Primary News

Dear Primary Families

At the beginning of the term I reiterated to the boys that Term 4 provides us with a fantastic opportunity to finish the school year at the peak of our abilities. After three terms, our final term should really be a cumulation of all our hard work, and our learning, behaviour and actions should be at their best. As we approach the end of our final term, I can honestly say that the boys have accepted and embraced this challenge. At our Primary Mass in the Chapel last Wednesday, our boys demonstrated this to the entire school community through their sense of occasion, reverence and whole-hearted engagement in this special celebration.

Although there are just days left in our school year together, the boys continue to be engaged in a variety of exciting events and activities. Today our Year 5 students took part in their annual Fun Day and tomorrow our Year 6 students will spend the second last day of their primary schooling at Caloundra for their Beach Day. On Thursday afternoon we look forward to saying farewell to our Year 6 students at our Final Primary Assembly, as they take an exciting leap into the high school in 2021.

Congratulations

• This morning we congratulated Will Thomas, Billy Dunn, JD Cootes, Matthew Alvarez, Harry Cootes, Sammy Plumb, Connor Campbell and Mrs Brown who were part of the Tournament of the Minds Team that placed 2nd in Queensland. A fantastic achievement!

• Well done also to the following boys for their achievements in the RSL Remembrance Day writing competition: Elliott Broadfoot (3rd), Nick Prendergast (2nd) and Hamish Ansell (1st).

• Yesterday morning our Year 5 and 6 Drama students from Loulabelle Productions put on a special performance for the Primary School, these boys will perform again on Wednesday evening. 

Primary Student Leaders 2022

After much deliberation, this week we were able to announce our Primary Student Leaders for 2022. Congratulations to: Ted Armstrong, Jack Davis, Kayden Kyoung, Aidan Marshall and Thomas Shaxson.

These boys will be acknowledged in front of our College community and receive their badges at our Inaugural Mass next year.

I would like to use this opportunity to thank and farewell our Inaugural Primary Student Leaders: Hamish Ansell, Clancy Barrett, Connor Campbell, Harry Cootes and Harry McAuliffe. These young men did a wonderful job of leading their peers and representing the College at a variety of events and celebrations. The Primary School is certainly a better place for having you as its leaders this year.

Some Reminders

Semester 2 Reports: will be made available to all families next week through the Parent Lounge. You will receive a notification when they are ready to be accessed.

Chromebooks: All students in Years 5 and 6 are asked to return their Chromebooks and chargers to school before the end of the year. Any students who do not bring them in will be contacted to return them during their holidays.

Final Primary Assembly: Thank you to all families who have confirmed their attendance at our Final Primary Assembly. Keep an eye out for an e-mail from Humanitix with your seating allocation.

College and Primary Office: The College will be closed for the Christmas Break and will re-open on Monday 17 January 2022.

Class Lists: Students will be informed of their class and classroom teacher on the first day of school.

Primary Staff 2022

Please find below our Primary teaching and support staff for 2022.

Head of Primary School: Mr Liam Beatty

Primary Pastoral Leader: Mr Michael Connolly

Primary Learning Leader: Ms Jen Little

Head of Primary Sport: Mr John Lambourne

Support Teacher – Inclusive Education: Mrs Kylie Tippins

Teacher Librarian: Mrs Meaghan Round

5 Blue: Mr Bas Pelly

5 Gold: Mrs Prue Maclean and Ms Jen Little

5 Red: Mr James Lidstone

5 White: TBA

5 Violet: Mrs Cath Geraghty

6 Blue: Ms Peta Earley

6 Gold: Mr Shane Wheeler

6 Red: Mr Matt Jones and Mrs Catherine Barnett

6 White: Mrs Rachelle Garton

6 Violet: Mr James Furminger

Admin Assistant to Head of Primary and Primary Reception: Mrs Deb Maddox

Library Technician: Mrs Robyn Brown

Learning Support Tutors: Mrs Rhonda Carson and Mrs Lucy Hislop

Thank You for a Great Year

In my first year at the College, it has been my absolute privilege to work with our teachers and families to ensure that each boy in our Primary School was working to their full potential and being 100% Marist, 100% of the time. Whether it be in the classroom, during co-curricular activities, online learning, or in their friendships, our boys have been consistently pushed to be the best that they can be in this great environment. What has stood out for me most about our Primary boys is the pride that the youngest members of our school community have shown in being part of the College. Through their actions and their words, the boys have made it clear that they are proud to be young Marist men.

