Commencement Mass 2020

Dear Parents, Students, and Friends, 

Ash Wednesday

Today we began the Church season of Lent. Forty days leading up to Easter Sunday and the Resurrection of Jesus. Mr Rulewski organised the distribution of ashes. This is a ceremony that has taken place for many centuries. The students were very respectful during this time. We are being asked to look at our lives during this time and to see where in our lives we can make a place for Jesus and his teaching of love for others. How can we be people who are there for others?

Commencement Mass

Last week on Wednesday the Marist College North Shore community joined together to celebrate the beginning of our 2020 school year at St Mary’s North Sydney. The spirit in the Church was palpable. The singing that takes place on these occasions by both the students and the choir, directed by Tony McDonnell and Rod Herbert, is an amazing display of talent. A special mention to Harry O’Brien, Year 12, who was the cantor on the day, sang magnificently.

Both Bishop Brady and Aiden Brennan, the College Captain, spoke passionately about the past and the future of our community. This Mass gives us the opportunity to welcome all new students and staff to the College and this is recognised by placing their names into the Marist Heart, a tradition since 2012. New staff were also presented with a candle, which included, Ms. Barbara Watkins, the Chief Executive of the North Sydney Catholic Education Network.

The College theme for 2020 is ‘Courage’. It makes reference to the College Motto of Courage Conquers All and also to the bible reference from 1 Chronicles of ‘Be strong, courageous and act.’ Our student leaders designed this theme and Aiden spoke about its importance for this year. We are asking our students to be Marist Men who do the right thing, look after the poor in society and who are counted on to act respectfully and to have gratitude for what they have been given.

We were honoured to have in attendance the parents of our Student Leadership Team, primary Principals, teachers, and students from our network schools, along with friends of the College.

Our mass really made me aware of our history and our future as a College.

2019 College Dux

On Friday 7 February 2020 the College community had the opportunity of presenting Year 12, 2019 high achievers with their certificates and medals. Our Dux for 2019 was Sean Auer, click here to read Sean’s address to the College.

College Meetings

On Wednesday 4 March we have two significant events happening in the Academic Resource Centre. The first being the HSC High Achievers Forum at 6 pm. There will be high achievers from the Year 12, 2019 cohort coming along to speak about their HSC experience. Then at 7 pm we have the Parents’ and Friends’ Association meeting, which I would like to encourage all families of the College to attend.

Tony Duncan
Principal

Grooming

We remind the boys at North Shore on a daily basis that the way you dress and the pride you have in your uniform and appearance has much to do with self-confidence and wellbeing. The teachers have been very impressed so far this term observing most of the boys wearing the correct summer uniform, with a belt, however, as we are now in Week 5, many boys now require another haircut.

We ask all parents to ensure their son’s hair is of the appropriate length and style. It is an expectation that our young men are looking smart and presentable at all times.

Behaviour travelling to and from school

The College has received numerous complaints this year from members of the public concerning the boy’s behaviour whilst travelling to and from school.

Students must remember that while travelling on buses/trains to and from the College they must always offer their seat to paying passengers. This simple act of kindness with no expectation of reward sends a strong message to the community, that North Shore students are polite and well-mannered young men. Likewise, boys are to be mindful of their language and how they address members of the public whilst in uniform; the respect they expect from others goes both ways.

Representing the College through grooming and good manners sends a powerful message to the community, that the young men at North Shore set high standards for themselves regarding grooming and behaviour. We appreciate your support and assistance with this.

Parent Communication

Sydney Catholic Schools has a policy which this College adheres to in relation to contact with any member of staff here at the College. Please take the time to read the policy and ensure that in all communication with staff members, respect is maintained and understanding that staff are not always able to return phone calls or emails on the day they are made and SCS has given parents the guideline of a response with 3 days.

SCS Policy

Term 1 Pupil Free Days

Wednesday 8 April and Thursday 9 April will be Staff Professional Development Days. These are pupil free days. Staff will engage in the first two days of a four-day course centred on intertwining learning and wellbeing. The College is introducing a positive education model that supports both learning and wellbeing with a focus on harnessing a values and a character strengths approach to enable successful student self-knowledge, which leads to empowered future pathways for our students.

We often talk about our Marist family. There certainly is a distinctive feel about our school. It is a feeling that you experience in most Marist schools, yet it is hard to define. If I was asked to describe this feeling, it would be a sense of family. Every student has a place in our community and feels cared for. A genuine concern exists for students both within and beyond the classroom and when our students make poor choices, our consequences are not simply punitive but are restorative. This sense of restoring relationships by focussing on ‘moving forward’’ is how we grow as humans. We acknowledge our mistakes but learn how our actions have impacted others and develop skills to ensure that these mistakes are not repeated in the future.

