From the Assistant Principal, Cocurricular
Fixtures
Cocurricular Photos
Basketball
Chess
Cricket - ISA
Cross Country
CSDA Public Speaking and Debating
Football
Rugby
Squash
Swimming
Tennis

From the Assistant Principal, Cocurricular

Our ISA summer sports season has wrapped up in spectacular fashion, with several of our teams bringing home premiership titles.

A huge congratulations to the 14Ds, 3rd V, and 4th V Basketball teams, as well as our outstanding 1st XI Cricket team, for their exceptional performances this year.

It is 15 years since the 1st XI won the ISA premiership.

Each team demonstrated unwavering determination, skill, and sportsmanship throughout the season. Their hard work on the court and field, along with the support of their coaches and peers, has truly paid off. These premiership victories are a testament to their dedication and team spirit.

We are incredibly proud of all the players involved. Congratulations once again to our champions - what an incredible achievement!

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all our parents and supporters for your dedication throughout the season. Your time and effort to transport your sons, ensuring they have the correct uniform each week, and unwavering sideline support have made a huge difference to our players.

I would also like to extend my sincere thanks to our coaches and convenors for their efforts, leadership, and ongoing commitment to their teams throughout the season.

Please note that MWJCA cricket, pennants squash and NSTA tennis continue this weekend, and we wish them well in their endeavours.

ISA Tennis Convenor

It is my pleasure to announce that Mr Paul Cummins will take on the role of ISA Tennis Convenor for 2026 in Mrs Bamber's absence. I am sure you will all make Mr Cummins very welcome in this role.

Please note, grading for tennis will begin prior to the compulsory SPX Tennis Championships, which will take place on Saturday 28 March. Mr Cummins will update you with regards to the grading schedule in next week's Woodchatta.

Clipboard winter sports registrations

Clipboard registrations remain open for the following winter sports/activities:

Chess
ArtLab (only 1 more place available)
ISA Tennis (only 4 more places available)
Junior School winter sports.
Rugby

Please get your registrations in soon.

Mr Matt Stearn - Assistant Principal, Cocurricular

Fixtures

Cocurricular Photos

On Friday 20 March during Periods 1 – 3, the College will be taking some cocurricular photos. Photos to be taken will be Senior Swimming, NSTA Summer Tennis, Summer Squash, 1st XI Cricket with trophy, the remaining Basketball teams and the Performing Arts Ensembles.

Monitor CANVAS for a complete list of photos and schedule for the day. Most photos will be taken in their school uniforms.

More details to follow on CANVAS.

Ms Leisa Proc - General Coordinator

Basketball

ISA Basketball –Grand Finals Summary

Congratulations to our 14D, 3rd V, and 4th V teams on being crowned 2026 ISA Premiers! An outstanding achievement and a testament to the hard work, discipline, and spirit shown throughout the season. Each of these teams displayed impressive growth and resilience, and their premiership success is richly deserved.

We are also extremely proud of our 17D and 5th V teams, who delivered fantastic seasons of their own. Their commitment, improvement, and teamwork were evident every week, and they represented St Pius X with pride and determination.

A special mention must go to the 4th V, whose Grand Final will be remembered as one of the most dramatic finishes of the season. In a nail‑biting encounter that went right down to the final play, the boys held their nerve and secured a thrilling 25-24 victory, truly a game for the ages. Some big defending plays to finish the match!!

To all our coaches: thank you for your leadership, mentorship, and unwavering support of our players. Your guidance has been instrumental in helping them grow both on and off the court.

To our parents: thank you for the long trips, sideline energy, and constant encouragement. The SPX basketball community thrives because of your commitment.

And to all our players: thank you for the pride with which you wear the St Pius X jersey. Your dedication to training, teamwork, and sportsmanship is what makes SPX Basketball so special.

Stay tuned: an exciting new chapter for SPX Basketball is just around the corner. Details about our upcoming Holiday Camps will be announced next week. Once registrations open on Clipboard, it will be first in, best dressed, and based on previous years, these spots will fill quickly.

Uniform Reminder

All students in the Internal teams, your singlets are now due for return. Please give them to student reception or drop them to Mr Bourke’s office.

Updated Year 7 Basketball Information

All games for this Saturday have now been uploaded to Clipboard, so please check the app for your son’s team, game time, and court allocation.

