Junior School News
From the Head of the Junior School
WOODCHAT – for busy families who just want the facts, fast!
DATES FOR THE DIARY
WOODCHATTA
STAFF FORMATION DAY
A reminder that tomorrow is a pupil free day as college staff head to Oxford Falls for our yearly Formation Day.
SATURDAY SPORT
No Saturday sport this weekend as we break for the King’s Birthday Long Weekend.
Thank you to Mr Bourke for organising the St Pius X Indigenous Round last Saturday. Congratulations to our Prep As who claimed a big win over Trinity.
ACADEMIC ANNEXE
The Academic Annexe will be closed on Tuesday 10 June.
JUNIOR SCHOOL ATHLETICS CARNIVAL
Please join us Sydney Olympic Park Athletic Centre on Wednesday for the annual Junior School Athletics Carnival. More details will be forwarded to parents from Mr Bourke.
RUGBY CLUB DINNER
I’m looking forward to catching up with our Rugby families at Dockside next Saturday night (14 June). Tickets are still available using the link below.
CELEBRATING SUCCESS IN THE JUNIOR SCHOOL
Lots of academic, pastoral and sporting achievements to celebrate in the Junior School this week:
Year 5 Launch Into Learning
This week, our Year 5 students embraced the role of space engineers, designing and testing their own interplanetary rovers. Each rover carried a LEGO astronaut and was carefully constructed to withstand the challenge of a dramatic 'space landing' - a drop from the old Junior School balcony into the playground below! The mission? To create a rover that excelled in stability, descent, and creative design. It was an exciting hands-on experience that blended STEM learning with imagination and a healthy dose of friendly competition.
Thank you for your continued support of the Junior School.
Mrs Jill Greenwood - Head of Junior School
Junior School Sport
Junior School Dance Program is up and running
Today marked the exciting start of our Junior School Dance Program, delivered in partnership with the RedEd Dance team. The students embraced the challenge with great energy and enthusiasm as they began working on a group performance to be showcased in Week 9.
The Dance Program will run alongside Winter Sport training across the next four weeks:
Week 6 & 8: Dance + Sport
Week 7: Dance only (no sport)
Week 9: Final rehearsals and performance showcase
We’re looking forward to seeing the creativity and teamwork grow each week!
Athletics Carnival
Parent communication containing important information about the Athletics Carnival next Wednesday will be shared with families.
Parent Helpers Junior School Athletics Carnival
Thank you to all the parents who have registered their support our Junior Athletics Carnival, which is coming up in Week 7 on Wednesday 11 June. We are still in need of several more helpers; your assistance is greatly appreciated.
https://forms.office.com/ParentHelper
Winter Sport Team Photos
Thank you to all the players and families that attended the photos last Saturday. Further details will be shared for all remaining teams yet to obtain a photo: stay tuned.
Game Day
Students must wear their Pius playing uniform and/or Training Shirt to and from games. Crocs, hoodies, etc are not permitted as part of the uniform.
Supporter Gear
Don't forget, there’s a great range of SPX Supporter's Gear available at the Oxford Falls canteen every Saturday, including hats, scarves, beanies, and jackets, perfect for these cooler mornings!
Thank you for all you do to support Junior Sport at SPX.
Term 2 Weekly Sport Calendar
Winter Sport Results
Football
It was another big weekend of Football, with all teams representing the College proudly across both Oxford Falls and Christison Park. A special mention goes to the 11C team who secured a strong 5–3 win, and to Prep C who showed great determination in their 1–1 draw. While results didn’t all go our way, every team demonstrated commitment and sportsmanship. The consistently high attendance at Tuesday afternoon training has been excellent, and it’s clear that the extra effort is translating into improved performances on the field. Well done to all players and thank you to the families for your continued support each weekend.
Training Shirts - Can be worn during the after-school training sessions and while training at Oxford Falls on Thursdays. It is encouraged for players to also wear them to and from Saturday fixtures.
PHOTOS: If there are any parents that capture some action shots or a team photo on Saturdays and would like to see them in Woodchatta, please feel free to email them through. Thank you to those who have sent some through this week.
St Pius X July Holiday Camp Program 30 June - 3 July
A fantastic way to start the July holiday break with 2, 3 and 4 day options.
A free bus to and from the Chatswood Campus for the first 60 registrations.
ABOUT THE COERVER COACHING HOLIDAY CAMP
Coerver Coaching holiday camps offer a fun-filled soccer experience. Each day will include, Ball Mastery, 1v1 Game Moves and Small sided Games.
There will also be a 5v5 tournament played throughout the camp!
These camps are the perfect way for the boys to maintain their fitness levels and stay in touch with the game during their holiday break and come back in great shape for the second half of the soccer season.
We are also running a competition for one lucky player to win a brand new top of the line pair of Adidas boots! Any player who registers for a 4-day camp at any of our holiday clinics goes into the draw to win! The draw will take place on 18 July with the winner notified by email.
