Junior School News
- From the Head of the Junior School
- Junior School Sport
- From the Junior Resource Centre
From the Head of the Junior School
“How Was Your Day?”
Someone once told me that there was no point asking boys any questions after school until they’d had something to eat. You’ve no doubt also heard that the best time to chat to boys and young men is when you’re in the car. If you’re finding that the answer to “How was your day?” is a bit lacking in detail, you might like to try some of these conversation starters instead:
What made you smile today?
Can you tell me an example of kindness you saw/showed?
What did you do that was creative?
What was the best thing that happened today?
Did you help anyone today?
Did you thank anybody today?
Who did you sit with at lunch?
Did you learn something you didn’t understand?
Who inspired you today?
Tell me something you know today that you didn’t know yesterday.
How were you brave today?
What are you looking forward to tomorrow?
If you could change one thing about your day, what would it be?
What made you feel proud?
If you switched places with your teacher tomorrow, what would you teach the class?
TEACHING AND LEARNING
Religious Education
Everyone is the Junior School has begun looking at the three pillars of Lent – Almsgiving, Fasting and Prayer. The boys have been encouraged to talk to Mum and Dad about how they might earn some money to donate to the upcoming Project Compassion appeal that runs for the 6 weeks of Lent.
Mandarin
Students in Years 5 and 6 are busy getting ready for their Chinese New Year celebrations in the Junior Sschool next week. They have been learning new songs and vocabulary as well as creating beautiful, colourful lanterns.
Year 5 English - Writing
Year 5 have been busy learning how to use persuasive language – watch out parents, they have been coming up with some great sentences to try and persuade you to let them do things. One Year 5 student was even willing to wash the dishes for a year if his parents let him go to the movies with his friends!
Year 6 Science
Year 6 have begun to explore the applied forces of push and pull in preparation for some exciting hands-on activities that will give the boys a better understanding of how the application of friction affects the movement of objects.
Year 6 History/English - Writing
“How and why did Australia become a Nation” is the Term 1 topic for Year 6 and the context for our Canberra trip. Students have been exploring arguments for and against Federation. This aligns neatly with our Writing unit where students are working on building their persuasive writing skills.
Last Friday, the Federal Member for Bradfield, The Honourable Paul Fletcher visited with the Year 6 students and explained the two-party system of government in Australia. Mr Fletcher participated in a Q&A session with the boys, provided insights into the workings of government and answered questions about policies and legislation. The visit was an excellent opportunity for students to learn more about the political process in advance of our trip to Canberra.
Mathematics
In the Junior School, we are working towards ensuring alignment between what our students do in Stage 3 Mathematics and what they are expected to do when they reach Stage 4 – particularly Year 7. We enjoyed a presentation by Senior School Mathematics teacher, Mr Reay on Monday evening where he explained some of the simple ways in which we can work together across the Stages to make the transition to Year 7 Mathematics more seamless.
CLASS CAPTAINS
Congratulations to Tristan Turri (5 Gold), Beau King (5 Blue) and Levi Azar (5 Red), Charlie Wilcox (6 Red), James Pratt (6 Blue), Ethan Scroope (6 Gold) and Leo Barnett (6 Green) who were elected to the role of Class Captain by their peers and presented with their Class Captain badges last week. These boys will enjoy the benefits, and responsibilities of captaincy for the duration of Term 1.
Yesterday, the Class Captains and I met for morning tea in the College Boardroom to discuss the boys’ thoughts on what is working well and what could be improved in the Junior School. I have tasked the boys with coming up with solutions to some of the challenges they raised.
Well done boys for making a significant impression on your classmates in such a short period of time.