Students are to wear their Blue SPX Sport shirt to games and will be given the Blue Singlet by their coach on arrival. If you have the Basketball Shorts that great, if not the PE shorts are fine for these matches. Coaches will collect the blue singlets at the end of the match.

On 14 March, our Year 7 players will take on St Augustine’s, providing a fantastic early opportunity to experience competitive basketball in the SPX environment. On 21 March, teams will take part in internal matches at Oxford Falls, allowing coaches to evaluate player development and assist with the grading process.

Please note that teams will be reshuffled between these two weeks. This is a normal and important part of ensuring a fair and accurate placement process as we move toward further grading in Term 3.

Mr James Bourke - Basketball Convenor

Chess

Chess Players for Year 10, Year 11 and Year 12 are in high demand. If you have not enrolled for chess as yet then please do so. At this stage we do not have enough students to field teams in Year 10, 11 and 12.

Training continues for Senior Chess. Students are warmly encouraged to come along to a training session and give it a try.

Time: 3:15 pm – 4:30 pm
Location: D Wing, Rooms 1-4
Schedule: Training runs every Monday afternoon during Terms 1 and 2

Chess Tournaments will begin in Term 2 and will be held on Friday afternoons from 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm.

All welcome.

Ms Denise Ramsey and Ms Janelle Dempsey - Chess Convenors

Cricket

ISA Cricket

1st XI Number 1 in Division 1

Congratulations to the 1st XI on the ISA Division 1 Cricket Championship for season 2025/26.

In a dominant final performance, the 1st XI showed they were truly not just minor-premiers but also the number 1 team in the ISA Division 1 competition.

Congratulations to 1st XI 2025/26 players: Alex Burke (Player #682), Oliver Battersby (#695), Dan Carroll (#688), Rohan Chang (#681), Charlie Chippendale (#683), Oliver Costain (#689), Tom Costain (#690), Jack English (#687), Oliver Freeman (#669, Captain #89), Lucas Gleeson (#677), Brody Mendel (#696), Miles Moran (#691), Toby Moran (#680), Rory Rapa (#692), Viaan Singh (#693), and Archie Wragge (#694).

ISA Division 1 Final – 1st XI v St Patrick’s College @ Oxford Falls #1, Saturday 7 March 2026

1st XI 2 for 73 (Toby Moran 20, Oliver Freeman 18*, Rohan Chang 17, Archie Wragge 15*) defeated St Patrick’s College 67 all out (4 for 16, Alex Burke 3 for 10, Charlie Chippendale 2 for 11, Brody Mendel 1 for 12)

After 21 matches, a Queensland Tour, and more than 60 training sessions the 1st XI are ISA Champions in Division 1 for Season 2025/26.

In a dominant final performance, the 1st XI claimed the ISA title for the first time since 2015/16.

Oxford Falls looked immaculate, thanks as always to the Oxford Falls Staff, on a hot and humid Saturday morning. Losing the toss and being asked to bowl the 1st XI took to the task in a practised and confident manner. Charlie Chippendale (2/11) claimed an early wicket with good pace and was supported by Jack English (0/12) and Dan Carroll (0/4) as the restriction of the opposition scoring commenced from the first over. The spin bowling combination of Lucas Gleeson (4/16 off 10 overs) who removed four of the top six batsmen, followed by Alex Burke (3/10 off 10 overs) and Brody Mendel (1/12 of 7 overs) reduced scoring to a trickle as they took 7 wickets for 4 runs over a period of 12 overs. When Charlie Chippendale returned for a second spell the opposition was bowled out for 67 in the 43rd over. Relentless pressure saw six unassisted wickets to the bowlers, supported by good all-around fielding with catches to Archie Wragge (2), Brody Mendel, and Charlie Chippendale.

Chasing a small total can be difficult but 1st XI openers Archie Wragge (15*) and Rohan Chang (17) played good aggressive shots and took every opportunity to quickly reduce the total. Toby Moran (20 from 24 balls) pushed the winning total close before 1st XI captain Ollie Freeman (18*) claimed the title by launching a competition winning six in his final appearance for the College.

St Pius X College 1st XI – Minor-premiers & ISA Division 1 Champions 2025/26.

