St Pius X College Newsletter

Senior School Cocurricular Program 

  • From the Assistant Principal, Cocurricular
  • Basketball
  • Cricket
  • Cross Country
  • Football
  • Public Speaking and Debating
  • Rugby
  • Senior Chess
  • Squash
  • NSTA Tennis

From the Assistant Principal, Cocurricular

ISA Summer Season Finals

Congratulations to all teams that played in the Grand finals on Saturday.  In the basketball we recorded wins for the 13D’s, 14D,s and the 17F’s and in cricket the 2nd XI were exceptional in beating Oakhill 2nd XI very convincingly.

My very sincere thanks go to all of you who were involved in providing summer sport for our students. 

 

Winter Season 

Winter coaches will start the season with 'Coach the Coaches' afternoons for Rugby and Football next Tuesday and Wednesday.  Preseason training starts for Rugby on 21  March and for Football on 26 March.

There will be games in both Rugby and Football versus St Aloysius on 6 April.

Registration for Rugby will remain open for the remainder of the term.  Please access Clipboard if you are yet to register your sons.

Mr Matt Stearn - Assistant Principal, Cocurricular

Basketball

ISA Finals

Last Saturday was the ISA basketball finals played at St Pauls Grammar School and Penrith Valley Regional Sports Centre. Congratulations to the members and coaches of the 13D, 14D and 17F teams who all won their matches to become the ISA premiers for their respective divisions. Commiserations to the 14B, 14E, 15C, 15E and 15F who were all narrowly defeated in their games. All teams showed true sportsmanship in their games and did the College proud. Well done on a fantastic season. Please see the final scores below:

Year 7 ISA Challenge

The second week of the Year 7 ISA Challenge saw a split of venues between Dee Why PCYC and Oxford Falls. There were some competitive games and good results.

This weekend’s games will all be played at Oxford Falls. Please check team lists as some more changes have been made, and be sure to show up 15 minutes before the scheduled game time.

Changes to teams have been posted at school and sent via Canvas / Clipboard / email. 

Any students playing in Bands for Open Day, please be sure to attend your Band commitment instead of basketball and get your parents to mark the absence on Clipboard.

 

YEAR 7 PLAYERS- Please remember to wash your blue basketball singlets and return them to Mrs Schuster in the Science Office at school on Monday. 

 

Fixtures for 16 March

Thank you for the Season

Finally, thank you to all of the players and coaches (both staff and external) on another very successful season of SPX basketball. Thank you to the Basketball Committee on their efforts throughout the season; thank you to the parents for assisting on the bench and transporting your sons around the state for the fixtures; and thank you to the court supervisors, referees, first-aid personnel and staff at Oxford Falls.

 

Mr Danny Garrett - Basketball Convenor &

Mrs Joanne Schuster - Assistant Basketball Convenor

Cricket

2nd to none! 

Our2nd XI are the ISA Division 2 champions after a comprehensive win against Oakhill College on Saturday at Oxford Falls.   

             

ISA Division 2 Final 

2nd XI 2/58 (Thomas Roche 24*, Alessio Spillane 19, Darcy Mills 10) defeated Oakhill College 10/55 (Charlie Chippendale 4-11, Jack English 2-7, Tom Carroll 2-10).

On a perfect day for cricket at Oxford Falls, the ISA Grand Final commenced between the 2nd XI and Oakhill College. Captain Chris Mander lost the toss and Pius were sent into field on a pitch that looked very good for batting. Max Lynn (1-8) and Jack English (2-7) put on an extremely tight opening spell, with only 15 runs coming from the first 12 overs, as well as wickets to both bowlers, including a great one-handed catch from wicket-keeper Darcy Horstead off the bowling of Jack English. The tight bowling continued, assisted by brilliant efforts in the field as wickets continued to fall. Alex Burke (1-10), while fighting through sickness took a wicket, with Tom Roche then taking two catches off Tom Carroll’s bowling (2-10), including a spectacular one-handed catch, which was also his third catch for the game. Charlie Chippendale came on to bowl a brilliant spell, taking a wicket with his first ball with a good running catch from Alessio Spillane. He took 3 more wickets, 2 bowled and a caught behind, to finish with figures of 4-11 from 5 overs. Jack English then got the last wicket, with Oakhill being bowled out for 55 in almost 34 overs, in a brilliant bowling and fielding display.