When examining how this Family Spirit develops, we can look no further than our Marist Charism. A charism is a certain way of expressing or ‘living out’ our Catholic Faith.

Marists express their charism through five characteristics:

• Simplicity - We are humble and go about our work quietly. Not seeking recognition nor reward. We are honest, open and straightforward in all that we do.
• Love of Work - We ‘roll up our sleeves’ and pitch in when help is needed. We are generous and have dignity in our work. We develop strong moral character, a conscience, and promote dignity.
• Presence - We know our students individually. We care for them. We develop trust in respectful working relationships and encourage openness in respectful dialogue. We are active in the community and provide opportunities to build community.
• Family Spirit - We develop a sense of family through building and maintaining positive relationships in the community. We are accepting and respect the individual. We are tolerant, accepting and welcoming to all. We acknowledge that all students are good humans and focus on this humanity rather than know students for their actions. We work in partnership with families to ensure that every student is cared for and feels safe.
• In the Way of Mary - The Marists have a saying - ‘All to Jesus through Mary.’ Mary is the first disciple - the perfect role model. Mary didn’t have an easy life but had full trust and confidence in God. Mary had tremendous strength. She was loving and faith filled. We strive to imitate Mary in all that we do.

I had a wonderful conversation recently with a student who left the College and then returned to us. In recognising that the ‘grass is not always greener’, the student articulated how he didn’t feel as cared for when he moved. That he now knew what it meant to be Marist. Our Marist identity can never be taken for granted though. Like any good relationship, we need to work on keeping it alive. We will have times when we fail. We will inevitably make mistakes, but it is repairing the relationship and moving forward that matters. For 132 years, our rich Marist heritage has helped to form and educate the young men of North Sydney. In 2020, how can we all contribute to our community to maintain and strengthen what it means to be Marist?

Mr Anthony Munro
Director of Faith Formation

To inform Year 7 parents in their understanding of the Newman Selective Gifted Education Program, a Parent Information Meeting was organised on Friday 14 February in the Academic Resource Centre. The aim of the meeting was to inform Year 7 parents and caregivers, what occurs in a Newman classroom and to provide information about the gifted and talented program offered at Marist College North Shore.

At the meeting, the following areas were presented to parents:

• The core aims of the Newman Selective Gifted Education Program
• Characteristics of gifted and talented students
• Supporting your son’s transition into high school and his social and emotional wellbeing

• What occurs in a Newman Selective Gifted Education Program classroom
• Monitoring student growth and areas of strength
• The College’s Newman Selective Gifted Education Symposium

Thank you to the many parents who attended the meeting. The alignment of strong home and school partnerships is important to ensure the appropriate provision for the student's academic and pastoral needs.

Carolyn O’Brien
Director of Diverse Learning
(Newman Facilitator)

Thank you to Stefan Mattini, Samuel Farmer, Jack Priddy and Jack Jenkins, all Year 10, for volunteering for Street Level Cafe on Friday 14 February 2020.

Click here for all Career Updates

Christian Turner competed at the Australian Taekwondo National Poomsae Selections event in Perth over the weekend, that Christian did win his division and as a result will represent Australia at the World Poomsae Championships to be held in Denmark in May.

The event comprised Quarter- and Semi-Finals with the top two meeting in the Final. There were 7 competitors from around the country in his 12-14 age Cadet division.

He was also awarded the Best Male Athlete Award for both the Cadet and the Junior divisions, encompassing all male athletes aged from 12 to 17 years old. That is a great honour to be so recognised by Australian Taekwondo and all the judges on the day.

AGE CHAMPIONSHIPS

12’s
1st Pablo Urizar 72 points
2nd William Livermore 48 points
3rd Zac Harrison 38 points
13’s
1st Jay Chee 52 points
1st Kip Chee 52 points
3rd William McDonald 32 points
3rd Aurelius Christensen-Gjergji 32 points
14’s
1st Bailey Screen 80 points
2nd Luke Egan 60 points
3rd Ryan Oliver 26 points
15’s
1st Lachlan Roche 76 points
2nd Ollie MacDonagh 68 points
3rd Daniel Devaris 48 points
16’s
1st Jayden Screen 52 points
2nd Jack Dowd 48 points
3rd Charles McCoubrey 38 points
Seniors
1st Daniel Oliver 80 points
2nd Marcus Farmer 60 points
3rd Will Byars 30 points