Head of Junior School 

We have had some beautiful moments here at the Junior School recently. I'd like to share some of those with you. On Friday 7 March, we recognised the important role of women in our lives by having a special assembly for International Women’s Day. Thank you to Mrs Kim Mooney, Acting Deputy Principal, and Mr Thymon Venter, Acting REC, for running the assembly. The students were then asked to write or draw affirmations for female staff members here at the Junior campus. This was such a wonderful moment. Some of the younger boys had assistance from their buddies to help or draw their affirmations.

To my delight I received some of the following  affirmations: 

‘Dear Mrs Messer thank you for always being so kind to me and helping me with many problems I have had’.

‘To Mrs Messer, thank you for caring for me over all the years’.

‘Thank you Mrs Messer for being the best teacher and best Principal’.

‘To Mrs Messer, thank you for letting me come to this school’.

‘Thank you Mrs Messer for being such a great Principal and showing a lot of leadership’.

Thank you SVC Community

Thank you to all family members who have supported our Term 1 fundraising initiatives at the Junior School. Our focus for ‘outreach’ this term is on Project Compassion as we ‘Unite Against Poverty’. Specifically, we have been focusing on helping a primary school in Samoa, which regularly cannot be open due to the lack of fresh water. The Principal of the school, and staff, have to drive and collect buckets of fresh water in order to open the school for the day. In order to raise awareness, for our annual Caritas Cup, we are asking our boys to ‘Walk for Water’. On Monday 7 April our Junior students will stand along the inside perimeter of the Junior School with a bucket of water and will then walk for 20 minutes with that bucket, symbolising what the primary school in Samoa needs to do, in order to be open. Parents are more than welcome to bring a bucket and join in.

By raising $100 alone, we will be able to provide water tank maintenance and training, $150 will provide a household with money to purchase a toilet and $4000 will provide a water tank for the school. We are currently sitting at just under $2000 raised so far this term.

Monday 7 April: ‘Caritas Cup Walk for Water Day’ 

Boys are to return their Project Compassion box on or by this day: labelled with their name and house. If you cannot find your box, we have plenty of spares in the office.

We are also asking you to send your son along with a ‘bucket’ for the day and to wear something purple, the colour of Lent. The bucket should be one your son can carry water in for a 20 minute walk.

The following activities will be taking place:

1. A House Competition by making ‘lines’ of the money from everyone’s boxes. 

There will be two House prizes, one for the longest line of money, and secondly, the most amount of money raised.

2. Kindergarten to Year 6, ‘Walk for Water Awareness’. This will involve a 20-minute walk around the inside perimeter of the Junior Campus, carrying buckets of water. 

SVC Caritas Classroom Fundraising Initiatives

On Wednesday 26 March each class will be running a fundraising initiative for Caritas: Unite Against Poverty. Could you please send your son along with denominations of 50c, $1 and $2 coins for this event? It will be held at lunchtime.

Kindergarten:  guess the number of eggs in a jar competition

Preps:  Bake sale

Year 1: Seedling Sale (this stall will be held on Tuesday 8 April at 2.40 pm)

Year 2:  Sticks in the Sand 

Year 3:  Chocolate Toss

Year 4:  Sideshow Alley 

Year 5:  Lemonade Stall 

Year 6:  Wheel of Fortune 

SRC: Milkshake Days

Our two milkshake days have been incredibly popular. With all the milk donated, we have been able to raise approximately $1000 alone from this initiative. Thank you to our SRC boys: Reuben, Lochie, Oli, Winston, Archie, Louis, Hugh, Gabby, Jake and Tom for being the ‘best’ we have ever had at making and selling milkshakes: high praise indeed from Mrs Graves.

Junior School Easter Raffle

We have received the most generous donation of ‘Easter Egg Hampers’ from Rick Umgeher. Easter Raffle tickets are now on sale in the Junior Office for $2.00 each or 3 for $5.00. Proceeds from the Easter Raffle will be going directly to the Parents & Friends and the Junior School. Payments may be made via cash or eftpos. We will also be donating a hamper of eggs to Bethlehem House.

