St Pius X College Newsletter

Junior School News 

From the Head of the Junior School

As we approach the end of our second week, it’s wonderful to see the students settling into their daily routines and adjusting smoothly to the Junior School schedule. The energy on the handball courts during recess and lunch is matched by great sportsmanship, while the Junior Resource Centre (Library) continues to be a peaceful retreat for those who enjoy a quiet space.

Classrooms are buzzing with learning as teachers introduce the units for the term.  In History, Year 5 students are finding out how and why external and internal factors shaped Australia in the early 1800s, asking who is called to God’s mission in Religious Education, studying the use of argument and authority in texts, collecting and analysing data in Mathematics and in Science they are comparing our Earth to other planets in the Solar System.

In Year 6, students have started their Persuasive Writing unit and will be looking at online safety and asking the question:  Does democracy ensure freedom? as they prepare to head to Canberra on 5 March.

It has been a pleasure getting to know your sons as they settle into the school year. Thank you for your trust and partnership in their education—it is a privilege to be part of their journey.

 

Contacts for enquiries:

The Pius App

The Pius App is your launch pad to a range of other Pius programs.

EMAILING

To help us manage our inboxes more effectively, we kindly ask that when emailing a staff member, you refrain from copying additional staff members unless it is absolutely necessary. Given the high volume of emails we receive daily, limiting unnecessary CCs allows us to respond more efficiently.

We appreciate your support and cooperation in streamlining our communication.

 

PEER SUPPORT

The Peer Support Program began on Tuesday to assist students in their transition to Year 5 and Year 7 at St Pius X. Running on a weekly rotation, the program pairs Year 11 Peer Support Leaders with small groups of Year 5 or 7 students, fostering the social, emotional, and learning skills needed for a smooth and successful start to the school year. The program will conclude with a final session and a celebratory lunch at Beauchamp Park at the end of Week 1, Term 2.

 

CANTEEN ORDERS

Please keep an eye on Woodchatta so that you know when NOT to order through the Canteen.  This includes Thursdays when we are at Oxford Falls and any other day when we aren’t at the College for lunch (for example, Sport trials at Oxford Falls tomorrow).

 

DATES FOR THE DIARY

OXFORD FALLS STUDENT COLLECTION AREA

Students who have not been collected by 2:20 pm will return to the college on the bus and will need to make their way home from there.

 

Thank you for your ongoing support of the Junior School

Mrs Jill Greenwood -  Head of Junior School 

Junior School Sport

Thursday Sport

Swimming Carnival

Our Junior School House Carnival will take place on Friday 14 February at Macquarie University Aquatic Centre and parental support and assistance is greatly appreciated. Please use the following link to sign up. 

Many thanks in advance. 

https://forms.office.com/parenthelpers. 

Further information regarding the event will be shared to families this week.

 

Sport Choice 2025

This is a repost from last week to remind families to access Clipboard and complete their registrations.

The final draws and schedules for Basketball, Touch Football, and Softball are being finalised for the Term 1 IPSHA Saturday sport competitions. 

New families should now have received a link to access Clipboard accounts. If you need assistance with this please reach out to myself, jbourke@stpiusx.nsw.edu.au or Merryn Dodd - mdodd@stpiusx.nsw.edu.au. 

Please ensure your son's registration is completed in Clipboard before next week's trials. Registrations for Term 1 summer sports will close on Friday, 14 February. Winter sport registrations will open later this term.

 

Summer Sports Uniform 

For the summer sports of Basketball, Touch Football, and Softball, students will be provided with a playing shirt prior to the first match on Saturday 15 February. 

For Tennis, however, students are required to purchase the official playing shirt from the College Uniform Shop.

 

Accessing Fixture Information via Clipboard

To stay up to date with training schedules and game fixtures, please ensure you regularly check the Clipboard app. 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.

  • You 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. 

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 are 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 I will be in attendance during each session. 

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

https://forms.office.com/SwimSquadTraining 

 

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 8.15am the students 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:

Expression of interest are currently open for the 2025 Rugby Armidale Tour and will close 9:00 am Monday 10 February.

The following link answers some questions you may have about the carnival FAQs and is worth reading over.

The link below is to register your interest in your son attending the carnival in 2025. It is a tremendous opportunity for our young rugby players to be involved in. Further details, including costs will be shared once numbers are confirmed. 

https://forms.office.com/TASRC Expression of Interest

 

Return of SPX loan uniforms:

Thank you to all those who handed in their basketball or touch football tops in the last weeks of 2024. A reminder that there is only a handful of students yet to return their respective tops and it is important these are returned by Friday 7 February.

Students can either hand their singlet to me or leave with their class teacher if I am not in my office. Distribution of tops/singlets will then again take place prior to Round 1 in 2025.

It is also a timely reminder for all students who have been involved in any of the activities below return their SPX loan uniform. These include:

  • Touch Football singlets 
  • Athletics singlets
  • Cross Country singlets
  • AFL jerseys and shorts
  • Basketball singlets
  • Basketball shorts

Mr James Bourke - Junior School Sport Coordinator