With a small total to chase, Alessio Spillane (19) and Darcy Mills (10), scored quickly, putting on a 27-run opening stand in just over 5 overs, to have almost half of Oakhill’s total already chased down. After both of their wickets fell, Tom Roche (24*) single handedly chased down the rest of the Oakhill total, bringing up the win with a boundary, with the 2nd XI winning the grand final by 8 wickets in just over 13 overs, a brilliant win to cap off a brilliant season.

1st XI fight to the end

ISA Division 1 Final. 1st XI 150 (Toby Moran 50, Luke Austin 20, Andrew May 20) defeated by Oakhill College 7/153 (Jared Fernandes 4/21, Lachlan Jurcevic 2/17, Andrew May 1/14).

A tense and hard-fought final was played out against Oakhill who came into match undefeated in Term 1. The result was only known after 98 overs of fluctuating fortunes with the home team seven wickets down when the winning runs were hit. The 1st XI showed great spirit to push the game to its limits against a team that must be congratulated on a complete turnaround in form having only recorded one victory in the six rounds before Christmas.

Having won the toss again, Darcy Aylmer decided to bat first in the hope of putting a total on the board which would be challenging for the opposition to chase in the environment of a final. After a steady start from openers Pat Frost and Toby Moran, the latter and the captain took the score to 1 for 63 before wickets fell quite regularly. Hitting out more aggressively towards the end of the innings, Luke Austin boosted the run rate before final pair Andrew May and Jared Fernandes put on a very valuable 21 runs. The match looked evenly poised at lunch.

Jared Fernandes then started with 3 wickets in his first 3 overs without conceding a run in the best possible start for the 1st XI. A determined 83 run partnership followed but Jared returned and broke through via a fine diving catch at cover by Tom Lough. The Pius bowlers began making inroads as Lachlan Jurcevic and Andrew May captured wickets to leave Oakhill with 36 to win with just three wickets left. The opposition captain and his batting partner then batted sensibly to whittle down the required runs despite all the best efforts from the SPX attack.

Great credit must go to a team that finished fourth after the 10 rounds but went so close to a premiership victory through belief and hours of hard work at training and on Saturdays. Thanks to the many supporters including a loyal band of parents along with a group of Year 12 students whose presence was greatly appreciated.

 

U13 Div 2 – SPX Black 

Cromer Cockatoos 46 (Felix Keeler 5/12) defeated by SPX Black 3/47 (Luka Hilton 15*)            

The boys arrived for our 'final' full of energy and raring to go. Nick Forwood won the toss and sent Cromer in, and Cameron Cheah & Riley Silver both got early wickets with Ben Costain & Eddie Harkin taking great catches. Then Felix Keeler came on & turned destroyer! He had the ball talking and took 5/12, including 3 bowled & 2 LBW, with some excellent fast bowling. Freddie Gosling picked up a run out and Cromer were all out for 46. Will Tully and Luke Steptoe were quickly out to open the batting, and we knocked off the runs comfortably with only 3 wickets down. Luka Hilton ended 15*. The result meant we finished 7th out of 13 with a positive win/loss record. For a team that started the season with half the team making their debuts for SPX, and a couple of boys playing their first games of cricket ever, it was a fantastic season. After a shaky start, we won 7 of our last 10 games and only missed the top 4 by 2 wins. The team represented SPX proudly, displaying great effort, heart, resilience, and team spirit. Well done and thanks to all the boys and parents.

