Pastoral Care
- Year 12 Retreats
- Student Leadership Team 2024
- Acknowledgement of Country at Oxford Falls
- Watkins Oval celebration
- Red Dirt Presentation to Our Lady of Dolours Social Justice Group
- Kieran Creek Landcare Group
Year 12 Retreats
Best wishes to all our Year 12 students and staff who are spending this week reflecting at the Year 12 Retreats. These retreats are, in many ways, the culmination of their Pastoral Care journey through the College. It is time for pause for reflection on how their learning, experience and gifts might help them to make a positive difference for others in the future.
Student Leadership Team Elect 2024
Congratulations to Year 11 who, with the upcoming graduation of Year 12, take on the mantle of leadership of the college. While 19 students will form the nucleus of this team, it is crucial that they lead and give voice to all other members of our school community. They cannot do this alone, and all Year 11, regardless of whether they wear a Prefect badge or not, are called and must act with integrity and respect, and wear the badge of senior leadership of our College community.
The 2024 Student Leadership Team will accompany myself and Ms Janes to Workul Koo next Monday to Wednesday to consider how they can make a positive difference as leaders and use our touchstones and values to lead, serve and represent the College to be a more inclusive community, liberating our students through education, standing up for justice and solidarity, and using the Gospel and contemporary life examples which empower and challenge us to be better including Jesus Christ, Mary mother of Jesus, Edmund Rice, St Mary MacKillop, Paolo Freire and Miriam Rose Ungunmerr- Baumann.
Acknowledgement of Country at Oxford Falls
In this context the College expresses its gratitude to all who contributed positively to our final home 'Reconciliation Rugby Round' of the winter sports season last Saturday.
In hosting against St Stanislaus' from Bathurst we Acknowledged Cammeraygal Country and our St Stanislaus' guests from Wiradjuri country.
St Pius X College celebrated the opportunity along with our guests from St Stanislaus' College from Wiradjuri land to Acknowledge the Cammeraygal country, culture and elders past, present and emerging of the land on which we learn and play.
Both teams wore their college’s Reconciliation Jerseys for the 1st XV fixture.
Four students from St Stanislaus' played didgeridoo and clap sticks as the teams processed onto Chaplin Oval at 3:15 pm before a fitting Acknowledgement of Country was led by St Pius X College student leaders Mitch McGrath and Xander Buckingham along with students from both schools representing Kamilaroi, Wiradjuri, Gumbaynggirr and Biripi Nations.
We were blessed to be joined by Gumbayngirr Education officer, Mr Mark Smith, who has made a remarkable recovery from recent illness and Mrs Annelise Pearce, also a proud Gumbaynggirr descendent who supported our ceremony.
The rugby contests were of a high standard with St Pius X 13A team, led by Archie Wragge, going down bravely 21-36, 4th XV prevailing 34-5, 16A 10-5, and 3rd XV 24-15, while our 2nd XV played out an exciting 33-34 match.
Exciting tries to Cooper Battiston, Alfie Wragge and Joel Austin saw them unfortunately register a 17-36 defeat in a vigorously contested 1st XV match.
Watkins Oval celebration
The 15Bs rugby fixture on Watkins Oval on Saturday featured a gathering of the extended Watkins family who now include family graduates and student members from St Pius X, Oakhill and St Stanislaus' ISA Colleges who have all played matches on the oval dedicated to their late forebears. Pierre and Julie Watkins dedicated many years to the development of St Pius X College in its early history as both staff and P&F volunteers and in many other capacities.
“May those who drink the water remember those who dug the well”.
Red Dirt Presentation to Our Lady of Dolours Social Justice group
Thank you to Red Dirt student leader Matthew Dixon of Year 10 who led younger members of our Reconciliation Action Plan: Rhys Bourke (Year 9) and Esteban Curran (Year 7) in presenting our recent initiatives including the Red Dirt Expedition and Myall Creek Massacre site student visit last June to the Our Lady of Dolours Parish Social Justice group last Thursday.
The team extended special thanks and a gift to ex-parents, Mrs Jan Hunter and Mrs Di Munich, who have provided stationery packs to support the remote indigenous communities and schools we visit including our good friends at St Ignatius' Bourke, St Patrick's Brewarrina and St Joseph's, Walgett.
Kieran Creek Landcare Group
Congratulations to Year 11 Students Will Gordon and Darcy Mills who despite our significant sporting and extracurricular commitments over the weekend, represented us at the Frenchs Forest Parish based Landcare group at St Anthony in the Field Church. Joined by many from the parish community and some students from Brigidine College, these students continued work on restoring this creek site to support plants and animals as they accumulated Eddie Rice CIP hours.
The Landcare group will meet monthly for the rest of the year. See Mr Brannan for more details and note the following invitation from their Social Justice group:
Invitation: The Letter, (A Message for our Earth) is an invitation for all as we begin September, the Season of Creation. It tells the story of a journey to Rome of leaders to discuss the encyclical letter Laudato Si' with Pope Francis. The film will be followed by a short discussion then a yummy supper of warming soup. Donation of $10 towards the supper appreciated. Friday 1 Sept, 6:30 pm - 9:00 pm. OLGC Parish Centre 9 Currie Rd Forestville. Book at www.trybooking.com/CKPA
Peace and Blessings
Anne Lanyon
Fide et Labore
Mr Sean Brannan - Assistant Principal Pastoral Care