Junior School News
- From the Acting Head of the Junior School
- NAPLAN
- Junior School Sport
- From the Junior Resource Centre
- Junior School Chess
From the Acting Head of the Junior School
I would like to welcome all teachers and students back to Term 3 and a warm welcome to Ms Belinda Hodges who has commenced her role as 5 Blue teacher. I would also like to extend a special welcome to Ms Leisa O’Connor to the Junior School. Leisa joins our Diverse Learning Department and has already been a welcome addition to many classes.
IMPORTANT DATES
CLASS CAPTAINS
At the beginning of Term 1 the Junior School voted for their Class Captains. These students (see names below) have worked extremely hard during the semester, representing their peers and laying the foundation for future Junior School leaders. They have developed a new format for the Junior School assembly that has been running on Thursday mornings and they began a major project on a Junior School awards program. These students will be passing the baton to a new group of students for Semester 2.
Firstly, we recognise their hard work and sacrifice, they spent many a lunch time working on projects and preparing for the Junior assemblies. Secondly, we hope they take all they learned and continue to be excellent role models for their peers.
Coby Ching, Darcy Gray (5 Gold)
Alexander Ruf, Benjamin Newton (5 Red)
George Tchaprazian, Ronan Orr (5 Green)
William Aldons, Rocco Guerrera (5 Blue)
Massimo Guerrera, Ashworth Hilton (6 Gold)
Brandon Abram, Maverick Sheriff (6 Red)
Nicholas Lindsell, Nicholas Belov (6 Green)
Connor Koruga, Hugh Slack-Smith (6 Blue)
JUNIOR SCHOOL WALKATHON & GRANDPARENTS DAY LITURGY
On Thursday 15 August all Junior School students will be taking part in our annual walkathon. This event is one of our biggest fundraisers for the Junior School and all money raised goes towards the sponsorship of our World Vision student and their community along with helping schools in Walgett and Bowraville. Please keep your eye out for some more information on this in the coming weeks.
On this day we would also like to invite all grandparents and special older people in our students’ lives to join us for a liturgy. Following the liturgy, our grandparents and special older people are then invited to walk with the students or to cheer from the sidelines. This is a great opportunity for everyone involved to spend some quality time together to celebrate some very special people in our community.
BOOK WEEK PARADE
'Reading is Magic' is the theme for Book Week 2024. So, it’s time to get your creative juices flowing to see what kind of weird and wonderful costume your son could wear for our annual Book Week Parade, being held on Wednesday 21 August. We look forward to seeing some amazing creations on the day.
ACADEMIC ANNEXE
The Academic Annexe is open for student study Monday to Thursday in the Senior Resource Centre (Senior library) from 3:20 pm – 5:20 pm. The students do not have to stay the whole time and they can leave when they need to. Teachers and past graduates of the college are on hand each day to help students with homework or additional study.
Mrs Samantha Iwatani - Acting Head of the Junior School
NAPLAN
Yesterday, students in Years 5, 7 and 9 received their NAPLAN Individual Student Report, outlining their results across the domains of Numeracy, Reading, Writing and Conventions of Language (Spelling, Grammar and Punctuation).
Each report displays a proficiency scale for each assessment domain with a student’s result shown as a black dot on the scale. Proficiency standards indicate the level expected for students at the time of NAPLAN testing, based mainly on what has been taught in previous years of schooling.
The four proficiency scales are:
Exceeding: The student’s result exceeds expectations at the time of testing.
Strong: The student’s result meets challenging but reasonable expectations at the time of testing.
Developing: The student’s result indicates that they are working towards expectations at the time of testing.
Needs additional support: The student’s result indicates that they are not achieving the learning outcomes expected at the time of testing. They are likely to need additional support to progress satisfactorily.
The individual student reports provide detailed information on how to read and interpret student results.
For more information about the tests, please visit the NSW Education Standards Authority website at www.educationstandards.nsw.edu.au or the National Assessment Program website at www.nap.edu.au.
Please take the time to review the reports and contact the College if you have any questions.
Mr Stephen Davidson - Assistant Princpial, Teaching and Learning
Junior School Sport
Fixtures
Please see attached this weekend's fixtures. For the most up-to-date fixtures information, please see Clipboard.
Thursday Sport: A reminder that Winter Sports continue this week in readiness for the remaining rounds of the season. Boys are also reminded to bring the appropriate gear with them (mouth guard and boots) to fully take part in the sessions.
