Pastoral Care

Student Wellbeing Anecdote from the Diary

“Quality is not an act, it is a habit.”   - Aristotle

• Mental Health Month
• Year 9 Camps
• Michael Hooper and Matthew Fragiacomo represent Australia at the RWC Japan 2019

Mental Health Month

We celebrated Mental Health Month at Assembly last Monday with our Student Wellbeing Team Leaders and Prefects acknowledging that while incidence of Mental Health concerns have increased with increased efficacy and literacy in recent times: “Mental Illness is one of the most treatable, manageable and recoverable of our Health Priority Areas”.

This point was made by Matthew Johnstone, author and illustrator for the Black Dog Institute and World Health Organisation publications, including the cartoon book “I Had a Black Dog”, at the Positive Schools Symposium Sydney in early October.

The Wellbeing Prefects' Assembly Prayer 21/10/19 stated:

Daniel Fileman:   Dear God, We pray for our Year 12 students. Now that they have begun their HSC Exams, the end of the HSC is in sight, and all the hard work and practice is paying off in their written responses. May we support them by being aware of their needs, by upholding the good reputation of our school and students in public, and by living up to the example they, and 82 years of past students, have set to guide us.  Lord Hear us: Lord hear our prayer.

Will Oner:   We pray that through all our interactions we continue to make this school a safe secure and supportive environment for all members of the school community. That through mutual respect for each other, every student from Year 5 to Year 12, has the opportunity to thrive and flourish rather than just survive.  Lord Hear us: Lord hear our prayer.

Harrison Wallace:  We pray that all of us act in a way that is positive and considerate of our own self-esteem and the wellbeing and self-esteem of others around us. May we look out for other students and teachers, reach out to others in Respectful Relationships, peer refer, and have that empathetic conversation when we notice others behaviours or moods are affected by adversity.  Lord Hear us: Lord hear our prayer.

Will Chen:  We pray that the positive growth mindset promoted by our Student Leaders, our Student Empowerment Teams, in the School Diary, and by staff such as Ms Kugananthan, Mr McBrearty, Mr Russo, Ms Gill and Ms McCarthy, strengthens the capacity of our students to be resilient, positive learners, who support others through their own lives and actions.  Lord Hear us: Lord hear our prayer

Adam Greenwood:  Forgive us for the times we have been mean on purpose to others around us in the mistaken belief that we gain anything by treating others or anything unkindly, disrespectfully or with contempt.

Daniel Fileman:   We give thanks for the many great things we enjoy, such as our Year 9 Camps and Year 5 Kokoda Walkway excursion. For the examples of ex-students such as Michael Hooper who captains the Wallabies well under adversity, Jack Berte who will tour with the Australian School boys football and Matt Fragiacomo who represented the Australian Defence Force Rugby XV in Japan last week. May we follow their examples with integrity in the way we treat and lead others around us.

Blessed Edmund Rice:    “Pray For Us”   

St Pius X: “Pray For Us”

Live Jesus in our hearts:  “Forever”

Year 9 Camps

Our Pastoral Care and Wellbeing Year 9 Camps continue this week for Homerooms 4 and 1, lead by their Pastoral Care teachers Ms Waters, Mr O’Byrne, Ms Ramsay and Mr Kovacic. The Paddle Boarding and Surfing Lessons have been greatly enjoyed, followed closely by the positive education input from our Positivity Project Facilitator and great friend of the College James Cummins.

James integrates our Year 9 Camps Pastoral Care theme: Respectful Men of Honour and Action through our Gospel Spirituality theme: “Go and do likewise”. The students listened respectfully to the stories of others including Paddle boarding and Surfing Instructors, Aboriginal man and wellbeing advocate Stuart McMinn. Students sought to adopt a curious, non-judgemental, empathetic, humble, respectful and hopeful mindset.

Topics of discussion included: how our personality strengths help form our behaviours, how we can take action, locally and globally, to enhance our environment, the difference between surviving, thriving and flourishing, and what motivates people to be “mean on purpose” as opposed to looking out, advocating for, and standing with the most vulnerable in our society. 

Happy Birthday to Nathan McAdam who celebrated his Birthday on Year 9 Camp on Tuesday following on from Jaiden Speter who celebrated his last week at camp.

Michael Hooper and Matthew Fragiacomo represent Australia at the RWC Japan 2019

In the true spirit of Rugby and context of what has become a challenging and controversial World Cup for the Wallabies, we acknowledge the herculean efforts of Australian Captain Michael Hooper (SPX Class of 2009) who led his squad under difficult circumstances with distinction. Michael has now played 100 test matches for Australia - probably approaching the number of the games he played with fellow Wallaby Luke Jones in Pius teams between the 11As in Year 5 and 1st XV in Year 12.

In a similar vein, congratulations to Matthew Fragiacomo (Class of 2016) who represented an Australian Defence Force XV in a mini World Cup of Defence Force teams in Japan this month. Matthew studies and serves with the Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA) in Canberra and was selected from the Canberra Southern Zone representative team this year.

Fide et Labore

Mr Sean Brannan - Assistant Principal Pastoral Care and Wellbeing