From the Principal

• Reflection
• EREA School Renewal
• Staffing News
• Congratulations Fr David Ranson
• NAPLAN testing complete
• Project Compassion thank you
• Year 5 camp
• Advance Notifications
• Key Dates
• Cocurricular Program

Reflection

Holy Week Reflection

Holy Week is most definitely a very sacred time of the year, for it is now that we will commemorate and remember the last week of Jesus' life on this earth. These are the days leading up to the great Easter Feast.

Holy week begins with Palm Sunday, which marks Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem. Palms are blessed and are then borne in a procession to the church.  The other notable and very ancient feature of the present Palm Sunday service is the reading of the Gospel of the Passion. 

The priests wears red.

Especially important for Catholics is the Easter Triduum. 

This is the three days just before Easter.

On Holy Thursday, we re-enact the Lord's Last Supper, which He shared with His apostles on the night He was betrayed and arrested. This is one of the most beautiful liturgies of the entire liturgical year. At the Mass, the priest will wash the feet of twelve men, just as Jesus did. Also on this night, priests all over the world will renew their sacred vows. This is because, at the Last Supper, Jesus not only instituted the Mass (Eucharist) but also the idea of priesthood.   

The Lenten colour of purple is maintained at this liturgy.

On Good Friday, the day of the crucifixion and death of our Lord, we have the veneration (the worship) of the Cross. A service is held at three o'clock in the afternoon (the hour He is believed to have died) and another later in the evening. We go forward and kiss the Cross in order to show honour and respect for Christ's sacrifice for our sake. There is no consecration of the Eucharist on this day.   

During this liturgy the priest wears a red garment representing the passion, blood, fire and God’s love for us.

Holy Saturday is a vigil. We keep watch for the expectant rising of Our Savior. This was the day He went down into the netherworld in order to bring back up with Him into heaven those who had died before His coming. Up to this time, the gates to heaven were closed and no one could go there because of the original sin of Adam. Jesus changed all that. By paying the price for our sins on the Cross, He gained for us our eternal salvation, and heaven was opened once more. Also on this night, persons who have spent months of preparation will be received through Baptism and Confirmation into the Catholic Church for the first time. 

It is a joyous occasion. 

Those who engage themselves wholeheartedly in living the entire paschal cycle (Lent, Triduum and Easter's Fifty Days) discover that it can change them forever. This is especially so of the Triduum which, standing at the heart of the Easter season, is an intense immersion in the fundamental mystery of what it is to be Christian. 

During these days, we suffer with Christ so that we might rise with Him at His glorious Resurrection – Easter Sunday.  (White is the colour for Easter Sunday – joy, triumphant and glory)

Holy Week is a time to clear our schedules of unnecessary activities. Our minds and hearts should be fixed on Jesus and what He did for us. Let us bear the Cross so that we may be worthy of wearing the crown He wore. 

Let’s look at Easter a little deeper.

Easter reminds us that an important part of our religion is a man dying in pain, surrounded by failure, calling “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”  No matter who we are, we experience pain, failure and tragedy.  We all have a story to tell – just like Jesus did on the cross.  The central fact of Christianity is that God is with us in apparent failure, recreating us with His love.  If we can face our pain with the belief that God truly love us and works through us, we will be able to grow as loving Christian people – light can always come from darkness.  Tragedy and pain can break us open to experience the depths of our weakness, but more importantly, we can learn of the great depths of God’s loving mercy. 

Easter reminds us that Jesus is with us at all times, especially in failure.  It reminds us that there is no human tragedy that can’t be touched by His presence and transformed by the power of His love.

May His love for all of us be experienced during this the Holiest Week of the Christian calendar.

Blessed Edmund Rice - Pray for Us

St Pius X - Pray for Us

Live Jesus in our Hearts - Forever!

EREA School Renewal

The process of renewing the EREA School has been remarkably successful, with positive feedback from staff, students, and parents alike. The panel's feedback has provided further reassurance as we uphold our commitment to being a Catholic school in the Edmund Rice Tradition, staying true to the EREA Touchstones. Through my involvement in various Renewal reports, it's evident that there are recommendations for our College to address. As we forge ahead with crafting our new strategic plan, we will incorporate these recommendations into our future plans. On behalf of the College, I extend our gratitude to the panel members: Mr Ray Paxton, Chair and National Director of Educational Strategy; Mrs Maura Manning, CEO of NSW Colleges Ltd; Mr Domenic Burgio, Principal at CBC Fremantle; Ms Heidi Senior, Director of Professional Practice and Partnerships at EREA; and Mr Andrew Fraser, Senior Strategic Advisor at Catholic Schools Broken Bay.

Staff News

It is with a heavy heart that I announce to the community that Mrs Jacqui Loughman will be on personal leave from the start of Term 2 until the conclusion of the 2024 school year. Mrs Loughman has made this challenging decision, but we understand and support her choice. We extend our heartfelt best wishes to Mrs Loughman and eagerly anticipate her return in 2025.

