Enews - 28 July 2021

It takes great courage to perform for an audience and I commend each and every student, from Marist, Canberra Girls Grammar and St Clare’s College, who participated in this production for having the self-belief to take up the challenge.

Congratulations to Keiran McKenna who, as Danny, had great presence on stage bringing an edgy, jockish air to the character. Patrick Seymour’s energy brought the rebellious Kenickie to life with enormous intensity. Lara Pulciani‘s stunning voice as Sandy made the songs her own while Tamara Brammall as Rizzo was fabulous as she strutted her feisty, vulnerable character with professionalism. The performances of all demonstrated a great commitment to their craft, while Deputy Headmaster Ryan Greer’s cameo performance in Beauty School Dropout was delivered with a suave mischievousness that brought much joy.

Of course, such a production could not take shape without the tireless efforts of so many staff and students supporting the performers. Maggie Haigh’s vision and creativity was evident from the opening scene and her leadership as Director ensured the audience was in for a special performance. She was well supported by Assistant Director Vanessa Johnson bringing her wealth of experience to the team. Senior students Nicholas Cachia and Charlie Cooper also played crucial roles supporting Maggie as Assistant Directors, taking entire responsibility for a number of scenes. Lenore Osland as repetiteur proved a wonderful support for our performers. The orchestra, under the direction of Andrew Hackwill, performed with the authority of seasoned professionals. Before any rehearsing commenced, Andrew rewrote the entire score for each instrument in the orchestra. Jarrod Schindler, as Producer, led the team with expertise, providing the necessary support to allow all the opportunity to be part of a first-class, professional show.

There are many more to thank: there was a huge production team working behind the scenes with set creation, makeup, costumes, front and back of house. The generosity of our staff is a great feature of College life and I know our boys are forever grateful to be provided the myriad of opportunities for them to grow and discover their passions.

We all know the Good Samaritan parable. The Levite and Priest withdraw from the man left bloodied and beaten by thieves. Both chose to look the other way, rather than to notice. The Samaritan, people who were despised by the Jews at the time, stops, enters into the world of the injured man, and throws himself into his suffering. It is an enduring message. 

The College is currently reviewing our Mission and Vision statement to shed light on our dreams and aspirations for a Marist graduate. The expression ‘not tempted to look the other way’ caught our attention and it says a great deal about our hopes in the formation of our young men.

When you choose to look and notice, like the Good Samaritan, you are struck by what you see. You choose to notice the stranger, the lonely, the bullied, the woman being treated disrespectfully and those on the edge of society. But like the Levite and Priest, it is often easy look away, and armour-plate your heart. It is so easy to desensitise our feelings, to remain indifferent and bulletproof ourselves from any sense of responsibility. Pope Francis calls this the ‘virus of indifference’, permitting us to defensively select what we see. 

As we commence ‘Service Week’, we are reminded that we cannot serve others unless we let their reality speak to us, unless we choose to notice. Service is about making a commitment to open our hearts to the suffering of others. We often claim that the heart of our education here at Marist College Canberra is the education of the heart. In doing so, we are reminded that our lives are gifts and we grow by giving of ourselves in service.

Matthew Hutchison
Headmaster

I had previously warned the student, but in line with the policy, this time took the phone off him. Normally, I drop the phone immediately off to the Deputy Headmaster’s office to arrange pick up. This time, I was in a rush and needed to meet someone in my own office, so the phone was placed on my desk.

After the meeting, I continued with some of my own work when I noticed something irregular about the phone. It was moving. Ever so slightly. Every so often, it would vibrate slightly and the screen would emit a flash of light. I glanced at the front of the phone and realised there were notifications appearing. I ignored the first few, but after a while, the constant buzzing, despite only being barely noticeable, caught my attention. I waited and watched. Over the course of a period, the phone received nearly 30 notifications. TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, text messages (even some from other Marist students) and notifications from all manner of other apps designed to tempt and capture the attention of the owner. This is a phone that would have sit comfortably in the pocket of the student as they sat through their next lesson. How could a student possibly learn if their attention is disrupted 30 times in a lesson? It is clear we have a problem.

There is no doubt that smartphone technology offers incredible opportunities for the new generation, but at what cost? Our policy of “No mobiles in classrooms” mirrors many from other educational jurisdictions including the NSW Department of Education, Victorian Department of Education, Western Australian Department of Education, and most independent schools that I am aware of, but do you know why we do not want them in classrooms? A recent study into the effects of mobile phones on the attention and working memory of participants has shown clearly that even the presence of a mobile phone limits the ability to concentrate and solve problems (Ward et al, 2017). The study showed that even having a mobile in a bag inside the room (or a pocket in our case) reduces the owner’s ability to think. This negative effect isn’t even when the phone is buzzing, moving, or flashing - just sitting in the pocket! The study proves what teachers have known for a long time - mobile phones in a classroom do not help a student learn! We want our students to be able to focus entirely on the content and instruction without the risk of checking their phone for the latest message. Teachers do not want to battle students for their attention and focus.

