Primary News

We have officially embarked on our Lenten journey, the beautiful season of the Church when Catholics prepare for Easter by getting back to the basics of our faith – Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving. In the busyness of life, sometimes we need the season of Lent to remind us of the importance of our faith. Lent is also a season where we start to hear of people’s commitment to fasting through conversations about what they are ‘giving up?’. Sometimes these are extremely thoughtful and faith-filled. Other times, boys talk about giving up homework, vegetables and having a shower…..Pope Francis’ reflection on fasting particularly resonates with me, and I hope it will with you…

Fast from hurting words…..and say kind words.

Fast from sadness …..and be filled with gratitude.

Fast from anger…..and be filled with patience.

Fast from pessimism…..and be filled with hope.

Fast from worries …..and trust in God. 

Fast from complaints….. and contemplate simplicity.

Fast from pressures …..and be prayerful.

Fast from bitterness…..and fill you heart with joy.

Fast from selfishness …..and be compassionate to others

Fast from grudges…..and be reconciled.

Fast from words …..and be silent so you can listen.

When you ask the staff at Marist what they love most about the school, the answer is always the same…..The Boys. It is the genuine care that our staff have for the students that makes this place so special. I have thoroughly enjoyed each opportunity to talk to the students about their interests and their school experience so far this year. I have also made sure that I make time to engage boys in dialogue about their learning. I particularly enjoy hearing what they are learning about, how they are going with their learning, what they find challenging and what they do if they get stuck. As we charge towards the halfway point of the term, I encourage you to do the same. The subject overviews and assessment calendars on the Learning Portal may also provide timely conversation starters with your son about the current topics they are learning about.

Year 5 Welcome Liturgy

Last Thursday morning, the Year 5 boys, staff, and parents attended a very special liturgy to officially welcome our newest students to the College. The Marist Family's story was shared with the boys, and they all received a Marist keyring to take with them as a special memento of the liturgy. It is hoped that the boys take care of their keyring and feel a close bond to the other members of our Marist community now and into the future. 

Mid-Term Assembly

This morning, the Primary School gathered in the Draney Theatre to celebrate the first five weeks of the school year and to acknowledge the achievements of our boys in several areas. We were delighted to present our Men of Courage Awards and our Love of Work Awards to each class in the Primary School. There was also an opportunity to watch a presentation focusing on the need for everyone to be an upstander and not a bystander in our Primary School.

Special congratulations go to the following boys who received these awards:

Men of Courage: Royden Power, Thomas Shaxson, Eamon Reeves, Jackson Keir, Ryan Heisel, Luke Hourigan, Lincoln Ryan, Jack Rosenberg, Ethan Bird, Lachlan Webster

Love of Work: Darcy Frazier, Shea Caminiti, Sam Warren, James Doolan, Alessandro Romano, Clancy Barrett, Canaan Gibson, Harry Barden, Harrison Smith, Elliott Broadfoot

Year 5 Feedback Survey

Last week I emailed all Year 5 families, inviting them to complete this survey to provide feedback regarding your experience at the College so far. Your response will help us improve the transition and welcome experience at the College for future Year 5 students and their parents/guardians. Please complete this survey by Thursday 25 February.

Primary Student Leaders

During the week ahead, I will be visiting each Year 6 classroom to outline our vision for Student Leadership in the Primary School in 2021. Each boy will be invited to consider registering their interest for a leadership role this year and will be informed of the processes involved in choosing our Primary Leaders. This initial discussion with the boys will be quite brief but will serve as an opportunity for them to ask questions and perhaps ignite in them a passion for leadership that they wish to pursue. A more detailed communication outlining the processes will be sent to all parents in the coming weeks.I hope there are boys in our Year 6 cohort who are excited by this opportunity, and I look forward to channelling this enthusiasm during the remainder of the year.

Mr Michael Connolly - Pastoral Leader

NAPLAN

In May, all students in Years 5, 7 and 9 will sit the NAPLAN tests online. These are national tests that are a point in time snapshot of each student’s understanding and application in the areas of Literacy and Numeracy. The best preparation for these tests is quality teaching and learning and ultimately, this is what we are committed to at Marist College, Ashgrove.