 

Kit Returns. With the Cricket season having reached its conclusion last week, are issuing a request for the return of all cricket kits issued for 2024. Returning these kits promptly allows us to prepare and maintain our equipment for next season and ensures all our students have the proper equipment to participate fully in our cricket program.

Could all coaches / managers please return the kits by Friday 22 March (please not on Open Day), ensuring they are clean and in good condition. Items can be returned to the College veranda during school hours. If you face any difficulties in returning the kit by the specified date or if your kit needs repairs, please do not hesitate to contact Ryan Balboa via email (RBalboa@stpiusx.nsw.edu.au) at your earliest convenience. 

Mr David Reay - Cricket Convenor

Cross Country

Join us for fun, varied and challenging sessions.

When: Monday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings

Where: Beauchamp Park, Chatswood 

Time: 7:15 am – 8:15 am 

Who: All Senior and Junior School students welcome

 

Meet at the Beauchamp Oval Grandstand in comfortable running gear and with a water bottle. Bring your school uniform to change into afterwards back at The College.  All students are encouraged to join training, whether it is to prepare for the IPSHA Cross Country Competition in April, the ISA Cross Country competition in Term 2 or to simply improve your general well-being. Please email Mr Scott Steinman ssteinman@stpiusx.nsw.edu.au or Ms Leanne Lee llee@stpiusx.nsw.edu.au to sign up or simply turn up in the morning.

 

2024 Run2Cure Fun Run

In support of Neuroblastoma Cancer Research, Pius will be participating in the Run2Cure Fun Run. We will run the 5km together and join the Team "SPX Runners", code: SCHOOL24 for 20% off registration fee. This run also provides a great opportunity for students to prepare for the ISA Cross Country Competition that will be held in May. 

If you wish to take part in other distances, you are welcome to register on your own. Boys that are 12 and under will need to be accompanied by a parent for all other runs. 

Who: Open to All

When: Sunday, 7 April, run starts at 9:30 am, meet Mr Steinman and Ms Lee at 9:00 am to allow for bib preparations and in case the run goes off schedule. 

For all other distances, times start from 7:30 am. Here is the link to the run schedule for the day: https://www.run2cure.org.au/the-run

Where: The Domain, in the centre of Sydney. Event village is the grassy area in between Hospital Road and Art Gallery Road.

What to wear: Blue and yellow cross-country singlet, available for purchase at the uniform shop, can be used for training and ISA. Option to loan a singlet is available with limited sizes, let Ms lee know if you require to loan a singlet. 

Cost: $28 for students aged 12-17 at time of run. Prices increase after 17 March. 

Students will need to organise with parents to make their own way there and back.

If you are interested in this run, please have a parent email Ms Lee at llee@stpiusx.nsw.edu.au with your full name and date of birth by Wednesday, 13 March. Your parents will receive a link via clipboard to give permission and make payment. I will be registering all participants on 14 March. If applying through Ms Lee, bib collection will be free of charge and delivered to our school.

Ms Leanne Lee - Cross Country and Athletics Convenor

Football

Preseason training for all teams will commence on Monday 25 March after school and will be held each Monday and Wednesday at Oxford Falls.  These training days will continue in Terms 2 and 3.  All students will be transported to and from Oxford Falls by private buses which will depart outside OLD Church at 3:20 pm and return to the College approximately 5:30 pm. There will be one trial game against St Aloysius College on Saturday 6 April with the ISA season commencing on Saturday 4  May.

 

COERVER Football Camps

In preparation for the Football season, the College is offering a St Pius X student only COERVER Camps.

ST PIUS X APRIL HOLIDAY CAMPS

Monday 15 - Thursday 18 April

9:00 am - 12:00 noon each day. 

Bus transport to and from is available with details provided in link prior to registration.

Active Kids Vouchers accepted.