Term 3 program is as follows:
Summer Sport
In Week 5 of Term 3, the trials for the summer season will commence. Students will take up the same sport that they played in Term 1; either Basketball, Touch Football, Softball, Tennis or Cricket. If your son plans to change sports for Term 4 could you please send me a quick email at your soonest convenience to indicate this intention:
jbourke@stpiusx.nsw.edu.au. Thank you to those families that have already contacted me to indicate a change.
Term 2 Dance Program
Congratulations to Treacy House who at the end of last term took out the Annual House Dance Competition. All students did a superb job in building their individual and collective dance skills under the coaching of the instructors from RedEd Dance. All four Houses performed incredibly well to bring complex dance routines together in such a short space of time. Thank you to all the parents/carers who were able to attend and support the students during their performances.
IPSHA
Please find attached a copy of the IPSHA Code of Conduct that was circulated to schools this week. Those at IPSHA have requested that schools provide this documentation once more to all involved in Saturday sport, either as spectator, player or coach. I would like to thank all involved. I have been very pleased with the manner in which we as a College compete with other schools in the various sporting competitions and adhere to the conditions outlined in the Code of Conduct. If you would like to discuss any aspects of the code with me, please do not hesitate to reach out at jbourke@stpiusx.nsw.edu.au.
Round 8 Fixtures – Saturday, 27 July
Saturday sport re-commences on 27 July and I wish all teams well as they once again compete for the college in their respective activities. A polite reminder that in the event your son is absent with illness or injury then please log the absence via Clipboard as early as you can and send me an email so I can convey this message to the relevant coaches. The same process should be applied if there are extenuating circumstances where your son is not able to play in a particular round. Please check the Clipboard App for the most up-to-date details on a Thursday evening prior to the upcoming round of matches. It is an expectation that students are at their playing venue at least 20 minutes before the start of play to prepare and warm-up.
Junior Football
Don't miss out on a fantastic day of food and fun at SPX Football. On Saturday, 27 July and 3 August, the Supporters Committee will be hosting a mouthwatering BBQ, a delightful bake sale, and a coffee cart to keep you fuelled throughout the games. It's a perfect opportunity to support our teams and enjoy some great food with fellow supporters. See you there!
Here is a link if you are able to assist with the BBQ/Bake Sale - https://signup.com/go/AOwNjhj
Mr James Bourke - Junior School Sports Coordinator
Junior Rugby
Welcome back to Term 3 rugby! With only 3 rounds remaining, the excitement is building. Training will resume as usual this week, so let's hit the ground running and make these last rounds count.
Congratulations to Harlem, Angus, Hudson and Ethan who competed in the NSW Junior Rugby State Championships during the holidays. It was a successful tournament for the students, showcasing their hard work and dedication. Angus played for Gordon Highlanders and won 2/6 games, played lock, good tackling performance. Hudson played for Gordon Tartans and won 3/6 games, played lock and had 2 try assists. Harlem played for Manly Marlins and won 4/6 games, played outside centre, scored 1 try and had 4 try assists. Ethan played for Gordon Highlanders and won 6/9 games, played flanker, score 1 try and had strong defence. His team won The Plate. We are always proud to hear about our students' achievements outside of school. Well done to these students!
SPX Rugby Club
Rugby Gala Dinner
THIS Saturday, 27 July, Dockside, Cockle Bay Wharf, Darling Harbour, 6:30 pm – 11:30 pm.
Nick Farr-Jones as our guest Speaker, dinner, dancing, a live band and the lights of Darling Harbour – this will be an exciting fun-filled evening.
LAST CHANCE TO BUY as tickets sales close tonight – Thursday, 25 July at 10:00 pm.
BUY TICKETS HERE
https://events.humanitix.com/st-pius-x-rugby-club-gala-dinner-2024
Galabid – Silent Auction
Our parents and local business sponsors have been incredibly supportive, and we have an amazing selection of auction items. There is something for everyone. Winners can pick up items at the conclusion of the Gala Dinner or items will be available from the school office from Wednesday next week. Have a look and GET BIDDING! Your purchases will continue to support the Rugby Club to raise significant funds for our boys during their rugby season.
CHECK OUT GALABID HERE
https://app.galabid.com/spxrugbydinner
Please direct any enquiries to spxrugby@gmail.com.
Mr Antonio Morris - Junior School Rugby Convenor
Tennis (NSTA)
Enrolments for the NSTA Summer Term 4, 2024 – Term 1, 2025 season will take place on Clipboard. The enrolments window will be open from next week. Please note the changes to the competition and training below.
