Enews - 10 May 2023 - Marist College Canberra

In preparation for a recent presentation, I found myself reflecting on the value and importance of boys' education. We all know there is immense overlap between the genders and that each child is an individual not to be limited by a gender stereotype. We also know, however, that boys and girls do learn differently. We now have scientific evidence that documents the many biological gender differences that influence learning. For instance, girls talk sooner, develop better vocabularies, read better and have better fine motor skills. Boys, on the other hand, have better auditory memory, are better at three-dimensional reasoning, are more prone to explore and achieve greater abstract design ability.

This research clearly demonstrates how this distinction in hard-wiring and socialised gender difference affects how boys and girls learn. Research also presents specific ways to educate our children based on brain science, neurological development and chemical and hormonal disparities. For example, a girl’s retina is built very differently from the retina of a boy. When a boy and a girl look at the same landscape, they are seeing very different images.

Furthermore, most girls and women interpret facial expressions better than most boys and men. Boys and girls hear differently as well. It may come as no surprise to many mothers and wives that teenage girls do in fact hear better than boys and this difference only gets bigger as the children get older! We know girls draw nouns while boys prefer to draw verbs. There are also significant differences in how a girl’s and boy’s brain processes emotions – both good and bad. Asking a teenage boy to talk about how he feels is a question guaranteed to make most boys feel uncomfortable.

The bottom line is that the brain is just organised differently in female and males. The tired argument about which sex is more intelligent or which sex has the ‘better’ brain is about as meaningful about as arguing which utensil is ‘better’, a knife or a spoon. The only correct answer to such a question is: ‘Better for what?” I find the recent research fascinating and understand these differences have major implications for best practice in education – and also for effective parenting.

Our focus is on the best instructional approach for boys. Whilst there is no simple answer the weight of research suggest that a fair proportion of boys prefer direct instruction involving a warm-up and ‘I Do, We Do and You Do’ approach to enable boys to learn from their mistakes and refine their response. As boys achieve mastery, we gradually remove the prompts, so they learn through inquiry and develop sophisticated knowledge that leads to deeper learning.

Matthew Hutchison
Headmaster

Dear Junior School families,

I wonder how many families sat to watch history being made over the weekend with the King’s Coronation? The traditional and faith-filled ceremony was certainly a wonderful display of servant leadership as King Charles pledged to serve the people of the Commonwealth.

As the Archbishop of Canterbury mentioned in his sermon:

“Come Holy Spirit, fill our hearts with the flame of your love. We are here to crown a King, and we crown a King to serve...

Service is love in action. We see active love in our care for the most vulnerable, the way we nurture and encourage the young, in the conservation of the natural world. We have seen those priorities in the life of duty lived by our King.”

As I sat watching the ceremony, I pondered how closely these words aligned with our own Marist values and vision. For we continually work with our Marist boys to build an understanding in them and a want to walk beside those who are most vulnerable in our society. What a great example of servant leadership St Marcellin Champagnat gave to us.

Mother's Day

This Sunday we celebrate Mother's Day, a special day in our annual calendar to recognise and celebrate the many mother figures in our lives. Happy Mother’s Day to all of the special females who take on the role of ‘mother’ in the lives of our Marist boys. In our Catholic and Marist traditions the example of Mary as Jesus’ mother is a blessing, to both our boys as they grow into young men, but also to those of us blessed with being mothers.

2024 Student Enrolments

Our 2024 enrolment period continues until 26 May. Should you know a family that are considering a Marist education for their son starting in Year 4, I urge you to remind them to get an application in quickly for consideration for the upcoming year. We firmly believe that starting a boy in Year 4 in Junior School at Marist has many proven benefits, as you are all aware. We offer a point of difference, being now one of only two boys’ Primary Schools in Canberra.

ANZAC Reflection

A sincere thank you to Colonel Kim Gilfillan, father of Finlay (Year 5) and Kip (Year 7), who delivered a meaningful address to the Junior School at last week's Term 2 Badge Assembly. Colonel Gilfillan reminded us that “ANZAC Day, on 25 April each year, is a day to remember and pay our respects to those who have served their country, to their families, to those who have been injured, and to those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice.”

He also reminded the boys that it is not necessarily what we do, but rather how we do things that is most important. A very important message for our young Marist men to hear and strive towards.

