From the Head of College

All Are Welcome

One of the important themes illuminating from the recent gathering of Marist confrères was inclusivity. In fact, this theme is a common topic of conversation that I have shared amongst friends in more recent times, sometimes reflecting disappointment, if not criticism, at the Church’s seemingly exclusive response. Yet, what is the Church’s actual response on the topic of inclusivity and is it the same rhetoric that is commonly portrayed in the media? 

In essence, the Church believes and espouses that ALL are welcome in the Catholic Church – all people from all backgrounds - culture, race, sexuality, gender, occupation, wealth and/or success – and anyone who is struggling emotionally and/or physically. Yes, all people. God became incarnate or born into this world to be known and loved and as humans, we are all born to be known and loved. In the Gospels, Jesus certainly welcomed all, even those who were the outcasts of society, in his day.

Pope Francis goes deeper and further in his reflection on inclusivity. He explains that the rhetoric of inclusion is not enough. Rather, we need to forge a true culture of “social tenderness.” The Church is called to “go out into the streets of every existential periphery in order to heal wounds and to seek out the straying.” He warned the faithful against “proselytizing” and for the Church to be “ready to widen her tent to embrace everyone.” All are called to be united with God in love. 

More recently, Pope Francis spoke on inclusivity as being associated with mercy as inclusiveness is an aspect of mercy. He explained how it reaches out to everyone without regard for social conditions, language, race, culture or religion. It is manifested in the love of each person “as God loves them.” No-one is excluded from God’s love and mercy. The Holy Father explains that we also feel God’s welcome and inclusion by being forgiven – “let us share in this movement of inclusion of others, in order to be witnesses of the mercy with which God has welcomed, and welcomes, each one of us.” 

All are welcome to the Church and then quite simply, between God and each individual, forgiveness and repentance can be forged. Every human being, including both you and I, need some form of mercy or forgiveness at some stage of our lives, don’t we? It is through the transcendent that we seek mercy and a redirection towards the Gospels as we are called to witness more purposeful and meaningful lives. 

May all members of the Marist College family, embrace the loving welcome of our God through his church and be open to tenderly welcome everyone in return. Amen.

NEW Award’s Night

All boys and families, in every year level, are welcome to the Awards Night 2022! This year our Awards Night will be held on Monday, 10th October at the QPAC Concert Hall.  The evening will acknowledge the academic, mission, sporting, cultural and student-centred achievements of boys across the College from Years 5-12.  As in previous years, we look forward to a range of performances from our Music and Drama Departments and this year, our Art Department will also curate an art show of student work from 2022.  As this evening, we will now acknowledge boys from across the College, rather than only Year 12. The Conspicuous Effort Awards will be acknowledged, where appropriate, at either House meetings or boarding events at the end of the year. We invite all members of the College community to join us for a night of festivity and entertainment as we celebrate the achievements of our boys across Marist in all areas of college life. Tickets will be available shortly via a link – stay tuned and save this date.

Years 7, 8, 10 and 11 Examinations

Best wishes to our secondary students from Years 7, 8, 10 and 11 who are undertaking their examinations this week. The Year 12 boys are now concluding their final classes before commencing their masterclasses early in Term 4, prior to their all-important ATAR external examinations. The Year 9 boys concluded their examinations last week and are now participating in their annual camp. Our Primary boys are concluding assessments. I extend my best wishes to all boys during this important time of study, assessments and examinations. I thank our professional and dedicated teachers as they prepare and mark the boys work at this important time. 

Year 7 Parent Information Evening

The annual Year 7 Parent Information Evening for all incoming Year 7 boys will be conducted on Tuesday, 13th September in the Draney Theatre. This evening will provide boys and one invited parent with the information and details required to commence Year 7, 2023 confidently and successfully. Information will be provided on the topics of academic subjects and study expectations, welfare, care and associated programmes, culture and sport, the Religious Education programs available to your son, various other extra-curricular opportunities and the expectations of a Year 7 student. We look forward to presentations by Ryan Apps (Year 7 Co-ordinator), Bruce McPhee (Deputy Head of College), Jim Noble (Head of Boarding) and Adam Knight (Head of Middle School Learning and Teaching). We welcome our incoming Year 7, 2023 students and a parent to this informative evening. 

To book your ticket, please follow this link: https://events.humanitix.com/copy-of-year-7-2023-parent-information-evening

Year 5 2023 Parent Information Evening 

On Wednesday, 14th September, we invite the parents of boys commencing at Marist in Year 5 2023 to our annual Parent Information Evening. This evening, to be held in the Draney Theatre, commences at 6:30pm. This evening will provide important information on the boys’ curriculum, activities, expectations and programs for Year 5. At the conclusion of the presentations, there will be a light supper and an opportunity to socialise with other parents and staff. I thank Mr Liam Beatty, Head of Primary and all Primary staff, for organising this important information Evening of all future Year 5 parents. 

To book your ticket, please follow this link: https://events.humanitix.com/year-5-2023-parent-information-evening

Please note that this is a parent only information evening

Parent/Teacher/Student Interviews 

Year 7 to 11 Parent/Teacher/Student interviews are planned for the beginning of Term 4 over two dates, Tuesday 4th October and Tuesday 11th October. The College, will again, offer both, in-person and online interviews over these two Term 4 dates. The interviews on Tuesday 4th October will be held in-person and on-site and the interviews on Tuesday 11th October will be held online through Microsoft Teams. Please see below the instructions for making a booking.

