From the Head of Junior School

WOODCHAT – For busy families who want the facts – fast!

NEW PARENT INFORMATION NIGHT | Tuesday 4 November | 6:00pm | Online

I’m reaching out to see if there is a courageous Year 5 parent (or one of our veteran parents in Year 6!) 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 are interested, please let me know by emailing Mrs Hawthorne:

bhawthorne@stpiusx.nsw.edu.au

2026 BOOK ORDERS

Can you believe we’re already looking towards 2026 and book orders?! The team at Campion Education have created book and stationery packs and they are available to order now. Note the different code depending on whether you want the Year 6 pack (V8G3) or the Year 7 pack (MC4M).

Dear Students/Parents,

Campion Education would like to let you know that Resource Lists for Years 5, 6 and 7 are now available and can be completed online at www.campion.com.au

Please place your order by Friday 19 December 2025. All orders placed online are delivered to your home, office or any designated address. The parcels will be delivered the week ending Friday 23 January 2026.

If you are currently in Year 5, when ordering online you will need to use the following Access Code: “V8G3”

If you are currently in Year 6, when ordering online you will need to use the following Access Code: “MC4M”

Placing your order online by the due date is the best was to ensure students will receive all available items in time for the January delivery.

The Campion Parent Hub includes How to Order video & How to Order PDFs in 11 languages https://campion.com.au/parents/how-to-order/

Family help:

FAQs: https://campion.com.au/support-help/support/

Email help@campion.com.au

Tel 1300 433 982

Thank you for your continued support of the Junior School.

Mrs Jill Greenwood - Head of Junior School

Junior School on show!

Our Junior School students are getting ready to shine on stage, sharing their imagination and passion for the Performing Arts in two special celebrations.

On Thursday 30 October, the Junior Drama Ensemble will perform in the Drama Cocurricular Showcase at the Sarto Centre (5:00 pm). This vibrant evening of theatre will highlight the students’ creativity, teamwork, and growing confidence as performers, alongside entertaining pieces from the Intermediate and Senior Drama Ensembles.

The excitement continues on Friday 31 October with the inaugural whole Junior School Concert in the College Gym at 1:30 pm. All students in Years 5 and 6 will take part, presenting a showcase of their music learning from the semester. Audiences will also enjoy performances by the Junior Concert Band, Junior Chorale, and Junior Guitar Ensemble, creating an afternoon filled with music, inspiration, and school spirit.

We warmly welcome families and friends to join us in celebrating the enthusiasm, talent, and commitment of our young performers as we bring another dynamic year in the Performing Arts to a close.

Mrs Annabel Westhoff - Leader of Learning, Performing Arts

Fixtures

Junior School Sport

Swim Program Reminder – Action Required

A friendly reminder to all families to please complete the Swim Program link in the email sent to all families. This is an important part of our Term 4 Sport Program and helps us prepare for the upcoming sessions commencing in Week 4.

Forms are due by Monday 27 October.

Thank you to those who have already submitted!

Year 6 2026 Sport Nominate Form

To all current Year 5 families, please ensure you complete the Sport Nominate Form for 2026 by Friday 24 October. This allows us to allocate your son to his preferred sport and submit accurate numbers to IPSHA, who will begin planning draws and divisions shortly. Your timely response is greatly appreciated to support a smooth transition into next year’s program.

Junior School Sport – Term 4 Summer Round 7

Our Junior School teams kicked off Term 4 with great energy and commitment across basketball, touch football, softball, tennis and cricket. The results across the board reflect the hard work and progress our players have been putting in during training. Each week, our focus remains on skill development, enjoyment, and a better understanding of the game, regardless of the outcome. Win, loss, or draw, every round is another opportunity for students to learn, grow, and improve both individually and as a team.

We continue to be impressed by the sportsmanship and effort shown by our students, with some amazing individual performances across all teams. These moments of excellence are a testament to the positive culture we’re building through sport at SPX, and we’re proud of the way our students are representing themselves and the school.

We kindly remind families that players should arrive no later than 20 minutes before their scheduled game time. This allows for a proper warm-up, team organisation, and helps avoid last-minute issues with parking or locating fields. Punctuality is key to ensuring our teams are ready to perform and support one another.

Lastly, we ask that absences be logged in Clipboard as early as possible, and where possible, a courtesy email sent to assist with planning. Unfortunately, a large number of students did not attend their games last weekend, which impacts team structure and game day coordination.

