Junior School News
- From the Head of the Junior School
- Junior School Sport
- From the Junior Resource Centre
- Junior Chess
From the Head of the Junior School
TEACHING AND LEARNING
Year 5 have been busy writing up a storm working on narrative ‘sizzling starts’ and orientations. This Friday, they will undertake an assessment task to show how well they can engage the reader with their writing.
In Science this week, students are investigating spacesuits. The boys have researched what is needed to make an efficient spacesuit and how best to insulate it. With this knowledge, the boys will then test the best materials, or combination of materials, that could be used to create an insulated glove.
In Mathematics, Year 5 students have been busy looking at multiples and factors as well as continuing to explore addition and subtraction. The teachers have been using lots of strategies to help the boys review what they have learnt and put it into practise.
The atmosphere has been electrifying in Year 6 as they continue to explore electricity and how it flows through a circuit. Students have been having lots of fun creating and testing circuits. It might be a good chance to check in with your sons and ask what type of circuits we would find in our houses and why?
Migration continues to be the topic of conversation in HSIE while exploring push and pull factors. Classes also began to explore some of the social, economic, political, and environmental reasons for migration.
Puppets are the talk of the term in Drama. The boys have explored how puppets are made and are now going to try their hand at creating a character that could be used in a group puppet play. This will give the boys an excellent opportunity to explore ways to use their voice to develop their character.
On Monday, Mrs Williams and the Year 6 teaching team organised an exciting incursion to teach our boys about the wonders of electricity using the Advanced Lab kit from Heebie Jeebies. The boys were introduced to the basics of electricity and how to use circuit boards, and they had a blast doing so!
The boys were engaged and excited throughout the workshop, as they worked to create different circuits and learn how each component worked. They learned about the different types of circuits, such as parallel and series circuits, and the importance of each component in making the circuit work.
By the end of the session, our boys had developed a better understanding of electricity and how it works. They were able to identify different components of a circuit and create their own circuit designs, showing off their newfound knowledge.
The incursion was a great success, and our boys left with a new appreciation for the power of electricity and the possibilities of circuit boards. We hope to continue providing our students with hands-on learning experiences that not only help them develop new skills but also foster a love for learning!
MERIT AWARDS
Congratulations to those boys who received a Merit Award in Week 2.
DEBATING
It was wonderful to see our Junior School debating teams go head-to-head with our friends from Riverview last Friday. Riverview won the first debate whilst St Pius X won the second. The boys were debating the merits of television over YouTube and I was impressed with the compelling arguments from both the affirmative and negative teams. Thank you to Mr Cummins for preparing our debating students so well and for hosting such a lovely afternoon for our guests.
SATURDAY SPORT
Five great footy results at Oxford Falls on Saturday morning with the As, Bs, Cs, and Ds scoring wins over Shore whilst the 10s dominated the team from Tudor House. See Mr Ryan’s Sport Report below for more details as well as the results from Rugby and AFL.
Special mention to Josh Signor and Hamish Gibson who volunteered to play for Shore so that both teams could enjoy a challenging and exciting match. Your willingness to help out was much appreciated, and I am grateful for your sportsmanship.
Charlie Holm took his pride in St Pius X to a whole new level on Saturday – congratulations to the talented face painter who managed to capture the Pius crest so accurately!
MOTHER’S DAY LITURGY AND BREAKFAST
Thank you to everyone who has responded to our Mother’s Day Liturgy and breakfast invitation. Bookings are now closed. We look forward to welcoming you on Friday morning. As we will be gathering in the Junior School playground, which will be in use by the Junior School students until 8:45 am, could I please ask that you and your son do not arrive at the College prior to 8:45 am so that we can get the other students to classrooms before your arrival. The Liturgy will commence at 9:10 am sharp.
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
Thank you for your continued support of the Junior School
Mrs Jill Greenwood - Head of the Junior School
YEAR 6 PLAYDATE
YEAR 5 PARENTS’ NIGHT OUT
Mrs Jill Greenwood - Head of the Junior School
Junior School Sport
Thursday Sport: Winter sessions continue this week for Rugby, Football and AFL. Please continue to travel to and from school in your SPX PE uniform and bring along a change of clothes to train in.
SPX App: Please continue to consult the SPX App for the most up-to-date information on sport/fixtures.
Football
AFL
NSWPSSA AFL
Next week Leo Barnett (6 Green) and Patrick Butler (6 Gold) will represent CIS at the AFL NSWPSSA championships to be held at Bateman’s Bay from 17 to 19 May. This is a tremendous opportunity for both boys to represent the College at a significant level of competition. We wish both the best of luck and look forward to hearing about their experience on return.
