Boarding News

The recent drop in weather is a friendly reminder that Term 2 has arrived. I hope, like mine, the Easter break for families was one of enjoyment and relaxation. Term 1 was certainly busy and I congratulate the boys for the way in which they took the challenges that they faced with a measured and mature approach. I was grateful to be able to spend time with Sally, Harry and Poppy throughout the break exploring the many wonderful parks and bike paths across Brisbane, movies on offer, day trips and adventures to both QAGOMA and the Science Centre. 

It was great to see so many families at Parent-Teacher Interviews yesterday. This is a great opportunity to track and reflect on your sons’ progress throughout Term 1. I encourage families who have been unable to see teachers to certainly reach out and seek feedback from their sons’ teachers should they feel the need. 

The recent Greater Brisbane Lockdown certainly highlights the importance of maintaining our vigilance around CVD19. The practices we have in place ensure that as a boarding community we are mitigating the underlying risk. Further to this, it is important that our boarders continue to be responsible for personal hygiene and handwashing, especially as we approach the cooler months.

Once again, I would like to open lines of communication for families who may wish to reach out. My email address is caseyt@marash.qld.edu.au or similarly touch base with Renae Lewis and we can set up a time to chat.

Thank you for your continued support I’m very much looking forward to another great term.

Welcome and Thanks

We welcome aboard Harry David as a new Supervisor in our Montagne residence. Harry is a former St Joseph’s Gregory Terrace student and has a strong passion for Youth Ministry having led several programs at both Terrace and his local parish.

We also welcome aboard Ian Gunn as a new Supervisor in Br Terence. Ian brings to us his background in education, boarding and aviation. He has a passion in literature and is looking forward to using the skills he has developed to further support the gents of Br Terence in their academic pursuits.

Thank you to Fraser Brydon, Sameer Patel, Eddie Legge and Nam Tram who have been wonderful supervisors during their time at MCA. All 4 gentlemen recently resigned their position as boarding supervisors prior to the end of Term 1. Sameer will continue his role as a member of our night walking staff.

Fraser, Sam, Eddie and Nam thank you for all that you have done during your time and the high duty of care you have shown our boarders! Nam in particular has been a long-standing member of our boarding community, just short of 10 years, and his infectious attitude, application and positive demeanour will be certainly missed among both staff and boarders alike. 

Academic Support

Support for our boarders is available via a wide variety of means, not limited to the following:

Boarding Residence Support

• The boarding school employs experienced tutors to work in every residence each school evening (Monday to Thursday). Tutors work with the boys one-on-one and in groups to accommodate student needs.
• Academic tracking is carried out throughout the year, allowing support to be altered to best suit the needs of the student. This reporting is then available to update parents and guardians of their son’s progress.

Head of House and Teachers

• Day school teachers and Head of House are readily available to support our boarding students where ever possible.
• Heads of House will work closely with the boys to monitor subject choice and academic performance, as well as be available as a sounding board for your boy and families for very important, ongoing pastoral care across their schooling years.
• Teachers at Marist College Ashgrove understand the challenges faced by boarding families and therefore make themselves available to discuss your sons needs at a time and mode convenient to you.

Library and Study Support Staff from the Centre for Learning Enrichment (CLE)

• Our library staff offer a comprehensive academic study skills program, which all boarders participate in as part of their nightly study routine. The program is designed around the current curriculum and assessments that are in place, ensuring this support is very relevant and able to be tailored to their needs.
• The Centre for Learning Enrichment (CLE) is open in the day school every morning before school to assist boys generally or with specific study needs.

Pastoral program

Pastoral care is the ‘oil of learning’. Pastoral care is not the destination but the nourishment for the learning journey… (Mann 2006)

MCA Boarding is committed to building an effective and collaborative wellbeing and pastoral care program that aims to:

• Create a safe and positive environment for all
• To provide strong and caring role models that mentor each boarder through their schooling to achieve personal excellence
• Develop each boarders character and promote a strong sense of identity
• Encourage independence, resilience, positive social skills, teamwork and meaningful friendships
• Develop self-esteem
• Produce hard-working and good citizens who contribute to a sustainable society
• Building young men who are strong in mind, gentle of heart and who demonstrate constancy in their faith

With this in mind our theme this term focuses on Respectful Relationships after shining the spotlight on Transition and Belonging in Term 1. Throughout the term each coordinator will continue to bring focus to this theme through age-specific topics:

• La Valla:               Making and maintaining friendships
• Montagne:         Think before you Click
• Hermitage:         Manners Maketh the Man
• Fourviere:           Responsibilities and Relationships
• Br Terence:         Sexual Safety

ANZAC March   

It is with great excitement that I advise families that with recent restrictions lifted around Anzac Day that once again this year the boarding school will be out in force showing our respect for our servicemen and women. More details will be distributed to boarders as the week progresses. For families looking at maximising the long weekend with their son, we will return to College just after 9:00am on Sunday morning following our local memorial service at Ashgrove.

