Junior School News
- From the Head of the Junior School
- Junior School Sport
From the Head of the Junior School
TEACHING AND LEARNING IN THE JUNIOR SCHOOL
Year 6
Year 6 students are engaged in an exciting journey of exploration and learning that encompasses the realms of Earth science, natural disasters, and the diverse countries of Asia. They are unravelling the mysteries of our planet, gaining insights into the inner workings of the Earth, and comprehending the underlying causes of natural phenomena such as earthquakes and floods. Beyond the realm of science, they are also taking a cultural voyage through Asia, uncovering the unique attributes that make each country special and distinct. From vibrant traditions to diverse lifestyles, students are gaining a deeper appreciation for the rich tapestry of cultures in this remarkable continent. Year 6 students are enjoying becoming more informed global citizens, ready to embrace the diverse perspectives that our world has to offer.
Year 5
In Science, Year 5 students are studying the fascinating world of animals and their remarkable adaptability to their environments. Students are exploring the intricacies of how various species adapt and thrive in diverse habitats, ranging from lush jungles to arid deserts. In addition to their ecological studies, Year 5 students are also delving into the critical topic of health. They are learning about the detrimental effects of smoking and vaping on our bodies, equipping themselves with knowledge that empowers them to make informed choices for their well-being.
During Reading Group sessions, Year 5 have been immersed in the captivating world of 'Blueback' by Tim Winton. Students are not only relishing the story but also engaging in a diverse array of activities that have enriched their reading experience. These activities have ranged from comprehension tasks that deepen their understanding of the text to thought-provoking analyses of characters and their development throughout the narrative. Our young readers have also honed their literary skills by making predictions about the plot's intriguing twists and turns.
But it doesn't stop there; our Year 5 boys have truly let their creativity flourish. They have embarked on imaginative endeavours such as crafting alternative book covers that reflect their unique interpretations of the story's essence. Moreover, they have breathed life into 'Blueback' through interpretive visualisations, allowing them to step into the shoes of the characters and experience the story from new perspectives.
In these Reading Groups, it's not just about reading a book; it's about living it, breathing it, and exploring its depths in ways that make learning a memorable adventure.
HOMEWORK
Homework is a complex issue. Some parents want more for their sons, some parents want less. To cater for these differences, we have recently introduced optional tasks along with our compulsory activities.
There are many theories about the pros and cons of homework. Renowned educational researcher, Professor John Hattie, states that homework in the primary years has zero impact on academic performance, nonetheless, the college’s current Homework Policy (page 22 of the Student Diary) states that students in Years 5 and 6 should be completing between 3 – 4 hours of homework per week. This equates to between 36 and 48 minutes per day (over five days). It is my understanding that teachers in the Junior School are assigning homework activities that take between one and two hours to complete each week.
We are always reviewing our policies to align with best practice and community expectations, and homework is an area that is currently under review because we recognise the change in the ways that students spend their afternoons. We are committed to ensuring that our approach to homework is thoughtful, responsive, and supportive of our students' overall well-being and development.
If your son is encountering difficulties in completing assigned homework, I encourage you to speak with your son’s classroom teacher.
BOOK WEEK
Preparations are well under way and excitement has been building all week as we celebrate Book Week and look forward to our parade in the College Gym on Friday at 1:30 pm for a 1:45 pm start.
NOTE:
- Students may wear their SPORT UNIFORM to and from school on Friday and change into (and out of) their costumes at school.
- Students are asked to wear a costume that relates to a BOOK they have read or been inspired by – not a movie or comic book character (if you’ve already bought a Marvel costume, not to worry!).
- Students are not permitted to bring any props that look like a weapon – knives, swords, guns etc – thank you for your support with this.
If you haven’t already, please RSVP using this link:
FATHER'S DAY LITURGY AND FATHER & SON SPORTS DAY - THURSDAY 31 AUGUST
After the excitement of Book Week, we turn our attention next week to one of the biggest days in the Junior School calendar – the Father and Son Sports Day at Oxford Falls. This year, our day will begin with a Liturgy at 9:45 am in the Christian Brothers Centre (the blue building with the double basketball courts).
Please ensure that you RSVP, if you haven’t already, using this link:
This link will close tomorrow, 24 August, so please RSVP as soon as possible.
If you would like to include a photo of your and your son/s in our slideshow, please upload it here:
FATHER AND SON SPORTS DAY - HELP NEEDED WITH BBQ!
