Junior School News & Sport
- Junior School News and Information
- Highlights from the Junior Resource Centre
- Learning Enrichment Notices
- Junior School Sport: SPX Rugby Supporters' Club Golf Day at Roseville Golf Club from 1pm on Friday 29 November - SPX Rugby Supporters' Club AGM on Monday 9 December at the Sarto Centre at 7pm
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Prayer/Reflection:
Almighty God, we remember with thanksgiving, those who made
the supreme sacrifice for us in times of war.
We pray that their offering of their lives may not have been in vain.
May your grace enable us this day to dedicate ourselves
to the cause of justice, freedom and peace;
and give us the wisdom and strength to build a better world.
The Week that Was
This week we had a whole school Remembrance Day service with the exception of 6 Red who represented the college at the RSL service in Chatswood. On Tuesday Year 6 had their Orientation Day for Year 7. Year 5 had two incursions on Tuesday. Year 5 had an author visit, referred to by Mrs Martin to in her section and ‘Ryka’ who explained to the boys about Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander culture. I’ve been sick this week so I have enlisted the assistance of a couple of students. Thank you gents and take it away:-
Remembrance Day
It was Remembrance Day, we needed to line up in front of 6 Blue for the Remembrance Day service. The flag was lowered to half way and we heard a Year 12 play the last post on a trumpet.
After that we heard a lovely, old man who was an old boy at St Pius talk about his life in Vietnam when he was a soldier. He talked about how he was 'smart-alecky' and he would walk out of the camp site without supervision and he nearly got into a whole lot of trouble. How he changed to a mature adult.
Later we had to imagine things that the old man said. I wonder how they lived with the limited amount of food, water and sleep, especially when surrounded by enemy soldiers.
We must thank these people who fought to maintain our freedom and the life we enjoy in Australia and other democratic countries.
Lucas Robson, 5 Red
I really enjoyed this time with the Torres Strait Islander man. He showed us so many of his dances and he showed us his traditional uniforms for different dances. He showed us how he painted and what used to make paint. He showed us his digeridoo and played many interesting songs and he even played a song that sounded like something a DJ would play. He also did a traditional painting on some students. He even got all the teachers to dance which I thought was very funny. And at the end we asked multiple questions. He was very informative about his culture and all his dances. Overall I really enjoyed it and I think many other students liked it as well.
Julian Fiore, 5 Red
NEXT WEEK:-
Tomorrow is the book launch for the Willoughby Short story competition which was open to Year 5 students. We have five boys who will have their stories of pictures published in the book. On Friday the Junior Concert Band will be playing to at the Junior School Merit assembly – beginning at 2.30 pm. Proud parents are most welcome.
On Tuesday of next week, 19 November, Year 6 have the bakery excursion which fits in with their micro-organism unit in Science. Parents have received an emailed note from Mr Cummins which needs to be signed as we require permission slips for this excursion.
Dear parents,
Could you please ensure that the attached note has been read and signed before the excursion next week. Brasserie Bread’s Anaphylaxis Policy states
Anaphylaxis
Individuals (children and adults) with severe allergies to nuts, wheat, gluten, milk and other dairy foods, egg, sesame or soy that result in ANAPHYLACTIC REACTION upon ingestion or
inhalation of, or any other exposure to, the allergen are NOT PERMITTED to attend our Baking
Classes (including but not limited to Free Kids Baking Class, School Holiday Baking Program, School Excursions, Artisan Baking Workshops, Pastry Workshops, Breaducation and Bread Appreciation).
In the event of Anaphylaxis the students are supervised in the café which is next to the bakery kitchen and separated by glass walls and doors.
Please feel free to contact Mr Cummins if you have any questions.
SPORT
This Thursday is Swimming (Yr 5) and Surf Safety (Yr 6). Please note that the pool for Year 5 is outdoors so a rash vest or sunscreen is required. We will have sunscreen at the pool. Sunscreen will also be at the beach for Year 6 and the surf program do supply a form of rash vest but sometimes boys wear their own underneath.
If you are picking up your son from the pool, you do need to be there by 2.10pm please and just a reminder that if you want your son collected by another parent we need a note. The note can be for the four weeks if that is going to be the case. We can’t leave a boy behind so if you are not there on time, we will have to bring your son back to school to be dismissed.
I believe swimming in Australia is a very important skill to develop so please encourage your son if he is a reluctant swimmer.
PERFORMING ARTS: Twilight at Christmas – Helping Out With the Drought
Friday November 29, 5pm at Chatswood – Bring Your Family
With only four weeks to the end of Term 4, things are going to start getting Christmassy. Our final Twilight Concert for 2019 showcases our large ensembles, culminating with a visit from Santa and Christmas Sing-a-long. Think Carols by Candlelight, or Carols in the Domain, only the domain is our playground. In lieu of buying tickets, parents and friends might like to make a donation towards drought relief in regional NSW. With music, drama, dance, food and lots of festive cheer, this will be a wonderful community event for all.
AFTER SCHOOL STUDY PROGRAM - VENUE E1
The after-school study program runs on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday afternoons in E1 from 3:15 – 4:30pm. It is available to all students from Years 5-12.
***No After School Study on Thursday 21 November due to Whole School Staff Meeting
P & F EVENTS
- Year 5 Family Gathering
SPX Year 5 families come join in – siblings welcome
When: Sunday, 1 December 20
Highlights from the Junior Resource Centre
This week’s highlights are:
Author Visit – Remy Lai
Year 5 were very fortunate today to spend the morning in the cool library drawing and listening to the very talented Author and Artist Remy Lai, discuss her debut middle-grade novel ‘Pie in the Sky’. Some very talented artists are among our Year 5 students. A big thank you to Darcy Carlson, David Smith and our very own Mr Carroll who all volunteered to have their pictures drawn. Very Brave ! To purchase a signed copy of her book, please find attached an order form to be returned to Mrs Martin by Friday 15 November, 2019.
