Marist College Ashgrove Newsletter

Deputy Head of College News

Mr Bruce McPhee

Assembly Reminders and Important Information

As we begin the start of each term newsletter from the Deputy Head of College, below you will find important information regarding those operational aspects of the College that help all of us make sure the school day runs smoothly.

 

During our assembly today, I also had the opportunity to remind the boys about our expectations of them in Term 3.  Hopefully, none of these were a surprise to the boys:

  • COVID-19 – Importance of maintaining personal hygiene practices and following Qld Health guidelines regarding contracting COVID-19 or being a close contact.  We are also encouraging all staff and students to wear masks, particularly when in large groups.  As an added precaution, we will not be holding whole school assemblies in the Gym until further notice, rather these will be held virtually with boys in their Pastoral Groups.
  • Uniform
    • Students wearing MCA hoodies or non-MCA jumpers to school will have these confiscated.
    • Congratulations to the Senior boys for their wearing of their blazers and long pants. We will communicate with boys and families about the date when wearing blazers to and from school will not be compulsory depending on when the weather starts to heat up.
    • Shirts are to be tucked in and ties secured with the top button of shirts done up (some shirts are too small for this to happen and may need to be retired).  Socks to be pulled up to the knees.
  • Study Plans and Goals for Term 3.  These should be considered by each student and discussed with Pastoral Group teachers in Weeks 2 and 3.
  • Subject changes for boys in Yr 9-11 must be completed by the end of Week 2.
  • Saturday Sport
    • We encourage all boys to support the 1sts at Saturday Sport (this term is basketball, tennis and rugby league).  If doing so boys are to be in full winter uniform. 
    • Boys are not to wear thongs, Birkenstocks or slides to travel to and from Saturday sport. The correct team uniform with closed in shoes must be worn at all times.

Supervision of Students Before School

The College’s formal yard supervision of students commences at 8:15am every school day.

 

Those boys who are attending sports training or other planned activities will be supervised by the adult(s) in charge. From 7:30am, boys are welcome at either of the libraries or the Centre for Learning Enrichment for tutoring and other assistance.

 

While there are always adults around the school from 7:00am in a coaching or tutoring capacity, Marist College Ashgrove does not provide formal supervision of students not attending sport training, music rehearsal or tutoring prior to 8:15am.  Parents are responsible for their sons prior to this time.

 

Day Long Absences

If your son is going to be absent for a day due to illness or any other unexpected reason, please notify the College in writing via the Parent Lounge on the College App or Parent Portal. 

 

Under Queensland Health guidelines, we are now required to provide increased data on student absences. The use of the parent lounge will allow you to provide more detail of your son’s absence. Many families whose children attended BCE primary schools will already be familiar with a similar system.

 

As students return to the College and with the increased prevalence of COVID-19 in the general community, the College has the responsibility to keep families regularly updated on COVID-19 being managed within the school community. This communication will occur through the College newsletter.

 

The current student absentee phone line will still be supported in the short term but will be phased out as we move to the online platform.

 

Parent Lounge - Add Attendance Notification

Parent Lounge - Add Attendance Notification.pdf

 

An SMS alert will be sent to parents/guardians of students recorded as an unexplained absence.

 

Please ensure you contact your son’s Head of House regarding any daily absences or longer that you are aware of ahead of time.

 

Early Departures

Year 5-6: If a student needs to leave the school during the day, they must sign out at the Primary School Reception - a parent/guardian is required to accompany them.

 

Year 7-12: If a student needs to leave the school during the day, he must have a note in his diary from a parent/guardian requesting permission to leave at a certain time. This note is to be signed by their Head of House before school or during morning administration (and presented to Tower Reception before signing out to leave the College grounds.)

 

Day students are not permitted to go home for lunch.

 

Students Arriving Late - Years 7-12

Students must sign in at the Tower Reception BEFORE going to their scheduled classroom. 

 

An automated text message will be sent throughout the day to parents/guardians advising of their son’s late arrival to school.

 

Students Arriving Late - Years 5-6

Students must sign in at the Primary Reception with their parent/guardian BEFORE going to their classroom.