Thank you to those mums who have offered to help out on the BBQ for our Father and Son Sports Day. We are still looking for 2 or 3 more mums to help us spoil our dads on the day. If you can give a few hours of your time from 9:30/10:00 am to help cook and serve the BBQ on Thursday 31 August at Oxford Falls, please email your name and availability to Ms Hilary Fromager at hfromager@stpiusx.nsw.edu.au.
ROBOTICS
Students who attend Robotics on Tuesday afternoons are to make their way to the Junior Resource Centre (Junior Library) directly after school finishes, where they will be supervised by Mrs Hunt until it is time for them to make their way over to Robotics at 3:25 pm. Can I please ask that if you are picking your son up after Robotics that you are here at 4:45 pm.
WALK-A-THON | LAST CALL FOR DONATIONS
Thank you to those families who have contributed over $6,000 to our Walk-a-thon fundraiser. We are only $3,814 short of our $10,000 target. If you haven’t had an opportunity to donate yet, and are able to, please do so via this link:
WINTER SPORT
At a recent IPSHA Sports Convenors meeting, there was discussion on the unfortunate rise of poor behaviour from parents across the IPSHA network during school sport. Junior School Heads and Sports Coordinators have been asked to share the following document with our communities to support our sports convenors, teachers, referees, umpires, and coaches.
DATES FOR THE DIARY
- Friday 25 August | Book Week Parade at 1:30 pm for 1:45 pm in the College Gym
- Monday 28 August | St Pius X Feast Day holiday (Pupil- and Staff-free day)
- Thursday 31 August | Fathers’ Day Liturgy (9:45 am) and Sports Day at Oxford Falls
- Wednesday 13 September | Year 5 excursion to Centennial Park
- Friday 15 September | P & F Trivia Night
Thank you for your continued support of the Junior School.
Mrs Jill Greenwood - Head of the Junior School
MATHS DROP-IN AND HOMEWORK HELP FOR YEARS 5 - 6
FRIDAYS 8:00 am – 8:40 am
Drop-in to 5 Gold for help with difficult mathematics concepts or general homework. This is an ideal place where students can come and feel comfortable to ask questions. Students are encouraged to bring along specific queries, tasks, assessments, homework, general revision and problems to work on, with Mrs Fileman on hand, ready to help.
Mrs Amanda Fileman - Mathematics Teacher
Junior School Sport
Thursday Sport: Sport trials #2 for Basketball, Touch Football, Cricket, Softball and Tennis all continue this week. Please remember to bring any additional gear you may require.
Father and Son Liturgy & Sports Day: A reminder that RSVPs for this special event closed on Friday 18 August. Due to the nature of the day, I will extend the deadline until Thursday 24 August (tomorrow).
Please click on the link below to register for the day ASAP. Thank you to those who have already completed the form, as the information it provides is essential in planning the event.
Athletics: Last Thursday we were able to take part in the SHORE Athletics invitational at Narrabeen for a twilight track only event. Despite having only just concluded their summer sport trials at Oxford Falls a couple of hours earlier, there were several strong performances across the age groups. Even though he has been recovering from a niggling injury, Cristian Calcarao (6 Red) won his 1500m race in under 5 minutes; slow by his standards. There was plenty of competition in the middle-distance events and the St Pius X boys found conditions a little challenging. However, in the sprint events St Pius X excelled. In the 11’s age group for 200m we secured 3 first places (Finn Sutherland – 5 Blue, Lukas Gazey – 5 Blue, and Leo Barnett – 6 Green). Whilst in the 12’s age group Cristiano Calcarao (6 Red) and Patrick Butler (6 Gold) came away with the wins in the 200m. Of note was Parker Ball’s (6 Blue) lightning fast time of 12.98s for the 100m. Once again, our relay teams were competitive considering some slow changes. The final event witnessed a thrilling finish for the 12’s relay team; Cristiano Calcarao (6 Red), Carter Nelson (6 Red), Patrick Butler (6 Gold), and Parker Ball (6 Blue) to take first place by mere metres in a time of 55.6s. I thank the boys and their parents for attending and particularly thank Matt North (SPX old boy) and Mrs Sarah Panozzo (SPX staff), for assisting at the event.
Athletics training: A reminder that training continues Wednesday 23/8, Thursday 24/8 and then again from Thursday 31/8 for athlete squad members keen to continue to improve their athletic ability. There will be no Junior Athletic training on Monday 28/8 (Feast Day holiday) and no training on Wednesday 30/8 due to the running of the IPSHA carnival.
