Junior School News

WELCOME TO TERM 3

Welcome back to Term 3. I hope all our families enjoyed a restful and refreshing break. It has been wonderful to see our students return with enthusiasm, ready for another exciting term of learning, growth and new experiences.

Term 3 is shaping up to be a busy and rewarding one, with a wide range of opportunities for students to challenge themselves, develop new skills and strengthen their connections with others. While our debating teams continue their successful season, we also look forward to a number of much-loved community events, including our Book Week Parade, Grandparent’s Day and Dance Spectacular, and Father and Son Sport Day.

Students will showcase their learning through the Night of the Notables and Day of the Disasters presentations, while others will put their strategic thinking and financial literacy to the test in the ASX Schools Share market Game.

With so much happening both inside and outside the classroom, I look forward to celebrating our students' achievements and sharing the many highlights of the term with you. I thank our staff, students and families for their continued support and wish everyone a successful and enjoyable Term 3.

WOODCHAT (For busy families who just want the facts, fast!)

As noted above, we have some of the Junior School’s biggest events taking place in Term 3.

Following the success of last year’s competition, the ASX Schools Share market Game is set to return to the Junior School this term. Students thoroughly enjoyed the challenge of researching companies, making investment decisions, and competing against their peers, while developing a deeper understanding of how the Australian share market works. The game proved to be both highly engaging and educational, with many students eagerly tracking the performance of their portfolios each day.

Using a virtual portfolio of $50,000, students will buy and sell shares, learn about risk and diversification, and experience the excitement of managing investments in a realistic market environment. The competition runs for 10 weeks, with participants able to compare their progress with students from schools across Australia.

Organised by Mr Makhoul, this initiative provides an authentic and engaging way for students to build financial literacy, critical thinking, and strategic decision-making skills. Throughout the competition, students will have access to updates, tips, and learning resources via the ASX Canvas page.

We look forward to seeing this year's participants embrace the challenge and sharing highlights of their progress in future newsletters. If you would like to learn more about the program, please speak with your son, his teacher, or contact Mr Makhoul at mmakhoul@stpiusx.nsw.edu.au.

BOOK WEEK PARADE | WEDNESDAY 19 AUGUST | 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm | College Gymnasium

Book Week is just around the corner, which means it’s time to start thinking about costumes for our annual parade celebrating the wonderful characters who have escaped the pages of our favourite books and made their way into the spotlight.

Students are encouraged to come dressed as a character from a book rather than a movie or TV show, and we ask that costumes do not include weapons of any kind.

There’s no need for a costume worthy of a Hollywood budget. In fact, some of the most memorable creations are made from everyday items found at home, a little imagination, and perhaps a dash of parental ingenuity.

GRANDPARENTS DAY | DANCE SHOWCASE | THURSDAY 27 AUGUST | Time TBC

On Thursday of Week 6, we look forward to welcoming grandparents and special grand friends to our Dance Spectacular, where students will showcase the skills and routines they have learned over four weeks of lessons with the RedEd Raw Energy Dance Education team.

Due to the ongoing renovations in the CBC, this year’s performance will be held in the MacDonald Gym. As seating capacity is more limited in this venue, attendance is restricted to grandparents and special grand friends.

We are currently finalising arrangements with the RedEd team and will confirm the performance time as soon as possible. At this stage, we anticipate the showcase commencing at approximately 1:15 pm, followed by afternoon tea.

For families unable to attend, a recording of the performance will be made available in the days following the showcase so that everyone can enjoy this special event.

At the conclusion of the event, students may depart directly from Oxford Falls with their grandparent or special grand friend. Students who are not leaving with a guest will travel back to the College and arrive at approximately 2:30 pm.

FATHER AND SON SPORT DAY Thursday 3 September – Oxford Falls

FREE Parent Webinar

Wellio is an online wellbeing program that helps students develop skills such as resilience, emotional regulation, positive relationships and mental wellbeing through engaging, age-appropriate lessons. Students in the Junior School engage with Wellio every second Wednesday.

Wellio has a range of online webinars for parents and carers, the next one looks at Helping Kids Manage Social Issues On and Offline.

Understand Why Friendship Issues Feel So Big: Why social problems, fallouts and shifting friendships can hit kids so hard.
Make Sense of Bullying and Exclusion: How social dynamics, both online and in person, can escalate quickly.
Help Kids Respond to Social Challenges: Ways to support kids through conflict, fallouts, and social stress.

If you can't make this session live, Wellio will send out the recording and any relevant supporting resources to all registrants after the session.

STAFFING NEWS

Our Teacher/Librarian, Mrs Dalton, has recently resigned from her position at St Pius X College. We thank Mrs Dalton for her contribution to the Junior School and wish her every success in the future.

We are currently advertising for a Teacher/Librarian to work on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays for the remainder of the 2026 school year. In the meantime, we have arrangements in place to ensure the library program continues without interruption, and students will continue to have access to their regular borrowing, literature and research lessons.

We look forward to welcoming a new Teacher/Librarian to our Junior School community soon.

6 RED PARENT/TEACHER/STUDENT MEETINGS

Mr Buda sent an email to 6 Red parents on Monday of this week with instructions on how to register for a Parent/Teacher/Student meeting. Please note that if you are not in 6 Red, these meetings are occurring because Mr Buda was on parental leave at the time of interviews last term.

If you are having any issues with registering, please email Mr Buda at mbuda@stpiusx.nsw.edu.au.

NAPLAN REPORTS

Students in Years 5 received their NAPLAN Individual Student Report (ISR) on Wednesday. In the coming weeks the College will share the cohort results compared to the state and national averages. The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) will publish the national results in August and then we will have an understanding of how students performed compared to others.

