Boarding News

It is quite hard to believe that we are making our way through Week 8 of the term. When I think back over Term 1, I feel very grateful to many people on the Ashgrove staff who’ve helped us get through what has been a challenging time. I also feel indebted to many good people who have supported me and made me feel so welcome at Marist College Ashgrove in my first term in the Head of Boarding role. 

We continue to manage a growing number of cases of COVID-19 in our boarders and also a number of the boarding staff have tested positive in recent times. We regularly remind the boys about the importance of good hygiene and trying to socially distance where possible, but this can be challenging in a residential setting. Our isolation facility and our COVID-19 Management Plan are working well and this is thanks to a big team effort. Our nurses have done an amazing job under very trying circumstances to look after the boarders with COVID-19 as well as manage the ordinary medications and injuries which are part of daily life in boarding. Our boarding staff have also assisted in a variety of ways to ensure all the boys are supported. Our cleaners, laundry staff, school psychologists, strength and conditioning coaches and others have all contributed to the positive care provided to our boarders during this difficult time. I have every confidence that we can manage the challenges which lie ahead.

As I write this, the boys are becoming quite busy with preparations for exams and other assessments. The staff are reminding them to fully utilise their study time and to access the great resources available to the boarders. Each night when the boys have scheduled study time we have around a dozen paid tutors who are split between the Residences to assist the boys with school work. We have an excellent lineup of tutors who have been selected and employed by the school because they possess key skills which will benefit the boys. Please remind your son to take advantage of the tutors and, as always, please contact your son’s Boarding Coordinator if you are concerned with his academic progress.

As we close in on the end of the term, I’d like to provide a few reminders to assist with your planning.

• Term 1 does not finish until Friday 1 April which is the designated travel day for boarders. Exams will be taking place in the final few days and any classes who have completed exams will be commencing new work. Thanks in advance for keeping your son at school until the end of the term.
• The Health Centre staff and boarding staff will be on holidays from the end of term and all boarding operations in the school will close down. So, it is important to point out that any boarders who might test positive to COVID-19 within a week of the end of term need to be transferred into the care of family on April 1. Parents need to be prepared to organise alternative accommodation and care for their son if he tests positive close to the end of term.
• Marist Ashgrove will be providing a number of transport options for families to help boarders to get home for the holidays. These bus services will be advertised soon, so please keep an eye out for details.

I hope all our boarding families are well and I know you’ll be looking forward to getting your son home for the upcoming holidays. Please let me know if I can assist you, or your son in any way.

Around the Grounds

La Valla Residence

This week was busy for the La Valla boys but it is lovely to see so many smiles and laughs as they return from school. This week is going to be extremely challenging with the first exam block starting on Friday. For some of our boys, sitting in an exam hall with approximately 250 boys is a new experience, let alone focusing for more than 60mins on an exam. We have spent the week preparing them for these new experiences and reinforced the importance of planning and organisation. There are no second chances when you turn up without the required resources! Many boys have started to use quiet time to set out their books, uniforms, sports and music equipment for the following day. We are hoping that when they return home in a few weeks, their new-found independence will be evident as they help around the house!

This week’s recreation created some very special moments for some of our boys who met up with their sisters from other boarding schools. For those from remote locations, it made them feel closer to home and gave them a chance to meet their sibling’s friends and supervisors. The big highlights for the week included the Broncos game on Friday and Wet’n’Wild. The La Valla boys are to be commended for their diligence in adhering to Mr Temperly’s check-in times at Wet’n’Wild. Mr Temperly returned from the day looking relatively relaxed compared to previous years. Well done La Valla!

Montagne Residence

Study, study, study. This seems to be the major focus of most of the previous week. The tutors have been doing an amazing job touching base with every single boy and ensuring that they are mostly complete on all required tasks. Assessment finals are now slowly starting to creep up with all drafting now complete – it is on the boys to ensure that they read their drafts and utilise feedback appropriately. The real deal of exam block starts next week so this weekend will have an extra study session to ensure that they are ready to fire. It was also lovely to have Mr McPhee and Mr Noble drop into study sessions throughout the week!

Boys have been reminded to maintain their hygiene as COVID-19 is continually working its way through the dorm. It is a tough ask to social distance in such a small space, but boys are doing a great job overall. It is awesome to have the NRL back with the AFL returning this week. They are two sports that really get the school year going and boys talking to one another. Even better now that COVID-19 restrictions have lifted, Recreation has allowed boys to attend games and we hope that they continue to take up these offers. It is also great to see boys continue to hit the gym of a morning. Hoping that this continues into the colder months!

Hermitage Residence

During the week, the boys of Hermitage have been making productive use of study sessions, both of an evening and times outside of this. We are now familiar with the wonderful tutors that we have access to and are readily making the most of their areas of focus. We welcomed a new tutor to the team this week in Ms Kitty Gatling. Kitty, a teacher, strengths lie in the areas of RE, English and Drama. These will prove handy as assessment for these is busy currently. Most pleasing has been the support of peers towards other. A great example of this has been Finn Brennan who has given of his own time to support another boarder with Maths revision in consolidating his own understanding.

Over the weekend, the boys made the most of the opportunity to enjoy recreation with many heading along to the first NRL game of the season, and to Wet’n’Wild on Sunday to socialise with other schools. The week ahead is another important week of study and activities as we enter exam block for our Year 10 and Year 9 lads. It is difficult to fathom that we are approaching the end of Term 1.

