Junior School News 

From the Head of the Junior School

YEAR 5 CAMP & YEAR 6 CANBERRA TOUR

Plans are being finalised for our Point Wolstoncroft camp (Year 5) and Canberra tour (Year 6).

Rooming:

In Year 5, I successfully matched every student with a nominated friend. However, the process for Year 6 is proving more complex for several reasons. For example, if your son has selected three friends, but none of those friends have reciprocated the selection, I am unable to create a match. While we will continue to make every effort to ensure suitable pairings, I kindly ask that you remind your son that one of the key objectives of these trips is to foster the opportunity to make new friendships.

Please click on the link to the Year 5 Camp or Year 6 Canberra trip for all the information you need, including what to pack (and what not to pack):

YEAR 5 CLICK HERE:  

YEAR 6 CANBERRA TOUR | 5 – 7 MARCH

Please note a slight change to our departure time.  Students need to be at the college at 6:30 am to start loading the coaches and departure will be at 6:45 am sharp.  Students who arrive prior to 6:30 am should move directly to the Junior School playground (main campus). 

YEAR 6 CLICK HERE:  

If you have any questions regarding Camp/Canberra, please email your classroom teacher.

BOXERCISE

Is your son looking for a fun and energising way to start his day? He can join BOXERCISE, the College’s boxing club, held every Thursday and Friday from 7:30 am – 8:00 am in the Junior School playground (main campus). Supervised by Mr Naidoo, this high-energy session is a fantastic way to burn off some energy, keep fit, and meet new friends across the College.

No equipment is needed - students wear their sport uniform, and everything else will be supplied. Whether he’s a beginner or has experience, all students are welcome.

For more information, email Mr Naidoo anaidoo@stpiusx.nsw.edu.au

SWIMMING CARNIVAL

Despite intermittent rain throughout the day, last Friday’s Junior School Swimming Carnival was a wonderful celebration of teamwork, perseverance, and sportsmanship. Congratulations to Barron House on their narrow win over Treacy and sincere gratitude to our dedicated staff and parents for their invaluable support and contribution.

SATURDAY SPORT

Our Saturday Sport program kicked off with perfect weather, exciting wins, and exceptional sportsmanship. Players showcased teamwork, resilience, and respect, giving their best in every game. Whether celebrating victory or learning from challenges, every team played with enthusiasm. It was a fantastic beginning to the season and a great day for all!

SPX spirit:  A huge thumbs up to William Glasner (and a special shoutout to Mum and Dad) for his incredible dedication! Despite a late-night hospital visit after breaking his arm on Friday, William still showed up bright and early on Saturday to cheer on his basketball team. That’s true St Pius X spirit in action—well done, William! 

For answers to questions regarding Junior School Saturday Sport, please check Clipboard first, as it should have the information you need. If you still require assistance, please email our Junior School Sport Coordinator, Mr Bourke, at jbourke@sptiusx.nsw.edu.au.

Arrival time: Just a reminder that students should arrive 20 minutes prior to the scheduled start for warm-up.

NUTS

At St Pius X College, we are committed to fostering a safe and inclusive environment for all students. While we are not a nut-free school, we strongly encourage families to avoid sending foods containing nuts. This helps protect students who have severe allergies, including those who are anaphylactic.

Even small traces of nuts can cause serious reactions for some students. To further reduce risks, we ask that you please speak with your son about the importance of not sharing food at school. While sharing is often an act of kindness, it can unintentionally put students with allergies at risk.  If your son has an allergy, please speak with him about the need to resist the temptation to accept offers of food from friends at school.

By working together and being mindful of the foods we pack, we can help create a safer environment for all students. Thank you for your support.

YEAR 5 FORMATION DAY: EXPLORING OUR CHARISM

Tomorrow, Year 5 students will participate in a day designed to deepen their understanding of the charism that shapes our school community. Through engaging discussions and reflective activities, students will explore the life and mission of Blessed Edmund Rice, gaining insight into what he set out to accomplish and the values that continue to inspire us today. By drawing connections between Jesus’s teachings and Edmund’s ministry, students will develop a stronger sense of belonging and purpose, recognising the importance of compassion, service, and faith in their own lives.

