Pastoral Care

• Year 9 Christmas Hamper Appeal
• Red Dirt Ambassador attending Australian Catholic Youth Festival in Perth
• Ovation for Tom Fong
• Year 8 Pastoral Care Meeting
• Year 11 End of Academic Year and Snowy Hike
• Year 10 Etiquette and Wheelchair Basketball, Dinner Dance and Peer Support Training
• Old Boy Walkley Award nominee
• Young People and Alcohol

Student Wellbeing Anecdote from the Diary

“You're only as good as your next game”

Sean Brannan

" All that is gold does not glitter, not all those who wander are lost...."  Tolkein

Year 9 Christmas Hamper Appeal

Last chance to give so please bring in an appealing non-perishable food item, some toiletries useful for a homeless or displaced person.

To complement the Year 7 Giving Tree Appeal, our Year 9 cohort have this week collected from all students for the St Anthony in the Fields, Terry Hills, Christmas Hamper Appeal, the St Michael's Darlington Inner City homelessness appeal and for our drought affected Rural and Remote communities in Brewarrina and Walgett.

The Christmas non-perishable foods, toiletries and gifts collected will be delivered from this Thursday with students encouraged to see Mr Brannan to help with representing the school at the Hamper Mass at 9.00 am Sunday at St Anthony’s 46 Myoora Rd, Terrey Hills, or during the delivery leaving school at 10.30 am on Wednesday 11 December.

A small group of Year 10, 9 and 5 students have offered to give some time on both 8 and 11 December and will represent the College admirably at both events.

As Edmund Rice espoused when we see people who are suffering at the margins we need men of action to do something about it: We should make every effort to “Give to the poor in handfuls”.

Red Dirt Expedition Ambassador attending Australian Catholic Youth Festival in Perth

We wish Ronan Crispe (Year 9) well as he heads off to represent the College and Our Lady of Dolours Parish in Perth for next week’s Australian Catholic Youth Festival. Earlier in the year Ronan and his younger brother Quinton were great advocates on the Red Dirt Expedition to Rural, Remote and Aboriginal communities in Western NSW. Ronan is also a lead voice on our Student Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) team. With a 15s Rugby season under his belt, and featuring prominently at last week’s Ms Waters inspired Twilight Concert extraordinaire, Ronan certainly has some impressive frequent flier points.

Ovation for Tom Fong at the Final Chapel Mass for 2019

In a similar vein Tom Fong (Year 9) received an ovation at the conclusion of Tuesday morning Mass in Mercy College Chapel for representing the College at every single Chapel Mass this Year. Tom is a great young man of faith, with a keen sense of social justice and a good eye for tennis at which he also represents the College proudly.

Tom’s participation in the liturgical life of the College and regular concern to support and take others with him on the journey are pillars of his strong faith and dedication to the wellbeing of the community. Tom is a great example to others of how to celebrate God in their lives.

Year 8 Pastoral Care form Meeting

It was a great pleasure on Tuesday to celebrate their hugely positive year with the Year 8 cohort which, under the calm guidance of their Year Coordinator Mr Paul Ticli. The Year 8 House Vice Captains: Tony Kero: Barron, Mitchell McGrath: Purton, Lucas Wong: Rice and Nick Schuster: Treacy led the event with an impressive slideshow and awards from each of the Pastoral Care staff. The Leaders also presented their own awards to: Most improved student: Robbie Sappupo, Most commended student: Evan Ausling and best handball player: Christian Henderson.

On my part, the novel “The Power of One” was presented to a quiet achiever among the Year 8 cohort in Liam Thomson and "The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out The Window” to our Year 8 Student Reconciliation Action Plan leader Caleb Hanrahan. Congratulations to all students who received awards today.

Year 11 End of Academic Year and Snowy Hike Expedition

Year 11 Completed their academic year yesterday before heading off for their Summer Vacation which will include some study, revision and preparation for the their truncated HSC Year. In the case of 65 of the boys and 7 staff, their holiday will start with the Annual Snowy Hike Expedition. They departed the gym last night at 10.00 pm. In the footsteps of 40 groups of students, staff and parents from St Pius, Mercy and Brigidine College they got off the bus at Round Mountain at 6.00 am this morning and will hike the Jagungal Wilderness camping at Dersckhos Hut, Valentines Hut, White’s River Hut, across the Rolling Ground and Main Range to camp above the treeline on Mt Twynam. A pub dinner, warm meal and comfortable night in Thredbo YHA will then see the group arrive back in Sydney next Monday afternoon.

They will enjoy the mountains, some great company and dedicate the hike to the inspirational  Br Des Kelly 1940 – 2004, RIP, SPX long serving Year 12 Coordinator, a great man to hike with in the mountains, “where the hills are twice as steep and twice as rough” and “the horse hooves strike firelight every stride”. They may even follow the example of Mr Adrian Brannan and recite The Man from Snowy River, a “household name today”, because “the man who holds his own is good enough”.

Year 10 Etiquette and Wheelchair Basketball training, Dinner Dance and Peer Support Training

Year 10 are conducting their Peer Support Training today under the guidance of The Positivity Project’s James Cummins. Only he can bring the energy required to revive the students after the fatigue generated by a hugely successful ABW led by Ms Dempsey, Etiquette training and Wheelchair Basketball, and of course the Year 10 Dinner Dance coordinated superlatively by Ms Waterson. The boys are suitably fatigued but loyal to Mr Pawlak in their attendance. They will learn the skills and principles required to mentor their Year 5 and 7 Peer Support subjects next year with a follow up refresher session in Week 2 of Term 1. We know they will step up to ensure another generation of St Pius students are well and truly oriented into our inclusive community.

Old Boy Walkley nominee from the Class of '09

At the birthday of ex P & F leader Christine Pedersen last Saturday it was pleasing to see the great achievements of the students from the classes of 2011 and 2015.

2011 Graduate AAP and former Guardian Journalist Taylor Fuller was nominated for a Walkley Investigative Reporting Award for his reporting of the death in custody of Aboriginal man David Dungay. Matthew Pedersen has just finished his business degree, Julian works in disability services, and their sister Hannah hosted our Year 10 Immersion students at St Joseph’s Walgett last week, and will move to the much bigger Moree Primary School next year! Rory Halliday has recently become a father, after winning an Apprentice of the Year award several years ago, and Sam Morton celebrated his engagement over the weekend!

“Whenever true hearts can make a stand”!

Fide et Labore

Best wishes for a Happy and Holy Christmas and a wonderful vacation to all the students, staff and families and the wider community of St Pius X College, Chatswood.

Mr Sean Brannan

Assistant Principal, Pastoral Care and Wellbeing

Young People and Alcohol

With the ‘silly season’ upon us - think formals, end of year parties, schoolies and Christmas, parents may find the below article helpful in managing the challenging issue of young people and alcohol;

https://www.theparentswebsite.com.au/andrew-fuller-10-reasons-teen-shouldnt-drink/