Fourviere Residence

It has been another action-packed week for the Fourvière faithful. Last Sunday night saw a return to our spiritual home for mass in the Chapel and it was pleasing to see the Fourvière lads dressing up in smart casual for the occasion. The boys certainly do enjoy the opportunities that they get to don their ‘Sunday clothes’ from time to time.

It was an early rise on Tuesday morning to send the AIC swim team off to the championships. Career’s week also kept the boys interested with plenty on offer at the expo on Thursday afternoon and Friday’s free dress day once again saw the lads bring out their creative fashion flair with the resounding theme being inspired by the resident snappy dresser, Munroe Wood. On Friday evening the boys were thrilled to share in the company of a special guest supervisor, Mr Charlie Taylor. We are grateful to you for giving up your time to spend your Friday night with the lads and we hope to see you around the dorms again soon.

Congratulations go to Harry Condon, Atticus Armstrong and Munroe Wood who were announced to take part in the Sydney Rugby tour squad during the Easter Holidays.

Josh King celebrated his birthday in style as he treated a few mates to breakfast at the local café on Saturday morning. He then made it a birthday to remember by taking two wickets and a catch as the Mighty Last XI cricket side took to the field once more this season. Spectators were treated to a thrilling game as the crew did battle with the more fancied St Laurence’s 4th XI at Marchant Park. Despite losing star player Harry Cunynghame, who succumbed to injury early in the afternoon the lads toiled with the ball and were set the modest total of 100 to chase. Jack Haddad led the way in the chase with a swashbuckling 33 (his personal best) runs to his name. Jack was well supported with useful contributions from Zeke Esler, Hunter James and John Murphy, but it was Joe Murphy (Year 8) stepping up to replace the injured Cunynghame, showing nerves of steel to calmly guide the lads home, hitting the winning runs in the final over of the match!

Great effort Lads and thank you to Alex Masel for his excellent photos from the cricket this week.

Br Terence Residence

This week saw the boys at the forefront of the Hive for the AIC swimming championships and the 1sts Volleyball match against St Peters. The day of the AIC swimming championships began with a 6:00am rise to ensure that all of our boarders were out of bed to form the guard of honour and wish our swimmers well before the majority of our Year 12s ventured out to Chandler for the day to support. The early morning guard of honour was also accompanied by several College war cries led by Connor Lyons and James O’Connor. Our boys continued their sporting involvement over the weekend with our AFL representatives enjoying a comprehensive win on Friday night before once again our Year 12 boarders ensured that the Hive was in full voice at Saturday’s volleyball fixture.

During the week, a number of our Year 12 boarders had the opportunity to visit the Gallipoli Army Barracks at Enoggera and participate in a range of activities organised by Br Terence supervisor Mr Josh Dennis. The boys were joined by 15 Stuartholme boarders and they were able to attempt the above water obstacle course, take part in an ethical decision-making activity, share dinner in the Officers’ Mess, see first-hand the different weapons used in the military, and also learn a little more about careers in the defence force and how the defence force operates. Special mention must go to Paddy Manning and Hunter Lowis for being the only participants to complete the challenging above water obstacle course on the night. This outing linked in nicely with the careers week activities held here at the College, which also saw some of our boys participate in an online networking opportunity with industry leaders from various fields.

Our Year 12 students received their Senior Badges during the week while also finding themselves right in the middle of a busy assessment schedule with a number of assignments due before their exam block begins in Week 9. It has been pleasing to see many of our boarders using their own free time to prepare as well as possible for their upcoming assessment items and all of our residence staff wish the boys well for this important time in the school year.

Recreation Report - Mr Blair Whitlock

Friday kicked off with our fortnightly Boarders Arvo Feast which is always a great start to the weekend. The internal volleyball teams welcomed competition from St Laurence’s College on Friday afternoon. The rain cleared off and we were able to get games running on both the inside and outdoor courts. It was great for the boys not as involved in sport to get some friendly competition against another school. The games took us through to dinner and then we loaded up the bus and headed down to Suncorp for the Broncos vs Rabbitohs. Surprisingly, we had just as many Bunnies fans as Broncos fans which led to plenty of banter throughout the game! There weren’t many tries but it was an intense match and a great way start to the season for the Broncos with an 11-4 win.

It was great to have Saturday sport back as the boys headed all over Brisbane for games against St Peters. We took a busload of boys over to St Peters to support the 1st Volleyball boys in their crunch game. It was an exciting game and the boys certainly made their presence known in the Peters gym. The boys snatched the first set but unfortunately couldn’t hold the lead and eventually succumbed to a 3-1 defeat. A Maccas run on the way home lifted the boy’s spirits and we opened up the pool for an afternoon swim to cool off. There were plenty of tired bodies after a day in the sun and most boys chose to just relax in the dorms on Saturday evening. It’s great to have the NRL back and the boys watched their fair share over the weekend!

COVID-19 had unfortunately cancelled the traditional boarding Wet n Wild trip earlier in the term. However, by popular demand, we loaded up a bus and took 55 boys down to the water park on Sunday morning. We were joined by Stuartholme and Clayfield College and it was great to see many boys reunited with friends and family they hadn’t seen in Term 1. It was also a cracking day and we made the most of the sun before heading back home. Sunday mass rounded off another busy weekend as we get to the business end of the term!