We also wish to recognise Mrs Christine Cummins, who has faithfully served as a member of the St Pius X finance team for the last two decades. Mrs Cummins has submitted her resignation and will depart from the College at the conclusion of Term 1. I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to Mrs Cummins for her invaluable contributions to the College throughout her tenure, and we extend our best wishes for her health and future prosperity.

Luke Calder, a member of our maintenance team at Oxford Falls, has advised of their resignation. Although it was a short tenure with the college, Luke's contributions have been immensely valuable to our team at Oxford Falls. We extend our best wishes for every success in Luke's future endeavours.

Congratulations Fr David Ranson

It is with immense pleasure that I share with the College community the wonderful news regarding the esteemed recognition received by Fr David Ranson, parish priest of Our Lady of Dolours Parish. The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference has recently revealed the names of two parish priests chosen to participate in a global gathering of 300 priests at the Vatican. The Very Reverend Dr David Ranson PP VG and the Reverend Paul Crotty PP will attend the 'Parish Priests for the Synod: An International Meeting' from 28 April to 2 May. 

On behalf of the College, I extend heartfelt congratulations to Fr David and express our gratitude for his dedicated pastoral leadership here at the College. We wish him a safe and enriching experience at the Synod and eagerly anticipate his insights upon his return. You may find the full article announcing Fr David’s selection in the following link:

https://www.catholic.au/s/article/City-and-outback-voices-to-be-heard-at-international-meeting

NAPLAN testing for Year 5, 7 and 9 completed for another year

Students in Year 5, 7 and 9 have successfully finished their NAPLAN testing for the current year. We trust that this period was not overly stressful for our students, recognising these exams as diagnostic tools that offer valuable insights to aid us in enhancing our learning environment. A heartfelt thank you goes to Mr Bell for his diligent administration and efficient management of the tests.  I also thank the staff involved in supervising these tests, and our ICT Department for their assistance with any IT issues.

Project Compassion – Thank You

We extend our heartfelt thanks to all the families who generously contributed to our Project Compassion initiative for 2024. Through various activities such as the sale of pancakes and hashbrowns on Tuesday mornings, the College successfully raised well over $10,000. This remarkable achievement is one that everyone involved should take great pride in, as these funds will go towards supporting numerous Caritas Australia projects across the globe.  Special thanks to Mr Petrie, Mr Balboa and all the students who assisted with the different initiatives.

Year 5 Camp

Year 5 students have just returned from their annual camp, having enjoyed three memorable days. This experience provided an excellent opportunity for them to further nurture friendships with their peers. The teachers have spoken highly of the students' active participation and engagement in the camp activities. 

I am eager to hear about their adventures in the coming days. A special thank you goes to Mrs Greenwood, Ms Boyle, and Mr Montgomerie, Mrs Williams, Mrs Iwatani, Ms O'Hora and Mr Makhoul for their dedicated support of our students during these significant formative experiences.

Advance Notifications

Term 2 - Winter Uniform

As Term 1 draws to a close, I kindly remind all students that they transition to the full winter uniform starting from the first day of Term 2. I encourage everyone to inspect their winter uniform to ensure it is prepared for the start of the term. Blazers may require dry cleaning, and trouser lengths may need adjustments. Our uniform presents a polished appearance, so let's ensure it accommodates the growth of our students' ever-evolving bodies.

A reminder that there are only 6 uniform shop opening days before the holidays.

Save the Date

Celebrating Mother’s Day Mass on Wednesday 8 May

Although Mother’s Day is approximately 5 weeks away, the College is already deep into preparations for this special occasion. Following the success of the 2023 Mother’s Day celebration and the positive feedback received from participants, the College has decided to host the 2024 Mother's Day Mass and morning tea at the Oxford Falls campus. Transportation will be provided for students to and from the venue via arranged buses. Official invitations will be distributed to families early next week. Similar to other College events, our Mother’s Day Mass will continue to support the Cancer Council and its Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea initiative, allowing families to contribute to this important cause through our invitation.

Key Dates

Cocurricular Program

Congratulations to all our tennis finalists last weekend, with 9 teams playing in the grand final. Special congratulations go to SPX 1 team of Boston Bannister and Jake Yu, SPX 24 team of Ethan Heng, Jeremy Gu and Hugo Hasanoglu, and SPX 31 team of Connor Huynh, Nathan Hon and Xavier Korkor who were grand final winners. 

It's wonderful to observe our rugby and football players beginning their training program at our Oxford Falls campus. With the opening games against St Aloysius College fast approaching next weekend, it's imperative that all players prioritise attendance at every training session. This dedication will ensure they are thoroughly prepared to showcase their best performance on the field. While the upcoming season promises excitement, achieving real success demands unwavering commitment from every player.

 Go the Blue and Gold this week!

Fide et Labore

By Faith and hard work

Live Jesus in Our Hearts - Forever

Mr Michael Ronchetti - Principal