Junior School News 

• From the Head of the Junior School
• Junior School Sport

From the Head of the Junior School

It’s been another busy term of teaching and learning in the Junior School.  Students have been engaged in a range of diverse experiences and have learnt some important life lessons along the way.  I want to thank you, our Junior School parents, for your continued support of the College and in particular, your support of the teachers in the Junior School. We are committed to providing a holistic experience for your son with his wellbeing at the forefront of everything we do.

TEACHING AND LEARNING

Exploring Animal Adaptation and Conservation at Centennial Park: Year 5 Excursion

Last week, our enthusiastic Year 5 students headed to Centennial Park to conduct a field study into animal adaptation and survival via a key threatened species: the Grey-headed Flying Fox. They then solved the problem of heat stress on the Flying Foxes via a construction activity.

Some of the adaptation activities included:

• using a scope to observe and record the behaviour and adaptations of a Flying Fox.
• using natural loose parts to invent and construct a prototype to reduce the temperature in the wetlands.
• completing scientific field testing (biotic and abiotic) and then using the data to determine the impact of the flying fox colony on the wetland environment.

Thank you to Mrs Barrett for her organisation of this particularly engaging excursion and to Ms Boyle, Mrs Doheny, Mr Carroll, and Mrs Schiller for accompanying the boys and helping to make this such a memorable experience.

Year 6 Science Investigation 

Year 6 students are finalising the construction of their earthquake proof structures. They are now in the testing and analysis phase of their investigation.  

FAREWELL YEAR 12 by Connor Koruga (5 Gold)

5 Gold was lucky enough to have a visit from some of the Year 12 leaders. 5 Gold listened to their advice about how to really get the full SPX College experience, how they felt joining the college, even if AFL should be in the Senior school.  Overall, 5 Gold enjoyed the experience very much, asking questions including ‘What is your favourite subject?’ or ‘What was the most challenging part about becoming an SPX Leader?’ all the way to ‘What is your favourite AFL team?’.  5 Gold loved being able to speak to the Leaders and would love to do it again.   

We wish Dylan Gleeson good luck today as he represents the Junior School with a prayer during the Year 12 Graduation Mass.

IPSHA SOCIAL JUSTICE EXPO – KINGS COLLEGE 

by Angus Rands (Class Captain, 5 Gold)

The Social Justice Expo was indeed very interesting. As I walked around the hall at Kings, I noticed that many schools had set up posters and pictures showing achievements and charities. During breaks, we were able to interact with students from other school, some of us played soccer, others just chatted quietly. In the hall, special guests were invited to talk about their organisations, such as b kinder, Cana and SchoolAid.

by Nicholas Lindsell (Term 2 Class Captain, 5 Blue)

On the September 6th, the Class Captains went to a Social Expo to look at companies and other schools to see what people of Australia are doing to help the less fortunate. One of the companies that we heard about was Cana which Mason and I took an interest in.

Cana is a not-for-profit charity and receives no government funding. Cana has a 100-acre farm, they provide shelter for homeless people, and offer jobs to people who have been in jail and help them get away from their past in a good way. Cana takes care of each person like they are family. This helps them to make good decisions while being around a friendly environment. Cana is an organisation that has been around for over 48 years, and they don’t seem to want to stop! Cana lets schools visit the farm and see how things work there.  This allows young students to want to help and learn more about the charity and make a difference. They grow many different fruits and veggies at the farm and sell them to fund all the things they do.

If you would like to learn more about the great work at Cana – or to purchase some of their amazing farm products, please click here: Cana Farm Charity Organisation | Community Nurturing Growth and Acceptance

DOROTHEA MACKELLAR POETRY AWARDS

Congratulations to Alexander Zhang for his participation in the 2023 Dorothea Mackellar Poetry Awards.  Next year’s 40th Anniversary theme is 'Listen, I have an idea …' – perhaps this will stir the imagination of an aspiring poet in your home.