Boarder Parent Network Meeting

The Term 2 Boarder Parent Network meeting is being organised for next Tuesday 27 April, 5:00pm to 6:30pm (Brisbane time).

A call for agenda items has been sent out to all families today. If you would like to add anything to the agenda, please contact your Boarding Parent Representative.

Thanks to Nikki Macqueen and her team who do a wonderful job behind the scenes ensuring the success of our BPN.

Visitor's Registry

A friendly reminder that all visitors to the College, including parents, need to register the visit and contact details with Boarding Reception - boardingreception@marash.qld.edu.au.

April Birthdays

• Angus Brown
• Scott Cobb
• Braydon Creek
• Hugh Gibson
• Lachlan Killen
• Thomas Maguire
• Cooper Seeto
• Zane Seeto
• Charlie Thompson
• James Thompson

A Message from Chef Pascal in the Boarding Kitchen

 Dear Boarding Families,

We hope you all had a great Easter holidays and are looking forward to Term 2. A new menu has been created with the boys favourite meals and we have paid particular attention to ensuring this was tailored to the different dietary needs of our students. We plan to continue working with the boys to get feedback and ideas for what they would like to see in the menu for Term 3.

Parents are also welcome to email ideas and suggestions. Feel free to send me your favourite recipes. I would love to try them and if the meal is a success with the boarders, that family will get their meal and family name on the menu!

This month we will continue celebrating the boarders birthdays each month, with a special cake. This is something we all look forward to!

Boarders' Dining Room New Menu

Marist College Ashgrove Uniform Shop 

Please be aware of the following changes to Uniform Shop hours for the beginning of Term 2, which include opening times during breaks:

Start of Term 2:

• Tuesday 20 April – 7:30am-12:00pm (open Break 1)
• Wednesday 21 April – 12:00pm-5:00pm (open Break 2)
• Thursday 22 April – 7:30am-12:00pm (open Break 1)
• Friday 23 April – 7:30am-12:00pm (open Break 1)

Term 2 Opening Hours (Weeks 2-9):

• Mondays – 7:30am-12:30pm (open Break 1)
• Tuesdays – 7:30am-10:00am
• Wednesdays – 2:00pm-4:30pm
• Fridays – 7:30am-12:30pm (open Break 1)

* In case of public holidays on a Monday, the shop will open from 7:30am-12:30pm on a Tuesday.

Shop Contact Details 

Mobile: 0478 769 628 

Email: mca@alinta.com.au 

Online Shop: www.alintaapparel.com.au

Health Centre

A reminder that no students can keep any medications with them in the boarding residences, except for Year 12 students, and only then if given approval by the Health Centre. This includes any over the counter medication and scripted medication. 

It is also now imperative that any medications being collected to take on leave by boarders, must be collected and signed for personally by a parent or guardian.  

The Health Centre will begin this week to administer the flu vaccine to the boarders who have paid for it via the monitor system.  Any boarding families who have decided they now wish their sons to have the flu vaccine, this will need to be orchestrated off-campus at the local doctor's surgery.

With the flu season upon us, it is now more important than ever to increase hygiene practices which will include regular hand washing/sanitising, disposal of tissues appropriately, and covering of mouths when sneezing or coughing. Boarding staff will continue to work closely with our boarders to encourage this.

Recreation

Welcome back to another term of Rec! The holidays seem to have gone by in a flash and we have plenty of exciting activities in store for Term 2. It’s going to be a busy term with rugby and football seasons kicking off but we wouldn’t have it any other way! Our traditional boarders club program will be getting underway in Week 2 with the boys getting the opportunity to hone their skills and try a wide range of activities throughout the term. From go-kart building to cooking classes and hydro dipping, there is no shortage of options and it’s a great way to keep the boys engaged throughout the week.

We will continue building relationships with our fellow boarding schools and expanding these friendships to new schools as well. In Term 1 we spent plenty of time with the Stuartholme and Nudgee boarders and we have several activities organised with Clayfield, St Margaret’s and Brisbane Grammar in Term 2. Along with the usual BBQ’s and trivia nights, we have a couple of larger-scale activities like mega tiggy at the Botanical Gardens and an outdoor cinemas night here that will have many different schools in attendance. The boys loved getting down to the Reds games in Term 1 and we’ll certainly be getting down to Suncorp Stadium again. With Reds, Broncos and Lions games in the calendar, it will be an exciting term on the sporting front.

The Term 2 recreation overview is copied below for those who may wish to take a closer look. All in all, we have another exciting term of rec in the works and I look forward to getting underway this week!