Wear:  Sport Uniform

Pick-up: Students can be picked up at Oxford Falls from 2:15 pm.

Students who are not collected by 2:30 pm will return to the College.

EDMUND RICE EDUCATION AUSTRALIA (EREA) STUDENTS LEADERS’ FORUM

Next Thursday, our Junior School Class Captains will attend the EREA Student Leaders’ Forum at Waverley College, joining student leaders from schools across the state. This event provides a valuable opportunity for our young leaders to connect, collaborate, and grow in their leadership journey. A special thank you to Mr Petrie and Ms Boyle for making this enriching experience possible.

Wear:  Full school uniform     

Meals:  Students to bring own Recess, Lunch and water bottle 

Travel:  By train 

LUNCHTIME WORKSHOPS

Next week (Week 5), we will begin our Mathematics Enrichment classes and Lunch Clubs. 

Please note that students participating in Lunch Clubs will need to bring their own lunch (no canteen orders):

DATES FOR THE DIARY

Thank you for your ongoing support of the Junior School

Mrs Jill Greenwood -  Head of Junior School 

Junior School Sport

Fixtures

Thursday Sport

Swimming Carnival

Our Swimming Carnival took place last Friday at Macquarie University Aquatic Centre.  It was a tremendous day of participation, competition, and fun. The house spirit on display ensured that all students, and particularly those new to the College, left the pool knowing that they were part of a rich tradition at St Pius X. Thank you to all staff involved, and a warm thank you to the parent helpers and supporters on the day.

Age Champions

•   10yrs - Christian Tully

•   11yrs - Emilio Calcarao 

•   12yrs - Harrison Ng

Overall House Champions – Barron House

Swim Squad

Those students that have made the qualifying times for the upcoming IPSHA Carnival will be notified shortly. There is also an invitational carnival at St Ignatius Riverview this Friday 21 February, details have been shared with the students invited to attend. 

Sport Choice 2025

The summer sports have now closed, if you did not make the deadline, this will impact on your son’s participation for Summer Sport. Please reach it if you wish to complete a registration. 

Winter Sport is Open and will close Friday 7 March, 9:00 am. These sports include Football, AFL, Rugby. 

If you need assistance with Clipboard please contact myself, jbourke@stpiusx.nsw.edu.au or Merryn Dodd mdodd@stpiusx.nsw.edu.au 

Summer Sports

• Please be aware there may be some movement of players across teams in Basketball and Touch Football over the next few weeks to accommodate injures and to ensure all teams have enough players play their match. 

• Players are required to wear SPX sport and/or their playing uniform, to and from the Saturday fixtures. They also need to ensure they have enclosed shoes. The following clothing items are not permitted. 

  • Crocs

  • Casual clothes

  • Hoodies

• Arrival Time - Players are expected to arrive at their fixture 20 minutes before games to ensure a warmup can be conducted. It also allows families to find a parking spot at away games with there may be limited parking 

Accessing Fixture Information via Clipboard

To stay up to date with training schedules and game fixtures, please ensure you regularly check the Clipboard app. Training and Fixtures are accessible directly within the app, and any changes will be updated there as well.

Important Reminder:

To receive timely updates and notifications regarding changes to fixtures or training sessions, please ensure:

• Notifications are enabled both within the Clipboard app settings and on your mobile device. The have the option to receive push notifications and/or email prompts. 

• Please regularly review the app for any schedule updates.

• Fixtures will be initially entered as UNCONFIRMED. By Thursday each week they will be CONFIRMED by opposition schools and a notification will be sent to families. 

• Please check clipboard regularly for any changes to the schedule. 

• Some fixtures are subject to weather, on occasion this can lead to cancellations. This will occur via the Clipboard app, you should receive a notification if a fixture is cancelled, but please check the app on the morning before leave to ensure you are up to date with any changes.

Logging an Absence for Cocurricular and weekend activities

If your son is unable to attend a Saturday Fixture due to sickness or injury, you can log his absence directly through Clipboard by following these steps:

1. Log in to Clipboard using your parent account.

2. Navigate to the Calendar page.

3. Click on “Log an Absence” and follow the prompts to submit.

As a courtesy, please email Mr Bourke at Jbourke@stpiusx.nsw.edu.au prior to the fixture, if possible, by Thursday. For all other absences a request needs to be sent to Mr Bourke for approval. 

