From the Principal

• Prayer for All Souls' Day
• Year 12 2021 Student Leadership Investiture
• Vale Br Myron Byrne
• HSC Progress and Beyond
• Years 5 - 10 Assessment Period
• Message from the Board Chair

Prayer for All Souls' Day

November is always the Month of the Holy Souls in the Catholic Church and we began last Sunday with All Saints' Day (1 November) and on Monday at Assembly we prayed for All Souls' Day and the opening of The Month of Remembrance for all those in our family and our community who have lost loved ones. 

The College Remembrance Book is in the Entrance Foyer and members of the community are welcome to write in the name and anniversary date of those for whom they want to pray. We remember them in our daily prayers and take the Remembrance Book to the Chapel for Mass on Tuesday mornings.

Jesus, dear Saviour,

On this day we prayerfully remember

all our loved ones who have died.

Please give them comfort and hope and 

may they be at peace,

knowing that they will 

rest in God's arms eternally.

Thank You for our memories of them

and for the good times we shared.

We ask You, please, 

through this intercession,

to deepen our faith, 

strengthen our hope 

and increase our love

that we, too, may someday

stand before You,

ready to enter Your Holy Kingdom

Amen

YEAR 12 2021 STUDENT LEADERSHIP INVESTITURE

On behalf of the College I wholeheartedly congratulate our 2021 Year 12 cohort on their outstanding presentation last Thursday.

Fr Jim McKeon joined us and blessed the students for their commencement of the HSC year and their leadership of the College throughout 2021.

The College Captain, Liam Chang delivered an inspiring address to the College community in setting forth the program ahead for 2021 and announcing the Theme for 2021:

“Better Together”

Motivate your Mate!

This theme was developed by the 2021 Student Leadership to encourage every aspect of school life from our faith life together, our studies, our sporting and cultural endeavours and especially our friendship and care for the wellbeing of each other.

Every student was presented by their Homeroom teachers to Mr Counai and College Vice Captains Nick Ward and Alec Ramsbottom. 

It was impressive hearing from each of the Prefects in their chosen leadership area including:

Mission and Identity – Douglas Daniels, Matthew Felice, Lachlan Onslow

Academic - Angelo Fernando, Aidan Lorking, Charlie Jackson

Wellbeing - Benjamin Giles, Matthew Brannan, Jacob Glass

Cultural - James Baldock, Liam Kinna, Ashley Johnson, Charlie Hamill

Sporting - Fred Braddock, Ben Ferguson, Patrick Moore, Dominic Panozzo

I share with you some of the photos of the Year 12 2021 class at the Investiture. You will see them in their Year 12 ties and receiving their leadership badges.

We were joined online by their families at home but also extended family and friends across Australia and beyond.

Attached is Liam Chang’s inaugural address as College Captain along with my own address.

We pray for the success of our Year 12 2021 in their leadership of St Pius X College.

VALE BR MYRON BYRNE

We were saddened to hear recently of the loss of Brother Francis Myron Byrne aged 93. He was Principal here from 1983 to 1985.  During that time he was known for his passion for music and performance.  He made a point of teaching songs to the entire school, which they then performed  on stage at the Opera House for the College Speech Day. For a man who loved public performance so much he was also intensely private and devoted himself to his passion for running marathons. Every afternoon at 4.00 pm he changed into his shorts and t-shirt and ran from the school along the Pacific Highway and over the Harbour Bridge and back. He was not slow and was remarkably fit for a man of any age let alone one in his fifties as he was then. Deeply religious and also sensitive he was compassionate to those who were in need – even at some personal cost.

Myron was born in March 1927 in Melbourne and went to school at North Melbourne.  He travelled north in 1941 to Juniorate followed by Novitiate in 1944 in Sydney.

His first mission was a year at SPC Strathfield (1946), followed by six years at Bundaberg and brief stints at Gympie and Rockhampton. In 1955 he returned to NSW with several placements including a long stretch at SPC Goulburn, 1961-1974, the last six of which he was Principal (which included overseeing the College Centenary in 1974). 

After further years in NSW, including stints as Principal at both St Leo’s, Wahroonga (’80 - ’82) and St Pius X, Chatswood (’83 - ’85), Myron spent nearly a decade (’88 - ‘96) in the Darwin community, including one year as part of the Cook Islands community at Rarotonga.  Myron was a true man of God. May he Rest in Peace with the Lord and with his love of song, he will certainly join the Choir of Angels.   

HSC PROGRESS AND BEYOND

The HSC continues again this week and the students are maintaining their dedication and we pray for their continued success. Some students concluded their exams on Tuesday with Studies of Religion but many have exams right through into next week. The final examination day is Wednesday 11 November with Design and Technology in the morning and Drama in the afternoon.

Year 12 students will have their Sign-Out Day on Thursday 12 November and their Formal will be held on Saturday 14 November at Miramare Gardens.

ASSESSMENT YEAR 5-10 – A PERIOD OF HIGH STUDY

Over the next 2 - 3 weeks all students from Years 5 – 10 are heavily engaged in assessments and examinations of their studies and all boys should be working to complete tasks and prepare for assessments. Parents are welcome to review the student’s program via the Portal and also to make contact with the teachers where clarification is needed.

MESSAGE FROM BOARD CHAIR

Please find attached a letter regarding School Fees from our Board Chair, Mr Brian Populin.  

As mentioned previously, if you have any issues or concerns regarding school fees, please do not hesitate to make an appointment with myself, through Mrs Ann Brady on 9414 4312 or our Business Manager, Mr Nick Carson on 9411 4733.

Mr John Couani - Principal