Age : 9 - 16

Coerver Coaching holiday camps offer a fun filled soccer experience for children aged 9-16 years. Each day will include Coerver® SKILLS competitions and challenges, Ball Mastery, Coaching sessions focusing on developing effective use of skill, small sided Coerver® Games, and mini Coerver Cup Tournament to keep players active.

 

TECHNIQUE

The cornerstone of our curriculum is technical development. We utilize the Coerver® Method of ball mastery and graduated pressure to build technical competence and play carefully selected games to build functional success.

PLAYER CONFIDENCE

We foster creativity by providing the players technical building blocks & encouraging creative actions in developmentally appropriate games. Our games are designed to be fun, challenging and to reward success and risk-taking.

TEAMWORK

Small group tactics and principles of play are taught in attack and defence by utilizing the structure of the many small sided games, which have made the Coerver® Curriculum so unique and recognised as the world’s leading technical football program.

SPORTSMANSHIP

We value winning but not more than character and effort. We encourage paying respect to players, parents, coaches and referees. Sportsmanship is emphasized to develop the whole person and not just the player.

With 2, 3 and 4 day options available, this is the perfect pre and early season preparation for St Pius X students looking towards a successful season. It is also a huge amount of footballing fun!

Bookings can be made using the following link: Coerver course | Coerver Coaching

Mr Simon Yue, Senior Football Convenor

Senior Chess

Chess training continues on Mondays in D Block from 3:30 pm - 4:30 pm.

All students in Year 7 - 12 are welcome.

 

Term 1 – Training Monday afternoons with chess coaches

Term 2 – Training Monday afternoons and interschool competition Friday afternoons

 

Here are some other benefits of learning chess:

  • Improves cognitive skills (including concentration, pattern recognition, decision making, algebraic and geometric thinking, problem-solving, spatial reasoning, and critical thinking)
  • Improves self-confidence and self-worth
  • Increases attention span
  • Increases memory capacity
  • Offers a logical pattern and critical-thinking system
  • Provides competition, fostering interest and promoting mental alertness
  • Teaches good sportsmanship

Ms Janelle Dempsey & Ms Denise Ramsey - Senior Chess Convenors

Public Speaking and Debating

CSDA Public Speaking 

The CSDA Public Speaking Competition concludes this week.  Thank you to all our wonderful public speakers for their efforts this term.  A special congratulations to Marcus Ng in Year 9 for making it through to the Grand Final which will be held this Friday. Further details will be provided as they come to hand.

 

CSDA Debating Competition 

Registrations have now closed and should  have been completed via Clipboard. The CSDA Debating Competition runs through Term 2 and 3.  There will be training sessions for the 2024 Debating season on the following dates:

 

Week 7 – training Friday 15 March 3:30 pm - 5:30 pm

Week 8 – training Friday 22 March 3:30 pm - 5:30 pm (Year 7 will not have training this week)

Week 10 – training Friday 5 April 3:30 pm - 5:00 pm

 

Please note that Year 7 will not have training in Week 8 as they are on camp.

 

Debating competition dates:

For those involved in debating it is essential that you meet at the clock after our Sports Assembly every Friday, attend all training and the first six rounds. If your team makes it through to the Elimination round (and beyond) you also need to keep the above dates free. 

Parents and students also need to complete the yellow registration form AND sign the CSDA ‘Code of Conduct’ form on the back of that sheet and return it to the Student Reception Office. Students can collect a copy of the form from the Student Reception Office.

Mrs Leigha Zervakos - Debating and Public Speaking Convenor

Rugby

Rugby Training – Begins THURSDAY 21 MARCH

While many have been training for quite some time, all rugby players are now called to training which commences this coming Thursday, 21 March, at Oxford Falls.

Buses will depart Archer Street between 3:15 pm and 3:30 pm outside OLD Church.

Buses will return to Chatswood dropping students off outside the school on Anderson Street between 5:30 pm and 6:00 pm.

Training will run every Tuesday and Thursday during the Rugby Season at Oxford Falls.

