Marist College Ashgrove Newsletter

Deputy Head of College News

Mr Charles Brauer

Beginning and endings in our lives are sometimes linear, with a clear start and clear conclusion. Other times, beginnings and endings can be cyclical or spiral in nature, enabling renewal and growth. No doubt all ends of the spectrum or the spiral are well and truly alive within our Marist Family as we commence the school year. Witnessing the arrival of new and returning students from near and afar over the past few days reminds me of the range of emotions at play in the lives of the young men we educate. Some will tackle their first days with joy and excitement, others with apprehension and doubt, and others with a mixture of these. The common element in each of their stories is the wonderful home-away-from-home of Marist College Ashgrove.

 

Although my time at the College so far has been brief, I have already experienced a real sense of the pillars of Marist identity - Family Spirit, Presence and Love of Your Work. Whilst similarities to other Catholic charisms (traditions) can easily be formed, a gentle and caring hospitality resonates within the Marist Family. As a dad to two young women tackling secondary schooling, such an educational environment is very heartening and reassuring.

 

The education of young people is rapidly evolving. Schools are being called to be more targeted and age-responsive with respect to the care, support and development of a young person’s social, emotional, physical and learning hopes and needs – and so we should be!

 

Boys’ education in Australia is being challenged more than ever to develop well-rounded and open-minded graduates. A Marist education has this at its core. A Marist tradition fosters strength and tenderness of character. A Marist education embraces the feminine to provide balance to the masculine. Such balance is not only a wonderful setting for boys’ education but a wonderful opportunity for a Marist education to further grow in appeal, relevance and empowerment for young men. 

 

A sincere thank you to those students, parents, staff, Old Boys and community members who have warmly welcomed me in my first few weeks at the College. I am extremely grateful. I very much look forward to becoming more familiar with members of our Marist Family, immersing myself as wholeheartedly, honestly and truly as possible. May I take this opportunity to warmly welcome new members of our Marist Family. I hope you experience the same gentle hospitality which has been extended to me.

 

I wish all members of our Marist Family all the very best with these first few days and weeks, setting a course for the year ahead. 

Reminders and Important Information

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 accessed via the Parent Portal. The College no longer supports the absentee phone line. 

 

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.

 

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 seven 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, Linda Pettit is available to support you in this area. Email: pettitl@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. A term’s notice is defined as a full 10-week term plus any holiday periods. 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.

 

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 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 hr@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.