Device use is growing exponentially and is becoming an area where we need to support our boys to use more appropriately. Alarmingly, a recent study demonstrated the challenge, with American teenagers reporting on average 7 hours and 22 minutes on screen devices per day!!!! (Common Sense Media, 2019). This alarming figure becomes even more concerning when learning that this time excludes screen time spent on school work. Whether it is phones, gaming devices or laptops, the ever-increasing appeal of technology for our boys is something that needs to be monitored carefully by both teachers and parents. 

I am aware of the irony of the College having recently moved to a BYOD model contributing to this time and challenge! After reading this article, why not do a simple check? Ask your boy for their phone and check their usage. In an iPhone, this can be found under Settings > Screen time, and with most Android devices, under Settings > Digital Wellbeing. Whilst you are there, check how many notifications they receive in school day.

Our policy is really clear and we need your support. Boys are great at finding a plausible reason for why they are using their mobile, when the reality is often very different. Nearly every teacher can tell a story of a parent who defends their son for having their mobile phone for any range of reasons, often leading to an argument between the teacher and the student. “I am checking my timetable”, “I am checking the time”, or “I am texting my mum” are the most common statements from students, all hoping to find that grey area between the black and white of a rule.

The expectations around mobile phones have been reiterated to students on multiple occasions. We encourage all students to place their mobile phone in their locker at the beginning of the day and not take it to class unless instructed to by their teacher. They may check their phone in their locker area, but we do not want them to take it out to recess or lunchtime - this time is for interacting with their peers without the presence of mobile phones. Of course, we will normally ask politely for the boys to put their phones away and generally they comply quickly and politely, but if the phone is seen or heard, then teachers can confiscate the phone! We need your support with this! Next time you get a call from school saying that your son’s mobile was taken, support us by reinforcing the College’s expectations.

References:

• Rideout, V. and Robb, M. B. (2019). The Common Sense census: Media use by tweens and teens, 2019. Common Sense Media.
• Ward, A. F., Duke, K., Gneezy, A., and Bos, M. W. (2017). Brain drain: The mere presence of one’s own smartphone reduces available cognitive capacity. Journal of the Association for Consumer Research, 2(2), 140-154.

Liam Stakelum
Assistant Head of School - Learning and Teaching

Facilities staff member Oscar Allende recently treated Year 12 Hospitality students to a Spanish masterclass. In a past life, Oscar worked in a number of Spanish restaurants and the class was lucky enough to have him share his experiences and some of his favourite tapas.

Oscar taught the boys how to make Patatas Bravas, Champignones, Gambas Al Ajillo, Jamon with Manchego, and Spanish Chorizo. Once the weather warms up, I encourage the parents of the Year 12 Hospitality class to ask their sons to prepare a feast of tapas to share.

Dave Moore
Head of Hospitality and Food Technology

Who: Dads, significant father figures and boys in all sports teams from U10 – U13

When: 4.30pm – 5.00pm, a training session in Week 5 (begins Monday 9 August). 

Dads and significant father figures from all codes are invited to participate in a training session with their son/s and team mates in the week starting Monday 9 August.

Your coach may have a preference for one session rather than another, if so, he or she will be in touch.

This is an opportunity to jump in alongside the boys and have a bit of fun!

Peter Hawes
Assistant Head of School - Mission and Identity

The College is in partnership with the Fathering Project to help men become better fathers and to ensure that each boy has a significant father–figure in his life.

As well as being with your son for training, you may like to consider joining the College’s Fathers' Group where you can receive updates about our local initiatives and benefit from the tips, experience and research of the Fathering Project. There is no cost to join, except that of taking a chance to find ideas that will enhance your fathering skills.

With over 2.9 million Australians living below the poverty line, including over half a million children, your support of this year’s Vinnies Winter Appeal will provide much-needed, immediate help to people in our community.

This year, we are again asking members of the Marist Community to join us in making a difference to people's lives by making donations of warm blankets, jumpers, socks, gloves and other winter-related clothing that are new or in very good condition. We are also asking for any hygiene-related items, such as toothpaste, toothbrushes and deodorant.

These items can be donated in identified boxes located in House Deans’ offices until Monday 2 August. 

The Marist Vinnies group would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your support and kind donations.

Congratulations to everyone involved in the recent production of Grease. The success of any show relies on everyone contributing!

In every production, the Visual Arts Department plays an important part through their work on the sets. This year, I would like to acknowledge the work of Brittney Pimm and Alana Mackey for their contribution to the sets and props production. Guiding a small group of students, and using their amazing creative talents, they produced some wonderful results. I would like to thank them for the many hours spent over the last term preparing an array of items for this event.

Jo Evans
Head of Art 

A reminder there is 50% off all Marist College Supporter’s Gear:

• Ladies and Men’s College Supporter’s Polo - now $21.00
• Ladies and Men’s College Supporter’s Jacket – now $60.00.

The two items are available to purchase from the College’s Uniform Shop.

Please note: there are very limited stocks of the Ladies and Men’s College Supporter’s Jacket available to purchase. There are also no refunds or returns on sale items.