STEAMPUNK! –
Our latest Genre to explore this week is STEAMPUNK! Depending on who you believe, steampunk has been exploding into the world for the last hundred years (thank you, Monsieur Jules Verne) or maybe the last twenty-five (when the term was first used by K.W. Jeter in a letter to Locus magazine). Gaslit alleys, intrepid urchins, steam-powered machines, and technologies that never were, these are the basic accoutrements that no self- respecting steampunk novel could be without. The two Philips (Reeve and Pullman, respectively) brought moving cities and armoured polar bears. Alan Moore and Kevin O’Neill’s The League of Extraordinary Men brought nineteenth-century London to a halt. The books have been set up like a gallery museum in the Junior Library, ready for the students to browse and interact with.
Mrs Martin's Book Trail - Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve
The first instalment introduces young apprentice Tom Natsworthy and the murderous Hester Shaw, flung from the fast-moving city of London into heart-stopping adventures in the wastelands of the Great Hunting Ground.
Combines thrilling adventure with endless moral conundrums. Ages 11-16. #MrsMartinsBookTrail
Happy Reading!
Mrs Elena Martin - Junior Librarian
Learning Enrichment Notices
Australasian Problem Solving Mathematical Olympiad 2019
Congratulations to the Year 5 and Year 6 students who participated in the 2019 Olympiad. The team produced some fantastic individual results.
Year 5
Oliver Butler for Highest Individual Score and Top 20%
Kieran Yu: Top 25%
Michael Cheah: Top 40%
Aiden Lindsay: Top 40%
Liam Godfrey: Top 40%
Jack Sweeney: Top 40%
Xavier Hill: Top 40%
Year 6
Jimmy Furini for Highest Individual Score and Top 20%
Sid Rana: Top 20%
Lachlan Richmond: Top 20%
Aidan Seifert: Top 20%
William Scaiff: Top 20%
Flynn Pavely: Top 25%
Lucas Youngman: Top 25%
Sebastian Blane: Top 30%
Ryan Fong: Top 30%
Bryon Shon: Top 30%
Jaydon Akouri: Top 40%
Robert Oner: Top 40%
James Slade: Top 40%
Nicholas Stepanian: Top 40%
Well done to all the boys who participated in the Competition you can certainly be proud of your mathematical abilities.
Ms Bettina Spanyik - Learning Enrichment Teacher
Junior Sport
Thursday Sport: at Macquarie Uni Pool and Dee Why Surf Club for Yr 5 and 6 respectively.
Term 4 Swim Program: All students will take part in this program. It runs as per the schedule above in lieu of regular Thursday Sport. Yr 5 attend Macquarie Uni Aquatic Centre for a pool based program and Yr 6 attend Dee Why Beach for a surf skills program. All details for each program, including a detailed information letter, can be found on the College App.
Athletics: Congratulations to James Patchett who recently competed at the PSSA (State Championships) for Athletics. James made the semis of the 200m in a PB of 27.9s, the final of the 100m in a PB of 13.48s and placed 9th overall in the Long Jump (4.48m). Outstanding achievements from James at such a high level – well done!
Basketball:
Touch Football: The St Pius X A and B Touch Football sides were back on our home turf against Waverly Blue. This proved to be well timed as we saw two great wins. The B game was very convincing, 15 – 4 by final whistle. There were many great runs down the wing by Cameron Williams and Marcus Kruger. The space on the wing that made for such great runs was made available by Jack McSweeney’s ability to suck in the defence through the middle.
The A Side saw explosive footwork from Xavier Hill and Noah Baxter. Strong defence was shown from Louis Forbes who stopped many tries when Waverly were penetrating the try line. This allowed for a 7-3 win.
Mr Greg Virgona - Junior School Sportsmaster
Softball:
This week we played a round robin against Trinity Junior Summer Hill and Trinity Prep Strathfield. We were on a time limit so the players had to play a quick and strategic game each innings. St Pius batted first and Trinity Prep fielded. The Pius players were all in the zone and were batting well. St Pius were able to have 7 runners make home plate.
St Pius then fielded against Trinity Junior. Joshua Floridia, as pitcher was able to change the frequency of his pitching throughout the innings. This often caused the opposing batsman to try and hit a tricky ball. At times unsuccessfully.
Next up St Pius fielded against Trinity Prep and again the players were concentrating and kept the opponents’ run rate low. Harrison Hooper and Christian Fiore, as catchers were urging the team to keep focussed. They were right on home plate to tag players coming through. Zach Brown, Patrick Thomson and Andrew Montano, also on bases, were sharp and watching the play.
Jack Morabito and Ben Shoudra both did a brilliant job at short stop. They were concentrating on throwing accurately around the pitch.
The outfielders, Matthew Sissons, Jasper Ghannoum, Matthew Yee and Martin Chan, stopped the balls as they came their way. The St Pius Team knew where to throw each ball to the disappointment of the opposing teams. The crowd was impressed with the accuracy and communication of the St Pius team.
Well done St Pius, you played with passion and sportsmanship, winning both games convincingly.
Parents please remember to bring a chair as many venues do not have seating.
Mrs Jenny Williams - Convenor
SPX Rugby Supporters' Club Golf Day
Roseville Golf Club - from 1pm on Friday 29 November
Please click on the document below for information and booking details.
SPX Rugby Supporters' Club AGM
The Rugby Supporters' Club AGM will be held on Monday 9 December at the Sarto Centre, commencing at 7pm.
Paul O'Neill - President SPX Rugby Supporters' Club
Tel: 0418-634750