CIS Rugby League
This week Harrison Surplice (6 Gold) and Matteo Borovac (6 Blue) participated in the trials for CIS Rugby League. Following a long day of competition which in the end came down to a probables vs possibles match that they were both involved in, ultimately, Harrison was rewarded with selection into the CIS team. We congratulate both Harrison and Matteo for representing the College with distinction and wish Harrison the best of luck as he competes at the next level of competition in late June in Wagga Wagga.
Cross Country
The Cross Country training sessions are continuing at Beauchamp Park this term. The sessions serve as a great opportunity for anyone hoping to increase their fitness for the upcoming Winter Sport season. Please feel more than welcome to join in.
When: Monday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings
Where: Beauchamp Park, Chatswood
Time: 7:15 am – 8:15 am
Mr Ben Ryan - Junior School Sports Coordinator
Rugby: Round 2 was exciting for the junior rugby teams. The Prep Firsts continued to impress across the rugby field with a very strong win over Trinity. Great sportsmanship was displayed as some of the boys volunteered to assist Trinity, who were short on numbers. The 11As faced The Scots College. It was a tough game, however the boys played with determination and demonstrated a vast improvement. The Rugby 7s players put on a show with 2 wins. The game against Newington was a nail biter with Xavier P scoring a try on the bell to break the deadlock and secure a win for Pius.
A reminder of compulsory after-school training at Beauchamp Oval every Wednesday from 3:15 pm - 4:30 pm for ALL Junior School rugby players.
Mr Antonio Morris - Junior School Rugby Convenor
Important Parking Reminder at Oxford Falls
I would like to remind all parents and caregivers of being respectful of our neighbours at our Oxford Falls campus.
Please ensure that you follow road and parking rules in and around Dreadnought and Spicer Roads, including parking in appropriate areas and also following advised speed limits.
Northern Beaches Council Rangers have advised that they will be patrolling the area on all Saturdays throughout the winter season and booking any illegal parking.
Mr Mark Casey - Acting Principal
SPX Rugby Club – Gala Dinner
Save the Date - Saturday, 22 July, Kirribilli Club.
6:30 pm - 11:30 pm
Rugby registered parents / carers, an email will be sent out within the next week followed by a WhatsApp group message for this event.
To assist with making the night a success, we are seeking donations. See the attached document for further information on how you can help.
Please direct any enquiries to spxrugby@gmail.com.
The Rugby Committee looks forward to welcoming you to a fun night out with your friends from the rugby community.
SPX Rugby Committee
From the Junior Resource Centre
This week’s Highlights are: Year 5 read and discussed the special storybook called, Dreaming Soldiers by Catherine Bauer and illustrated by Shane McGrath.
A powerful and moving story about true mateship. A gorgeous book that weaves tales of childhood adventures and battlefield challenges with gentle dreaming themes.
Mrs Martin’s Year 5 reading class has been reading A Great Escape by Felice Arena. A story of courage, resilience, and bravery during a time of uncertainty.
‘Set in Cold War Berlin, The Great Escape introduces readers to post-war Europe, and a city divided…. Peter’s mother and his sister are meeting his father in West Berlin. He’s busy playing with his mates in East Berlin, and then it’s too late.’
Mrs Martin’s Book Trail: How to spot a Mum written by Donna Amey Bhatt, Illustrated by Aura Lewis.
HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!
How To Spot A Mum is a tongue-in-cheek celebration of mums all around the world. The book is written in a fun format that reads like an encyclopaedia of sorts. The illustrations are colourful and soft with lots of colour. In this book you will find different mum archetypes that everyone can relate to: the outdoorsy mum, the chatty mum, the online mum, the rebel mum, just to name a few… you may even spot yourself.
#mrsmartinsbooktrail2023
Ms Elena Martin - Teacher Librarian
Junior Chess
Our chess club is going from strength to strength. All teams are AWAY this week, with the exception of Team C who will play their Round 2 game on 16 June. Please check the draw for more details. Thank you in advance to the parents transporting the teams to the away games this week.
The game of chess has been shown to promote key intellectual skills such as problem solving, logical thinking, pattern recognition and concentration. Playing chess fosters resilience by teaching children how to lose and how to win gracefully, to think ahead and foresee the consequences of their actions.
Elena Martin - Junior School Chess Convenor