Thank you for your ongoing support, we’re looking forward to another exciting round this weekend!

Summer Sport Results

Basketball

Touch Football

Softball

Our first game back was a strong start to the season, with the team showing great energy and focus on the field. The players communicated well and backed each other up on every play. Fielding was a highlight - several players in the outfield made solid stops. The infielders read the ball well, taking confident catches on fly balls. Overall, it was a great team effort with everyone contributing both in defence and at the plate.

Mrs Jennifer Williams - Softball Coach

MWJCA Cricket

The U13 Gold recorded their first victory of the season against St Augustine’s - and no doubt it’s the first of many to come.

Haarlem Fallowfield led the bowling attack with an impressive 3 wickets, with Alex Paixao claiming 2. A highlight in the field came from Daniel Tully, who took a superb catch at mid-on to close out the innings.

Our top order - Archer Low, Charlie Gabriel, and Kent Sobey were unbreakable, all retiring not out and putting Pius in a commanding position. Kent continued his fine form after scoring 57 runs in the previous match.

Pius comfortably chased down the total, losing only one wicket. Overall, it was a dominant and well-rounded performance across all areas of the game. Well done, boys!.

NSTA TENNIS

Round 1 Recap

What a beautiful morning it was for our first round of tennis! A big thank you to all the parents for ensuring your child arrived on time and ready to play.

All remaining game details for Rounds 2-5 have been uploaded to Clipboard. Please make sure to check this regularly for updates on match times and locations.

Arrival Time & Warm-Up

To help games start promptly and allow for a proper warm-up, we encourage all players to arrive at least 15-30 minutes before their scheduled match. This extra time is essential for preparing both mentally and physically for the game.

Submitting Scores

A reminder to all students: please report your scores to me immediately after each match so that I can enter them into Xpoint.

Order of Play

Teams of 2: Each player will play one doubles and one singles match.
Teams of 3: Players will rotate each week to ensure equal game time. Each round will include one doubles and two singles matches, with a rotation system in place to balance participation. See below for the rotation structure:

Green Ball Shout-Out

Ms Hodges was especially impressed by the enthusiasm and sportsmanship shown by our Green Ball players.

A fantastic start to the season! Let’s keep the momentum going for Game 2 with continued sunshine and great energy!

Term 4 Dates: Sport Calendar

Sport Convenors

Cricket – Mr Balboa rbalboa@stpiusx.nsw.edu.au
Touch Football – Mr Bourke jbourke@stpiusx.nsw.edu.au
Basketball – Mr Bourke jbourke@stpiusx.nsw.edu.au
NSTA Tennis – Mr Nouragas cnouragas@stpiusx.nsw.edu.au

Football News Update

Sydney FC Football Opportunities – Term 4

Our Sydney FC Morning Coaching Program is well underway this week, with a fantastic turnout at the first session. It’s great to see so many students engaging with professional coaching and starting the term strong!

There are still places available for the Thursday sessions at Gore Hill Oval (7:00 am – 8:00 am) for Years 5 & 6. Don’t miss this chance to train with Sydney FC Academy coaches and build your skills in a high-quality environment.

Please note, Mr Lacey will be travelling with the students at the conclusion of the session via the training to Chatswood.

Program Details:

Years 5/6 & 10: Thursdays – Oct 16, 23, 30; Nov 6, 13
Years 7–9: Tuesdays – Oct 14, 21, 28; Nov 4, 11
Cost: $75 (includes an A-League match ticket)
Register via Clipboard – spots are limited!

SPX Basketball

Basketball committee AGM will be held online on Thursday 6 November at 7:30 pm.

The committee is seeking and intends to elect a new president at this AGM. If you are interested in joining the committee, or have any questions, please contact Chris Hillsdon by email at chrisandbrooke@gmail.com

Meeting link:

Join the meeting now

Meeting ID: 445 952 552 916 1

Passcode: SJ9Hp9Tr

meeting link as text if needed

https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_ZmU2NTUzOGQtODk3OC00MThjLTgxNmQtMmFjNzU4NjkxYjNm%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%22b85637cd-0dbc-4317-96f1-93a532068fa5%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%22c2e1854a-c5da-4574-b8df-30a1bc06cab6%22%7d

Mr James Bourke - Junior School Sport Coordinator

Careers