Junior School News 

• From the Head of the Junior School
• Junior School Sport
• From the Junior Resource Centre 
• Junior Chess
• Junior IPSHA Debating

From the Head of the Junior School

TEACHING AND LEARNING (by Mrs Iwatani)

In Year 5, spacesuit testing continues. The boys have been using water snakes that replicate the body being made of 70% water. The boys have learnt how to use a thermometer, how to record efficiently and continued to build their teamwork skills. This week the boys will complete the recording sheet individually to show what they have learnt throughout the process and how they would apply what they have learnt. 

In Mathematics, students have been busy looking at the connections between multiplication and division. Lots of hands-on work for some and extension work for the others has helped the boys consolidate their learning. 

It has been wonderful to see the Year 6 boys continue work on their circuit making tasks. The conversations that I have heard and the boys having to help each other and explain how the different circuits work has been inspiring. This work has set the boys up well for their next experiments when they will look at conductors and insulators. 

The classes have been busy exploring Time and how to read and write it. Of course, this is a lifelong skill and one that the boys have been busy perfecting. Their problem-solving skills have also been put to the test with the boys encouraged to look for key words and extract important information. 

MOTHER’S DAY LITURGY              

Thank you to all the wonderful mothers, grandmothers and special women in the boys’ lives who were able to come along last Friday to make our Mother’s Day Liturgy and morning tea such a successful event.  Thank you also to those of you who were kind enough to email and let us know how much you enjoyed the morning.  A special shout out to those Mums who watched the liturgy from the ‘VIP Lounge’ in the Senior Library – thank you for your understanding – you were at the forefront of our minds, and we were so pleased to be able to include everyone on the day.

SPORTING NEWS

Congratulations to the following Junior School boys who, over the coming weeks, will be involved in various representative competitions:

• Leo Barnett and Patrick Butler - CIS AFL team competing at the NSWPSSA championships 
• Cristiano Calcarao - CIS Basketball team competing at the NSWPSSA championships 
• Ryan Volpato and Cristiano Calcarao - IPSHA team competing in the CIS X-Country championships 
• James Sykes - NSWPSSA Cricket team competing at Nationals 
• Harrison Surplice - CIS Rugby League team competing at the NSWPSSA championships 

COLLEGE POLICY - HAIR STYLES

I would like to address an important matter concerning the College's policy regarding boys' hairstyles. Whilst we understand that personal expression and style are significant aspects of individuality, the theory behind having a hair policy is the same as for having a uniform policy – it promotes a sense of belonging and unity, fosters a conducive learning environment by eliminating the distractions caused by fashion trends, and encourages discipline and professionalism, helping prepare our young men for future workplaces.

With that in mind, we kindly request your cooperation in ensuring that your sons comply with the college's hair policy, particularly by refraining from allowing them to sport the current trend of "undercut" styles (shaved on the sides, longer on top). Our policy states that:  Hair must be clean, tidy, gel-less, of natural colour, even grade and of a style and length unlikely to cause comment. 

Your support in this matter is appreciated.

DATES FOR THE DIARY

Friday 19 May – IPSHA Debating Round 2

Saturday 20 May – IPSHA Winter Sport Round 4

Monday 22 May – Year 5 Mary MacKillop Excursion

Thank you for your continued support of the Junior School

Mrs Jill Greenwood - Head of the Junior School

YEAR 6 PLAYDATE

YEAR 5 PARENTS’ NIGHT OUT

Mrs Jill Greenwood - Head of the Junior School

Junior School Sport

Thursday Sport: Winter sessions continue this week for Rugby, Football and AFL. Please continue to travel to and from school in your SPX PE uniform and bring along a change of clothes to train in.

SPX App: Please continue to consult the SPX App for the most up-to-date information on sport/fixtures.

Junior School House Athletics Carnival – Wednesday 7 June (SOPAC Homebush)

Expressions of Interest for Parental Assistance: As always, we require the assistance of parents to help with scoring, ribbons and potentially a field event. Should you be attending the Carnival and are able to help, please email me at the college  bryan@stpiusx.nsw.edu.au. Further information will be sent to volunteers in the week leading up to the carnival.