COLOUR HOUSE CAPTAINS AND VICE CAPTAINS
Congratulations to Colour House Captains and Vice Captains who were presented with their badges on a special assembly on Monday. They were put straight to work hosting Tuesday afternoon’s War Cry practise in readiness for today’s swimming carnival:
RICE Captain: Matteo Borovac
Vice-Captain: Alex Horton
PURTON Captain: Jack Munro
Vice-Captain: Oliver Pile
BARRON Captain: Matthew Higgins
Vice-Captain: Bowen Nicey
TREACY Captain: Cristiano Calcarao
Vice-Captain: Stratis Psarros
YEAR 5 CAMP TO MILSON ISLAND
Preparations continue in the lead up to our much-anticipated Year 5 Camp to Milson Island. Mrs Iwatani has started to allocate rooms and to organise the boys into activity teams. Further details will be provided in early March.
YEAR 6 EXCURSION TO CANBERRA
Thank you to everyone for registering for the Year 6 excursion to Canberra. The itinerary and details on what to bring will be sent home in early March.
THURSDAY SPORT
Our time together at Oxford Falls on Thursdays is a unique opportunity to meet new friends, and to reap the benefits that only come during relaxed play, and team sport.
UNIFORM
The boys are doing a fantastic job of arriving at school with their shirts tucked in, ties on, and socks pulled up. It is clear to see that they are taking great pride in the St Pius X uniform.
Thank you to those parents who have purchased white socks that cover the ankle for sport days. Please ensure your son is not wearing the low-cut socks (anklets) that barely peak out of the top of his sports shoes.
We sincerely appreciate your support of the College’s uniform regulations.
SATURDAY SPORT
Is there a more glorious sight than walking up the ramp to be greeted by Chaplin Oval glistening with dew at the crack of dawn on a Saturday morning? I don’t think so! I was thrilled to be able to showcase our magnificent Oxford Falls to a number of our visiting families on Saturday – they were very impressed by our facilities, and we certainly never take them for granted.
My thanks to Mr Ryan and the team of coaches and teachers who worked so hard over the three trial dates to sort the boys into the wide variety of teams we offer. Saturday ran like clockwork and for that I again thank Mr Ryan for his efforts.
We had a range of wins and losses over the weekend, but, as they had been asked to do by Mr Ryan on Friday, everyone played in the Pius spirit where we win humbly and lose gracefully. Thank you to Felix’s dad, James, for taking the time to send in this email after the weekend:
My son, Felix, plays in the E basketball team & loved his first game this morning (which they won!).
I thought you might like to know that at the end of the game one of the referees came over to our team & coach to say we were the most well-mannered team she’s ever refereed. She said she was a primary school teacher & knows how hard it is to control kids’ behaviour and the St Pius team were a credit to the school.
I’ve never heard a referee say that before, so credit to the school & the team.
At our whole school assembly on Monday we were able to recognise and congratulate the E basketball team for their efforts. We are so proud of you boys: Hunter Austin, Levi Azar, Dean Bacic, Hunter Clark, Luca Hellmich, Felix Keeler, Darcy Manning-O’Donnell, Christian Sorrentino, Alexander Troughton, and Lachlan Thompson.
“GETTING TO KNOW YOU” MEETINGS
Teachers in the Junior School have enjoyed getting to know your sons over the last few weeks. On Monday or Tuesday of next week, you are invited to meet with your son’s teacher (online) to pass on any information you feel is important to know to assist us to best support your son and his learning. These meetings will go for 8 minutes and are different from the Parent/Teacher meetings towards the end of Semester 1 where you will get feedback related to your son’s academic progress.
Details of how to make a booking were emailed on Tuesday.
Bookings are made using the following link and event code:
Link: https://www.schoolinterviews.com.au/code?code=9bk2d
Event Code: 87u2y
Bookings for meetings will remain open until Sunday 19 February at 12.00 pm.
If you haven’t received an email explaining how to book, please contact
lsutton@stpiusx.nsw.edu.au or your classroom teacher.
MATHS DROP-IN AND HOMEWORK HELP | FRIDAYS 8.00 am – 8.40 am
Mrs Fileman’s Maths Drop-In and Homework Help is available every Friday opens this Friday in the Learning Support and Enrichment Room in the Junior School. Encourage your son to come along if he would like some extra help with any mathematical concepts, topics, or homework.
