From the Head of College

Mr Michael Newman

Significant Academic Achievement and Improvement – Well Done!

One of the most satisfying elements of being Head of College is the opportunity to congratulate the students when they improve and achieve good results in any area of their education. This was certainly the case last week with the boys' academic studies. It all began on Wednesday morning with an opportunity to congratulate the Gold Academic Award recipients at the Optimus Breakfast. These twenty-five Year 12 students received a minimum of 80% for General Subjects and/or an 'A' for Applied subjects across 6 subjects at the end of the Unit Report. This is very difficult to achieve in Year 12 with the high standards that have been set and the external verification of grades by the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority (QCAA). The boys were joined by their parents in this celebration and were honoured to have an address by 2006 Australian Of The Year and co-inventor of the technology that enabled the HVP vaccine, Professor Ian Frazer. This was a wonderful morning of celebration and achievement. Well done, gentleman.

Then, the following day, Thursday, we received the pleasing news of the boys' improvement in their literacy and numeracy. This year we instigated a program, strategically aimed at improving literacy and numeracy skills through their everyday subjects and learning. Further, we activated a new writing program for the College. These results have provided great encouragement to the boys and the staff. After much hard work, the improvement been most noticeable. The end result was as follows:

All areas of reading, writing, spelling, grammar and punctuation and numeracy are above the state and national average as we would expect.
Further and most pleasing was the percentage improvement across all these learning areas in Years 7 and 9 as they are over and above most recent years (2015 – 0% improvement, 2016 - 20% improvement, 2017 – 30% improvement, 2018 – 30% improvement, 2019 – 20% improvement and 2021 – 70% improvement).
Of particular cause for celebration was the improvement in writing after the establishment and facilitation of the new writing program across the College. From Years 5 to 7 our writing has improved from 3% above the National Average to 4.8% (a 68% improvement). Even better was the improvement from Years 7 to 9 where the boys' results increasing from 1.5% above the National Average to 6.4% (increase of over threefold).

I sincerely wish to congratulate all the boys on their efforts to achieve these very significant improvements and overall results. To improve general literacy and numeracy is one of the greatest gifts all teachers can impart on their students. Success in literacy and numeracy will flow into wider success in so many domains and areas of their lives. Well done boys and to our professional and dedicated teachers. I look forward to a further analysis of these results to determine any weaker areas that require extra assistance to further improve skills and to enable additional enhancements in student learning outcomes as the years progress.

Father's Day Breakfast

This Thursday 2 September, Marist College Ashgrove welcomes all fathers for the celebration of Father's Day with their sons. Due to COVID-19 restrictions on indoor venues, we are hosting this breakfast in the grandstand on McMahon Oval to cater for more dads and sons. This decision will allow up to 1500 fathers and their sons to attend in a COVID-19 safe environment. The Fathers and Sons Breakfast not only enables the boys the occasion to spend some quality time with their dads but allows the College to thank and acknowledge the many behind the scenes tasks they undertake to ensure, together, in partnership, we offer the best possible learning opportunities for the boys. Educational theorists and psychologists highlight the importance of fathers as role models for their son/s. We salute and thank all dads this Father's Day for your love, care, interest and example demonstrated toward your son daily.

Boys and dads are also encouraged to wear yellow to the breakfast. This is in recognition of the all-important R U OK Day which will be highlighted at the breakfast. I look forward to meeting with fathers on Thursday morning.

Year 5 and 7 Orientation Day

This Friday 3 September, we welcome our prospective Year 5 and 7 students to the College. This annual orientation event allows the boys to view the College facilities, meet with teachers and discover the varied activities and opportunities available at Marist Ashgrove. I thank Mr Liam Beatty (Head of Primary) and Mr Ryan Apps (Year 7 Co-ordinator) who have organised this event and will be facilitating this day for the Year 5 and Year 7 new boys, respectively. The evening prior to this orientation day, a Year 5 Parent Information will take place in the Draney Theatre from 6:30pm (Thursday 2 September). Following this orientation day, a Year 7 Parent Information Evening will be held in the Champagnat Centre from 5:30pm Tuesday 7 September). I look forward to meeting our new students and families at each of these events.

Year 7 – 11 Parent/Teacher/Student Interviews

This Friday 3 September will see the first opportunity to undertake Parent/Teacher/Student Interviews for Semester 2. This round of interviews for Years 7-11 will occur via Microsoft Teams. This will be followed by further interviews on Tuesday 5 October (Years 5-11 face-to-face) and Monday 11 October (Years 5-6 Microsoft Teams).

To book an appointment, you are required to go to the Parent Portal (www.marash.qld.edu.au). Bookings will reopen on Monday 6 September at 7:00pm for the Year 7 -11 parents, for interviews to be held on Tuesday 5 October. If you experience any difficulty logging into the MyMarash or Parent Portal, please contact the IT Help Desk at computerservice@marash.qld.edu.au.

