Junior School News
- From the Junior School
- Junior School Sport
From the Junior School
REFLECTION
One of the great gifts of our Catholic tradition is the remembrance of, and prayer with, the saints. The Church offers us an official canon, or list, of saints. On All Saints Day, we recall and pray with these saints. It is important to continue to tell these stories of saints and saintly people to our children so that they have ample models of people of faith for their own lives.
You might like to name and tell the story of favourite saints and pray that your family will follow the example of these people as disciples of Jesus.
All Saints Day Prayer
Bless the many parted souls who lived their lives with grace.
Bless the saints in heaven, gathered in that special place.
May we tell their stories and remember all the ways
they lived their faith and spent their days.
There is glory and reward, even if at first there’s strife.
Oh, blessed saints, you help us see a path to eternal life.
May we always hold them dear and know their life and place.
May we know their inspiration and aspire to their grace.
TEACHING AND LEARNING IN THE JUNIOR SCHOOL
Students in Mr Cummins’ Enrichment class put me to the test this week asking me to negotiate the Buzz Wire machine they had built using copper, batteries and a 3-volt buzzer. I was happy to post a personal best of 8 seconds, but even more thrilled to see the Junior School students enjoying working on their passion projects.
In Mrs Fileman’s class, students have researched, planned, drafted, and written a persuasive text on a topic of their choice in the form of a Letter to the Editor. I was thrilled to see, and hear, well-written introductions that clearly indicated the student’s viewpoint. Students were also able to justify their arguments with convincing elaborations and examples. Well done 6 Red!
While I was making my morning coffee today, I was treated to an exciting, fizzing recreation of a limnic eruption from 6 Blue student Harry. Harry told me that a limnic eruption is a rare type of natural disaster that occurs when gases collect inside a volcano and erupt, forming a gas cloud capable of killing wildlife, livestock, and humans. I was so impressed with how articulately you explained it to me Harry; you have obviously done a great deal of research.
It’s not just the students in the Junior School who have been impressing this week! Who knew that Mr Patterson was such a talented artist? I took this sneaky picture of him at work during a Year 5 Literacy class.
SATURDAY SPORT
A tough week for our basketballers against Waverley, our Touch footy players enjoyed playing against each other, and congratulations to Mrs Williams and the Junior School softball team for their impressive win over Grammar. For more details, read on for Mr Carroll’s Sport Report.
JUNIOR SCHOOL SUPER STAR OF THE WEEK
Everyone is the Junior School is very proud of Samuel F in 6 Green. Samuel ran the 11km Ultra-Trail Australia course last Thursday. Samuel initially aimed to raise $500 for the Stillbirth Foundation, however his efforts saw him raise an extraordinary $1,025.50. The run was in the Blue Mountains which meant there were some sizeable hills to climb. Samuel had to be completely self-sufficient, carrying his own mandatory gear, which he did with a smile. Congratulations Samuel!
2023 ORIENTATION
Last Thursday, we welcomed our 32 new 2023 Year 6 students to the College. The current Year 5s spent the morning with the new students before heading off to Oxford Falls for Sport. The new Year 6s spent the day with Mrs Iwatani having a tour of the College, working their way through the Student Handbook, and participating in a Scavenger Hunt. It was lovely to be able to welcome our new students.
On Saturday, we hosted all the new students who are joining us in 2023, and their parents. It was a large gathering in the College gym, and the parents enjoyed a range of presentations from Mr Couani, College Captain Eamon Boyle, Mr Carroll, Mr Cummins, and Mrs Jennings. Thank you to those current parents who made the new families feel so welcome. It was lovely to hear you talking so positively about the experiences your son has enjoyed at Pius. Thank you also to the team of parents who supplied and served morning tea.
EDMUND RICE FOUNDATION
Yesterday, we were thrilled to have a visit from Brother Frank O’Shea, a Christian Brother who is touring throughout the country for the launch of the Ruben 360 video. The video uses virtual reality (VR) technology to take viewers on a tour of The Ruben Centre in Nairobi, Kenya. Brother Frank was the Director of the Ruben Centre for ten years until his return to Australia in 2021.
