Junior School News
From the Head of Junior School
FOOTBALL SUPPORTERS' SEASON LAUNCH
It was wonderful to see so many Junior School families enjoying the sunshine and great company at the Football Supporters’ Season Launch last Sunday. Thank you to those of you who were able to come along and support the college’s football program.
EASTER EGG GUESSING COMPETITION by Mrs Dalton
We are excited to congratulate our 2026 Easter Egg Guessing Champion! With an impressively sharp eye (and maybe a little Easter magic), Ted Birch came closest to the correct number of eggs in the basket, making him this year’s well‑deserved winner.
Thank you to everyone who joined in the fun - your guesses were creative, clever, and sometimes wonderfully wild! All money raised will be donated to Aboriginal Literacy Foundation.
LENTEN LITURGY
Thank you to Mrs Scanlon for facilitating a beautiful and engaging Lenten Liturgy for our Junior students on Tuesday in the Our Lady of Dolours Church. Photos can be found here: Junior School Lenten Liturgy MARCH2026
BRISBANE FOOTBALL TOUR
I look forward to catching up with our touring footballers in Brisbane on the second weekend of the holidays at Nudgee College. A very special thank you to Mr Bourke and Mr Buda who will manage and coach the team during the 3-day competition.
ARMIDALE RUGBY TOUR
I’m also looking forward to my 5th trip to beautiful, autumnal Armidale on the last weekend of the holidays to cheer on our Junior School rugby team. It is always a wonderful weekend at the magnificent TAS (The Armidale School) campus. Good luck to our rugby team and thank you to Mr Bourke once again for organising and to Mr Montgomerie for coaching our team.
Please keep all our touring players and their families in your prayers for a safe and enjoyable tour.
ACCELERATED READER AND STAR ASSESSMENTS (YEARS 5 AND 7)
St Pius X College, Chatswood is committed to helping every student develop strong reading skills and a genuine love of reading. From Term 2, we will begin using Accelerated Reader and STAR Reading Assessments with students in Year 5 and Year 7 to support and monitor reading growth.
STAR Reading is a short, online assessment that provides teachers with an overall picture of a student’s current reading level and skills. In Term 2, students will sit a 20-30 minute adaptive test consisting of 35-word recognition, vocabulary and comprehension questions. This adaptive test will be repeated in Term 4, allowing the College to identify strengths, target areas for improvement and track progress over time.
Following this, students will be provided with a reading score and encouraged to read texts that fall within an appropriate and challenging range. After finishing a text, students will use Accelerated Reader to complete a short online quiz to check understanding and comprehension. English teachers and Teacher Librarians will monitor reading practice, quiz results and progress, providing feedback to students to encourage consistent reading habits.
St Pius X College is introducing these initiatives to provide a clear, consistent measure of reading progress over time and to build reading confidence, fluency and comprehension.
STAR Reading Assessments and Accelerated Reader will be completed during Year 7 English and Year 5 Library lessons, with students guided through the process by their classroom teacher and the Junior or Senior Teacher Librarians.
For those students wanting a head start on the program, any reading done over the holidays can be recorded in the student diary (title and author) and signed off by a parent or guardian as evidence. Reading must be current and not include books read previously. Students can choose to read titles again if they wish to include these titles as part of Accelerated Reader. To check if a book title is part of the Accelerated Reader program, click here.
Next Term, parents will be able to sign up for Home Connect via Renaissance Learning to receive updates on their son’s progress. For more information, please see the Renaissance Website:
https://www.renaissance.com.au/star-assessments/
https://www.renaissance.com.au/accelerated-reader/
If you have any questions about Accelerated Reader or STAR Reading Assessment, please contact the College to discuss.
Thank you for your continued support as we work together to build strong, confident readers.
MOTHER'S DAY MASS INVITATION
ENROLMENTS FOR YEAR 5 & 7 2028 NOW OPEN
Golfing for Gabe's
St Gabriel’s School, Castle Hill warmly invites the St Pius X community to our annual Golfing for Gabe's Charity Day, to be held at Stonecutters Ridge Golf Club on Friday 15 May 2026.
As a K–12 school supporting students with mild to moderate intellectual disabilities and additional needs, this event is our major fundraiser and has brought together businesses, community organisations and friends from all over Sydney since 1997.
The day includes 18 holes of Ambrose golf, golf cart hire, breakfast on arrival and a two-course lunch, along with raffles, auctions and prize presentations.
Pricing:
$210 - Single Player
$840 - Team of Four
$1,300 - Corporate Team Sponsorship (includes Team of 4)
$75 - Lunch only - 2-course sit-down meal
Players can register individually (and will be placed in a team) or enter as a team of four.
Register now: https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1542584
More information: https://stgabriels.nsw.edu.au/golfing-for-gabes
Thank you for your ongoing support of the Junior School.
Mrs Jill Greenwood - Head of Junior School
Junior School Sport News
Upcoming Holiday Camps
Details of the Football and Rugby Holiday Camps are outlined below. These camps provide an excellent opportunity for students to further develop their skills, build confidence, and prepare thoroughly for the upcoming tours and IPSHA season.
We strongly encourage families to take advantage of these programs. Students who attend will benefit from high‑quality coaching, focused skill development, and valuable match preparation, giving them a clear head start heading into the winter season. With limited opportunities like this available during the holidays, students who miss out may find themselves at a disadvantage as the season approaches.
There will also be a Basketball Camp available for Year 5 and 6 students. Dates and details can be found in Clipboard this afternoon. Apologies for the delayed release of information, we have been delayed in sharing as we navigate the scheduled maintenance work for both Oxford Falls and Chatswood Gyms.
