Dear College Community, 

What a busy fortnight it has been at the College! From our theatre rocking out to “School of Rock”, our young scientists achieving success across the region, our SRC coordinating RU OK? Day activities to promote wellbeing, and our sporting teams achieving wonderful results, there is always something happening at Marist. 

“School of Rock” was a wonderful celebration of the talent, creativity, and teamwork of our students and staff. Over the past fortnight, our students delivered outstanding performances and created many memorable moments, both on and off the stage. 

It was particularly wonderful to see students who are often quiet or go unnoticed step into the spotlight and shine, while others took on leadership roles through set design, backstage and technical work, front of house, ticketing, the kiosk and choreography. The energy and enjoyment of the performances was embraced by our audiences, with students dancing in the aisles and our primary students enthusiastically joining in with the “uh-uhs”! My sincere thanks to our cast, crew, staff, volunteers, parents and families, and particularly Ms Pearce, Ms Lamb, Lucy, Mr Upton, Mr Lamb, Dr Courto, Mrs Jones and Mr O’Connell, along with everyone who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to make the production such a success. Productions such as this remind us that education is about much more than what happens in a classroom. 

Our young scientists also deserve significant recognition, having received a multitude of awards at the GreenSTEM Ignite 2026 Science Awards. A special mention goes to Nathan and Fletcher, who received the STEM Explorer of the Year Award, and Angus, who was recognised as Young Engineer of the Year. These are wonderful achievements and reflect both the capabilities of our students and the quality of the opportunities and support provided by our staff. 

You may also have seen media reports over the past week regarding Australia’s latest PISA results. Marist participates in PISA, and I am pleased to share that our report indicates some very positive results. In Science, Mathematics and English, our students are performing consistently with the national average. Importantly, our wellbeing data also indicates that Marist is a safe and supportive environment for our students. While there is always more work to do, these results provide us with useful evidence about the progress of our students and the environment we are creating for them. 

Finally, you may have seen recent media reports about student behaviours, particularly the objectification of others in a sexual manner. Like every school working with young people, we are not immune to these challenges. 

Our young people are navigating a world of influences that previous generations simply did not experience in the same way. Whether it is young men being influenced by negative male influencers, young women being exposed to unrealistic expectations around body image, or the increasingly polarised views presented through social media, our young people need our guidance and support. 

Even as adults, it can be difficult to navigate this online world. I recently spent a short time on Facebook and quickly became tired of seeing the unrealistic, AI-generated content appearing in my feed. I found myself wondering how difficult it must be for a young person who is already feeling disconnected from their peers or the world around them to make sense of what they are seeing. 

As parents, this can be challenging. We want our young people to develop independence and find their own way, but we also know there are influences we cannot completely control. From my own experience as a parent, I found that one of the most important things was keeping the lines of communication open. Listening without immediately judging, while still remaining the parent, the adult who provides boundaries, guidance, and perspective, is not always easy. 

My wife and I found that approach valuable as our own children grew up. We are fortunate now to have young adults who still think of calling us when they have a problem or need advice. That trust was built over many years through conversations, boundaries, support and, importantly, being there when things were difficult. 

As a College, we are continuing to explore ways we can support our students in navigating these challenges, including programs and education around respectful relationships, online influences, consent, body image, and healthy use of technology. 

There are also some excellent resources available to families. I particularly recommend the parent resources available online through eSafety Commissioner, which provide practical advice on online safety, cyberbullying, AI-generated content, pornography, sexting, social media, screen time and having difficult conversations with young people. 

https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents 

Perhaps the most important message, however, is a simple one: keep talking with your young person. They do not need us to have every answer. They need to know that they can come to us, that we will listen, and that we will help them navigate a world that can sometimes be confusing and difficult. 

Warm regards, 

Shayne Kidd 

Principal