Br Frank has several decades of experience in developing countries, on the frontline, and as a leading light of the Edmund Rice ministry. Students and teachers alike were captivated by an incredible life journey dedicated to the service of others.
I was lucky enough to join Br Frank and other colleagues for dinner and to hear more detail of the story of the giraffe attack and his near-death experience with anthrax.
If you would like to learn more about the work being done by the Edmund Rice Foundation, you are invited to visit their website: https://erf.org.au/our-work/our-approach/
YEAR 5 FAMILY EVENT
YEAR 6 END OF YEAR EVENT
DATES FOR THE DIARY
Tuesday 8 November – Kokoda Memorial Walk (Year 5)
Thursday 10 November – Swim/Surf program begins
Tuesday 15 November – Year 7 Transition Day (current and new Year 6s)
Tuesday 22 November – Year 7 Information Evening via TEAMS (for current and new Year 6)
Friday 25 November – Founders Day at Oxford Falls / P&F Farewell Drinks for Mr Couani
Tuesday 29 November – Year 6 Reflection Day at Oxford Falls
Tuesday 6 December – Closing Mass, Junior School Sport and Academic Awards, Semester 2 Reports issued, last day of school year for students.
Mrs Jill Greenwood - Head of Junior School
Junior School Sport
Thursday Sport:
This Thursday will be our final Summer Sport Training session at Oxford Falls. Please remember to pack a spare shirt in case of wet weather. Please ensure you have all your gear ready for our Swim Program which begins next week. (E.g. swimmers, goggles, rashies, etc.)
Week 3 Results - Saturday 29 October:
The performance of the round came from our mighty 'I' Basketball team. They came from behind to snatch a 13-all draw, courtesy of a few clutch shots right at the end. From all accounts, the game was a real nail-biter.
'B' Basketball team
Week 4 Fixtures:
Softball - Saturday 5 November:
Touch Football - Saturday 5 November:
Basketball - Saturday 5 November:
Swimming Squad Training – Term 4, 2022:
Training continues this week. The details are as follows:
- 7.10 am at Fitness First, Chatswood (24 Endeavour St, Chatswood)
- Suitable swimwear, goggles and swim cap are all essential (no cap, no swim)
- Students wear PE/ Pius Sports Uniform to the sessions. At 8.15 am the boys are walked back to school by staff. They then change into school uniform. A snack/breakfast is also recommended at this point.
- Training days/dates:
Mr Glen Carroll - Junior School Sports Coordinator
NSTA Tennis
What amazing weather we had for tennis last Saturday. The 8.00 am games started with a bang with SPX winning all 8 matches! SPX 17 was the standout of the day winning all 3 sets to Redlands 17. Thanks must be given to Ethan Auer, James Higgins, Luke Mortimer, Yuri Kim and Matthew Lee for umpiring and mentoring.
The 10.00 am matches started with a blast! SPX 16 – Will Fiore and Lachlan Yu, dominated the court against Redlands 16 winning 18 games to 1. Ollie Johnston and Antony Autore, SPX 9, also proved that they were a force to be reckoned with winning all 3 sets. Cooper and Spencer Anderson were also out to win against Redlands 7 with a final score of 18 games to 5.
Thank you once again to Mrs Keighery, Mr Webster and Mr Listo who did a wonderful job running the tennis at Talus St in my absence.
Please ensure that you are checking your weekly scores, rankings and draw on the xpoint site: https://www.xpointsports.com/region/325/currentEvents
Mrs Samantha Iwatani - NSTA Convenor
SPX Rugby Golf Day Postponed
The SPX Rugby Club Golf Day scheduled for 11 November this year will be rescheduled to next year. At this stage we are looking to hold it in February or March. Further details will be provided next year.
SPX Rugby Club