Primary School News

Dear Parents,

Welcome to Week 2 in the Primary School. This is a very busy week for our community as we prepare for our Book Week celebrations next week and our AIC Term 3 sports to start this weekend in earnest. A great deal of work has been done in these two areas by the staff concerned and I thank them for their work here. In addition to this, our classroom teachers are looking forward to working with the boys and helping them progress in their new units of work. They say it takes a village to raise a child. We are certainly blessed to have such dedicated staff here in our Primary School community who go above and beyond to help every boy have the best experience possible during his time here with us.

Last week, we welcomed Mr Jim Midgley and Mrs Janice Minihan to our teaching staff. We also welcomed a new student, Harrison Gill, to Year 6 White. I have seen many boys go out of their way to make Harrison feel welcomed to his new school and he has made a great start to his time here. Similarly, our new staff have made a great start to their term in the classrooms, and I thank them for the work they have put in to make the start to the term as smooth as possible for the boys in their respective classes. 

Tomorrow morning, we are invited to gather as a community to pray for the recovery of our senior students involved in the car accident last week. All primary boys are welcome to attend Mass in the Chapel starting at 8:00am. The power of prayer should never be underestimated, and I am hoping that many boys will gather tomorrow to show our support for the boys and their families. 

Have a wonderful Week.

MCA Book Week Celebrations

From the Primary Library Staff

Next week beginning Monday 24 July, we will be celebrating Book Week with the boys. It is a wonderful way for us to share our love of literature. Our theme for this year is “Read. Grow. Inspire.” We are thrilled to announce our author visit for this year is Tristan Bancks. We have Tristan’s books in our library and so many of our boys really enjoy his style of writing. His visit is an excellent opportunity for the boys to glean some insight into the process of story writing and to enjoy engaging talks and discussions. We are especially excited to announce that the boys will be able to pre-order his new release Scar Town, which is not due for release until August! Information regarding this will be communicated to the boys this week. They will be able to have their copies signed by Tristan after his presentation. The book is a suspense-thriller and guaranteed to excite. Following the presentation there shall be an opportunity for some boys to participate in a writing workshop with Tristan.

“Where the Wild Things Are” will have a wonderful display of their latest books for sale, including many of Tristan’s books. The boys will have the opportunity to peruse the books, and compile their wish lists, which they will bring home to discuss the prospect of purchasing with you. Our library receives a percentage of the purchases in order to buy new books for our library, which is marvellous. Fiona Stagger, the owner of the bookshop, will also be conducting a book chat with interested boys during Break 1 on Wednesday.

The highlight of our week is our annual Book Week Costume Parade. Please do not feel it necessary to purchase expensive pre-made costumes, as we encourage the boys to design and create their own favourite book character. You are most welcome to visit and enjoy the parade which will take place at 8.30am on Thursday in the primary quadrangle.

In the library, we will have many theme-based activities for the boys to participate in and enjoy. We have been very busy creating lots of lovely things for the boys’ enjoyment. There will be quizzes, puzzles, games and loads of fun. We shall be hosting an up-late session in our library for parents on Wednesday to visit our Book Fair and enjoy the ambience. The library shall remain open until 6:00pm.

We are looking forward to celebrating this wonderful literary festival with your boys with the aim of stimulating and exciting them in the marvellous world of books!

Primary Sport

Mr John Lambourne – Head of Sport (Primary)

Term 3 AIC Sport

Basketball

Tennis

Year 6 / Year 5

Tuesday – Marist Tennis Centre – 6:45 – 8:15am

Wednesday – Marist Tennis Centre –3:30 – 5:00pm

Rugby League

Year 6

Thursday & Friday – Hayden Oval – 7:15 – 8:15am

Year 5

Tuesday – Hayden Oval – 3:30 – 4:45pm

Thursday – Hayden Oval – 7:15 – 8:15am

Track and Field

There are 4 AIC T&F meets scheduled at the end of Term 3.

• Thursday, August 24
• Wednesday, August 30
• Thursday, September 7
• Wednesday, September 17

AIC Championships – Thursday, 5 and Friday, 6 October – QSAC.

Track and Field Training

Sprints and Middle Distance

Monday and Wednesday – McMahon Oval – 3:30 – 4:45pm

Long Jump and Hurdles

Tuesday – Athletics Precinct – 6:45 – 8:00am

Shot Put

Friday – Hayden Oval – Break 1

Boys wishing to be considered for AIC selection should also be aware that there will be training and meets conducted over the Term 3 holidays.

Primary Athletics Carnival

A wonderful day of participation and enjoyment for the MCA Primary boys. The novelty events included an obstacle course, tug-O-war, vortex javelin, frisbee discus and long jump, with each boy striving to gain points for their class colour. Team spirit was displayed throughout the day with the boys chanting their colour war cries and the ‘Ashgrovina’ in full voice. The boys not only cheered home those in their colour but also supported those boys competing for Age Champion. Many boys got into the spirit of the day by dressing up, wearing face paint and wigs.

Congratulations to the 2023 Primary Athletics Age Champions.

Primary Athletics Carnival

Primary Track and Field Age Champions

College App

Please ensure that you download the College App. This app will be used weekly to inform you of sporting fixtures, cancellations, and bus arrival information.

Pick-up Arrangements - “Plan B”

It is important that you are aware of your son’s pick-up procedure if sports training is cancelled or if you are running late. As soon as a decision is made to cancel a sporting fixture or training, a message is placed on the College app.

If training is cancelled boys can remain in the primary school or walk to an arranged pick-up point when the time arrives. Sport training sessions finish normally finish by 4:45pm. We ask that boys are picked up at this time, or soon after. Any boy who is still at their training venue at 5:00pm will be directed to the Boarding Reception area so that he may be collected from there. In the case of bus arrivals, boys will be sent to Boarding Reception 15 minutes after the arrival time of the bus.

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.