Football

This Saturday, 20 May 2023, is the SPX Football Supporter’s Club BBQ Day. This BBQ will raise funds for future coaching support for our football boys. If you can support your club by giving an hour or two of your time between 7:30 am and 2:30 pm please email spxfsc@gmail.com with your availability.  Bring your appetite to the Old Boys Shed this Saturday and support future coaching for our boys.

COERVER Football camp is on during the holidays, from 26 – 28 June. We encourage footballers to take this opportunity to participate in this intensive football training during the school holidays. A bendy bus has been booked to assist with travel needs. We urge anyone wishing to book a place on the bus, to book and secure their place promptly. Active Kids vouchers can be used.  See the flyer below and book by the link: https://coerver.com.au/holiday-camps 

AFL

Cross Country

The Cross Country training sessions are continuing at Beauchamp Park this term. The sessions serve as a great opportunity for anyone hoping to increase their fitness for the upcoming Winter Sport season. Please feel more than welcome to join in.

When: Monday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings

Where: Beauchamp Park, Chatswood 

Time: 7:15 am – 8:15 am 

Mr Ben Ryan - Junior School Sports Coordinator

Rugby

IPSHA Rugby Trials: This Thursday 18 May, there will be seven Year 6 boys representing the college at the IPSHA Rugby Union trials. Following a very positive pre-season, including the tour to Armidale in the holidays, as well as consistently strong performances in the first 3 rounds of competition, the following boys have been chosen to trial for the IPSHA representative team: Henry G, Harrison D, Matteo B, Harrison S, Ronan K, Parker B and Owen C. We wish them well as they put their best foot forward for further selection honours.

Junior Rugby: It is great to see Junior Rugby teams continue to develop their skills and knowledge of rugby. The Prep Firsts notched up another win with an outstanding performance, defeating The Scots College. The 11As team are developing their skills each week with moments of individual brilliance. The Rugby 7s team continued their fine form with two great wins at Koola Park.  

Looking ahead to Round 4, the 11As will make the long journey down to The King's School (Tudor House) located in Moss Vale. We wish parents and students a safe trip and good luck for their game. 

A reminder of compulsory after school training at Beauchamp Oval every Wednesday from 3:15 pm - 4:30 pm for ALL Junior School Rugby players. In addition to bringing rugby boots, could all players also bring a spare pair of sneakers to training each week.

Mr Antonio Morris - Junior School Rugby Convenor

Important Parking Reminder at Oxford Falls

I would like to remind all parents and caregivers of being respectful of our neighbours at our Oxford Falls campus.

Please ensure that you follow road and parking rules in and around Dreadnought and Spicer Roads, including parking in appropriate areas and also following advised speed limits.

Northern Beaches Council Rangers have advised that they will be patrolling the area on all Saturdays throughout the winter season and booking any illegal parking.

Mr Mark Casey - Acting Principal

SPX Rugby Club – Gala Dinner

Save the Date - Saturday, 22 July, Kirribilli Club­­­.

6:30 pm - 11:30 pm

We are now communicating via email with parents/carers through the SPX Rugby WattsApp group.  The link to join the group is via the QR code below.

Tickets will be on sale soon so watch out for further information.

Donations Needed - We continue to seek donations for fundraising.  See the attached document for further details on how you can help.   

The Rugby Committee is excited to host this fun night out for the rugby community and welcomes all other SPX parents.

Please direct any enquiries to spxrugby@gmail.com.

SPX Rugby Committee

Interschool Snowsports Competition

The 2023 Interschool Snowsports competition will be held at Perisher Ski Resort from Tuesday 4 July to Friday 7 July.

The college has approved for students to enter this competition representing St Pius X College.  All participants enter this competition at their own cost and parents are required to sign a liability waiver form.

Parents will also be required to attend the event and meet volunteering requirements of the competition.  Further details of the competition are in the attached document.

Please contact Mrs Cathy Thomson on cathythomson7@gmail.com if your son (and family) is interested in participating in this competition. 

From the Junior Resource Centre

This week’s Highlights are: Celebrating Children’s Literature 2023.

