Junior School News
- From the Head of the Junior School
- Junior School Sport
From the Head of the Junior School
TEACHING AND LEARNING
In Geography, Year 6 is delving into Indigenous cultures worldwide, fostering cultural understanding and appreciation. They are also coming to the end of their units exploring puberty – the boys have been undertaking Puberty Health lessons with care and sensitivity, preparing the boys for the inevitable changes ahead.
In Year 5 Science, students have been researching and presenting projects on animal adaptations, some of which are included below:
5 Blue (Alex Zhang)
The Scordion Devil is a dangerous predator that prowls around the Savannah biome. It will not mess around if challenged. This deadly hybrid lives in packs which means it doesn’t live a solitary life. Four different adaptations are factors to help it survive. This is the Scordion Devil.
5 Gold (Nicholas Belov)
The Fodark is a mammal that inhabits the grasslands of Africa, Europe and America. It lives in burrows under the ground. It does not live in the centre of the grassland due to predators. It lives near trees so if in danger it can run up the trees. It has special paws that allow it to dig burrows quickly and go through dirt. It has brown skin to blend in with the environment. They scarcely get killed by other animals.
5 Red (Massimo Guererra)
The Massisaurus has a sheep’s head, a Desert chameleon body, a blue tongue lizard’s tongue, a kangaroo’s head, two camel humps and a scorpion’s tail. This makes the Massisaurus a force to be reckoned with and will continue to rule the planet as the deadliest animal ever!
In Religious Education, 5 Gold reflected on what they love about their father, grandfather or male guardian.
Cian, Will, Tristan and Joseph created these amazing images.
FATHER’S DAY LITURGY AND FATHER & SON SPORTS DAY
This year we began our annual Father and Son Sports Day with a liturgy to celebrate the fathers in our community. Thanks to everyone who took the time (and the day off work!) to join us in the CBC at Oxford Falls. Thanks also to the St Pius X staff, headed by Mr Petrie, for making our inaugural Father’s Day liturgy such a heartfelt and memorable occasion. The liturgy was a time for reflection, gratitude, and appreciation. We honoured fathers, grandfathers, uncles, and all father figures who have had a positive impact on our lives.
Following the liturgy and morning tea, the annual Sports Day kicked off with the traditional jokes about tight hamstrings and reminders about stretching. What followed was a fantastic blend of friendly competition, serious competition, laughter, and father and son bonding.
Both the Father's Day Liturgy and Sports Day exemplify the strength and unity of the St Pius X community. They remind us of the importance of coming together to celebrate our shared values, relationships, and the simple joys in life.
Thank you all for being a part of these special celebrations, and we look forward to many more in the future.
EREA CONFERENCE
Mr Morris and I will be attending an EREA conference in Brisbane on Thursday and Friday of this week. If you have any questions or concerns, please direct them to your classroom teacher.
DATES FOR THE DIARY
- Wednesday 13 September | Year 5 Excursion to Centennial Park
- Friday 15 September | P&F Trivia Night
- Friday 22 September | Last day of Term 3
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. Please remember to bring any additional gear you may require.
Father and Son Liturgy & Sports Day:
Last Thursday at Oxford Falls provided so many dads and father figures the opportunity to connect with their son through liturgy, prayer and thanksgiving, as well as on the sporting field across a range of activities. Whilst the rain threatened for a moment, we were all blessed with mild conditions to engage in some friendly competition. Prior to the day I was reminded of some of the injuries in years gone by, so you can imagine, that with over 400 people taking part, I was very prepared for a torn hamstring, a twisted ankle, or a sore back. Thankfully, Adrienne Lowe, our First Aid Officer was kept very quiet and only issued some ice and one band aid.
Despite the seemingly unfair advantage the dads had over their boys, it was evident that in fact the boys were able to execute a much better game plan, score more points, and in most cases step, block, intercept, ace, bowl, or run around their dad. An incredibly positive and purposeful day that could only be made possible with the generosity of spirit of the staff, coaches, and volunteer mums. I look forward to next year’s event and hope to see many new and returning faces.
Summer Sports: With three more weeks of training/trials, our coaches are working hard to finalise the teams and get them ready for the summer season next term. Information for Basketball, Touch Football, Tennis, Cricket and Softball seasons will be made available before the end of Term 3. I have been very impressed with the dedication the boys have shown and many have clearly been training in the off-season. The season will officially start next term on Saturday, 14 October. Please be aware that the team your son has been selected in may change within the first round or two of Term 4.
Return of SPX uniforms: Just another reminder to return any SPX loan uniforms that your son no longer requires, including Athletics. Any outstanding uniforms will be charged on the final school fees later in the year. Thank you to those who have already returned their gear.
IPSHA Athletics Carnival
Persistence paid off for the St Pius X College Junior School Athletics Squad at the recent IPSHA Athletics Carnival Sydney Olympic Park Athletic Centre. Comparing our cohort to the same age of other boys' schools St Pius X came out with the equal highest athlete representation (8) in the IPSHA team and second only to Scots for number of individual events entered for the CIS Carnival (10). There were over 1,400 competitors from 55 schools. I am incredibly proud of all the boys who gave it their all and a huge congratulations to the 8 athletes who progressed to the CIS Athletics. These boys could not have accomplished this without the broader squad pushing them at training and in competition, together with Mr Steinman and Ms Lee, as well as the specialist coaching staff, including old boys Matt North and Dom Panozzo. Thank you also to Ronald Bendall and Maria Cimino for your specialist coaching of the boys.
Some of our athletes had an extended period waiting for their event and in between bouts of catching rays of winter sun, they occupied themselves by socialising with other schools, keeping cool, watching strong performances and of course supporting their peers. The following is a summary of the carnival based on placings overall in various events:
Whilst the juniors did not quite make the top 5 overall in their relay (they did finish 1st in their heat), it was pleasing to see the Seniors, comprising of Leo Barnett, Cristiano Calcarao, Parker Ball and Patrick Butler finish in a personal best (PB) time of 54.41s to come 3rd overall and qualify for the IPSHA team.
t
t
Cristiano Calcarao secured 1st places in both the 12 years 800m and 1500m events. There were several field eventers who secured strong placings, including Parker Ball (3rd in 12 years Long Jump), Lukas Gazey (3rd in 11 years Long Jump), Ryan Volpato (3rd in 11 years Discus), and Hunter Austin (3rd in 12 years Shot Put). Leo Barnett, like Cristiano Calcarao, will compete in three events for the IPSHA team at the CIS Carnival on 19 September.
IPSHA Athletics Representatives for CIS:
NSWPSSA Softball Championships: Next week Dominik Playle will take part as a member of the CIS Softball team, representing St Pius X at the NSWPSSA Softball Championships to be held at Woolooware from 12 September to 14 September. Remarkably, in a squad of 12 players, Dominik is only one of two2 boys selected from IPSHA schools.
Rugby Premiers: Simply making a grand final after a season of competition is difficult at the best of times. However, for both Forest Rugby teams of whom St Pius X has a large contingent within, they not only made the big dance but they won their respective games which was a massive result for the boys. Congratulations to the following, and it is great that they all play for the college too.
Hunter Austin
Liam Hincksman
Oscar Clubbe
Vinn Buckingham
Liam Ball
Parker Ball
Xavier Paixao
Liam O’Donnell
Owen Campbell
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
Cricket registration:
Please follow both the links to register for the 2023/24 season.
Please see document attached below for further registration information.
Mr David Reay - Cricket Convenor