Head of Junior School 

We have one week to go this term and it's going to be a busy one. It will commence with our Caritas ‘Walk for Water’ on Monday and finish on Friday 11 April with the Easter Egg Raffle Draw (please note the change of date). In between, our Year 5 class will be heading to Port Arthur for three days on their annual class camp. We wish them well for their camp and look forward to hearing about what they have learnt and places they have explored while there. 

On the weekend, SVC Junior fielded two teams in the 5/6 competition. Though mostly outmatched in their games, all boys showed determination, resilience, a never give up attitude and played with great enthusiasm. I was also impressed with their indomitable SVC spirit and the camaraderie between team mates. It also highlighted the strength of our community, with Spencer Hallwsorth, a current Year 10 student and Charlie Lennon, College Vice Captain 2024, coaching our teams. Next weekend, we have Tom Marr, College Captain 2024, and Shakira Bone, a current LSO at the senior campus, coaching our 3/4 teams.

Friday 11 April: Last day of Term 

Our last day of school for term one is Friday 11 April. Please note that while most other catholic schools and colleges have a student free day, this is not the case for us. 

Monday 28 April: Parent Teacher Conferences

Monday 28 April is a student free day, dedicated to offering an opportunity for parents to engage in conversations with their son’s teachers about their progress to date. Teachers will be available between 8.30 am and 6.00 pm. Each conference is allocated 20 minutes.

Next week you will receive a summary of recommendations from your son’s teachers on the requirement for a Teacher, Student and Parent Conference to be held on Monday 28 April.

Teachers have indicated that an interview is either:

• Welcomed - an interview is most welcomed but is optional; or
• Requested - an interview is required.

Appointment requests for Parent, Student and Teacher interviews will be available through PAM late next week. Should you have issues in accessing PAM, please contact the College on 62342440 or email oleon@stvirgils.tas.edu.au .

As the office will be closed during the holiday break, I recommend making contact well before the end of term.

St Vincent de Paul Induction Mass

Thank you to the following Mini Vinnies boys who gave up their time recently to attend the St Vincent de Paul Rite of Induction Mass at St Therese’s Catholic Church.

Archie Argyropoulos, Yousseff Assi, Liam Hazi, Clancy Gillie, Lewis Finlay, Edward Hickey, Oli Wagstaff, Alex Sherriff, Cooper Nicholson, Christopher Xavier, Cooper Puglisi, Hugo Helmers and Panyioti Hiras.

Sacramental Program

Congratulations to Alex Jones, Ocasr Jankowiak, Isaac Whitfield, Cooper McGee, Jake Di Santo and Theodore Kline for making their first reconciliation this week at St Mary’s College Cathedral. They have been attending sacramental lessons with Mrs Marg Rootes throughout term at SMC in preparation. Next term they will be making their First Holy Communion.

Monday 7 April - ‘Caritas Cup Walk for Water Day’ 

Boys are to return their Project Compassion box on or by Monday, labelled with their name and house. If you cannot find your box, we have plenty of spares in the office. We are also asking you to send your son along with a ‘bucket’ for the day and to wear something purple, the colour of Lent. The bucket should be one your son can carry water in for a 20 minute walk.

The following activities will be taking place:

1.      Kinder to Year 6, ‘Walk for Water Awareness’. This will involve a 20-minute walk around the inside perimeter of the Junior Campus, carrying buckets of water. 

2.  A House Competition by making ‘lines’ of the money from everyone’s boxes. 

There will be two House prizes, one for the longest line of money, and secondly, the most amount of money raised.

SVC Caritas Classroom Fundraising Initiatives

On Wednesday 26 March each class held a stall as a fundraising initiative. Kindergarten are still selling guess the number of jellybeans in a jar competition. This will conclude on Monday 7 April.

Our preps had a delicious bake sale, Sticks in the Sand, hosted by Year 2 was very popular, there were chocolates galore on the Year 3 stall, our most ‘profitable’ stall was Year 4 with their ‘sideshow alley’ stalls, the lemonade stall was popular on a hot day and the Year 6s had a fun ‘wheel of Fortune’ stall. In total we raised $506.95 on the day. I would like to give a vote of thanks for all the boys’ ideas and enthusiasm for this event, the teacher who gave the boy the agency to  run the stalls and the parents and family members who donated all the prizes for the stalls. Year 2 will be holding something before the end of term, as their ‘seedlings’ are growing a little too slowly to be able to sell just yet. Watch this space.