BOXERCISE
Apologies for the confusion regarding the start time for Boxercise – it did kick off last week and will be held every Thursday from 7.30 am. As our boys are already in their sports uniforms, it’s a perfect way to start their day. All equipment is supplied – just turn up!
DATES FOR THE DIARY
WEEK 4
Monday 20 February: Get to Know You Meetings (Day 1)
Tuesday 21 February: Get to Know you Meetings (Day 2)
Commencement Mass (Oxford Falls)
Cyberbullying Presentation (Gym at Chatswood campus)
Wednesday 22 February: Ash Wednesday Liturgy
Thursday 23 February: Chinese New Year Assembly
Cross Country (Oxford Falls)
Friday 24 February: Year 5 Reflection Day (Oxford Falls)
Saturday 25 February: P&F Commencement Mass and Social (5.30 pm OLD Church)
CLASS PARENTS
Thank you to those parents who have volunteered to be a Class Parent. If you are still interested, please email the Class Parent Coordinator, Rachel Mensforth at: rlmensforth@gmail.com.
Thank you for your ongoing support of the Junior School.
Mrs Jill Greenwood - Head of the Junior School
Junior School Sport
Thursday Sport:
SPX App
If you haven’t already, please download and familiarise yourself with the SPX App. All Wet Weather announcements, updated fixtures and squad lists are conveniently found on this app.
Swimming Carnival
Our House Carnival took place, today, 15 February at Macquarie University Aquatic Centre and parental support and assistance was greatly appreciated. A breakdown of the day will be included in next week’s Woodchatta.
IPSHA & CIS Trial and Representative Sport
Well done to Alastair Fernandes and James Sykes who attended the CIS Cricket trials earlier this week. An update on their progress will be forthcoming. Cristiano Calcarao and Maxwell (Max) Sunjaya will be trialling for the IPSHA Basketball selections on Monday 20 February, and we wish Lachlan Yu and Lucas Korth the best of luck with IPSHA Tennis trials on Friday 17 February. Congratulations to Hamish Cameron who competed in the Manly Junior NSW State Championships last weekend securing a 1st in the Overall Handicap. From here he will be sailing the Flying 11s at the NSW State Championships in St George this weekend. We wish these boys and all boys participating for the school in sport the very best.
The Armidale School Rugby Carnival (TASRC) 2022
The Armidale School Rugby Carnival is open to Year 6 students. It is a fantastic opportunity to be a part of up to 45 teams competing across various divisions. The dates of this tour are, departing Sydney Friday 21 April, returning on the afternoon of Sunday 23 April. Further information will be distributed within the fortnight.
Swimming Squad Training 2022
Meet at 7.10 am at Fitness First, Chatswood (24 Endeavour St, Chatswood)
Requirements:
- Suitable swimwear, goggles and swim cap
- Students wear PE/ Pius Sports Uniform to the sessions. At 8.15am the boys are walked back to school by staff. They then change into school uniform.
Cross-Country Training:
When: Monday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings. Join our coaches Matthew North and Dominic Panozzo for fun, varied and challenging sessions.
Where: Beauchamp Park, Chatswood
Time: 7.15 am – 8.15 am
Who: All Senior and Junior School students in Yrs 5 - 12
Meet at the Beauchamp Oval Grandstand in comfortable running gear and with a water bottle. Bring your school uniform to change into afterwards back at The College.
With our Junior School Cross Country coming up (23 February at Oxford Falls) these sessions serve as a good opportunity to build up endurance. However, you don’t have to aspire to run in the IPSHA Carnival - all students and abilities are welcome.
To sign up for this training you can either turn up on the day or email Mrs Lee at llee@stpiusx.nsw.edu.au.
Basketball:
Touch Football:
Softball:
Thursday Sport:
Mr Ben Ryan - Junior School Sports Coordinator
NSTA Tennis
It was so exciting to see one of our biggest groups yet, 88 boys to be exact, start the Term 1 Summer NSTA Tennis competition this weekend. It was also so great to see all the boys representing the College so well in their full tennis uniforms.
