Head of Junior School 

As this is the first newsletter for the 2025 Academic Year, I would like to extend a warm welcome to all families on behalf of all staff at the College. It has most certainly been a busy and energised start to the school year. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for sending your son along with correct uniform attire and hairstyles. We are looking forward to having a wonderful, industrious, hardworking but also fun year ahead. Below is a recap of what has happened so far but also what will be upcoming in the weeks ahead. Thank you for your continued support of the Junior School.

Arrival at School Reminder

When dropping your son off at the Junior Campus, please be mindful that this should not be before 8.15 am. Supervision is provided when the gates are open from 8.15 am. Staff members are not required for duty before then. For your own son’s safety and peace of mind, if he needs to be dropped off before that time, arrangements should be made with CatholicCare who provide before-school care for all of our students between 7.00 am and 8.30 am. They also provide after-school care from 3.00 pm through to 6.00 pm. 

Parent Information Evening and Welcome BBQ

Thank you to all families who attended their respective Parent Information sessions and the P&F Welcome Barbecue on Wednesday evening. It was wonderful to see so many families and staff members in attendance. Thank you to those who brought a dessert or a salad, and to our energetic group of volunteers who helped organise, prepare for, and assisted on the night. Thank you also to Mrs Graves for her help in setting up tables, chairs and all else.

If you were unable to attend the Information Session for your son's class, I strongly encourage you to contact your son's teacher for any important information you may have missed. 

Junior School Leaders

Each year, we encourage all students, and in particular, the Year 6 students, to exemplify the values of Blessed Edmund Rice and St Virgil’s College. They are the leaders in the Junior School. The younger students look up to the Year 6 students for guidance and in many ways model their own behaviour on what they observe. The staff also look to them to lead with exemplary behaviour and School pride. Whilst we have specific positions of leadership, it is the responsibility of all Year 6 students to exemplify our Virgilian Way Values and their own leadership qualities. On Friday of this week, these students were commissioned and leadership roles recognised. We would like to congratulate them and wish them the best for the year. As a staff we look forward to guiding them and mentoring them in their respective roles. They are as follows:

College Captain: Reuben Schaller 

College Vice-Captain: Lochie Johnstone        

Year 6 SRC: Louis McKay and Oliver Wagstaff       

Year 5 SRC: Winston Whittle and Archie Bugg

Year 4 SRC: Gabriel Knaj and Hugh Johns            

Year 3 SRC: Thomas Canning and Jake Di Santo

Year 6 Leadership positions

Choir Captain: Clancy Gillie

Band Captain: Eden Britten

Mini Vinnies President: Clancy Gillie

Vice President: Edward Hickey

Flag Raisers: Cash Salter/James Nicholson

Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday

On Tuesday 4 March, we will be celebrating Shrove Tuesday, otherwise known as Pancake Tuesday. Pancakes will be on sale at morning tea for $3.00 each with a range of toppings available: plain, male syrup, lemon and sugar or jam. Thank you to those people who have already generously donated pancake mix, maple syrup and other items. We do not need any more pancake mix thanks to the generous domination of Rick Umgeher (Hudson, Kindergarten). We would like to ask you for more jams though. We have enough maple syrup as well! The following day will be Ash Wednesday, when the whole Junior School will participate in a prayer service here at the Junior School. 

Project Compassion 2025

Each year at the Junior School, we hold a School House fundraising competition to see which House can raise the most money, as well as which house can raise the largest volume of coins when we fill our fundraising tubes.  

Each student at the Junior School has now received their own Project Compassion fundraising box. We urge families to put some coins aside during Lent to donate to this worthy cause. You do not have to 'fill' your box - every coin helps both those in need in our world and the House competition.  

Please write your son's name, year group and House on the outside of the box, and return the box to school by Friday 4 April.

Mini Vinnies: Ice Cream/Zooper Dooper Sales

On Fridays at lunchtime, our Mini Vinnies students will be selling icy poles and ice creams to raise money for charity. Zooper Dooper icy poles are now $1.00 and ice creams are $2.00. Profits from sales in Term 1 will all be donated to Caritas.

