From the Head of the Junior School
Junior School Sport
From the Junior Resource Centre

From the Head of the Junior School

INAUGURAL YEAR 5 SINGING PERFORMANCE

Thank you to all the parents and special guests who were able to join us last Friday afternoon for our inaugural Year 5 Singing Performance. We were entertained by individual class performances with a whole Year 5 performance of Don’t Stop Believing.

We are very grateful to Mrs Westhoff and the Performing Arts Department for all their work with our Junior students throughout the year and for the efforts they make to ensure that the performing arts has a significant place in the lives of our students.

WORLD TEACHERS’ DAY

The Junior School celebrated all our wonderful teachers with a special brekky in the boardroom last Friday morning. Students from my Creative Quills group wrote a heartfelt letter to every teacher, and we enjoyed reading them out to each other over a cup of coffee and some special treats.

Some of the incredible things the students had to say about their teachers:

It has been a privilege to be in your class because of your incredible ability to explain concepts clearly.
I cannot thank you enough for all the gifts you bring to the school and especially us students.
You are excellent and teaching everything!
I admire your prowess in teaching – you give everyone the best possible experience.
You let us apply the skills we have learnt to new situations.
I look up to the kindness that you shine into the lives of everyone around you.
We acknowledge that you work after hours to mark work and deal with tricky, unpleasant scenarios calmly and effectively.
I acknowledge the effort packed into arranging all the fun little activities that turn a light on in our hearts.
You are an outstanding teacher.
I cannot begin to fathom the work behind the scenes that builds the infrastructure of our classroom – all that hard work we may never know.

I think you’ll agree that the comments reflect both the outstanding efforts of our teachers as well as the excellent writing skills of our Quills!

TOAST OF THE … TOASTMASTERS!

We were very proud to hear the news that Year 6 teacher, Ms Shaba was recently announced as the District 70 Toastmaster of the Year 2023-2024. This is the most prestigious award that a District can present to one of its members. There are approximately 150 of these Districts globally. Ms Shaba received this award in recognition of her outstanding contributions to the wider District, impressive competition results and considerable proficiency in communication and leadership. Recipients are nominated by other members and must notably and publicly exemplify Toastmasters International core values of service, respect, integrity and excellence. District 70 Toastmasters has approximately 5000 members from NSW and the ACT. In accepting the award, Ms Shaba indicated her surprise at being selected and her general appreciation for the organisation and its members who have given her so much.

Our senior school students have also benefited from Ms Shaba’s expertise - she has enjoyed assisting the incoming Year 12 student leaders with their public speaking over the last several weeks in preparation for their investiture at the Concourse on Monday afternoon.

NEW PARENT INFORMATION NIGHT

We’re excited to highlight everything St Pius X Junior School has to offer during our New Parent Information Night on Wednesday 6 November. The event will begin at 6:00 pm and will be held online. I’m reaching out to see if there’s a courageous Year 5 or Year 6 parent who might be willing to share their experiences as a new family at St Pius X. It would be fantastic for our new parents to hear from someone who has experienced it all! If you’re interested, please let me know by emailing Mrs Hawthorne

bhawthorne@stpiusx.nsw.edu.au

WELCOME 2025 STUDENTS

Today, the Junior School welcomed 112 new students (our 2025 Year 5 cohort) and, for the final time, our new Year 6 students to the College for an orientation and assessment day. The new Year 5s started their day with an assessment that will provide teachers with valuable information to assist teaching and learning in 2025. The new Year 6s spent the morning with the current Year 5s, engaging in a range of 'Getting to Know You' activities in the College gym. The afternoon will be spent getting to know the College through an adventure-filled Scavenger Hunt. Because of the number of extra students who were on-site, current students left for Oxford Falls at the end of Period 2.

SURF/SWIM PROGRAM

Our four-week Surf Education and Swim programs begin on Thursday in Week 4 with the Year 5s headed to the Macquarie Aquatic Centre for swimming lessons and Year 6 headed to Dee Why Beach.

YEAR 6 GRADUATION LITURGY AND AFTERNOON TEA

Save the date for one of the biggest events in the Junior School calendar! Join us, on the docks of Waterford (faithfully recreated at Oxford Falls) for a very special graduation ceremony that will mark the transition from primary to Senior School for our Year 6s.

