives. We have hopefully shown the boys that when we work together as a team, we can achieve amazing results!
Primary Mass
A reminder that we are asking all boys to come to school a little early on Wednesday this week for our Primary Mass which starts at 8:00am in our College Chapel. We will walk the boys down from the Primary School at 7:45am so that we are all seated for the 8:00am start. This will be a wonderful chance for our Primary boys and staff to celebrate the Eucharist together as a community.
Primary Pastoral Leader – Anthony Graham
It is great to see the boys engage with all aspects of the life here at Marist College Ashgrove. Boys have the opportunity to engage in cultural, academic, sporting, and spiritual activities that helps to enhance their sense of belonging here at the College. A big shout out to the Marist voices who are a recently formed group and are already sounding excellent for their concerts in the near future.
Uniform: For 95% of our boys, they wear their uniform with pride and take care in how they present themselves to their teachers, staff, and the wider community. A few reminders regarding uniform:
- Friday sport uniform – students can wear their College sports uniform to school on a Friday including their blue wide-brim hat. Students MUST wear their white College sports socks that day and not the blue ones. They can wear either their blue or white sport socks when they have HPE.
- Formal hats – formal hats are to be worn to and from school except on Friday. When boys are in their formal uniform, they are to wear their formal hat.
Student absentee process: Thank you to all parents in supporting the student absentee and sign in/out process. A gentle refresher to ensure everyone is on the same page.
- If your son is going to be absent for a day, or has a medical appointment throughout the day, please notify the College in writing via the Parent Lounge accessed via the Parent Portal. The College no longer supports the absentee phone line.
- For late arrivals of appointments, parents are required to sign in/out their son from the office. The expectation is that parents walk their child to the office to be signed in/out and students are reminded that if they have an appointment throughout the day, they need to go via the primary reception and not straight from the classroom.
- Although not expected, parents are able to email the classroom teacher to let them know of student absentee, however, please note that it should be logged first via the Parent Lounge accessed via the Parent Portal.
Under Queensland Health guidelines, we are now required to provide increased data on student absences. The use of the parent lounge will allow you to provide more detail of your son’s absence. Many families whose children attended BCE primary schools will already be familiar with a similar system.
Date Claimers
- Tuesday 28 and Thursday 2 March – Year 8 Market Stalls
- Thursday 2 March – Primary Assembly in Draney Theatre P3
- Thursday 23 March – Year 5 Musical
- Friday 24 March – Primary Swimming Carnival
- Wednesday 15 – Friday 17 March – NAPLAN test
- Monday 27 – Wednesday 29 March – Year 5 Camp
- Tuesday 28 February; Wednesday 1 March; Thursday 2 March – Year 6 Parliament Excursion
Primary Library
The beginning of the year is always tremendously exciting in the Primary Library. We love to welcome the new Year 5s into our space, which is a central hub for many of our students. The boys enjoy their library by reading, playing chess, completing quizzes and brainteasers, engaging in makerspace, partaking in the Rubix Cube competitions or simply sitting and pondering over their school day with friends.
During their structured library lessons, the boys are introduced to the concepts of ‘fly like an eagle’ and ‘hunt like a wolf’. This strategy teaches the boys to initially scan the text looking for important information, and then return to read the text in full. They have also been introduced to the concept of codebreaking challenging words within the text.
Our Makerspace programme involves the boys participating in a variety of hands-on craft and STEM activities. We have begun the term with the boys making parachutes which were put to the test from the top of the gym.
Primary Sport - Mr John Lambourne – Head of Sport
Achievements
Congratulations to Tom Cross (6R), Oliver Crowley (6V), Xavier Hill (6G), Caleb McCluskey (6R), James Travers (6V) who have been selected to represent North-West District (10–12 years) Australian Football at the Met North Regional trials, to be held 30-31 March at Zillmere AFC.
Congratulations to Liam Marshall (5V), Josh McLean (6B) Ben Nolan (6R) who have been selected to represent North-West District (10–12 years) Basketball at the Met North Regional trials, to be held 14 March at Boondall Entertainment Centre.
Sport / Training / Music / Tutoring Clashes
At a College as busy as MCA there will inevitably be scheduling clashes.
Please be aware that coaches and coordinators are aware that this may happen and are happy to accommodate students participating in as many areas of College life as possible.
Students may alternate between sessions or are permitted to leave training early; communication is the key to ensure that all those are made aware of what is happening.
Rugby and Football
- All matches are played Saturday mornings, training will be one afternoon and one-morning session each week.
- Boys require; Jersey, shorts, and socks - available from the College Clothing ShopBoys also require; Rugby: Boots and mouthguard and Football: Boots and shin pads.
Rugby Ready Program
Friday 24 February, 3, 10 and 17 March
Des Connor Park – Field 8
7:00am – 8:00am
Boys are required to come dressed in their Marist training shirt, Marist sport shorts Marist football socks. Boys will also require boots, mouthguard, and a water bottle for each session.
The Rugby Ready Program involves a host of measures such as physical preparation, skill development, correct and safe techniques preparing the players for contact, enforcement of game laws, and management of safety issues such as the Scrum Passport and the “MAYDAY” call.
Whilst there are several reasons for providing such a program, a key driver is wanting to deliver to all students a safe, challenging, and enjoyable rugby union program. To develop the next generation of Marist College rugby players, we must give them the skills to approach the game with confidence and minimise the chance of injury.
Marist College Ashgrove - Rugby Camp - Years 5-7
https://events.humanitix.com/marist-rugby-camp-years-5-6-and-7
Cross Country
Cross Country training continues Monday – Thursday mornings.
Boys meet at the swimming pool from 6:30am for a 6:45am departure.
It is recommended that students complete two sessions per week. Students should attend one of the following:
- Monday and Wednesday
- Monday and Thursday
- Tuesday and Thursday
This structure allows students to have a rest day between sessions and to complete different types of training.
Term 1 AIC Sport
Cricket
AFL
Swimming
MCA Primary Swim Squad training sessions continue Monday and Wednesday afternoons throughout Term 1, 3:30pm – 4:30pm. These sessions are open to all boys; boys attending for fitness training and boys wishing to qualify for the AIC Swimming Team. There is no obligation to attend AIC meets in Term 1 2022.
Boys attending these sessions will need to bring the following equipment.
- Goggles
- Kickboard
- Short Flippers
- Mesh Bag
Year 5 and 6 MCA Swim Squad Training Timetable Term 1
Monday 3:20pm – 4:30pm
Tuesday
Wednesday 3:20pm – 4:30pm
Thursday
Friday AIC Swim Meets
For further details please contact: swim@marash.qld.edu.au
AIC Championships, Tuesday, 7 March
Sports Photographs
We are always on the lookout for photos and action shots to be used for the Blue & Gold, other College publications, season or end-of-year wrap-ups etc. Please follow this link and add your photos - Marist College Ashgrove Primary Sports Photos.
College App
Please ensure that you download the College App to your smartphone. This app will be used weekly to inform you of sporting fixtures, cancellations, and bus arrival information.
Primary Sport Photos