Easter Raffle - Now to be drawn on Friday 11 April at 9 am

Easter raffle tickets are on sale in the Junior Office for $2.00 each or 3 for $5.00 with prizes consisting of Easter hampers. Our SRC and Mini Vinnies boys are selling before school, at recess and lunchtime as well as after school. Proceeds from the Easter Raffle will be going directly to the Parents and Friends and the Junior School. Payments may be made via cash or eftpos. We will also be donating a hamper of eggs to Bethlehem House.

The Easter Raffle will be drawn by Rick Umgeher on Friday 11 April at 9.00 am. Tickets will still be on sale until 8.30 am on this day.

Swimming Team 

Our SVC Swimming Team recently represented SVC in the annual JSSATIS Swimming and  STCPSSA Carnivals. They were very proud representatives of the Junior School. It has been a couple of years since we have taken out the Year 6 Freestyle and Medley Relay but this year we were victorious in both these events.

Year 6: Silas Young, Clancy Gillie, Cash Salter, Alexander Pritchard, Nate Debnam, Oli Wagstaff

Year 5: Samuel Bennett, Archie Bugg, Alexander Sherriff, Winston Whittle, Christopher Xavier, Rafe Glenn, Ruben D’Amico

Year 4: Gabby Knaj, Charlie Cowling, George Everard, Banjo White, Isaac Whitfield, Theodore Lockhart, Sam Houston, Alfie Wojcik, Oskar Klasen

Year 3: Oliver Cunliffe, Sebastian Gillie, Sonny Britten, Thomas Canning, Patrick Hughes

Basketball Championships: 

Goodluck to our Year 3 and 4 teams this weekend who will be competing in the Southern Primary Schools Basketball Championships. 

Year 3 and 4 Div 1 team: Oliver Cunliffe, George Everard, Gabby Knaj, Ian Mazimpaka, Judd Spotswood, Banjo White, Isaac Whitfield, Samuel Young. Coach: Shakira Bone

Year 3 and 4 Div 2 team: Flynn Cunliffe, Jake Di Santo, Alexander Hill, Theo Kline, Archer Moylan, Lukas Reggett, Harrison Rhodes, Jack Taylor. Coach: Tom Marr

Junior School Parents & Friends 

Next Meeting is  Monday 7 April at 4.30pm 

All parents are welcome to attend this meeting.

Football Margin tickets were all sold on the Parent Information Night. As you might remember, these tickets were for the delayed first round game of the AFL season between Brisbane and Geelong. This game was played last weekend. I can confirm that the two winners of the margin tickets were the Ashelford family (with the halftime margin ticket), collecting $50. The Ashelfords have generously chosen to donate their winnings back into the P and F. Effie Argyropoulos, had the fulltime margin ticket, winning $200. Congratulations to both families. This little ‘venture’ put $750 into our P and F account.

Junior School Draft Master Playground

The draft of Junior School Playground is available to look at in the Junior School Reception area. Please Mrs Messer for any clarifications or questions you may have. 

Date for the Calendar

Monday 12 May: Mother’s Day Breakfast - 7.30 am Junior School

Second Hand Clothing

We have numerous items of second hand clothing for sale in the office. All items are catalogued in order of size and in tubs in the office: shorts, shirts, blazers and sports uniform items. If there is an item you need, ask Mrs Leon and she will let you know if we have one. All proceeds go straight to the Parents and Friends. Thank you to Matt and Olivia Gillie for spending one of their mornings, cataloguing the items.

Calendar events

Monday 7 April:  Caritas Cup: Walk for Water and Project Compassion Coin Line

Tuesday 8 April: Year 5s leave for Camp

Wednesday 9 April: Year 5s on Camp

Thursday 10 April: Year 5s return from Camp

Friday 11 April:  Easter Raffle Draw - Last day of term for students and staff