Monday 25 November | 12:45 pm at Oxford Falls

Please register your attendance – and upload a photo of your son when he was in Kindy for the liturgy presentation – via this form:

CREATIVE QUILLS WRITING SKILLS WRITING

Please enjoy this piece of creative writing by Creative Quill, Kristoffer Bentrott

ROBOT GIFT

By Kristoffer Bentrott

As the snow dazzled, the warmth of the campfire bloomed across the room as the family started opening their gifts for Christmas. Jadyn and his little sister Luna were excited to open their grandfather's gift because they were usually the most exciting. It stood large and Jadyn and Luna took it up to the attic to reveal it privately. Once they had unwrapped all the tape and bubble wrap, they were amazingly shocked at what their grandfather had gotten them. A Robot! Jadyn and Luna’s grandfather had been an inventor for a long period of time. Jadyn and Luna booted up the robot and it orientated by saying “Hello. My name is S1- 76268 but you may call me Spark. I will help you guide your way through obstacles and tough challenges. I will also always be there if you need any help. I am a former assistant to John Hilford, and have been trained to face tough courses.” Jadyn and Luna were excited and when they went to bed; they wondered what they could do with this robot.

The next morning, Mum and Dad were getting ready for work and Spark had been preparing coffee before they left. As Mum and Dad finished drinking their coffee and were putting on their shoes, they said to Spark, “Hey Spark! Would you mind taking the kids to school? That would be lovely thank you.” Spark replied, “Of couse I can! I’d love to take them!” When Spark had finished talking, Mum and Dad left, and Jadyn had started eating breakfast while Luna finished getting dressed. Spark was curious about his new home and his owners and begin calculating the objects around him. “Ahh! All done!” said Jadyn. Luna had just finished her breakfast as well and the three of them were out the door. When Spark had dropped them off, he made his way back the house to do some work and to tidy up the house. When school finished, Dad picked up the kids and drove back home.

As they were driving along the highway, Jadyn noticed something. Something strange on the ground.

When he told Dad about it, Luna noticed that a figure started chasing them. They evacuated the vehicle and were cornered. “Hahaha!” said the figure. Luna screamed, Jadyn panicked, and Dad began calling 911. Just then, Spark picked up a signal and rushed to the scene. His eyes became blue with electricity flowing through his body. A large, light-blue flame grew around him and Jadyn realised that he had a cell inside him. He made his move and shot a blue beam out from his chest and knocked the figure out. Dad, Jadyn and Luna were free, but then they noticed that Spark wasn’t ok. His eyes became red, and he grew anger. The figure had interrupted the cell of Spark and now Spark had turned sides.

DATES FOR THE DIARY

THURSDAY 7 NOVEMBER | Start of 4-week Surf (Year 6) and Swimming (Year 5) program

MONDAY 25 NOVEMBER | Year 6 Graduation and Afternoon Tea at Oxford Falls @ 12:45 pm

Thank you for your continued support of the Junior School.

Mrs Jill Greenwood - Head of the Junior School

Junior School Sport

Fixtures

Thursday Sport

Summer training continues for Basketball, Cricket, Softball, Tennis and Touch Football. Please note that weather conditions are monitored closely each week.

Saturday Sport

A reminder to always check each update via Clipboard for the most up to date schedule and times of fixtures. There could be changes to teams, times and venues.

Basketball Training

If your son has a scheduling conflict with his Basketball Training, please prioritise his other cocurricular commitments and log the clash in Clipboard so it appears on the roll. Thank you to all the boys who have consistently attended training—the improvement in skill and gameplay is clearly a testament to your dedication.

Term 4 Swim Program: All students will take part in a specialised program, as per the schedule above in lieu of regular Thursday Sport. Year 5 will attend Macquarie Uni Aquatic Centre for a pool-based program and Year 6 will attend Dee Why Beach for a Surf Skills program. Thank you very much to all those who have completed their respective documentation. If you have yet to complete the Grading Form (Year 5) or Waiver (Year 6) could this, please be actioned asap. This will help us finalise the details for the program.

Swimming Squad Training – Term 4, 2024

It is great to see new and familiar faces at training.

Where boys have basketball training before school, they need to make swim squads a priority unless they have seen me in the first instance to make alternative arrangements. Students wishing to take part are expected to attend majority of the 10 sessions, as we strive to build a strong squad culture. Either Ms Proc (Senior Swimming Coordinator) or I will be in attendance during each session. If you are still to register, please send me an email can I can reshare the link.

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 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:

IPSHA Sport Results

In a competitive Round 2, our SPX teams showed resilience and a positive spirit across all games. The basketball teams faced a strong Waverley lineup, with every team putting forth a solid effort despite challenging outcomes. A standout performance came from our Gold 2 team, who secured an exciting victory with a powerful second-half comeback. Their teamwork and determination were on full display, earning them a well-deserved win.