Special thanks to the 2025/26 SPX ISA Coaching Staff: Mr Pat Rodgers (1st XI), Mr James Maloney (Skills Coach), Mr Martin Gillogly (2nd XI), Mr Matt Stearn (2nd XI), Mr David Reay (1st XI) and external coaches Mr Ash Doolan and Mr Eliott Richter.

Season 2026/27 preseason starts in August.

Mr David Reay - ISA Cricket Convenor

Cross Country

Cross Country training continues every Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday.

Training Details

Where: Beauchamp Oval (meet at the grandstand)

When: 7:10 am – 8:10 am

Who: Open to all students in Years 5–12

What to wear: PE uniform or SPX athletics singlet, with appropriate running shoes

After training: Students are to return to school to change into their regular school uniform

What to bring: Water bottle

The Run2Cure 5km Fun Run will take place on Sunday, 29 March. We will run Wave A together. As this is an external event, students will need to organise their own way to and from the venue. Mr Steinman and I will be there to support and supervise any bags and belongings during the duration of this run.

Students receive a 10% off the registration fee using code SPX26 at checkout. Please note that registrations completed by 10 March will also receive free bib postage.

Join our SPX Runners team upon registration:
https://sydney.run2cure.org.au/signup?parentId=spx-runners
Pricing details can be found here:
https://sydney.run2cure.org.au/event-info#sydneyeventpricing
Who: Year 7-12 (though juniors are welcome to join)
When: Sunday, 29 March. Race starts 9:30 am.
Where: The Domain, in the centre of Sydney. Event village is the grassy area in between Hospital Road and Art Gallery Road. Mr Steinman and Ms Lee will meet everyone at 9:00 am near the registration area.
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 borrow a singlet is available with limited sizes. Please let Ms Lee know if you need to borrow a singlet.

Further information will be shared closer to the event. Please notify me via email once you have registered.

We look forward to seeing you all and kicking off a great season together!

Ms Leanne Lee - Cross Country Convenor

CSDA Public Speaking and Debating

Thank you to those students who attended the information session for this year's Debating season. Training for Debating commences this Friday after school.

The dates for the Debating rounds are:

Football

Draft teams have been published around the College. Please note that these are draft teams and that there will be changes to teams during preseason training and early rounds of the season.

Preseason training for all teams will commence in Week 9, Monday 23 March and continue each Monday and Wednesday for the remainder of the Term 1, continuing throughout term time in Terms 2 and 3. All trainings are at Oxford Falls with students catching chartered buses from outside OLD Church at 3:15 pm. If students are to picked up at the conclusion of training at Oxford Falls, they need to be picked up by 5:00 pm sharp. All other students will be bused back to the Chatswood campus and dismissed from the buses, traffic dependant but at approximately 5:30 pm.

There will be one trial game this term against St Aloysius College on Saturday 28 March with the season proper commencing in Term 2.

All Year 7 – 10 players AND 2nd XI – 5th XI must purchase their kit before this game from the College Uniform shop.

Please see details below regarding the SPX Football camp in the April Holidays and messages from the Football Supporters Club.

Mr Simon Yue - Senior Football Convenor

From the Football Supporters Club

Get your tickets NOW!! ... the Football Season Launch & Social is this month

Here are the points you need to know:

- This is THE social to kick things off for football in 2026 - at Willoughby Bowling Club. Come and join us on Sunday afternoon 29 March, 3:00 pm - 6:00 pm for some great fun, food and socialising with other football families.

- The whole family is welcome - this is an event for parents, carers, staff and players - our boys (and their siblings) can come and have some great food, kick a ball around in Willoughby Park and get to know their teammates.

- The First XI squad will be presented with their jerseys for the season - a great honour for these young men and an inspiration for all boys playing football this year.

We are aiming for a sell-out event again so PLEASE GET YOUR TICKETS NOW using the link or QR code below. Further details are included in the link -

https://events.humanitix.com/2026-st-pius-x-football-season-launch

Also - if you would like to receive succinct email updates throughout the football season, please use this link to opt in and we will be in touch (please ensure you complete the contact email address so we can contact you).

Holiday Camps

ST PIUS X APRIL SOCCER HOLIDAY CAMPS

Tuesday 7 - Friday 10 April (Please note no session on Easter Monday)

9:00 am - 12 noon each day.