2025 NAPLAN Information - Years 3 and 5

In 2025, testing for the National Assessment Program-Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) will occur between 12 and 24 March. Further information about the schedule of specific tests will be provided for parents via EdSmart and we invite you to read this information carefully.

All NAPLAN testing for Years 3 and 5 will be completed online except Year 3 Writing. This allows for adaptive testing where individual students are presented with questions of higher or lower complexity, depending on their performance during the test. To allow students to become familiar with this style of testing, as well as the format of the NAPLAN online environment, we recommend students and parents/carers visit the NAPLAN Public Demonstration site. This test allows you and your son to become familiar with the type of questions and functionalities that are available in the NAPLAN online environment. The results of this test are not recorded.

NAPLAN data is one of the sources of feedback the College uses to inform us of individual student strengths as well as areas for further growth and development.

Please note that to undertake NAPLAN testing, all students must have their own earphones to be able to access the auditory functions of testing. Students will also need to be prepared with a fully charged iPad for the day's testing.

Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. Further contact details are provided in the information sheet should you have more general queries about NAPLAN. Further resources can be found in the official National Assessment Program website.

Junior School Parents & Friends Committee

On behalf of the Junior School Parents & Friends Committee, I would like to extend a warm welcome to all new parents/carers and students joining the school in 2025. If there is anything we can do to help you settle into the school, please do not hesitate to let us know.

Thank you to all the wonderful parents/carers we chatted with on Wednesday night who have agreed to help out and support our Junior School P&F Committee this year. It is important we add members from our lower year groups, as this year will be the last for some of our current committee members who have sons in Year 6. Our P&F are a wonderfully energised group of people committed to their son’s education and community.

If you would like to be involved in helping the Junior School P&F Committee run School community events or in raising funds to invest back into the school, please touch base with the Junior School and we will put you in touch with our Committee. Any assistance is greatly appreciated.

This year we will be launching the draft master plan for our Junior School Playground refurbishment. This will only become a reality with a dedicated effort in fundraising for this project. If you have any fundraising ideas, we are willing to listen. If you would like to become a member of the  P&F, please email: juniorpf@stvirgils.tas.edu.au.

Learn more about P&F: https://www.stvirgils.tas.edu.au/our-college/community/parents-friends

Football Margin tickets were on sale last night. The great news is that we sold all 100 tickets! Now wait and be sure to watch the first game of the AFL season between Brisbane and Geelong on 6 March. If your margin is the winning margin, you will win $200. If it is the halftime margin, you will win $50.  

Junior School Choir commences Monday 3 March

We would like to extend a warm invitation to all our budding musicians and vocalists in Years 3-6 to join our Junior School Choir this year. Led by our Junior School Music teacher, Mr Mark Narkowicz, the choir offers an incredible opportunity for students to explore the joy of singing whilst reaping a host of cognitive, emotional, and social benefits.

Research has shown that engaging in singing activities can enhance various aspects of cognitive function, including memory, attention, and language skills. Singing involves coordination between different brain regions, stimulating neural pathways and fostering cognitive growth.

Furthermore, singing has been linked to improved emotional well-being. It releases endorphins (the body's feel-good hormones), promoting feelings of happiness and reducing stress and anxiety. As students express themselves through song, they develop greater confidence and self-esteem, laying a strong foundation for their overall mental health.

Participating in the Junior School Choir offers students a supportive and inclusive environment to explore their musical talents and build friendships at school. Through weekly rehearsals and exhilarating performances, students develop essential skills such as teamwork, discipline, and perseverance. 

Choir rehearsals will be held every Monday: 8.30 am - 9.00 am in the Junior School Hall, commencing Monday 3 March.

Calendar events

Thursday 27 Feb: Swim Team Trials: New Norfolk Pool (Year 3 – 6): selected students

Friday 28 Feb: Whole School Liturgy at Senior School Campus

Tuesday 4 March: Shrove Tuesday

Wednesday 5 March: Ash Wednesday

Thursday 6 March: House Swimming Carnival (Years 3 – 6) at Clarence Pool

Tuesday 18 March: Junior School Formal Photos Day 

Tuesday 18 March: Parents & Friends Association Annual General Meeting at the Junior School Cam