So that students meet their full potential, there are a number of additional tasks that they can take on to prepare them. Importantly, these are not just preparation for NAPLAN, but fundamental practices that progress student learning across a broad range of subjects. To assist your child’s preparation at home, I would strongly encourage the following:

• Additional practise of keyboarding skills Dance Mat Typing is a free website that can assist with this.
• Regular reading and writing – the importance of reading and writing can never be underestimated. These are skills that are involved in all subject areas and ‘walks of life.’ If your child is not reading, insist that they spend at least 20 minutes each night with a book. Discuss their reading with them. Allow for opportunities in which they are writing. It could be that they keep a journal or that they write about something they have learnt in class each week. This will assist them in becoming more literate learners. It will also develop their metacognition which is essential for learning.
• Practise their basic numeracy skills regularly – does your child know their basic number facts? If not, spend some time revising these. This will improve their fluency and speed in class and help them become more numerate individuals.

Please remember that if you feel your son is finding any of these elements of his work challenging, we have before school study available from 8:00 am to 8:30 am each day. Our school officers and senior students are happy to assist on any of these mornings so that the boys can maximise their full potential. 

Mrs Jen Little - Primary Learning Leader

Clean Up Australia Day

On Friday 5 March, Marist College Ashgrove will be participating in School’s Clean Up Australia Day. This is the 31st year anniversary of the event, and their manifesto is to, “inspire and empower communities to clean up, fix up and conserve our environment.” Boys in the Primary school are invited to attend the event from 3:30 pm-4:45 pm at the creek at the back of the College. Interested students are invited to sign-up after assembly on Thursday morning. 

Clubs and Activities

At Marist College Ashgrove, and in the Primary School, we are very fortunate to have access to a variety of clubs and activities. These are run before and after school and are facilitated by some of our fantastic staff, senior students and volunteers.

Morning tutoring is available for all Primary students each morning from 8:00 am in the classroom next to the library.

Primary Chess is in full swing. If your son is interested, it is not too late to join. Lessons take place every Monday at 7:30 am in the Library.

Maths/Science Club continues to run every Tuesday afternoon from 3:20 pm-4:30 pm. This week the program will be a Science focus on Light. If you are interested, please contact Majella Stevens stevensm@marash.qld.edu.au.

The Public Speaking Program successfully began last Wednesday afternoon. If you are interested in this opportunity, please contact Majella Stevens.

Sport Update

AFL - Round 4 v Iona

Cricket - Round 4 v Padua

Term 1 - Results Tables

AIC Swimming Championships

AIC Swimming Championships will take place at Chandler on Friday, this is the culmination of a lot of training for all of our swimmers, and we wish them the best of luck.

Contacting Coaches

If your son will be absent from training or from Saturday fixtures, please email the team’s coach. If your son’s team is coached by someone not on staff, parents/guardians are requested to contact the Primary Head of Sport lambournej@marash.qld.edu.au, and a message will be passed onto team coaches.

Term 2 AIC Sport

Term 2 AIC sports sign-on closes this week. There are still many primary boys who have not signed up to play Term 2 sport. Parents/Guardians MUST approve the signup and update the medical details if needed. Boys who are unsure how to use Student Café to sign onto College sport are asked to see Mr Lambourne as soon as possible.

• Rugby and football trials will begin in Week 7.
• All matches are played on Saturday mornings; training will be one afternoon and one-morning session
• Boys require a jersey, shorts and socks - available from the College Uniform Shop. Rugby needs boots and a mouthguard. Football needs boots and shin pads.

Cross Country

Cross country training will begin Monday 1 March. Boys are required to register using Student Café. Training will take place each morning before school. Details will be on the College app this week.

• Week 1 training will allow the boys to meet the coaches, age group coordinators and squad supervisors. Boys who attend at least two of the Week 1 sessions will be invited to attend a BBQ on Friday morning before school.

Internal AFL

Games continue this week on Hayden Oval – Thursday 3:20 pm-5:00 pm. 

All boys are welcome to play but require boots and a mouthguard.

Sports Photographs

We are always on the look-out for photos and action shots to be used for the Blue & Gold, other College publications, season or end-of-year wrap-ups etc. Please follow this link and add your photos - Marist College Ashgrove Primary Sports Photos.

College App

Please ensure that you download the College app to your smartphone. This app will be used weekly to inform you of sporting fixtures, cancellations and bus arrival information.