Chess – Junior School Update
Training will run each Tuesday from 7:30 am to 8:30 am. Coaches from the Sydney Chess Academy will conduct sessions, grading students and supporting their development will commencing in Week 1 next term, ahead of the commencement of the season.
The draw and team allocations will be released in Week 1, with matches scheduled for Friday afternoons. All future information will be communicated to families by Mrs Bridie Barrett, who will be leading the Chess program in 2026. All training and game details will appear in Clipboard.
Preseason Matches v St Aloysius'
We wish our Football and Rugby tour groups the very best of luck as they head to Brisbane and Armidale respectively. Following the strong performances in last weekend’s preseason matches, the teams are well prepared and excited for the challenges ahead.
We have no doubt they will represent the College with pride, displaying the skill, teamwork, and sportsmanship that have been on show throughout the lead‑up to these tours. We look forward to hearing about their experiences and successes. Thank you to Mr Buda and Mr Montgomerie for leading each team this year.
Term 2 Thursday Sport Dates and Events
Term 2 Winter ISPHA Season Dates
- Round 1: 2 May
- Round 2: 9 May
- Round 3: 16 May
- Round 4: 23 May
- Round 5: 30 May
- Round 6: 13 June
- Round 7: 20 June
- Round 8: 25 July
- Round 9: 1 August
- Round 10: 8 August
Tuesday Afternoon Training Sessions for Football and Rugby
Tuesday afternoon training sessions will be held at Beauchamp Oval each week throughout the IPSHA winter season. These sessions will be delivered by a combination of external and internal coaches.
For rugby, attendance at these sessions is compulsory, with a strong focus on fitness, tackle technique, and breakdown work.
For football, these sessions are optional and are designed to support students who may not already be training with an external club or additional rep team. If your son is already training two to four times per week, there is no expectation that he attend. We encourage as many students as possible to take up this session and anticipate numbers of around 50-60 players.
Sessions will commence in Week 2 of Term 2. A registration link for footballers will be shared directly with families to assist us with planning coach numbers and session content.
Grading Process and Winter Fixtures
Fixtures for the winter season may begin to appear over the holidays and in the early part of Term 2. Round 1 will commence on Saturday of Week 2. Following our grading sessions in Weeks 9 and 10, students will be placed into tentative teams, with scope for movement prior and during the season. We anticipate there will be adjustments to team allocations following the Week 1 training session. Grading for football is conducted by external coaches from Sydney FC, supported by our Head of Football Development/First XI Coach and nationally accredited coach, Richard Lacey. Rugby grading will be overseen by our TryTime coaching team and First XV coach, Mike Cross, ensuring a thorough and fair process across both codes.
For Saturday fixtures, matches for our A teams may begin as early as 7:30 am, with most games across the program finishing before 9:00 am. On occasion, some away fixtures may start later, up to 11:15 am, though these are rare and we aim to minimise clashes, especially for families managing dual commitments.
As we approach the season, we ask all families to please be mindful of the expectation of full commitment. By registering to represent SPX, students are committing to prioritising school sport over external activities. Consistent attendance is essential for team balance, player development, and the overall success of the program. Family trips or non-essential absences are not considered valid reasons for missing a fixture, and with lower-than-expected player numbers in several teams, even a small number of absences can significantly impact what we are able to put on the field each week.
We appreciate the support of our families and look forward to a positive and competitive Winter season ahead.
Winter Sports Uniform
- AFL
Students are loaned a playing singlet and shorts
They need to purchase the SPX socks from the College Uniform Shop
FOOTBALL
Students need to purchase the shorts, jersey and socks from the College Uniform Shop
RUGBY
Students need to purchase the shorts, jersey and socks from the College Uniform Shop
The SPX Football Season Launch & Social
To all those that made last weekend such a great day, thank you so much to you and your boys for coming along. It was great to see them having a kick around, eating to their heart's content and for all of us to have the chance to catch up and to watch the jersey presentation to the First XI squad.
A few photos are included and, once again, a big thank you to all staff and volunteers that gave their time to make it such a fun day.
PLEASE NOTE: if you have friends at SPX that would also like to receive succinct email updates throughout the football season, please forward this link to them so that they can opt in and we will be in touch
https://spxchatswood.formstack.com/forms/2026_football_club_opt_in
Matt Zanello - SPX Football Supporters Club President
ST PIUS X APRIL HOLIDAY SOCCER CAMP
Tues 7 - Friday 10 April (Please note no session on Easter Monday)
9:00 am - 12:00 pm each day.
2, 3 and 4 day options (Please email to indicate which days you would like to attend if choose the 2 or 3 day option)
5v5 Tournament running each day!
The Perfect Pre Season Preparation!
For more information and to register please click here: Coerver course | Coerver Coaching
Age : Year 5 to Year 10
A bus is available for the first 60 players to register leaving the Chatswood Campus at 8.30am each day and returning at 12:40 pm.
Please email Coerver to request a seat on the bus.
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.
Holiday Rugby Clinic
The annual Easter Holiday Rugby Clinic will be held on Wednesday 15 April and Thursday 16 April. This clinic is open to all ability levels, and no prior experience is required. The program is designed to build confidence and develop core skills, with a strong focus on passing, game awareness, and feeling comfortable playing the game.
Students will work with Trytime coaches alongside special guest coaches, receiving both position‑specific coaching and opportunities for team play. It’s an excellent chance for boys to sharpen their skills, grow their confidence, and ensure they’re well prepared for the upcoming IPSHA season.
Please register via Clipboard https://portal.clipboard.app/stpiusx.
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
Mr James Bourke - Junior School Sport Coordinator