2, 3 and 4 day options

5v5 tournament running each day!

The Perfect Pre Season Preparation for the players!

A bus will be available for the first 60 registered players, departing Chatswood Campus at 8:30 am and returning at 12:40 pm.

For more information and to register please click here: Coerver course | Coerver Coaching

Whether your son is new to the game or looking to sharpen his skills, this is a camp he won’t want to miss.

Coerver Coaching holiday camps offer a fun filled soccer experience for children aged 4-16 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 students looking towards a successful season. It is also a huge amount of footballing fun!

Mr Matt Zanello - SPX Football Supporters Club President

Rugby

Rugby Registration continue to be OPEN

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

The following link will direct you to Clipboard: https://portal.clipboard.app/stpiusx. Please note that payment for the season will need to be made upon registration.

If you have any issues pleases contact Mr Justin Gates, Senior Rugby Convenor jgates@stpiusx.nsw.edu.au

Rugby Training – Begins THURSDAY 24 MARCH

While many have been training for quite some time, all rugby players are now called to training which commences this Thursday 24th March at Oxford Falls. All students must register through Clipboard before attending training.

Buses will depart Archer Street between 3:15 pm and 3:25 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.

Holiday Rugby Clinic

The annual Easter Holiday rugby clinic will take place on Wednesday 15 and Thursday 16 April. This is a great opportunity for the students to make sure they’re well and truly prepared for the season and will help them put their best foot forward for ISA season.

Coaching staff will be Trytime coaches and special guest coaches. Position specific coaching will be given as well as team play. It will be a great chance for students to work on their skills and confidence before the season.

Please register via Clipboard https://portal.clipboard.app/stpiusx.

For more information see the document below.

Old Boys Gala

Thanks to all current and past SPX rugby players who attended the Old Boys Gala Day on Sunday at Oxford Falls. It was a great day with the current students winning the game of touch 5-4.

2026 NTL Touch Tournament

We would like to congratulate Bradley Newman of Year 11 on his outstanding achievements at the 2026 NTL Touch Tournament in Coffs Harbour over the past five days. His team Sydney Scorpions reached the Grand Final undefeated and finished as runners-up. Brad was also awarded the Coach’s Award for his consistent performances, as well as showing maturity, teamwork, sportsmanship and kindness both on and off the field throughout the tournament.

Term 1 Rugby Dates for the Diary:

10, 12, 17 and 19 March - Year 7 Rugby Taster & Opens Training at Oxford Falls
Thursday 24 March - Rugby Training Commences at Oxford Falls for all students Year 7-12
Thursday 26 March - Fiji Rugby Tour predeparture meeting
Saturday 28 March - SPX vs St Aloysius'
Wednesday and Thursday 15 & 16 April - Rugby Holiday Clinic

Mr Justin Gates - Rugby Convenor

RUGBY MATCH OFFICIALS

New Rugby Match Officials:

Any students or parents interested in being part of the College’s rugby match day official group – either a Level One Referee or an Assistant Referee (sideline) please contact me at the college or via email – sdisano@stpiusx.nsw.edu.au

The Referee Ready course is the start point for any refereeing in Australia. To sign up, login to the Rugby Xplorer website at https://myaccount.rugbyxplorer.com.au/

Select Learning Centre from the left side menu and browse the Referee Ready courses under Referee - Game Facilitator. Some modules are online but for beginning referees there are some mandatory face to face courses.

Generally, we link ourselves to both Sydney North Rugby Referees Association and New South Wales Rugby Referees Association for courses. The first face to face course in the Sydney North area is at Wahroonga Rugby Club, Cliff Oval, Wahroonga on 19 March 2026, 5:00 pm.

More dates are on the website at various local clubs. Students generally must be 15 years of age to officiate U13s but I am happy to have U14s students commence as ARs and assist with U11 and U12 games.

Returning Match Officials:

Sydney North Rugby Referees Association is inviting all St Pius X match officials to their season launch and presentation of the Game Management Guidelines for 2026.

