Head of Junior School 

Here at the Junior School, we have had a slightly quieter couple of weeks than the previous fortnight. Having said that, we’ve held our annual House Athletics Carnival, Open Morning in Years 5 and 6 and a few excursions. I would like to thank Mr Tom Beard, Miss Mikayla Lack, Mrs Sue Burrows and Miss Katie Pugsley for their organisation for the 5/6 Open Classroom Morning last Friday. It was lovely to welcome so many parents onto the school site and into the classrooms so they could view the boys English work first-hand.

House Athletics Carnival

What a thrilling day we had at our annual House Athletics Carnival on Thursday at the Domain Athletics Centre. The weather was perfect for a day out on the track and field. Thank you to Mrs McCullagh who organised such an efficient and fun day out. Thank you also to Mr Nick Finlay who controlled our timing gates on the day, our Year 10 Recreational Leadership boys for their assistance, to the many parents who came along to lend their moral support, to our amazing staff for their efforts on the day: recording, herding, supervising, and finally to our Years 3 to 6 boys for their wonderful participation, their singing, pure joy, and sense of sportsmanship on the day. Like all things there can (normally) be only one winner. Congratulations to the Captains of Joyce House for leading their team with pride to be the overall House Point Winners on the day, Oscar Henley and Xavier Houston.

Final points on the day: Joyce: 579, Doyle: 505, Hessian: 464, Dwyer: 436

Chess Success

On Wednesday 6 September, 15 St Virgil’s College students participated in a chess tournament at The Friends School. All 15 boys gave their best on the chessboard, displaying unwavering determination and sportsmanship. Whether in victory or defeat, they remained gracious and humble, setting a shining example for sportsmanship and fair play.

St Virgil’s College achieved a notable second-place finish overall, showcasing the dedication and teamwork of our students. Angus Mann earned second-placed individual honours, highlighting his exceptional sportsmanship and chess knowledge. The overall result is the College’s highest finish at a Chess tournament this year and demonstrates the hard work of all students at Chess Club on Friday afternoons. 

Other boys who received a medal were: Alex Pritchard, Angus Newsham-West and Liam Holliday.

Boys who participated were: Year 6: Angus Mann, Gurtegh Shergill; Year 5: Angus Newsham-West, George Lennon, Asher Lester, Oliver Wagstaff, Lucas Newton, Micah Couacaud, Liam Holliday, Angus Lockhart; Year 4: Alex Pritchard, Clancy Gillie; Year 3: Gus Hardaker, Hugo Helmers, Panayioti Hiras.

Congratulations to all participants for admirably representing St Virgil’s College in this prestigious chess tournament. Thank you to Miss Katie Pugsley and Mr Will Sanders for accompanying the boys on the day.

Reminder: Choomalaka Festival  & Feast

Friday 22 September

The Choomalaka Festival is a College celebration of every student’s skills and talents through sound, light, colour and movement. It is a celebration of the artistic talents of all our students.

As in previous years, all of our classes will be performing a musical item on the night, from Kindergarten through to Year 6. For these class performances to be a success, it will require all students from each year group to participate. Along with a celebration of our students’ talent, there will also be food and beverage options available for purchase.

ORDER OF EVENTS

Kindergarten and Prep Students 

• Arrival at Senior Campus: 5.15 pm 
• Move to Joyce Performance Centre: 5.20 pm 
• Performance: 5.35 pm 
• Finish: 5.50 pm 

Year 1, 3 and Year 4 Students 

• Arrive at Senior Campus: 5.15 pm 
• Move to Music area of Joyce Performance Centre (underneath the auditorium): 5.20 pm 
• Year 1 Performance: 5.55 pm 
• Year 3 Performance: 6:05 pm 
• Year 4 Performance: 6.10 pm 
• Finish: 6.15 pm 

Year 5 and Year 6 Students 

• Arrive at the Senior Campus and move to ‘Green Room’ in new building to drop off instruments: 5.30 pm (there will be signs!) 
• Return to the Green Room: 6.00 pm 
• Year 5 Performance on Terrace: 6.15 pm 
• JS Choir in Courtyard: 6.25 pm 
• Year 6 Performance on Terrace: 6:30 pm 
• Combined JS and SS Choir in Courtyard: 6.40 pm 
• Finish: 6.45 pm 

Grandparent's Day!