Best wishes to all parents as you meet and continue the positive partnership with your son's teachers. In anticipation, thank you.

Child Protection Week

This year's annual child protection week will be held from Monday 6 to Friday 10 September. This week provides a vital opportunity to educate the boys and parents regarding the types of harm to a child and the contacts that are in place if a student feels unsafe. The types of harm were highlighted for the boys at last week's assembly – sexual, physical, emotional, neglect, psychological and inappropriate conduct. At Marist College Ashgrove, we have a number of child protection contacts who the boys can speak to at any time. They are as follows:

Mr Bruce McPhee – Deputy Head of College
Mr Peter Serone – Head of Students
Mr Ty Casey – Head of Boarding
Mr Liam Beatty – Head of Primary
Ms Jen Smeed - Head of Senior School Curriculum

It is the law that any adult above the age of 18 years must report harm to a child. We take child protection seriously at Marist College Ashgrove and will respond accordingly. If you have any questions, please contact our Head of Students, Mr Peter Serone (seronep@marash.qld.edu.au) to discuss.

Break a Leg

Year 7 student Cooper Matthews has been selected to play the role of Charlie in QPAC's upcoming musical production of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. This is the first time that this musical has come to Brisbane. Congratulations, Cooper and all the best for your upcoming season. You will find a story regarding Cooper on our Facebook page shortly. If you'd like to show your support, tickets can be purchased through https://qpac.com.au/event/charlie_chocolate_factory_21/

"Break a leg, Cooper!"

Real Talk

The topic of right relationships and consent is very much on the radar and in the educational interests of the College, for the boys. Last Thursday, the Year 9 students attended a presentation by "Real Talk". Real Talk Co-founder and managing director, Paul Ninnes presented a most educational and practical examination of the topics of consent, sex, relationships and personal identity. Based on Christian values, this presentation focusses on having real conversations with students and is based on the premise that all people have a true worth, value, dignity and the ability to experience love for all it was created to be. Thank you to Peter Serone (Head of Students) and Lisa Babon (College Counsellor) for arranging this opportunity for the boys.

Marist into National Final

Congratulations are extended to Jaspar Driml (11S) and Joseph Lewis (10F) who participated in the Queensland State Final of the UN Youth Evatt Trophy. The proceedings went as follows - the chamber was given three resolutions; after debate, negotiation and amendments of the clauses, the chamber voted whether or not to accept the revised resolution as a whole and two resolutions passed and Estonia (Jaspar and Joseph) had a significant impact on the outcome of the two. Joe received the award for Best Speaker at the event. Congratulations boys on this outstanding achievement. Jaspar and Joseph now proceed to the National Final in December. My thanks are extended to Ms Majella Stevens (Gifted and Talented Co-ordinator) for her support and tutelage. Congratulations, gentlemen – exciting times ahead!

Marist College Ashgrove 2021 Parent Survey

Last week you would have received an invitation and link from MMG Education to complete the Marist College Ashgrove 2021 Parent Survey. It commenced on Friday 27 August and will be available for a two-week period. With continuous improvement as our goal, I wish to provide opportunities for current parents (Years 5 to 12) to provide us with feedback relating to their views of the College across a wide range of areas. I ask all parents to complete this survey providing us with important feedback for the College moving forward.

This feedback questionnaire is being conducted by MMG Education, a specialist education consultancy company that works with schools in the areas of school strategic reviews and stakeholder satisfaction. MMG's client schools include many schools across Australia.

To ensure confidentiality and to encourage frank and full expression of views:

All responses will be de-identified
The data will be reported back in aggregated form only
All data collected by MMG Education will remain under its control and archived according to research protocols. The College will not be able to access it
At the conclusion of the research period, MMG Education will provide me with a report. I will then provide opportunities for members of the College community to receive feedback from the research.

If you have any questions regarding the project, please contact Bethany Halpin, Community Engagement Officer at halpinb@marash.qld.edu.au

P&F Raffle

A reminder to all parents of the limited tickets remaining on sale for the Term 3, P&F Raffle. The prize being the payment of one term's tuition fees. All proceeds for the raffle go toward providing updated facilities for the boys. The sale of tickets closes on September 16 with the draw occurring soon after. To purchase tickets, go to the link on the College webpage – https://www.rafflelink.com.au/mcapft321

Additional Year 7 Class for 2022

As stated in last week's newsletter, I am pleased to announce an additional class of boys in Year 7 in 2022. We are excited that the College has the resources and capacity to make this happen. We are happy to be offering the opportunity for 25 extra boys and their families to join the Marist family. The process will involve us waiting until the end of Term 3 (Friday 17 September) for any additional enrolments before we shortlist these new applicants and our current waiting list. Interviews will commence shortly after. I encourage families who know of boys who have shown interest in a position at the College, to submit an application within the next three weeks. I expect these positions will be decided early in Term 4. For more information on the application and process to follow, contact College Registrar: enrol@marash.qld.edu.au.

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