Brothers Invitational at Riverview Friday 25 August: A reminder that on Friday a squad of nearly 30 athletes will be taking part in the Brothers Athletics Invitational. It is a carnival with great tradition and is always held in high regard amongst competing schools. Mr Morris and I will be attending along with Dom Panozzo (SPX old boy). Those attending will have received a letter and program outlining the key details of the day. A coach will transport the boys to Riverview, departing the Anderson Street entrance at 8:15 am. For those who are also competing in the IPSHA carnival, this will be the last opportunity they get to hone their skills and improve their PBs.
Athletics – IPSHA Carnival at SOPAC, Wednesday 30 August: The IPSHA Carnival is only a week away, occurring next Wednesday at SOPAC (Homebush). Congratulations to the following boys who have been selected to represent us on the day.
NSWPSSA Football:
Last week Ryan Volpato (5 Red) competed for CIS in the NSWPSSA 12 yrs boys Football Championships in Nelson Bay. The CIS team were very competitive throughout the tournament, only losing one match in the group stages before going down in injury time in the semi final 2-1, having trailed 1-0 in the first half. CIS ended up securing the bronze medal. We are proud of Ryan’s achievements; especially given he is competing with boys in the year above. We look forward to witnessing his progress in the years to come in the blue and gold colours of St Pius X College.
Winter Sports Photos: Just a reminder that Winter Sport photos will be taken next Tuesday, 28 August. Students involved Rugby, Football, AFL and IPSHA Athletics will need to bring their full kit on the day. I would also like the boys who attended the Rugby Tour to Armidale to bring along their special tour jerseys for a separate photo as well. We will also use this opportunity to retake photos from earlier in the year that were impacted by a number of students being absent (IPSHA reps, CIS Reps, IPSHA Swimming Squad and Cross Country Squad).
IPSHA Code of Conduct: With the Summer Sport Season on the horizon (commencing on 14 October) I wanted to share once more with the Pius community the IPSHA Code of Conduct. We are very fortunate to have an incredibly supportive and hospitable sport community and it is only through making a commitment to the IPSHA code (shown below), that our boys are able to engage in healthy play and competition free of unwanted distractions. Please take the time to read the attached Code of Conduct.
Mr Ben Ryan - Junior School Sports Coordinator
Junior Rugby: The U12 Rugby players capped off their school season with an undefeated winning streak. A lot of the SPX boys are concluding their club rugby season and several boys won their semi-final on the weekend. We wish the U12 Forest Rugby squad well in the grand final match. Congratulations to the following boys who are part of that squad: Hunter Austin, Liam Hincksman, Oscar Clubbe, Vinn Buckingham, Liam Ball, Parker Ball, Xavier Paixao, Liam O’Donnell and Owen Campbell.
Mr Antonio Morris - Junior School Rugby Convenor
Cricket registration: All those who indicated that they wished to play cricket in Term 4 need to read the attached flyer and follow the Junior School link to complete the registration.
Please follow both the links to register for the 2023/24 season.
Please see document attached below for further registration information.
Mr David Reay - Cricket Convenor
SPX Football Supporters Club
Congratulations to all our football teams who played so well in the Grand Final matches on the weekend.
Thank you to our outgoing committee members
Thank you to Grace Hartry and Liz Ward who have both been on the committee for the past two years. Grace has been our Merchandise Manager and Liz has been our Club Secretary. They always assisted on Supporter Days and to coordinate Club events. Thank you both for your valuable contributions supporting the SPX Football Program.
After five years on the committee and two years as President, Lorna Hammond is stepping down. Lorna has passionately supported football at SPX and worked tirelessly behind the scenes and at all fundraising and community-building initiatives. She has set the standard for the committee and will be sorely missed – thank you so much, Lorna!
Thank you to our committee members
Your joint efforts have created many opportunities for the Club to be able to further support the SPX Football Program. As well as creating several new ways to raise funds, you all have created opportunities for our community to come together to celebrate, support and encourage our football boys.
The Football Club Committee members:
President: Matt Zanello
Vice President: Lisa Bacic
Treasurer: Geoff Linders
BBQ Team: Janis Lo, Susi Bottger, Sarah Wilson, Lisa Graham, Sarah Gadaleta
Bake Sale Team: Priscilla Safarian, Nicole Henderson
If any members of our Football Community would like to join the Football Committee for 2024, please get in touch with Matt on spxfsc@gmail.com
SPX Football Supporters Committee