Wednesday 25 October

Grandparents or special friends of all Junior School students are warmly invited to Grandparent's Day on Wednesday 25 October. The morning will start at 9.00 am with a liturgy, followed by classroom visits and morning tea, finishing at 11.00 am.

An EdSmart will be sent in the coming weeks with full details and to RSVP.

STCPSSA Football Representatives: Webb vs Doran Football Match

Four of our Year 6 boys were selected to represent St Virgil’s College in the annual Webb vs Doran football match (previously known as Clark vs Franklin). A big congratulations goes to Oscar Henley, Harrison Nadler, Ben Pigden and Charlie Booth for their exemplary efforts on the field. All four boys played key roles in the match across multiple positions. There were plenty of hard ball gets by Ben, overhead marks from Charlie, clearing defensive kicks from Oscar, and two huge goals from Harrison. In a nod to SVC, all boys in the Webb team played in SVC Jumpers.

Year 5-6 Open Morning Museum and English Skills 

Last Friday, the Year 5 and 6 English classes hosted an Open Morning for all Year 5/6 parents to see what work that has been done this term. Mr Beard and Miss Lack hosted a Morning Museum in their respective classroom. The morning commenced with a buzz as parents lined up, waiting to enter and learn all about significant people in history. The students were prepared, after many weeks of research, to practise their public speaking and ability to present information to a variety of audiences. Those that visited were enamoured by information that ranged from learning about Harold Holt’s mysterious death to the arrogance of Julius Caesar, and Eddie Mabo’s victorious overturn of Terra Nullius to the trailblazing women of Nancy Bird Walton and Fanny Durack who broke down societal stereotypes. 

Mrs Burrows and Miss Pugsley’s classes also played hosts to parents with boys sharing their knowledge of The Writing Revolution, grammar, punctuation, their progress in reading fluency and comprehension strategies.

It was a thoroughly enjoyable morning for all that provided an exceptional opportunity to celebrate students’ academic and learning achievements. A big thank you to all the parents, guardians, siblings, staff members and other classes that came to visit.

P&F AFL Grand Final Margin Ticket Fund Raiser

There are a few margin tickets left in the P&F AFL Grand Final Margin ticket fundraiser. All tickets are $20. If your ‘ticket’ has the correct number at quarter time, half time and three-quarter time, you win $50. If it is the margin at the end of the game, you will win $400! So far, we have sold about 137 tickets, with 63 still to sell. If we sell all tickets, the P and F will raise $2 900! Please contact the Junior School Office next time you visit. Three weeks to go till the big day.

SVC Junior School Football Tipping Competition

This year we had a hard-fought football tipping competition in the Junior School. There was much discussion and banter in the office each week as the boys came I to place their tips, on whose team were or were not going to win. A big thank you to Ben Pigden and Charlie Booth for marking the tipping sheets every Monday morning without fail. They did a fabulous job.

We had multiple round winners each week, each of whom were offered a double pass to the North Melbourne games played here at Blundstone arena, due to the generosity of Mr Aaron Pidgeon (Fletcher, Year 10), Head of Tasmania North Melbourne Football Club.

Even though two staff members topped the list, it was all about the boys as the top three tipsters were awarded prizes. Thank you to all boys who participated in the Tipping Competition.

The Overall Winners for the Junior School were:

Staff: 1st was Mrs Leon: 137 and in 2nd was Mrs Messer: 135

Students:

1st: Jesse Mackey: 129

2nd: Oliver Wagstaff: 125

3rd: Charlie Booth: 124

Narryna House

Year 1 have returned from a visit to Narryna House in Battery Point this morning. The class learnt about the history of our community, examined the remains of the past and considered the impact of technology on people’s lives.

As well as building knowledge and understanding, inquiry skills were taught in an integrated way - just as we do at school each day - by questioning, researching, analysing, evaluating and reflecting.