“The ANZAC story shows us how important it is to have purpose, to take responsibility for your actions, to never give up, to look after your mates and to work together as a team. In the end, it wasn’t what the ANZACs did that made Australians and New Zealanders so proud of them, it was how they did it, how they responded to the terrible challenges that confronted them.”

Headmasters Award

Congratulations to Jake Konjevic who received his Headmasters Award last week from Headmaster Mr Hutchison.

Year 4 Grandparents Day

We are looking forward to welcoming the many Grandparents/Grandfriends who are joining us this Friday for Grandparents Day. The Year 4 boys and their teachers are preparing for this special event.

Kirsty Bell
Assistant Head of School - Head of Junior School

Term 2 Class Captains

Congratulations to the following boys who received their Captain Badges at last week’s Junior School Assembly.

Class	Captain	Vice-Captain
4Champagnat	Jack Tunningley	Otis Carey
4Gier	Jack Tough	Hunter Black
4Hermitage	Alfie Heffernan	Darcy Hurley
4Lyon	Clyde Lipton	Hayden Cook
4Marcellin	Levi Carmody	Daniel Bahmann
5Champagnat	Christian Chew	Peppe Liberti
5Gier	Ben Sheedy	Will Weber
5Hermitage	MJ Malan	Joey Mason
5Lyon	Alex Sedgwick	Henry Lejsek
5Marcellin	Joshua Panjikkaran	Luca Porreca
5Marlhes	Lucas Grande	Will O'Brien
6Champagnat	Christian Howe	Darcy Pattison
6Gier	Kale McIntyre	Jude Hill
6Hermitage	Johan Canfield	Jock Basham
6Lyon	Tom Currie	Henry Meredith
6Marcellin	Joshua Boteju	Angelo Vecchi
6Marlhes	Sam Dutkiewicz	Enzo Tan

Craig McMahon
Head of Student Wellbeing - Junior School

Junior School Cross Country

The Junior School Cross Country Carnival will take place between recess and lunch on Friday 19 May 2023. Students are to wear PE shorts with their House coloured shirt to and from school. Boys attend school regardless of weather and the carnival will proceed unless weather conditions are extreme. Students will be notified of any changes once they have arrived at school. All students are expected to compete and in the case of genuine illness or injury, students must present a note/email to their class teacher. Best of luck to all boys.

Parent helpers are required as course marshals and we would greatly appreciate your assistance. Please email Ged Galvin if you are available on the day.

Event timings are below and please note all timings are approximate.

Time	Age Group	Distance
11.00am	12 Years	3000m
11.15am	11 Years	3000m
11.30am	10 Years and 9 Years	2000m (results recorded separately)

AFL Gala Day

Good luck to our Years 5 and 6 teams competing at the Paul Kelly Cup at Hughes Oval on Tuesday 16 May. Notes are now due for those registered AFL players keen to participate.

Ged Galvin
Junior School PE and Sport Teacher

On 11 January 2023, we commemorated the 50th anniversary of the then Governor-General Sir Paul Hasluck proclaiming an end to Australia’s involvement in the Vietnam War. More than 60,000 Australians served in Vietnam. Over 3,000 were wounded and 523 gave their lives in the longest conflict Australians were involved in during the 20th Century.

In March of 2023 I was contacted by the Woden R.S.L Branch requesting assistance to provide two Banner Bearers to represent Marist and the ACT Branch of the Australian Army Training Team Vietnam Associate on ANZAC Day.

"We have at last reached the stage when we can no longer find two of our members fit enough to carry our banner during the march up ANZAC Parade to the War Memorial." Mr Gregg Kennett, Woden RSL Secretary wrote.

Three Year 12 Marist boys answered the call - Harry Phillips, Patrick Keating and Jake D'Souza. After the event, I asked Harry if he would like to share his experiences of the day with us. Below is a recount of Harry's 2023 ANZAC Day...an experience not to be forgotten.

Tracee Pfieffer
Defence Transition Mentor

"When I arrived at the War Memorial at around 8:30am, I was very nervous to meet the veterans and march along with them. However, upon meeting Ian Gollings, one of the veterans in the Australian Army Training Team Vietnam, I immediately felt a wave of confidence. Ian told us several stories about his time in Vietnam while Patrick and I shared our connections with him via our defence families. We all got along really well and felt right in place.