Date: Sunday 22 March 2026, 9:00 am - 1:00 pm

Venue: Brimson Centre at St Augustine’s College, Brookvale

Entrance: via the big green gate on Federal Parade (follow the white markers from the gate into the Brimson Centre)

Best parking: ample street parking on Federal Parade and Alfred Road

Season Ready Referee 2026 needs to be completed by all registered active match officials:

Game Management Guidelines (GMG) – face to face or online
Safeguarding Module - online
GMG 2026 20 question Law Quiz - online.

In addition, the Smart Rugby module is a mandatory accreditation valid for two years. For some, accreditation expires on 1 April 2026.

Complete the Smart Rugby Refresher Course before expiry
If accreditation lapses, the full Smart Rugby course must be completed

Any questions or queries, please don’t hesitate to contact me at the College.

Mr Sam Di Sano - Rugby Referees Convenor

SPX Rugby Club

Rugby Gala Dinner 2026

Save the Date. The date and the venue are now locked in! Mark your calendar for Saturday, 1 August at Dockside. 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

Squash

At training this week, it was great to see the competitive fire between our players as we faced off in a round‑robin style session. The effort and determination to refine different parts of your game were obvious, and it certainly showed on court this weekend.

At Willoughby, the standout performance was Thomas Kneeshaw. He rose to the occasion in what many thought would be a difficult match. Left solo this week to take on two fresh Barker players, Thomas delivered a masterclass in squash tactics. After winning the first match, he cleverly conserved his energy in the second, knowing he already held a commanding lead in the tie. He even baffled the opposition by giving away a set with barely a shot played, confident that his lead was unassailable. With fresh legs, he cruised through the next set to secure the overall victory.

It was also great to see the SPX 5 team play some impressive shots against an opposition that may have been a few years older. Despite narrowly going down in all sets, the skill level was well matched and the effort was outstanding.

At Thornleigh, a special thanks goes to Lance Meng, who backed up and played two matches. He would have been exhausted after the encounter, but it’s exactly those types of efforts that lift the whole SPX Squash community. Lance’s commitment over the past few weeks has not gone unnoticed.

Special note to SPX 2, I heard that Lucas Tubman had an amazing match where he was overwhelming his opposition with his trademark power forehand. However, a tactical adjustment from Briars of a racquet change was enough for them to edge the win.

Well done to all teams who competed over the weekend. A quick reminder to all players: please aim to arrive 15 minutes before your match to warm up properly. This helps reduce the risk of injury and ensures you’re mentally ready for what are always high‑energy games.

Just a reminder that for any reasons you might be absent for training or the game on Saturday its best to try and let me know during the week or if it’s on the day due unforeseen circumstances to please email me on sspedding@stpiusx.nsw.edu.au.

Mr Stuart Spedding - Squash Convenor

Swimming

Last Friday evening, the College Swimming Squad competed at the 41st Annual Christian Brothers Carnival at The Cranbrook School. The boys swam so well with our Captain Archer Ferguson swimming a PB in his 100m Freestyle. The Junior Division came 4th, Intermediates came 4th and the Senior Division came 2nd which placed us 4th overall. Year 12 students were in abundance on the night. It was fantastic to see them supporting the younger students in the squad. Thank you to those students who stepped in and filled lanes in some races from the younger years.

We have the ISA swimming carnival coming up on 17 March at SOPAC. All swimmers have been notified. The bus will be leaving the College at 7:30 am and we will be back at school at approximately 4:30 pm. Students need to be wearing the College swimming cap in the pool and be dressed in their swimming shirt or PE Polo when arriving at the pool with closed toed shoes. Swimmers are to provide their own lunch. There are food facilities at the pool. Parents are welcome to come and spectate and support the squad.

Swimmers need to monitor their email for more details before next Tuesday.

Training has now finished for the term. We will resume training in Term 4.

Ms Leisa Proc - Swimming Convenor

NSTA Tennis

Season Recap

Once again, I would like to extend my sincere thanks to all students for their participation in the NSTA competition.

A special congratulations to Teams 2, 4, 8, 10, 18, and 25, who have qualified for the finals in their respective divisions.

This weekend

All match details have now been updated on Clipboard. Please ensure you review this information prior to your game so you are fully prepared. While the weather may present some challenges, this weekend marks our final round of tennis for 2025 - the Grand Final / Playoffs.

Best of luck to all teams!

Mr Christopher Nouragas - NSTA Tennis Convenor

Careers