YEAR 5 STUDENTS – you will be enrolling for the only the Term 4, 2024 competition and Thursday trainings. If these students wish to continue playing tennis for the College in Term 1, 2025 they will need to re-enrol at a later date.
YEAR 6 - 12 STUDENTS – you will be enrolling for BOTH Term 4, 2024 – Term 1, 2025.
Please note also that from Term 4, the GREEN BALL competition will take place on Saturdays at the Queenwood Tennis Centre from 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm.
For the SENIOR STUDENTS you MUST be available to attend the grading day being held on Saturday 31 August at Queenwood Tennis Centre, Oxford Falls. The students in the lower levels will be graded in the first session and those in the upper levels will be graded in the second session. If any of the students do very well in the early group - they could stay on and trial with the stronger second group.
Group 1 : 8:00 am - 10:30 am
Group 2 : 10:30 am - 1:00 pm
Starting this year, all SENIOR SCHOOL NSTA players will be required to attend training one afternoon a week, either a Tuesday or Wednesday afternoon, this will be dependent on your level of play. The training will take place at Queenwood Tennis Centre and a bus will be provided there and back to the College.
Mrs Samantha Iwatani - NSTA Tennis Convenor
From the Junior Resource Centre
This week’s Highlights are:
Welcome back to school! There’s no better way to be greeted in the JRC, than to have a new big pile of books waiting for students and staff to borrow. We’ve got fantasy, crime, short stories, non-fiction and much more. Come in and ask us what’s new….
Book Week 2024 – SAVE THE DATE Book Week Parade, Wednesday 21 August
The countdown is on!!! Absolutely loving the CBCA Australia theme this year 'Reading is Magic', and the amazing artwork by Jess Racklyeft. Who is excited?
Term 3 has arrived and Book Week is coming!!!! (17 – 23 August). You have two choices when it comes to your Book Week parade costume – wing it at the last moment and hope for the best, or plan weeks (or months) in advance and win ‘Most Awesome-est Book Week Costume Ever’ award. My suggestion is go for the latter.
Some ideas to help you are:
- Read as many books as you can get your hands on.
- Make a list of your favourite characters.
- Gather your supplies and do a costume run-through to make sure it all works.
- If you’re struggling for ideas, the CBCA has partnered exclusively with Spotlight for costume parade inspiration, so you could check out their site and DIY suggestions.
Book Week Author Visit – Mick Elliott – Wednesday 28 August
We are looking forward to welcoming back author Mick Elliott to St Pius X College on Wednesday 28 August.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mick Elliott is a children’s television producer, scriptwriter and animator. Since 2001 he has worked at Nickelodeon Australia, overseeing award-winning series for kids of all ages. His credits as producer include CAMP ORANGE, PLAY ALONG WITH OLLIE, SLIMEFEST and hundreds of advertising campaigns. His work at Nickelodeon has won more than 20 international awards, while his animated short films have screened at over sixty festivals worldwide.
Mick lives in Sydney with his wife, two kids and a garden full of lizards.
Chatswood Library visit to Celebrate Book Week 2024
Year 5 classes have been invited to celebrate Book Week celebrations at Chatswood Library. These will occur during their library lessons in Weeks 4 and 5.
Olympics Paris 2024 – Books in our Library
Who’s already feeling the Olympic spirit?
Mrs Martin’s Book Trail – Scout the Rescue Dog
‘A celebration of community, adventure, kindness and, above all, dogs!'
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this heart-warming middle-grade novel. Some great laughs with the ‘dad jokes’ and also some tears at a particularly touching moment in the book.
Reasons why I loved this story: well dogs of course! Rescue dogs being re-homed is even better. Scout is a loveable main character who you want good things to happen to. Scout’s dad is loving but firm, an Aussie bloke not afraid to show vulnerability. This book brings back memories from Australia’s recent horrific bushfires, but the many people taking action to protect people, homes, dogs and wildlife allows young readers to focus on the positives.
#MrsMartinsbooktrail2024
Mrs Elena Martin - Teacher Librarian
Junior School Chess Club
Chess Competition continues this term on Friday 26 July. HOME games for all players. This will be the second last game for the season. Good luck to all our teams. The games will be held in the JRC with Ms Boyle straight after school. The draw can be found here: https://www.nswjcl.org.au/
Mrs Elena Martin - Junior Chess Convenor