The Easter Raffle will be drawn by Rick Umgeher on Monday 7 April at 9.00 am. Tickets will still be on sale until 8.30 am on this day.

Swimming Team 

We wish our boys in the SVC Swimming Team luck as they represent SVC in the annual JSSATIS Swimming Carnival and next week in the STCPSSA Carnival.

Year 6: Silas Young, Clancy Gillie, Cash Salter, Alexander Pritchard, Nate Debnam, Oliver Wagstaff

Year 5: Samuel Bennett, Archie Bugg, Alexander Sherriff, Winston Whittle, Christopher Xavier, Rafe Glenn, Ruben D’Amico

Year 4: Gabby Knaj, Charlie Cowling, George Everard, Banjo White, Isaac Whitfield, Theodore Lockhart, Sam Houston, Alfie Wojcik, Oskar Klasen

Year 3: Oliver Cunliffe, Sebastian Gillie, Sonny Britten, Thomas Canning, Patrick Hughes

Basketball Championships

Over the next two weekends, 29-30 March and 5-6 April, we will have four basketball teams competing in the Primary Basketball Championships. Div 1 and 2 teams have been entered in each competition. I would like to make special mention of their coaches. This year, our 2024 College Captain, and Vice Captain, Thomas Marr and Charles Lennon, have volunteered to coach a team. Additionally, Spencer Hallsworth, Year 10, and Shakira Bone, a SVC staff member, are both coaching. We are so fortunate to have such wonderful role models and mentors volunteering their services to help our Junior boys.

Good luck to the following boys: 

Year 5 and 6 Div 1 team: Archie Argyropoulos, Nate Debnam, Rafe Glenn, Edward Gray, Edward Hickey, Lochie Johnstone, Angus Saunder, Oliver Wagstaff: Coach: Spencer Hallsworth

Year 5 and 6 Div 2 Team: Eden Britten, Archie Bugg, Max Free, Jack Kilgour, Alex Mackenzie, Nate Mapley, Edward Pigden, Harrison Siddall. Coach: Charles Lennon

Year 3 and 4 Div 1 team: Oliver Cunliffe, George Everard, Gabby Knaj, Ian Mazimpaka, Judd Spotswood, Banjo White, Isaac Whitfield, Samuel Young. Coach: Shakira Bone

Year 3 and 4 Div 2 team: Flynn Cunliffe, Jake Di Santo, Alexander Hill, Theo Kline, Archer Moylan, Lukas Reggett, Harrison Rhodes, Jack Taylor. Coach: Thomas Marr

Junior School Parents & Friends Committee

Annual General Meeting

This week we held the AGM for the Parents and Friends. It was lovely to see so many in attendance. Thank you to parents, old and new, who have signed up to join the P and F this year.

President:  Ms Abbey Butler

Treasurer:  Mr Nick Finlay

Committee Members: Matt Gillie, Michelle Spotswood, Karina Huntley, Kaylie Bowman, Sharni Rickards, Maria Pigden, Richard Cunliffe, Ricky Umgeher, Steph McMaster, Leanne Lane, Kirsten Free. 

If you would like to join our P and F, please contact Mrs Messer.

Football Margin tickets were all sold on the Parent Information Night. The tickets were for the first round of the AFL season between Brisbane and Geelong on 6 March. This game has now been postponed until Round 3. Your ticket is still valid for that very game. 

2025 St Virgil’s College Football Tipping Competition 

Thank you to everyone who has joined the Footy Tipping this year. If you would like to join, it is not too late. Ask us how and pay on the Qkr app.

Second Hand Clothing

We have numerous items of second hand clothing for sale in the office. All items are catalogued in order of size and in tubs in the office: shorts, shirts, blazers and sports uniform items. If there is an item you need, ask Mrs Leon and she will let you know if we have one. All proceeds go straight to the Parents and Friends. Thank you to Matt and Olivia Gillie for spending one of their mornings, cataloguing the items.

Calendar events

Monday 24 March: Mini Vinnies attending Induction Mass at St Therese’s - 6.00 pm

Wednesday 26 March: Class Project Compassion Stalls

Friday 28 March: STCPSSA Swimming Carnival

Wednesday 2 April: Junior School Open Morning