What's On - 26 February 2025

The 2025 AMS Lenten Appeal is supporting St Joseph’s College Tenaru in the Solomon Islands. Since opening in the late 1940s, St Joseph’s has not received much-needed renovations and refurbishments, with school facilities in poor condition. These cramped learning conditions are not conducive to a fulfilling and safe learning environment.

Click here to watch a short clip with Caleb Kirk, the College Service Captain, explaining how Marist College Canberra will help provide a brighter future to the students of St Joseph’s Tenaru through a Lenten Appeal starting next week with Shrove Monday Pancakes. Click here to learn more about St Joseph's Tenaru, and click below to donate.

Shrove Tuesday marks the final day before Lent, a time when pancakes were traditionally eaten to use up rich ingredients before the 40-day fasting season began. This year, Ash Wednesday falls on 5 March, marking the beginning of Lent. To observe this important time in the liturgical calendar, liturgies will be held during House Group time.

To support the AMS Lenten Appeal, students are encouraged to purchase a pancake on Monday of Week 5, as Tuesday is Moderation Day. Pancakes will be available for a gold coin donation at recess between the Canteen and Chapel. Your support is greatly appreciated.

This Thursday 27 February, the College will be holding our Years 4-12 Commencement Mass.

As this is a formal occasion, our Junior School boys need to be dressed in their formal summer uniform for the day.

• Grey crested shirt,
• Grey school shorts
• School socks
• Black leather, lace up school shoes.

If your son’s class has their PE lesson on Thursday, those classes are asked to pack their sneakers to wear for their PE lesson only. Their full PE uniform will not be required.

Our Junior School Captain and Vice Captain as well as our Junior School House Captains and Vice Captains – will be wearing their ties and blazers on this day, as this day will include their Captains investiture ceremony.

Term 1 Parent/Teacher interviews for Junior School families will be held on Monday and Wednesday of Week 5. Please access your MyMarist Portal to book your interview time as bookings are now open.

Please note that Tuesday 4 March (Week 5) is a non-student day at the College. Junior School class and our SASP program will not run on this day.

The Junior School is hosting our annual Athletics Carnival on Friday 7 March, the boys have an opportunity to purchase a special BBQ lunch and support projects for the upcoming Cambodia Immersion.

Details on how to place an order for the BBQ were sent to Junior School parents last week through the MyMarist Portal. Sales will not be taken on the day, boys who want to partake in the BBQ offer must submit their payments by close of business Friday 28 February, so that food orders may be placed

Click here to place your order: https://events.maristc.act.edu...

Mr Nigel Palfreman is this year directing our Little Brothers production of Bugsy Malone in September.

The audition process will be held between Weeks 5 and 7. If your son is interested in joining the production, please click here.

Please note that Tuesday 4 March (Week 5) is a non-student day at the College and there will be no classes this day.

All Marist families (Junior School & Senior School) are invited to join us for our College House Picnic. This casual, family-friendly event is the perfect opportunity to connect with other Marist families.

Date: Thursday 27 February 2025
Time: 5:00pm – 7:00pm
Location: Oval 1, Marist College Canberra

What to bring: picnic food, picnic rug or chairs, your whole family

What will be available: Our Cambodian Immersion group will be selling cold drinks

Each family will gather at their designated House Marquee for a picnic on Oval 1. This will be a wonderful chance to meet, catch up, and enjoy the evening in the company of the Marist community.

RSVP: Please indicate your attendance for each event by Friday 21 February 2025

Please RSVP by clicking here.

Are you looking for an opportunity to develop your critical thinking and argumentative skills? Want to improve your public speaking and presentation abilities? Or maybe you're just looking for a way to meet and interact with like-minded individuals? If so, then the Marist Debate Club is the perfect place for you!

By joining the Debate Club, you'll have the opportunity to participate in engaging and thought-provoking debates on a wide range of topics. This will not only help you to improve your critical thinking and argument skills, but it will also provide you with a chance to engage in meaningful conversations and learn more about different perspectives on important issues.

In addition to participating in debates, as a member of the Debate Club, you'll also have the opportunity to attend training sessions on various topics such as effective research techniques, public speaking, and argumentative strategies. These workshops are designed to help you build the skills you need to become a more effective debater and communicator.

If you're looking for a way to challenge yourself and improve your skills, then the Marist Debate Club is the perfect place for you! We welcome students of all skill levels and backgrounds to join, and we look forward to having you as part of our team. So, don't wait any longer, join us today and be a part of a community of individuals who are passionate about the issues being debated.

There will be three divisions that Marist will be participating in for the first competition season (ran over Term 1 and 2, commencing week 6). These are:

• Junior Premier (Years 7 – 8) – Monday evening rounds
• Senior Premier (Years 9 – 10)- Wednesday evening rounds
• Advanced Premier (Years 11-12) – Thursday evening rounds

If you are interested in joining, please complete your registration form by clicking here.

