Primary News

Dear Primary Families,

In my time working in schools, I have always been of the belief that we are lucky that we have two New Years. There is the first day of January and the advent of the first day of school. Although the two occasions are very different, there is no denying that both bring a sense of excitement and optimism about the year ahead. It was fantastic to welcome back the boys to the College yesterday and the buzz and energy they brought to the Primary School was definitely appreciated by our staff. 

Whilst I am sure there were some nerves, it was wonderful to see our Year 5 students interacting with their new peers and leaving the College in the afternoon with big smiles on their faces. Our Year 6 students did a fantastic job of getting back into the routines of school and demonstrating our high expectations to our new students.

This week I look forward to our Year 5 and New Student Information Evening which will take place virtually on Wednesday 9 February. All Year 5 and new families will receive an email on Wednesday afternoon with a link to access the video.

Parent Communication – Emails

As you would have noticed, the beginning of the year involves a lot of e-mail communication between families and the school. If you are communicating with any of our staff via e-mail, I ask that you include your son’s name and class in the e-mail heading (e.g Joey Bloggs – 5 Blue). This will assist all of our staff in identifying your son and addressing any information or questions you have asked in a timely manner. 

Advising of Student Absences

Last week you received communication regarding student absentees at the College being reported via the Parent Lounge moving forward. Please refer to the instructions outlined in this documentation to assist you with the process. 

Sport Uniform Days

All students in Years 5 and 6 will wear their Sports Uniform every Friday. Boys will also be required to pack their Sports Uniform on days they have HPE practical lessons. 

ICT Agreement

Throughout this week students in Years 5-6 will be receiving their Chromebooks and spending time going over the expectations for the use of this digital learning device and their responsibilities as digital citizens as outlined in the Responsible ICT Use Agreement. Parents are able to view and agree to the terms of this agreement through ParentLounge. If you have not done so already, can I ask you to please complete this process at your earliest convenience. 

Marist Voices

Marist Voices is a choir made up of boys in Years 5-6 at the College. They rehearse each week in the music centre and are involved in a range of performances throughout the year.  Boys in choir not only learn the basics of singing in a group, but also get an opportunity to meet and interact with a range of other students across year levels, enhance their music knowledge and reading, develop singing and listening skills and use their dramatic skill through workshops and games.

We regularly have boys involved in sports who join Marist Voices. Coaches and the Music team are more than happy for boys to alternate when they have a sport on the morning of choir (i.e. attend choir once a fortnight). 

There is no requirement to have any previous choir experience. To join, all your son needs to do is come to the Music Centre on Tuesday mornings at 7:20am and sign-on!

From the Primary Learning Leader – Ms Jen Little

I would like to take this opportunity to welcome you all to the new school year. Despite the late start, it has been a hive of activity in the Primary school in the area of learning and teachers have spent the first couple of weeks preparing for the multiple contingencies that COVID-19 continues to bring. Whilst we missed having the students in our classes over the last couple of weeks, it was great to catch up with everyone through our Meet and Greets.

Please note that in the event of sickness, it is the College’s expectation that students are not on-site and are resting at home. However, should students be isolating for an extended period of time due to being considered ‘close contacts’, these students are able to access work via the class OneNote that can be accessed through their class Team. Over the first couple of weeks, our classroom teachers will begin the process of familiarising students with this platform.

Nelson Mandela once said that ‘education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.’ At Marist College Ashgrove, we believe wholeheartedly in this philosophy and it is our hope that every boy meets their full academic potential whilst at the College. To this end, this week I will be engaging in a number of academic care meetings with individual students in Year 6 as part of our continued ‘Academic Tracking’ at Marist College Ashgrove. The first round of meetings will involve the following students:

• Our cohort leaders
• Our most improved students in the cohort and 
• Our students who are sitting on a Grade Point Average of 12 or more

These students will meet with me this week to touch base about their learning from last year, view their academic profiles and plot a path forward for future progress. Students will be encouraged to take these profiles home to facilitate important discussions with parents and caregivers. I will endeavour to touch base with parents about these meetings as they continue throughout the term.

For now, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the following students for their outstanding achievement across all subjects in Semester 2 of 2021:

Cohort Leaders as Judged by Overall GPA

I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate those students who made the most progress across their subjects. This progress has been born out of hard work and dedication. The students in the table below will be presented with progress awards at a future assembly with the date still to be confirmed.

Students with Most Notable Progress as Judged by Overall GPA

Assessment Calendars

By now, parents should be able to access Assessment Calendars via the Parent Lounge. Students have access to this through the Student Café. This is an important resource to assist with the planning of any additional revision throughout the term.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to make contact via the following email address: littlej@marash.qld.edu.au

From the Primary Library

The beginning of the year is always tremendously exciting in the Primary Library. We love to welcome the new Year 5’s into our space, which is a central hub for many of our students. The boys enjoy their library by reading, playing chess, completing quizzes and brainteasers, engaging in Makerspace or simply sitting and pondering over their school day with friends.

Our Makerspace programme involves the boys participating in a variety of hands-on craft and STEM activities. This week we will begin the term with matchstick art and are very looking forward to seeing the level of creativity the boys can display.

We are also pleased to announce Caelan Rabie and Hudson Melrose as our Term 1 Library Captains. 

We look forward to our year ahead feel confident that we shall be stimulated and excite the boys in the marvellous world of books.