Pastoral Care

From the Assistant Principal Pastoral Care

• Year 12 Peer Mentors Gratitude Morning Tea
• Canteen Testimonials
• White Knight Foundation Walk Against Youth Violence
• Best wishes to Year 12
• A Big Thank You to Two Year 6 students 
• Festival of The Boot
• College Counselling Team
• Boxercise at the College for Years 5-12 every Thursday and Friday morning at 7.30am

Year 12 Peer Mentors Gratitude Morning Tea

With Mr Russo on his family reunion leave in Sicily the Junior members of his Peer Mentoring Team took the opportunity to farewell their Year 12 Graduating Mentors at morning tea today. The Peer Mentor Program partners Senior Mentors with Junior Mentees to assist their transition through the College.  The groups meet on a weekly basis at recess/ lunch, and once a term gather for a bushwalking, canoeing or rock climbing afternoon in the best interests of boys' education.

Clearly we connect better when we are working together towards a team goal and the genuine gratitude expressed by our Junior Mentees in their cards today gives evidence of the value of this MindMatters and wellbeing program.

Canteen Testimonials

The College was proud to unveil this week some Canteen initiatives encouraging healthy food choices for the growing young men of the College. Apart from nutritional information signage, which is also to be added to, the Canteen entry walls are now colourfully adorned with testimonials from two prominent Old Boys quoting their advice on the importance of healthy food choices.

One features Colonel Rodger Shanahan (Class of 1982), who is a former Australian military attache to The United Arab Emirates and now Lowy Institute Research Fellow specialising in Middle Eastern and Asian studies. Rodger is pictured in front of a Chinook helicopter in camouflage uniform on one of his visits to Afghanistan.

The other board shows Australian Rugby Union Wallaby and Waratahs Captain Michael Hooper, who recently donated his bespoke heritage round Waratah’s Jersey to the College. Michael played Rugby for the College from Year 5 to Year 12, along with his older brother Richard. He graduated in 2007, the same year as fellow Wallaby St Pius X product Luke Jones, who will return from French Bordeaux Begles Colours next year to hopefully reunite with his Super 15 Team, The Melbourne Rebels. I’d like to think their Prep 1st XV Coach had something to do with their development from 2002, but recognise that pedigree, nutrition and determination had them destined for greatness beyond our undefeated seasons together.

Either way the nutritional messages are positive and informative ones for our students and I pay due recognition to our Publications Team, particularly Ms Tracy Bradley and Ms Linda Gregor who designed the initiative, and look forward to seeing the additions of boards featuring St Pius NBL Basketball product Josh Duinker who currently plays in Japan along with another 1982 graduate Anthony “Skylab” Beasely who is the current Director of US National Radio Astronomy Observatory (from February 2012) based in Virginia, USA which directs Observatory arrays in both New Mexico and the Chilean Atacama Desert. Again a far cry from when he won a 1st Grade Premiership against St Leo's Old Boys for the Old Boys Rugby Club in 1993!

White Knight Foundation Walk Against Youth Violence

The Annual White Knight Foundation Walk took place on Sunday along the iconic Spit to Manly Harbour Bushwalk. Raising money for rehab centres and victims of senseless youth violence, Liam was proud to report on Monday that approximately 200 people registered and joined him for the 10km scramble.

As a Year 12 HSC student of St Pius X in January 2014, Liam was adversely affected by unprovoked violence when attending a classmate's 18th birthday party in Forestville. A group of party crashers, who had been turned away from the party, senselessly threw steel reinforcement poles into the crowd, striking several students including Liam who suffered a penetration to his brain. He survived miraculously through his own will to live, the love of his family and friends, prayers of countless people including his St Pius X College community, and the dedicated intervention of emergency and medical staff.

That Liam completed the walk on Sunday is testament to his endurance, powers of recovery, and the support of many who stand by him to this day. The walk featured St Pius X connections including Liam’s three brothers Todd, Shane and Kyle, while Mrs Miranda Di Ciano (nee Milostic - Mother of Alex, Julian and Matthew) and Mrs Susan Young (Mother of Daniel) also walked the distance. Working the BBQ at Manly Cove were former College Captain Billy Johnson and Athletics Coach Jack Richardson among many others.

In 2019 it is hoped that our Year 9 2018 Student MindMatters Empowerment Team (then in Year 10) will recruit a greater St Pius X College student presence to ensure Liam and The White Knight Foundation are well supported in their work well into the future.

Dates for the White Knight Foundation Annual Dinner and Walk Against Youth Violence  in 2019 will be printed in College publications as soon as they become available.

Best wishes to Year 12

As Year 12 prepare for their Graduation this week and forthcoming HSC Exams and Year 11 complete their Preliminary Course exams we wish students a safe and happy Spring holiday with their families.

A Big Thank You to Two Year 6 students 

Cameron Masters of 6 Blue and Reef Farias 6 Gold represented St Pius at Mercy Chapel Mass this morning.  Fr John enjoyed their responses and singing.

Festival of The Boot

As the Festival of the Boot culminates this weekend at the MCG on Saturday, with Mr Batchelor’s Dad's Collingwood Magpies taking on the Western Eagles, and on Sunday Mr Quilty’s Melbourne Rain facing Mr Gibson’s Chickens,  I look forward to a big SPX crowd backing up on Monday to support Mr Power's St Pius Senior Jazz Band at The Manly Jazz Festival. They play at 10am at the Harbour / Wharf end of Manly Corso on Monday 1st October.  See you there!

College Counselling Team

Term 3 Counselling:

Ms Dargan:         Week 10:  Monday 24th, Tuesday 25th and Friday 28th September

Ms Gill:                  Monday, Tuesday, Friday each week

Ms McCarthy:    Wednesday, Thursday  in Week 1

                                  Wednesday, Thursday, Friday in Week 2

Boxercise

A reminder that Boxercise is held every Thursday and Friday morning at 7.30am in the Junior School playground.  This MindMatters initiative provides friendship, fun and fitness to strengthen students’ resilience and general sense of wellbeing.  Classes are free to all students.

Fide et Labore

Mr Sean Brannan - Assistant Principal Pastoral Care