The 8.00 am games started with a bang! All boys were enthusiastic and ready to play. It was great to see 16 new Junior School boys play their first games for the College. The presence of the senior boys as mentors and umpires was also fantastic. These boys did an amazing job and I would like to say a big thanks to them for their help: Lucas Halim, Izaac Tan, Lucas Youngman and Aiden Seifert.
In the 10.00 am games, as always, we saw some amazing shots, grit and excellent sportsmanship all round. We had some very great matches played, Lachlan Yu and Lucas Korth, two Junior School boys worked hard to beat Redlands 13 for a 2-1 win. Sebastian Blane, Orlando Domenici and Aiden Dominguez blitzed their matches.
Please make sure that you check the following website to check that your scores have been entered correctly as well as the draw for next week:
https://www.xpointsports.com/region/325/currentEvents.
Mrs Sam Iwatani - NSTA Convenor
Rugby Registration NOW OPEN
All Year 5-12 students wishing to play rugby are required to be registered to be included in a team, allowing the school rugby administrators & coaches to best prepare for the coming season, plus allow your P&F Rugby Club to best support and communicate with you! There are no trials or grading days, all students of different shapes, sizes and abilities can find a home within the SPX Rugby Program.
You have two options when registering:
- 2023 Rugby Season Registration + Two Day April School Holiday Clinic: $280 (cost includes season registration & access to rugby specific physio during the season + specialist coaching, transport and lunch at the April Holiday clinic held on 19 and 20 April 2023).
- 2023 Rugby Season Registration Only: $180 (cost includes season registration & access to rugby specific physio during the season)
Please note: The third option seen in the trybooking link for the Holiday Clinic Only is for Junior School students.
To register simply follow the trybooking link below: https://www.trybooking.com/1017694
Term 1 Rugby Dates for the Diary:
- Thursday 14 March – Rugby Training Commences at Oxford Falls for all students Year 7-12
- Friday 24 March – Sunday 26 March - Opens Rugby Camp and TRIAL VS CCGS – Central Coast.
- Saturday 1 April – SPX vs ST ALOYISIUS –HOME- TBC
- Wednesday 19 & Thursday 20 - April School Holiday Clinic – Oxford Falls – TRYTIME RUGBY
Mr Martin Gillogly - Rugby Convenor
Rugby Club 2023 Golf Day
For Bookings please use the QR Code attached or go to:
Contact St Pius X Rugby Supporters' Committee:
From the Junior Resource Centre
There was lots of love in the library yesterday as we celebrated library Lovers’ Day.
Students need school libraries for many reasons:
- A qualified teacher librarian, a specialist teacher dedicated to developing a lifelong love of reading and learning.
- Learning how to access information and use information from a variety of sources.
- Developing digital literacy skills.
- Space for developing interests and hobbies.
- A safe social space engaging in games, books and shared reading.
Why do you love your library?
“Only You / Can make the world seem right
Only you / Can make the darkness bright…”
- #LibraryLoversDay#LibraryLoveStories
Mrs Martin’s Book Trail: Love in the Library by Maggie Tokuda-Hall
This stunning picture book is inspired by the author’s grandparents’ lives and follows two young Japanese Americans who fall in love while they are wrongfully imprisoned at the Minidoka incarceration camp. Half history lesson and half love story, this beautiful book is an absolute must for bookshelves everywhere. Love in the Library reminds us that we can find a miracle anywhere – including in ourselves.
#MrsMartinsBooktrail2023
Ms Elena Martin - Teacher Librarian
Junior Chess
The NSW Junior Chess Competition is pleased to invite the SPX Junior School to take part in the 2023 Primary Schools Chess Teams Competition.
WHY CHESS? There are tremendous benefits for children involved in the competition – new outlook, new friends, intellectual stimulation, improved concentration, a new reason to develop self-esteem. Registration closes Monday 27 February 2023. Attached is a Chess Newsletter with all the relevant information if your son is interested, please complete the form, detach and hand it to Mrs Martin by Week 4, Monday 27 February. Training begins Week 8, Tuesday 21 March at 7.30 am in the Junior Resource Centre.
Mrs Elena Martin - Junior School Chess Convenor