Ian, Jake, Patrick and I found our way to our space on Constitution Avenue where later we met Bill Thomas, another AATTV veteran. We were surprised to see that Bill was the only veteran at the event, however he explained that the others who were to march were either ill, no longer capable of marching, or had sadly recently passed away.

The march began with Patrick and I holding the flag with the words “Australian Army Training Team Vietnam” and Jake marching alongside Bill. Bill had left his walking stick in his car as he didn’t realise that he would be marching, however he still managed to march like a soldier. We walked along Constitution Avenue and around the War Memorial where we came across multiple family members, friends, teachers, news cameramen, and other veterans who cheered for us, but especially Bill who continued to march by himself like a champion.

When the march was finished, we rolled up the flag and walked Bill and Ian all the way back around to the Vietnam Memorial on Constitution Avenue. We met multiple other veterans and their families, there in preparation for a separate Commemoration. One veteran was ninety-four years old and was still fit, healthy, and capable of reading loud and clear for the Commemoration. During the Commemoration, Patrick and I held out the flag in front of the Vietnam Memorial, and I was reminded of the contribution of not only these veterans, but of all the people still working in the Defence Forces.

I was reminded of my great grandfather who fought in World War 2, my father who is the Director General of Australian Submarines, and my brother, a submarine engineer. I was reminded of what our veterans sacrificed for us, of where we are today and what we will be in the future."

Harry Phillips
Year 12 Student

One of the biggest concerns around High Schools around Australia at present, is the dramatic rise in vaping amongst adolescents. As a College and further education system, we nearly had a generation of students who were not exposed to the dangers of smoking, with the Australian Government’s anti-smoking initiatives dramatically impacting the number of students who accessed tobacco products. Unfortunately, over the past few years, the rise of electronic cigarettes from unauthorised sources has hit alarming rates.

Last week the Australian Health Minister, the Hon Mark Butler MP, announced the latest Vaping reforms which included prohibiting imports of non-prescription vaping products and a ban on single-use disposable vapes. According to the Health Minister, one in six teenagers aged 14 to 16 has vaped - this statistic highlights the widespread issue our schools are currently facing.

According to the Alcohol and Drug Foundation most people who currently vape in Australia are using non-regulated products, so we have no idea what ingredients are in them, including the nicotine levels. The new regulations would see vapes regulated and sold in plain packing through pharmacies to people with a prescription. This would also limit young people's access to vapes.

The Foundation has emphasised that repeated use of nicotine causes changes in the brain’s reward pathways and alters parts of the brain involved in learning, stress, and self-control. This can make it very difficult to stop using it. As parents, carers, and teachers we should be aware of the challenges young people may face when they can no longer easily access vapes, so that we can support them.

The links below, courtesy of the Alcohol and Drug Foundation, provide insight into information about vapes and how best to support young people who might be experimenting or have an addiction to them. In addition to the information provided, it is worth keeping in mind that social media is one of the most highly used means for accessing vapes. It is through Snap Chat and Instagram that the arrangement of purchasing vapes is made. Parents and carers are encouraged to be more vigilant regarding their son’s social media use so as to avoid the purchase and selling of vapes.

As a College, we commend the policy changes that include plain packaging, restricted flavours and restrictions on purchasing vapes as these should make a big difference on accessibility and use.

At Marist, our position around vaping is clear: it is illegal and will be dealt with in the manner of an illicit substance being brought onto our grounds.

We have measures in place to prevent vaping within our school grounds including vape detectors in our toilets. In addition to the detectors, we have clear consequences if students are found either in possession of a vape, vaping at school or amongst other students who are vaping.

Any student found vaping at Marist is issued with the consequence of suspension, and this period is designed for reflection around choices and to provide an education program based on research around vaping that is to be completed before returning. Upon return, the student will complete a series of education sessions around making better choices and investigating both the short term and long-term effects vaping has on an individual.

Of course, we want to work with all of our boys to help them understand the risks and dangers of vaping, but also want them to be aware that we do not want this illicit material at the College.

Sarah Mahar
Assistant Head of School - Wellbeing and Engagement