Co-Curricular - Junior Sport Stage 3
Junior School Co-Curricular
As the days start to become shorter and mornings start to have a chill in the air, we say farewell to the summer season. There are no further games or training for summer sport. We will recommence in Term 4 with all boys involved expected to return to their teams for the second half of the season.
I would like to thank all the boys for their commitment to games and training. We saw much growth and development in Term 1 and look forward to an exciting Term 4. To all the coaches and staff, a BIG thank you and round of applause for your tireless planning of sessions, feedback and development of our boys. We could not run the season without you, and I know the whole St Patrick’s community will join me in thanking you for all you have done. Finally, to our parents and carers. Thank you for the unwavering support, the car rides, the cheers and pep-talks. You go a long way to creating the atmosphere that we cherish each and every Saturday.
Winter sport trials have started in earnest for the Junior School. Year 5 had their Football trial on Monday, along with all Junior School Rugby. Trials ran smoothly and the boys were given many opportunities to show their skills and abilities. A reminder that Year 6 Football trials will be held next Monday, 30 March on the back ovals. Due to larger than expected numbers in Rugby, they will also have a second trial on Monday 30 March. Year 5 students will have an opportunity again at the beginning of Term 2. We have two weeks of training at the start of term before our first game. This will give us a great opportunity to see the boys again in more focused session.
Often after the initial trials, many boys and their families feel that they may have been placed in the wrong team. This is perfectly natural and does happen. Trials are always challenging for both players and coaches alike. Boys that feel they have been graded incorrectly are asked to be patient, work hard at all sessions and trust that your effort won’t go unnoticed. With two weeks of training before our first game and the fact that we use the first three rounds as extensions of the trial period, I am confident we will get boys into the right teams. I would ask for everyone’s understanding as we work through our process.
The draft draw and training schedule will be released later this week. They will be available through the College website, and the TASS Parent Lounge/Parent Orbit App. Training schedules will also be placed in each classroom for the boys. We hope that this helps you plan for the season ahead, however, please remember that these are drafts only and with the start of the season, the draw will be updated weekly. So, please check TASS and boys their emails for the weekly fixture updates.
In last week’s Especean I mentioned the success of James in 6 Orange at the IPSHA AFL trials. I am happy to report that James has gone one step further with selection into the CIS team. Well done James. We also had a small cohort of boys who recently attended the IPSHA Rugby League trials. The trials were very large with around 100 boys trialing for 25 spots. I am pleased to announce that we had four students selected into the IPSAH team. Congratulations to Christian (6 Green), Atticus (6 Green), Samuel (6 Black) and Paul (6 Black) on their selections.
A quick reminder about Junior School Supporters’ Day this Saturday, 28 March. It is a compulsory event for the boys, with Year 5 supporting Football, starting at 8:45 AM and Year 6 supporting Rugby, starting at 2:00 PM. I look forward to seeing all the boys on Saturday for what should be a very exciting day.
John Locke
Head of Co-Curricular - Stage 3