Bec Markovic, Celeste Ryde, Gerard Dwyer
Senior School Teachers

NAPLAN testing will occur in our school between 12 and 24 March 2025 for students in Years 5, 7 and 9.

Online NAPLAN tests provide more precise results and are engaging for students. The tests are tailored (or adaptive), which means that each test presents questions that may be more or less difficult depending on a student’s responses. This helps students remain engaged with the assessment.

Tailored testing allows a wider range of student abilities to be assessed and measures student achievement more precisely. A student’s overall NAPLAN result is based on both the number and complexity of questions they answer correctly. Your child should not be concerned if they find questions challenging; they may be taking a more complex test pathway.

NAPLAN provides valuable information to schools and parents about literacy and numeracy achievement. It supports school improvement processes by enabling teachers to monitor student progress over time and to identify areas of strength and development.

All eligible students are encouraged and supported to participate in NAPLAN testing. Visit nap.edu.au to see interactive versions of the test and for more information.

Marist College Canberra - NAPLAN 2025 Timetable

Please note all students identified requiring additional support will be contact by the IED Department and will complete NAPLAN Testing in the Junior School Hall.

For further information please contact:

Year 7 and 9: Grant Barclay

Year 5: Emma Darcy 

IED Students – Students who require additional support: Bronwyn Westcott

Darren Leech
Assistant Head of School - Learning and Teaching

The Australian Government Department of Education has requested that Marist College Canberra provide residential address and other relevant information as part of their data collection process.

This data collection helps the government ensure fair and effective funding allocation for schools across Australia.

For more information, please see the attached notice.

Last weekend, twelve Marist students competed at the 2025 NSW Country Championships, held from 14–16 February at the Sydney Olympic Pool. It was a fantastic event, with our boys delivering outstanding performances across a range of events.

Congratulations to the following students on their achievements:

• Indy P – Silver, two bronze medals, and five top ten finishes
• Matthew G – Gold, silver, bronze, and one top ten finish
• Jovern L – Gold, three bronze medals, and four top ten finishes
• Lucas S – Five gold, one silver, and three top ten finishes
• Eamon E – Two gold, four silver, two bronze medals
• Tom I – Gold, two silver, two bronze medals, and three top ten finishes
• George S – Four top ten finishes
• Kai R – One top ten finish
• George P – Silver, Bronze and four top ten finishes
• Lachie R – Three top ten finishes
• Will S – Two top ten finishes
• Judah W
• Will C 

Congratulations to the boys who represented the ACT at the Oztag NSW U12–U17 State Cup in Coffs Harbour last weekend. The tournament showcased some incredible talent, with our students playing key roles in their respective teams.

• U12 ACT Cougars – Lewis Dacey (Year 6) and Jett Neddrie (Year 6) helped their team secure four wins out of six games.
• U13 ACT Cougars – Billy Buser (Year 7), Noah Ball (Year 7), and Xavier Honan (Year 7) progressed to the quarter-finals.
• U14 ACT Cougars – Angus O'Brien (Year 9) and his team made it to the semi-finals, narrowly missing out after extra time.
• U15 ACT Cougars – Ben Callaway (Year 9), Joel Trevethan (Year 10), Cooper Kebblewhite (Year 9), and Mason Morrissey (Year 9) reached the quarter-finals.

Well done to all the boys for their outstanding efforts.

Marist winter sporting clubs will open their respective online registration portals in February. Please check the club websites prior to registration for more information. Parents need to ensure that their child/children are registered by the closing date of the registration period to ensure participation in that sport.

Please use the College Sports email for any clarification regarding the College’s Sporting Clubs or College Sport.

You can find links to the relevant club websites here.

Before registering for a winter sport, students need to be aware of a few details:

1. Students currently representing the College in cricket or rowing must continue to honour their commitment to training and competition even if there may be an overlap with any scheduled pre-season training of your chosen winter sport. Your first priority is to your current team. This will not negatively impact your selection for your chosen winter sport.
2. When choosing a winter sport, remember that you are expected to attend all training sessions and all games during the season. In doing so, you are supporting your coach and your teammates.
3. College sporting teams play in an age-based competition. All boys are registered to play in their appropriate age level. The College endeavours to ensure that we maximise the participation levels during competition which may occasionally require the movement of students up an age group. The College and the clubs work together to ensure that, if there is a need for this to happen, it is managed appropriately.

PREMIER LEAGUE (FOOTBALL) EXEMPTION FORMS:

Students who are considering playing for a local Premier League Football Club need to be aware of the exemption policy and submit an exemption form, which can be found on the Marist Football Club website.

Sam Norton-Knight
Head of Sport & Co-Curricular

The Marist Basketball 2025 Winter registration is now open!

Players should register here.

Everyone is welcome at Marist Basketball, and we have spaces available for boys at all skills levels. Basketball is all about having fun and working as a team, as well as improving technical basketball skills.

The 2025 Winter Basketball season starts 10 May and will continue until the end of September.

Further information can be found on our website. 

Wishing all our teams good luck for this weekend.