On the wall in the main foyer of the State Library of NSW. 

'In books lies the soul of the whole past time:

The articulate audible 

voice of the past, 

when the body 

and material substance

of it has altogether 

vanished like a dream' Thomas Carlyle.

Let the Magic unfold! On Friday 12 May I was able to attend a full-day conference at the State Library of NSW with an exceptional line up of speakers and a range of enriching activities to inspire and immerse myself in the world of children’s books. Inspiring and thought-provoking talks from a star-studded line up Jeannie Baker - shared her latest book Desert Jungle, Safdar Ahmen, Charmaine Ledden-Lewis, Scott Stuart, the Australian Children’s Laureate Gabrielle Wang, and Paul Macdonald just to name a few. I was also able to view the beautiful exhibition Imagine….the Wonder of Picture Books. I was able to draw from this exhibition inspiration for the Year 5 lesson this week, where we read and discussed the picture book, A Soldier, a Dog and a Boy, illustrated by Phil Lesnie and written by Libby Hathorn. Thanks to the organisers for an inspiring day.

New Series - Spy School by Stuart Gibbs

A super fun middle grade series has hit the JRC! The students love it. The series is action packed, entertaining, and suspenseful. The books are about Ben Ripley, an unlikely 12-year-old CIA agent-in-training who thwarts enemies with amazing math skills and the help of his friends. If you want wholesome vibes, entertaining plots, and PG action, definitely try this series out.

Literature Promotion in the JRC

This week Year 6 read One Minute’s Silence written by David Metzenthen, illustrated by Michael Camilleri. This detailed picture book takes quite a different tack to most picture books about ANZAC Day as it introduces the experience of the Turkish people to discussions about Gallipoli. The book uses the tradition of observing one minute’s silence to invite readers to imagine how soldiers - Australian and Turkish – felt as they fought and died at Gallipoli. The illustrations take the form of monochromatic sketches. Ataturk’s famous words, spoken in 1934, about the Australian soldiers buried at Gallipoli, appear at the end of the book. Interesting conversations we held during library this week. – PRC ID: 45432

Year 5 enjoyed reading and discussing the book A Soldier, a Dog and a Boy. Illustrated by Phil Lesine and written by Libby Hathorn Hachete, 2016.

Libby Hathorn found inspiration for this book in her own family history and two photographs she found in the NSW State library’s archive were on display at the Visual Literacy Imagine Exhibition at the State Library. The photographs show a returned Australian Soldier and an open sack that revealed an orphaned French boy named Henri Hemene. ‘Adopted’ by the men of No4 Squadron Australian Flying Corps during their service in France in World War I, Hemene was smuggled to Australia where he was later formally adopted by one of the soldiers. 

Mrs Martin’s Book Trail: Charlie’s Swim written by Edith Wright, illustrated by Charmaine Ledden-Lewis.

This book is a must read. It follows Edith Wright’s Uncle Charlie during WWII, particularly during the 1942 attack on Broome. Charlie was awarded a Certificate of Merit in 1944 from the Royal Humane Society of Australasia in recognition of his actions, rescuing a woman and child, and awarded four medals for bravery from the Dutch government. However, he was not formally recognised by the Australian government and military until 80 years later. Here’s to the Charlies of the world, ordinary people who do extraordinary things.#mrsmartinsbooktrail2023

Ms Elena Martin - Teacher Librarian

Junior Chess

All Chess teams are at HOME this week, 19 May. Please check the draw for more details. Thank you to the parents who transported the boys last week.

Ms Elena Martin - Junior School Chess Convenor

Junior IPSHA Debating

The Junior School debating teams have been preparing solidly and will contest their second debate this Friday, 19 May, against Mosman Prep. Parents are most welcome to attend. The topic for the debate is 'That typing is better than writing'. Representing the college for the affirmative team are Will Woods, Lucas Korth, Cian Geaney and Lachlan Thompson. Representing the College for the negative team are Nicholas Belov, Angus Rands, Alex Zhang and Noah Menezes. Good luck to all the boys.

Mr Paul Cummins - Junior Debating Coach