For normal school day absences, please continue to follow the standard school process.

SPX App 

If you haven’t already, please download and familiarise yourself with the SPX App. 

Student Success 

Congratulations to Mason Tay on his outstanding achievements in chess over the summer!

Mason competed in two national chess championships, showcasing his talent against some of the best young chess players in Australia:

• 2025 Australian Open Chess Championships (Minor Division, Melbourne) – Scored 3.5/7.

• 2025 Australian Junior Chess Championships (Under 12 Open, Perth) – Scored 6.5/9, securing 4th place overall and finishing as the highest-ranked NSW player in his division.

An incredible effort from Mason as he continues to develop his skills at a high level. Well done!

Swimming Squad Training – Term 1, 2025

Our swim squads are up and running again for 2025. Squads are open to any keen swimmer in the Junior School that is aspiring to qualify for the IPSHA carnival later this term. Students wishing to take part are expected to attend majority of the sessions, as we strive to build a strong squad culture. Either Ms Proc (Senior Swimming Convenor) or myself will be in attendance during each session. 

For any new student wishing to join the swim squad training and for those wishing to continue, please complete the following form via the link:

 https://forms.office.com/SwimSquadTraining 

Those students that have achieved strong times at the Junior Carnival will be sent a formal invite to attend.

Training details:

• 7:10 am at Fitness First, Chatswood (24 Endeavour St, Chatswood) 

• Suitable swimwear, goggles and swim cap are all essential (no cap, no swim)

• Students wear PE/ Pius Sports Uniform to the sessions. At 8:15 am the boys are walked back to school by staff. They then change into school uniform. A snack/breakfast is also recommended at this point.

• Training days/dates:

The Armidale School Rugby Carnival

Thank you to those who have expressed interest in the Prep Rugby Armidale Tour. We appreciate your enthusiasm and support for SPX Rugby. Those who have expressed interest, will receive further details regarding the deposit, overall cost, and tour details. If you expressed interest and haven’t received anything by tomorrow night please email Mr Bourke jbourke@stpiusx.nsw.edu.au 

Cross Country

The Junior School Cross Country took place today at our Oxford Falls campus. Thank you to the Year 10 helpers for guiding the students and assisting. Students who meet the qualifying time will have the opportunity to represent the school at the IPSHA Carnival later this term at The King’s School - more details will be provided soon.

Additionally, morning squad training with the Senior School has now started.  Details below:

• When: Monday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings

• Where: Beauchamp Park, Chatswood 

• Time: 7:15 am – 8:15 am 

• Who: All Senior and Junior School students are welcome

A formal invitation will be sent to those that ran well today at the Cross Country. 

Note: Meet at the Beauchamp Oval Grandstand in comfortable running gear and with a water bottle. Bring your school uniform to change into afterwards back at The College.

You don’t have to aspire to run in the IPSHA Carnival - all students and abilities are welcome. 

Results

Basketball

Touch Football

Softball

Mr James Bourke - Junior School Sport Coordinator

Junior School Chess Competition

The NSW Junior Chess Competition is pleased to invite the SPX Junior School to take part in the 2025 Primary Schools Chess Teams Competition. 

WHY CHESS? 

There are tremendous benefits for children involved in the competition – new outlook, new friends, intellectual stimulation, improved concentration, a new reason to develop self-esteem. 

To express your interest in Chess please complete the following form: https://forms.office.com/r/p4BcLMNYN6. 

Registration closes 21 February. Further details will be shared regarding trials to select teams. 

The competition takes place on Friday afternoons from 4:00 pm, during Term 2. Students compete in the competition, and it is the responsibility of the parents to transport them to various schools within the zone. Students are also required to attend training provided by the Sydney Academy of Chess on a Tuesday morning at 7:30 am in the Junior Resource Centre. Four teams will be entered into the competition, numbers are limited. Training begins, Tuesday 25 March at 7:30 am in the Junior Resource Centre. Once teams are selected, Clipboard will be opened for families to formalise their registration. 

Mrs Elena Martin - Junior School Chess Convenor