 

An automated text message will be sent throughout the day to parents/guardians advising of their son’s late arrival at school.

 

Drop-off and Pick-up

Please remember when dropping off or picking up students that road rules exist for the protection of everyone including your boys. Police and other authorities will be enforcing traffic regulations.

 

Please remind boys that if, for any reason, they are not picked up after school, they should go to the Health Centre and wait for a parent to arrive. The staff there are able to look after the boys and make every effort to contact parents.

 

Child Protection Officers

As part of our faith basis, duty of care obligations and legislative requirements, Marist College Ashgrove is committed to providing a safe environment to all students and to uphold their best interests and wellbeing.

 

With this in mind, the College has five Child Protection Officers whom staff, parents and students can report any instances of considered inappropriate behaviour by staff, parents or other students.  Should you or your son want to report any kind of inappropriate behaviour, you may do so either in person or via one of the email addresses below.

If you or your son would like to speak to a counsellor about any kind of concerning behaviour or general personal safety or mental health matters, we also have the Reach Out Portal Tile on both the Parent and Student Portals. This will take you to a form you may complete that is received by the College Counsellors who will follow up accordingly.

 

Have Your Family Circumstances Changed?

To ensure you are receiving communications from the College, please log into Parent Lounge to check and update your Address Details.  These details can be found under the Parent Address menu.

 

As part of this process, we ask that you please check, update or add an Alternate Emergency Contact for your family.  This person will be contacted should you be unavailable in case of an emergency.

 

Where there has been a family separation and parents now reside at different addresses, please be aware we can effectively manage separate contact details on our system without compromising communication regarding your son. In the case of separated families, it would be ideal to have an Emergency Contact listed for each parent.

 

Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us if you need help navigating any changes (including new family court orders or conditional communication) through the Parent Portal. Our Data Management Office, Katherine Hoffmann is available to support you in this area. Email: hoffmannk@marash.qld.edu.au or Phone:  07 3858 4508.

 

2022 Fees and Notice Required for Withdrawal from the College

I would like to remind parents of the College’s Fee Policy and the requirement to set up a payment schedule in Parent Lounge if the account is not paid in full by the noted due date. Please ensure that you organise and set up your payment schedule before 28 February.

 

I would also like to take the opportunity to remind parents of the College’s student withdrawal procedure to ensure the continued planned financial commitments of the College are managed:

 

When a student is to be withdrawn from the College, or if an enrolment is to be cancelled by the parents, they are required to give the Head of College one term’s notice, in writing, before the withdrawal or cancellation date. However, if withdrawal is to be effective at the end of the College year, written notice must be given by the end of Term 3. Parents / guardians who do not give such a period of notice will be liable to pay the College an amount equal to one term’s fees in lieu of such notice.

 

In anticipation of your co-operation, thank you.

 

Media and Communications Agreement

Please note that as per your signed enrolment agreement, unless communicated in writing to the College, you consent to the use of your son’s image, in photographic and video format, and his name in the publications of College related material. If we do not hear from you, we will assume that your preferences remain unchanged.

 

External Tutoring on College Grounds

If you are interested in arranging for an External Private Tutor (e.g. an Old Boy) to tutor your son on College Grounds, such as in the Library or within the Boarding precinct, you will need to seek permission from the Head of College, Mr Michael Newman by emailing him the details to marist@marash.qld.edu.au. Please include the name of your son, his homeroom and the name/contact details of the Tutor you are enlisting to tutor your son.

 

As you may appreciate, we require all persons engaging in private tutoring on campus to hold a Blue Card, have double vaccination, as well as to abide by the College’s Private Tutoring Guidelines. You will then be emailed a form that needs to be signed and returned and the HR department will make contact with the Tutor regarding their Blue Card.

 

Please note that until the Tutor provides proof of their Blue Card to the College, and is linked to the College, they are unable to tutor on the College grounds. If you have any further enquiries please contact Head of Staff Services, Julie Ward at wardj@marash.qld.edu.au.

 

Lost Property

Any items of lost property that are found are handed in at the Student Administration Office or Primary Reception. Please make sure any items brought to school are clearly labelled.