 

Rugby Registration will continue to be OPEN. 

All Year 5-12 students wishing to play rugby are required to be registered. This allows the school rugby administrators & coaches to best prepare for the coming season, plus allows your P&F Rugby Club to best support and communicate with you! There are no trials or grading days, all students are encouraged to get involved. 

Please register through Clipboard and if you have any issues contact Mr Gates - jgates@stpiusx.nsw.edu.au

 

Old Boys Gala Day

Thanks to all current and past SPX rugby players that attended the Old Boys Gala Day on Sunday at Oxford Falls. It was a great day connecting with the Brothers Rugby club and promoting rugby pathways beyond schooling life. 

 

Year 7 Rugby Taster Program 

Thank you to all the students that attended the year 7 Rugby Taster program over the last two weeks. As you can see in the photos below the four sessions were packed full of skills that the students can transfer into the season ahead. 

 

Term 1 Rugby Dates for the Diary:

  • Tuesday 19 March - No Training
  • Thursday 21 March - Rugby Training Commences at Oxford Falls for all students Year 7-12
  • Friday 22 and Saturday 23 March - Opens Rugby Camp (Workul Koo)
  • Thursday 28 March - No Training
  • Saturday 6 April - SPX vs ST ALOYISIUS – AWAY- TBC

SPX Rugby Club – Gala Dinner 2024

Save the Date.  The date and the venue are now locked in!  Mark your calendar for Saturday, 27 July at the Kirribilli Club.  The Rugby Committee are excited to once again be hosting a fun filled evening. 

Stay tuned for further details, and if you have any questions, feel free to reach out to spxrugby@gmail.com.

Mr Justin Gates - Rugby Convenor

Squash

SPX 2’s Liam Tumulty showed great spirit and had the game of his life on Saturday, but it still wasn’t enough to beat his opponent from BRIARS 6. SPX 1 lost another close match on points against ECSA 2 while SPX 3 continued their winning streak against St Andrew's 6.

Mr Joseph Madani - Squash Convenor

ISA Swimming Championships, Wednesday 13 March, SOPAC, Homebush

An amazing day for our College Swimming Team by finishing fourth overall; third in the Juniors (12-14 years), eighth in the Intermediates (15-16 years) and third in the seniors (17-19 years).

The results below speak for themselves. We eagerly await the ISA Swimming Team selections as those swimmers will represent the College and ISA at the upcoming CIS Swimming Championships in May.

ISA Swimming Championships Results.pdf

Mr Wayne Wheatley - Acting Swimming Convenor

NSTA Tennis

As always, the 8:00 am matches were full of excitement. The Junior boys who started playing this term have really shown great improvement and all of them are eagerly following the scoreboard. Connor Hunyh, Xavier Korkor and Nathan Hon (SPX 31) all played so well and blitzed their matches 18 games to 1. SPX 28 Hugo Hasanoglu, Ethan Heng and Jeremy Gu, all junior boys, played against some tough competition in Redlands 24, all senior school students, this didn’t stop them though as they won the day 2 sets to 1. Aidan Lum, Lachlan McGrath and Josh Lim (SPX 21) also showed great sportsmanship and skill winning their matches 18 games to 1. 

The 10:00 am matches started and the usual quiet and determination was in play. Lucas Youngman and Aidan Seifert (SPX 3) played some excellent tennis winning 2 sets to 1 against some strong competition in Redlands 1. James Stapleton and Lachlan Chan (SPX 9) both won their singles 6-1 and 6-2 respectively to win overall 2 sets to 1 against Reddam 1. 

Thank you to Daniel Harper, Robert Ponniah and Oscar Roberts who helped out with umpiring last week. Great job!

With only one more match before the finals and play offs on 23 March, in which all players are involved, a reminder to make sure that you check your scores have been put in correctly. https://www.xpointsports.com/region/325/currentEvents

Mrs Samantha Iwatani - NSTA Convenor