Our softball team competed against St Patrick's, demonstrating growth in their fielding and batting skills even though they couldn’t clinch a win. In touch football, our boys took on Trinity and St Andrew’s, showcasing strong defensive plays and field awareness throughout.

While all teams faced tough competition, the effort and sportsmanship were evident across the board. Thank you to all the players, coaches, and supportive parents who kept score and helped with game-day logistics. As we reflect on these games, we look forward to building on these experiences and pushing forward with determination!

Mr James Bourke - Junior School Sport Coordinator

Summer Tennis

NSTA

What an amazing day we had for the start of the Term 4 competition. Although a little chilly at first, it was perfect weather for tennis. With so many new players to tennis this term you could really feel a buzz in the air. All teams showed great sportsmanship and played their best.

In the 8:00 am matches, Paolo Mirenzi (SPX 18) played a very close match, just narrowly losing against Ines Tan from Redlands, 5-6. It was a great match to watch. My favourite matches to watch are always the Pius v Pius matches. Two teams made up of Junior School players who have just moved up from green ball both fought a good fight with Samuel Nunes and Xavier Korkor (SPX 26) beating Kairav Singh and Wesley Lum (SPX 25) 2 sets to 1. Thanks to Mrs Nunes for the great photo of these teams!

The 10:00 am matches always seem quite serious and this week was no exception. Ben Shoudra and Kody Tabalon (SPX 4) were in great form and beat Redlands 6, 3 sets to 0. Linas Magyla and Lachlan Chan (SPX 8) followed suit only conceding 1 game, to win all 3 sets against Killara High. Henry Bourke and Bryce Davis (SPX 9) made a great team and won both singles matches to clinch the win against SPX 10. Ryan Chung and Max Lei also had a great start to the season with a 3 set win against SPX 15.

A special thanks needs to be given to Jake and Lachlan Yu who, despite not playing this term, came to the 8:00 am sessions to help out. What great spirit these young men showed. I know that the younger players appreciated their help.

GREEN BALL

Our inaugural green ball competition at Queenwood also began last weekend. This is a great opportunity for many of players to have a chance to hone their skills in a very relaxed and friendly environment. It is great that the staff at Queenwood Tennis Centre were also their to lend a hand and offer some on the spot advice to the players. All players are to be congratulated on the enthusiasm shown in their matches.

SENIOR SCHOOL TRAINING

A reminder that training continues this week. Please make sure that you attend the training session that you have been allocated. Parents, this is also a reminder that you need to be at Queenwood for pick up by 5:00 pm.

Mrs Samantha Iwatani - Summer Tennis Convenor

From the Junior Resource Centre

This week’s highlights are:

Reading for pleasure rules!There are so many great choices for young readers at the moment, ideal choices for both reluctant and keen readers. Here’s some recent and new release junior fiction and illustrated fiction texts that promote literacy by encouraging reading for fun.

Spooky Season

Where are my readers of macabre classics? From Mary Shelley to Edgar Poe, here are some spooky classics for those who want Victorian ghost stories, or to bear witness to Dr. Frankenstein’s creation, or wish to listen to the children of the night. 🖤🦇🕸️🥀🖤Dracula by Bram Stoker🖤Frankenstein by Mary Shelley🖤The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving 🖤The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe🖤Count Magnus and Other Ghost Stories by M.R. James🖤The Picture of Dorian Grey by Oscar Wilde🖤Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

THERE’S A GHOST IN THIS HOUSE By Oliver Jeffers This is my favourite Halloween book! So incredibly creative and fun to read as a family.

‘A young girl lives alone in a house she believes is haunted, but she has never actually seen a ghost herself. What do they loo like? Are they white with holes for eyes? Do they only come out at night? She’d love to know!’

One of the joys about the There’s a Ghost in This House is the need for the reader to ‘place’ the ghosts in the scene by turning the transparent paper they are printing on to reveal them, so that the ghosts remain invisible before they are ‘placed’. I so love the creepy old Adams Family style house on the cover with a ghost appearing in a top window. Grab a copy and see for yourself.

Mrs Martin’s Book Trail – Scared to Death By Anthony Horowitz

READ THIS AT YOUR PERIL! – 10 Sinister stories by the Master of the Macabre. My Favorite story in the book ….. BET YOUR LIFE. What’s the worst thing you’ve seen on TV? Sometimes your nightmares become real… Recommended for the most fearless of readers. #MrsMartinsBookTrail2024

Mrs Elena Martin – Teacher Librarian

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