SUPPLIES FOR TERM 4

Can I please ask that you re-supply your son’s pencil case with essentials such as HB pencils, a ruler, a protractor, and an eraser. As it is Term 4, we will be having a big clean up at the end of the year, so if you were able to send in a packet of wipes, they would be most appreciated.

DATES FOR THE DIARY

• Friday 22 September | Last day of Term 3
• Monday 9 October | Students return for Term 4

Thank you for your continued support of the Junior School.

Mrs Jill Greenwood - Head of the Junior School

Junior School Sport

Thursday Sport: Training for Basketball, Touch Football, Cricket, Softball and Tennis continues this week. 

Term 4 Summer Sports: Once again I thank the boys and coaching staff for their commitment to trials and training this past month and I look forward to seeing all compete for the College in their respective activities when we resume in Term 4.

Term 4 Basketball, Softball, and Touch Football: Now that squads/teams have been settled for the start of Term 4, you will have received correspondence related to either Basketball, Softball or Touch Football, and I kindly ask that you read this to ensure clarity around requirements and logistics. Any concerns, please reach out to me at the college. Draws for Term 4 Sport will be uploaded to the SPX App by Friday this week. 

CIS Athletics: Early reports suggest a strong showing by the St Pius X boys representing IPSHA at the CIS carnival held this week. A full summary of the day will be included in the first edition of Woodchatta in Term 4.

Looking ahead:

Term 4 Swim Program: All students will take part in a specialised program, as per the schedule above in lieu of regular Thursday Sport during Weeks 4 - 7. Year 5 will attend Macquarie Uni Aquatic Centre for a pool-based swim program and Year 6 will attend Dee Why Beach for a Surf Skills program. I will send a separate letter to families for each year group that outlines logistics and most importantly a swim grading form for Year 5 students and a SEA Australia Waiver for the Year 6 students.

NSWPSSA Softball: Competing for the first time last week in the CIS team at the NSWPSSA Softball Championships, Dominik Playle (5 Red) was pleased with his performances and grateful for the opportunity to represent the College at this major event. Some highlights for Dominik were dominating wins against Riverina (10-4), North Coast (13-5) and Sydney East (9-2), as well as hitting 2 doubles, along with meeting many of the players from other school areas. Whilst they did lose some of their games, placing equal 7th in the state was a tremendous achievement. Off the back of this tournament, Dominik has provided some insights into the player and person he is, with answers to the following:

 What is your favourite sport? Why do you like it?

My favourite sport is baseball. I like it because it is fun, and I make a lot of friends within my team.

 Do you have a favourite athlete or sports team? Why do you admire them?

My favourite athlete is Aaron Judge. He plays for the New York Yankees in Major League Baseball. I admire him because he hits home runs and shows great sportsmanship.

 Are there sports you want to try in the future? Why?

I want to try wiffle ball baseball because it looks fun and when you pitch, the ball can go in any direction.

 Do you think sportsmanship and fair play are important in sports? Why? 

I think that sportsmanship is important because if you cheat it’s unfair to the other team.

What is your pre-match meal?

4 Weet-Bix with milk followed by two fried eggs on toast with vegemite and tomato sauce.

 What has been your most memorable moment this year for you in sport?

Playing for Manly Baseball in the Rookies State Titles. Manly won the tournament undefeated. I also got an award for Most Valuable Player of the tournament.

Football:

Are your sons missing the football season? Please see details below regarding COERVER Football camps and Academy Trials.

Coerver Coaching Sydney North Shore would like to extend an invitation to students to join our upcoming Performance Academy Trials on 8 October. 

Coerver Coaching is a Global football coaching program for both boys and girls. They have been operating worldwide for the past 39 years. Partnered with Adidas (for 29 years), Coerver Coaching is the World’s No 1 football skills teaching method, suitable for players of all ages and ability levels.

For more information, please go to: https://coerver.com.au/performance-academy-programs.

Mr Ben Ryan - Junior School Sports Coordinator