• Access to the Parent/Teacher/Student Interview schedule is via the Parent Portal on the College Website (www.marash.qld.edu.au)
• Select the Parents [MyMarash] icon in the top left of the College website.
• Select ‘Click here to Access Parent Portal’
• Enter your username and password (username is your parent code and then @marash.qld.edu.au eg. 111111@marash.qld.edu.au)
• Select the Book a Parent or SET plan Interview tile
• Select Parent/Teacher Interviews from the menu on the left of the screen
• Make your booking through Term 4 2022 Years 7 to 11 Parent/Teacher/Student Interviews (Face to Face) or Term 4 2022 Years 7 to 11 Parent/Teacher/Student Interviews (Online) depending on what date/what format of interviews you prefer.

If you experience any difficulty logging into the MyMarash or Parent Portal please contact the IT Help Desk at computerservice@marash.qld.edu.au Bookings close on Friday 15th September at 7:00pm.  I look forward to a committed level of participation in this important form of communication, regarding your son’s learning. 

Go Kart Challenge

On Friday 2nd September, ten boys from Years 9 and 10 competed in the annual Go Kart Challenge at Ipswich City Dirt Kart Track, Willowbank Racing Precinct. With a weather affected track, not all the races were able to run, however, based on qualifying times from earlier in the day, the Year 10 team placed first and the Year 9 team placed second overall. Many thanks to Matt Dempsey for coaching the Year 9 team, Peter Gaiter for assisting as a track official, Blair Whitlock for driving the boarders out and officiating on the track, Sr Liz Dangerfield for being the registered nurse and Andrew Devoy for his facilitation of this experience for the boys. Well done to the boys and all involved!

COVID-19 Update

As a College, this term has certainly been a better one regarding the management of COVID-19. In general, the College has continued to function fully with the exception of large school gatherings. Following a National Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, the Queensland Government has announced that from Friday 9 September 2022 the COVID-19 isolation period will reduce from 7 days to 5 days in Queensland, provided the diagnosed person has no symptoms and doesn’t work in aged care, disability care or home care. From Friday 9 September 2022 face masks will no longer be mandatory on domestic flights. Face masks will still be required for public transport and rideshare, high-risk settings and for those who have tested positive to COVID-19, are a close contact, or have symptoms. For the most up-to-date COVID-19 information, please refer to the Queensland Health website. At this stage, we plan to resume full school assemblies at the end of this term.

Debating Success

Great debating news! Congratulations to the Year 5 and 6 Debating Teams who were undefeated in the QDU Primary Competition. We thank their coaches, Jennifer Little and Robyn Brown for their dedication over the rounds of the competition. Well done boys on such a successful first and second year of debating for Marist College Ashgrove. 

End of Term

Term 3 concludes on Friday, 16th September. All boys are required at school until 3.08pm on Thursday, 15th September. Teachers will be undertaking reviews of assessment, extension work, revision and new term 4 work during the final week of the term. An interim report will be distributed to all boys on Friday, 16th September.

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 6 September

• GRIPPS Music Camp - continues
• Year 9 Camp - continues
• Year 7, 8, 10 and 11 Exam Block - continues
• Year 12 Rec Camp - continues
• 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

Thursday 8 September

• Year 9 Camp - ends
• The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
• GRIPPS Music Camp and Concert
• Green Ash
• SVdP Sausage Sizzle – Main Yard
• Study Hall – Senior Library
• Primary Morning Assembly
• Year 12 Study – Masterclass enrolment in Draney Theatre
• AIC Track and Field Meet Year 5 and 6
• AIC Track and Field Meet #2

Friday 9 September

• Year 9 Camp Recovery Day
• Year 7, 8, 10 and 11 Exam Block - ends
• Year 12 Rec Camp - ends
• Year 12 Design Workshop
• BCE Year 12 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Graduation Liturgy – Cathedral of St Stephen
• Round 7 AIC Year 5-6 Basketball v SPC

Saturday 10 September

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

Sunday 11 September

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

Monday 12 September

• Year 7, 8, 10 and 11 Make Up Exams as Required
• Primary Morning Assembly
• Theatre Ash Performance

Tuesday 13 September

• Year 7, 8, 10 and 11 Make Up Exams as Required
• Co-Curricular Photos – Sport and Academic Catch Up
• Study Hall – Senior Library
• Reconciliation – Chapel (Fr Alatini Kolofo’ou)
• Year 11 and 12 Design Incursion and Excursion – QUT
• House Meetings Years 5-12
• Year 7 2023 Parent Information Evening

Wednesday 14 September

• Year 11 Cert III Business and Year 11 Business Excursion – Celebration of Entrepreneurship
• Mass in Chapel – Primary School Mass
• Primary Award Assembly
• College Assembly – LIVE IN THE GYM
• AIC Track and Field Meet Year 5 and 6
• AIC Track and Field Meet #3
• Year 12 Night Study Session – Science Foyer
• Year 5 2023 Parent Information Evening

Thursday 15 September

• Final Day of Term 3
• Feast of Our Lady of Sorrow
• Soiree
• Grandparents Day
• Track and Field Camp - starts
• Junior Ethics Olympiad
• Boarder Travel Day
• Year 5-10 and 12 Interim Reports and Year 11 Unit 2 Reports Due
• CBSQ Open Basketball Tournament - starts
• Primary Morning Assembly
• Pastoral Group Paper Recycling
• Environment Group Meeting – Room 206
• End of Term 3 Assembly

Friday 16 September

• Interim Reports Distributed
• Student Free Day
• Old Boys Golf Day
• Years 5 and 7 Orientation Day

Saturday 17 September

• Track and Field Camp - ends

Sunday 18 September

• CBSQ Open Basketball Tournament - ends