Learning and Teaching News

Return to Classes 

Welcome back to Term 4! We hope the holidays were restful and provided a chance to recharge before what will be a busy short term. All boys should now have their materials sorted prior to return.

We encourage all boys to start early by reviewing their academic goals for the term (Page 118 of the diary). From here, a robust study schedule can be constructed around other commitments. Assignments and exams will come around quick this term! A reminder that if any boy does need help and support with organisation and study, the Study Hall sessions in the library are continuing this term (in a slightly different format, as per below), and boys are welcome to make an appointment with a member of the Academic Care Team for a chat. 

Year 10 and 11 Subject Changes

Subject changes are now open for Year 10 and 11 students.

For Year 11 students, this is the last opportunity to change subjects across senior school. No subject changes can occur across Units 3 and 4 of study.

For Year 10 students, any subject changes for Term 4 should align with the subjects chosen for study in Years 11 and 12 as per the SET Plan.

To change subjects, Year 10 and 11 students are to see Mrs Franklin or Ms Smeed via the Studies Office before school, at break time or after school. Subject changes must be completed by Friday 14 October (end of Week 2, Term 4).

Year 12 Masterclasses 

In order to prepare students sitting External Exams, the College has developed a Masterclass timetable that allows targeted revision in a class of each student’s choosing. Masterclasses start this week and will run until Week 3. Boys have been emailed with Masterclass locations. Please encourage your son to continue accessing their emails for updates.

The Masterclass timetable provides students with two sessions per day, one starting at 8:50am (Period 1) and the other at 12:20pm (Period 4). Students are only required to attend these classes (not Pastoral Group) and can leave once their sessions have finished. For students who complete less than six General subjects, this will mean they may leave the campus after the morning session or not arrive onto campus until the afternoon session. 

For all Masterclasses, students will need to be dressed in full school uniform and ensure they have all required equipment for their subjects (e.g. calculators).

The External Exam block runs from Monday 24 October to Tuesday 15 November. The External Exam block schedule, as well as the required equipment lists are available on the Marist portal and on the QCAA website.

For boys who are not enrolled in any General classes and therefore, will not be required at General subject Masterclasses, the College is running VOC classes this week until Week 3 of this term. These classes are designed around the concept of life skills required after school. While these classes are designed for students not completing General subject Masterclasses, if your son has a break in his Masterclass schedule he is welcome to attend. Further information can be found on the Learning Portal (Moodle) on the Year 12 ASH page and the Vocational Education page. 

Year 7 and 9 – Uncollected NAPLAN reports

Any uncollected NAPLAN reports will be distributed to boys in Pastoral Groups this week to be brought home. 

2023 Year 7 Orientation

At the end of last term, we welcomed in our 2023 Year 7 students to the College. As part of the day, the boys met their seniors for next year, were given an orientation around the school, and sat diagnostic testing to better prepare our teachers to meet their literacy and numeracy needs in the future. We certainly look forward to seeing all these boys in classes next year!

Study Hall – All Year Levels 

Every Tuesday and Thursday morning the teacher librarians in the senior library offer study hall sessions for Year 7-10 from 7:45 am to 8:30 am where we look at specific study skills and assessment relevant to the year levels. This term, the Year 9 and 10 students are invited on Tuesday mornings, and Year 7 and 8 students are invited on Thursday mornings. These are designed to build the student’s capacity to study independently by teaching them key skills for the first 15mins of the sessions and then offering independent supported study for the remainder of the time. 

This term, they will begin in Week 2. If a student cannot make either session and still wishes to attend, they are to contact infoservices@marash.qld.edu.au or a teacher librarian directly to arrange a suitable time to meet.

Term 4 Study Hall Program

Accessing LMS for Task-Specific Feedback 

At the completion of each drafting stage and final completion of the assessment (both written and exam), your son will receive task-specific feedback from his teachers. It is important that your son/s access this feedback, so they are aware of their strengths and limitations. Parents are also encouraged to access this information.

Please follow these steps to access task-specific feedback.

1 - Open Parent Portal and click on “Parent Lounge”

2 - On the left-hand tab select “Curricular Activities Due” and select “view all activities” on the top right-hand side of the page. 

This will take you to a screen that lists of your son/s assessment to complete, or has been completed.

3 - Click on a subject to view feedback. 

4 - Once you click on the subject you will be able to find the following information:

1. Task sheet for assessment – this will outline what your son needs to do to complete the task successfully
2. Draft due dates and due dates
3. Criteria sheet
4. Feedback
5. Result

How to access Academic Reports – Parent Lounge

Please follow these steps to access academic reports

1 - Open Parent Portal and click on “Parent Lounge”

2 - Academic Reports are accessible via the link on the left-hand side of the page, or at the bottom of the main screen. Click on the academic report you would like to see.