As a school, our core business is teaching and learning. Throughout this year I have made it a priority to talk to boys about their academic progress and our staff have worked hard to encourage their students to continue to develop a deep love for learning. This classroom learning has also been complemented by fantastic music, sport and extra-curricular program designed to engage and challenge our boys.

Of course, all these wonderful opportunities could not be afforded to these young men without the commitment and dedication of our dedicated primary teachers and support staff. This dedication was on full display as they led our students through not one, but two, periods of home learning during 2021. Ensuring this continuity of learning for our students, all the while with a smile on their faces, is something that I know was very much appreciated by the boys and their families.

As the sun sets on another amazing year at the College, unfortunately, it means that we farewell a wonderful group of 139 Year 6 students as they take their first step into our high-school next year. I wanted to take this opportunity to thank these boys for the important role they have played in the Primary School over the last two years. May they continue to walk in the footsteps of St Marcellin Champagnat and be guided by our values of Modesty, Simplicity and Humility. I look forward to watching the graduating class of 2027 as they journey through the College. It is my hope that they will always look back fondly at their foundational years at the College and continue to be 100% Marist 100% of the time. 

From the Primary Learning Leader – Jen Little

As another year draws to a close, I cannot help but think about how much has been achieved in the area of learning this year: improvement in student writing, increased exposure to technology and greater rigour in the area of academics in general. This year saw our first Awards Night for all students in Years 5 – 11. Our Primary boys who were awarded on the night were particularly elated by their achievements and the evening ignited a ‘spark’ that will serve to enhance learning at MCA into the future. 

The Primary boys have worked particularly hard this term preparing for end of year assessments. I take this opportunity to thank our dedicated teaching staff who have been hard at work in the teaching, marking and reporting phase. I also extend my thanks to our parent body and the students themselves for their efforts this year. Any effective learning involves the important partnership of staff, students and parents. To this end, Marist College Ashgrove is in good shape for the future. 

Parents often ask if there is anything that students should be doing during the extended holiday period. Whilst this should be a time to rejuvenate and relax, I would strongly encourage our boys to engage with regular reading over the holiday period. Any opportunity to write would also be of benefit. This could be in the form of a holiday journal, storybook or anthology. 

Report Cards

Report cards will be released to all parents on Parent Lounge next week. Confirmation of the availability of these reports will be sent to all parents via email. These reports are a reflection of your child’s learning and achievements over the course of Semester 2 (Terms 3 and 4). Along with your sons’ results across the various subjects, they will also receive a grade for the learning behaviours they have displayed. The criteria for these behaviours can be found below.

I ask all parents to take some time to sit down with their sons and set some goals for next year. 

From the Head of Primary Sport – John Lambourne

In Term 1 2022, boys wishing to participate in AIC team sports have the option of playing cricket or AFL. Trials for both these sports will take place in Week 1 during school time, after school and on the first Saturday back. In preparation for these trials, boys wishing to play cricket will require MCA cricket whites, available from the Uniform Shop, and a protector. Boys wishing to play AFL will require an AFL jersey and shorts, available from the Uniform Shop, boots and a mouthguard.  For AFL only 45 boys are selected for the AFL teams, it is recommended that parents wait until teams have been selected before purchasing an AFL uniform. Further details can be found in the Primary School Sports Handbook. 

Online sign-on for these sports has now closed, if you have not already signed on and would like your son to participate in Term 1 AIC team sports please email primarysports@marash.qld.edu.au with your son’s name, the sport they are interested in playing and their playing experience.