We are analysing the data to determine what priority areas need to be addressed for each of the groups. The data we have received from these tests direct us to prioritise the literacy and numeracy development of students. We continue to implement a number of strategies to improve student achievement in numeracy, reading and writing.

Please feel free to contact the College if you have any questions or require additional information about the NAPLAN results and process

Thank you for your continued support of the Junior School.

Mrs Jill Greenwood - Head of Junior School

Fixtures

Woodchatta Sports Fixtures Term 3 Week 1 UPDATED.pdf

Junior School Sport News

Term 4 Summer Sport Intentions Survey (2026)

An email has been sent to all families regarding Term 4 Summer Sport intentions for 2026.

The link will close at 5:00 pm on Friday 24 July. Please note that submissions received after this time will not be taken into consideration.

The purpose of the survey is to indicate your son's preferred summer sport for Term 4. While we will do our best to accommodate preferences, placements cannot be guaranteed.

Please note:

Boys who participated in a Term 1 Summer Sport in 2026 may request a change of sport for Term 4.
There is no option to withdraw from summer sport if your son participated in a Term 1 summer sport.
Boys who did not participate in a Term 1 summer sport will have the opportunity to nominate and join a summer sport for Term 4.
A strict survey cut-off date applies.
Please note that choices cannot be changed after the deadline date as teams will be collated and numbers submitted to IPSHA as of Monday 27 July.

Athletics Age Champions and Squad members

Athletics data has now been collated, with age champion results proving to be very close. As a result, the final placings will be determined following the 1500m event, which will be conducted next term at Oxford Falls before the official announcement of Age Champions.

Students selected to be part of the training squad will be contacted directly via email. Squad training will commence in Week 3 of Term 3.

Please note that an invitation to attend squad training does not guarantee selection in the IPSHA team. Final team selection will be based on a combination of carnival performances, training attendance, results from invitational meets, and the achievement of IPSHA qualifying standards.

The final IPSHA team will be announced closer to the IPSHA Championships on Wednesday 27 August.

Invitations will be shared to students and families this week.

Term 3 Athletics Training Information

Training will take place at: Dunbar Park, Sobraon Rd, Marsfield NSW 2122

Time: 3:50 pm – 4:50 pm

Departure: 3:15 pm from Anderson Street

Training Schedule (only days with dates)

Students will receive invitation to attend the sessions, any and all junior school students are encouraged to attend if they wish to improve fitness and athletics skills levels.

Students will receive invitation to attend the sessions. Any and all junior school students are encouraged to attend if they wish to improve fitness and athletics skills levels.

Term 3 Winter ISPHA Season Dates

Round 8: 25 July
Round 9: 1 August
Round 10: 8 August

Winter Sport

As we head into the final three matches of the winter season, we would like to congratulate all of our players on their commitment, effort, and growth throughout the year. It has been wonderful to see the development of skills, teamwork, and sportsmanship across both our AFL, Football and Rugby programs. Let's finish the season strongly and continue supporting one another every step of the way.

Uniform Reminder: All players are expected to wear their SPX branded uniform to and from matches each Saturday. Presenting ourselves with pride is an important part of representing our school and team.

New team support initiative to help build an even stronger sporting culture, we are introducing a new initiative for the remainder of the season. Following their match, we ask that all players and coaches remain to form a guard of honour (tunnel) for the next team taking the field.

This is a fantastic opportunity to:

Support fellow players and teams
Celebrate participation and effort
Strengthen our sporting community
Create a positive and welcoming match-day atmosphere

We greatly appreciate the support of our parents in helping make this initiative a success.

Parent Spectator Reminder: We kindly ask all spectators to remain behind the designated roped-off areas at all venues. This helps provide coaches, players, and referees with the space they need to participate safely and effectively, while ensuring a positive environment for everyone involved.

Match Schedule Changes: Please ensure you check Clipboard carefully, as there are several changes to match times and arrangements this week.

Thank you again for your ongoing support throughout the season. We look forward to a fantastic final three rounds and seeing our teams continue to compete with enthusiasm, respect, and school spirit.

SPX Holiday Football Camp

Thank you to all of the footballers who attended the Coerver Holiday Football Camp these holidays. It was fantastic to hear so many players come together with great enthusiasm, energy, and a willingness to challenge themselves while developing their skills.

Over the course of the camp, players focused on improving their technical ability, game awareness, ball control, passing, finishing, and teamwork through a variety of engaging drills and match-play activities. Most importantly, they demonstrated outstanding sportsmanship, resilience, and a positive attitude throughout the sessions.

Mr James Bourke - Junior School Sport Coordinator

End of Season Football Event

We would love for you to join us at our season-end event for St Pius X football parents and carers.

It's a great chance to catch up and celebrate the end to another great season of football.

Tickets include hot snack food and you can buy your own drinks at the bar - come for a little while or stay for a lot!

Saturday 29 August, 6:30 pm - 10:00 pm

Chatswood RSL - Yogi's Sports Bar

Full details and tickets can be found here - https://events.humanitix.com/2026-st-pius-x-football-end-of-season-event

Dress Code: Casual

Note: This is an adults-only event for parents, carers and SPX staff.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Matt Zanello - President SPX Football Supporter's Club

2026/27 Cricket Season: Registration Starts Next Week!

St Pius X College Cricket is beginning to gather interest for the upcoming 2026/27 season.

Cricket is a fantastic way for students to develop skills, represent the College, build friendships and enjoy the challenge of team sport. Whether students are experienced players, returning cricketers, or new to the game, we encourage families to start the conversation at home about getting involved.

In order to represent the College, players need to be registered for with the MWJCA through PlayHQ, and internally through the College's Clipboard system. Registration links will be available in next week's Woodchatta.

Mr Ryan Balboa - MWJCA Cricket Convenor