Simply scan the QR Code on the flyer to register for the camp or go to https://coerver.com.au/school-programs
For more information email: sydneyns@coerver.com.au
Mr James Bouke - Junior School Football Convenor
SPX Junior AFL
Our Junior AFL team played a competitive match last weekend, going down by three goals in a hard-fought contest versus arch-rivals St Patrick's (9.8 to 6.3). The boys showed great determination, with standout performances from Alex, Robbie, and Jackson, who kicked three goals. Thank you to all the families for your ongoing support on the sidelines and throughout the season, it’s been fantastic to see such strong enthusiasm for AFL within our community.
Mr Stuart Mackinlay - AFL Coach
Oliver Mackinlay Represents SPX at NSWPSSA AFL Tournament
Congratulations to Oliver Mackinlay who proudly represented St Pius X College as part of the CIS AFL team at the Junior School NSWPSSA Championships held in Blacktown over the past two days.
This marks Oliver’s second time representing at this elite level, a testament to his consistent dedication, talent, and love for the game. Competing against the best primary school players from across New South Wales, he showcased his skill, determination, and team spirit throughout the tournament.
Well done, Oliver, on another outstanding achievement!
SPX Junior Rugby
Round 5 of the IPSHA competition saw some fantastic results and performances across all fixtures, with all students representing the college with pride and determination. Both our Prep 1st XV and U11A's played a gritty game of rugby with multiple stand out performances, while it was also pleasing to hear of the successes at the Rugby 7's. Thank you to all Year 6 families who came early to support the 11A's, and to the Year 5's who were able to stay and support the Preps. Enjoy your long weekend and well deserved break.
SPX Rugby Club
📣 HUGE ANNOUNCEMENT – Gala Dinner MC Confirmed!
We are thrilled to announce that Chloe Dalton, OAM will be our MC for the 2025 SPX Rugby Gala Dinner! 🎤✨
Chloe is one of Australia’s most inspiring triple-sport elite athletes – having played professional basketball (WNBL), won Olympic gold in Rugby 7s (Rio 2016), and now playing AFLW with the GWS Giants.
She’s the founder of The Female Athlete Project (TFAP) – Australia’s fastest growing women’s sport platform, a published author, and regular panellist on Channel 9’s Wide World of Sports.
🎙️ Chloe will be joined in conversation by our keynote speaker, Owen Finegan – Wallabies legend, 1999 Rugby World Cup Champion, and now CEO of The Kids’ Cancer Project. He brings his incredible rugby insights and passion for making a difference to what promises to be a very special night.
⏰ With less than one week until ticket sales CLOSE, now’s the time to secure your place!
📅 Saturday 14 June 2025
📍 Dockside, Balcony Level 1, Cockle Bay Wharf
🎟️👉 BUY TICKETS HERE
❌ Can’t make the event?
You can still support SPX Rugby by donating a ticket or making a contribution of any amount via the same Humanitix link. Let’s come together to celebrate this incredible rugby community 💙💛Don’t miss out!
Mr Callum Montgomerie - Junior School Rugby Convenor
Information via Clipboard
To stay up-to-date with training schedules and game fixtures, please ensure you regularly check the Clipboard app. Training and fixtures are accessible directly within the app, and any changes will be updated there as well.
Important Reminder
To receive timely updates and notifications regarding changes to fixtures or training sessions, please ensure:
Notifications are enabled both within the Clipboard app settings and on your mobile device. The have the option to receive push notifications and/or email prompts.
Please regularly review the app for any schedule updates.
Fixtures will be initially entered as UNCONFIRMED, by Thursday each week they will be CONFIRMED by opposition schools and a notification will be sent to families.
Please check clipboard regularly for any changes to the schedule.
Some fixtures are subject to weather, on occasion this can lead to cancellations. This will occur via the Clipboard app, you should receive a notification if a fixture is cancelled, but please check the app on the morning before leave to ensure you are up to date with any changes.
Logging an Absence
If your son is unable to attend a Saturday fixture due to sickness or injury, you can log his absence directly through Clipboard by following these steps:
Log in to Clipboard using your parent account.
Navigate to the Calendar page.
Click on 'Log an Absence' and follow the prompts to submit.
As a courtesy, please email Mr Bourke at Jbourke@stpiusx.nsw.edu.au prior to the fixture, if possible, by Thursday. For all other absences a request needs to be sent to Mr Bourke for approval.
For normal school day absences, please continue to follow the standard school process.
Mr James Bourke - Junior School Sport Coordinator
Junior School Chess
Thank you to all the students who attended Chess training on Tuesday 3 June. A reminder that there are no Chess games this week due to the Pupil Free day on 6 June. The NSW Junior Chess Competition continues next Friday 13 June.
Mrs Elena Martin - Junior Chess Convenor