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
In Year 5 Science, students have continued exploring the power of the sun. They built solar ovens, designed to harness the power of the sun, to try to cook marshmallows. Students learnt that the concept of a solar oven is pretty simple: they are specifically designed to absorb more energy than they release.
Meanwhile, Year 6 have been learning about the 1967 Referendum and how it took decades for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders to gain equal constitutional rights after Federation in 1901. The boys used this information to create a mind-map about how Indigenous Australians must have felt in the lead up to the Referendum and why it was so critical for the bill to be passed. The boys were then given the task of writing a persuasive letter in support of the 1967 Referendum. Some excellent written work resulted.
Both Years 5 and 6 have also been busy completing their first assessments for the year. It is important that the boys are spending some time revising for these at home. You can find the assessment schedules in the announcements on Canvas for each class.
MERIT AWARDS
Congratulations to the boys who received a Merit Award last week.
COLLEGE CAPTAIN VISIT
5 Red and 5 Gold had a very special visitor last Friday. College Captain Eamon Boyle spoke to the boys about his journey from Year 5 to Year 12 at St Pius X. He spoke about the friendships he’s made and the things he’s learnt throughout his time at the College. Eamon was kind enough to answer lots of questions from the boys before having to race off to a Biology exam! His journey is also currently on display in the Junior School hallway. Thanks for taking the time to speak to the junior students last Friday Eamon!
P&F COCKTAIL PARTY
My sincere thanks to everyone who attended the P&F Cocktail Party on Friday evening. It was a lovely to see so many familiar faces and to meet some new parents as well.
Your presence and support mean a lot to us, and we appreciate the effort you made to attend the event. It was great to have an opportunity to connect with you and we look forward to seeing you at future events and activities.
PROJECT COMPASSION
Junior School families continue to give generously to our Project Compassion fundraiser. If you are able to make a donation to our main Term 1 fundraiser, there is still time. Our funds ensure that sustainable projects are undertaken in developing countries so that others may lead more dignified lives and become liberated from their current circumstances which includes a lack of education, clean drinking water, sanitation, health care and shelter. Our funds are always gratefully received.
RUGBY TOUR TO ARMIDALE
Mr Morris, Mr Ure, Mr Ryan and I are all looking forward to spending the last weekend of the holidays watching our Junior School rugby players participate in the largest Under 12s rugby carnival held in Australia – The Armidale School (TAS) Rugby Carnival. Each year this event attracts over 1,000 young rugby enthusiasts & their coaches, along with committed families and supporters, who make the journey to Armidale. Armidale’s beautiful autumn colours provide the backdrop to the event, which utilises The Armidale School’s outstanding ovals & facilities.
KISS AND RIDE - AFTERNOON PICK UP IN KIRK STREET
St Pius X College and Our Lady of Dolours Primary School share the Kiss and Ride section at the top of Kirk Street each afternoon.
To ensure the safety of all students, please arrive at 3:05 pm to collect St Pius X Junior School students from Kirk Street.
You are not allowed to park, or remain stationary, in the Kiss and Ride section of Kirk Street so please ensure you arrive after 3:05 pm otherwise you will be required to circle out and around.
Council rangers patrol this area regularly and heavy fines are issued for non-compliance.
Thank you for your support in keeping our students safe.
LOOKING AHEAD IN THE JUNIOR SCHOOL…
Tuesday 4 April | Attending the Dress Rehearsal of The 39 Steps at the Zenith Theatre(12:45 pm – 2:45 pm)
Wednesday 5 April | Easter Liturgy,
Thursday 6 April | Last day of Term 1
Friday 21 April – Sunday 23 April | Armidale Rugby Tour
Monday 24 April | Staff Day
Tuesday 25 April | ANZAC Day
Wednesday 26 April | First day of Term 2 (Winter uniform), ANZAC Day assembly
Thank you for your ongoing support of the Junior School.
Mrs Jill Greenwood - Head of the Junior School
Year 5 Park Play
Junior School Sport
Armidale Tour
I am pleased to say that the touring party have had their jersey fit out in preparation for the tour in the last weekend of the Term 1 school holidays. There is a strong sense of excitement and anticipation as the organisers finalise draws and matches. Touring party will be announced in our final Woodchatta for Term 1.
Winter Season
Please note that the Junior School Winter Season commences with Round 1 on 29 April. The final round of competition will be Saturday 5 August. It is an expectation that all boys involved in a winter sport have the appropriate safety equipment. If you are unsure of what is required please get in touch with me at the College at bryan@stpiusx.nsw.edu.au.
I am still in need of a coach for the 12 C and D Football teams and 10 A Football team. There are a variety of home and away games over the course of the season. If you or someone you know that has a previous connection with the College would like to manage one or more of these teams then please have them reach me at the College on the email above to discuss.
Winter Sport Uniform
For both Rugby and Football (soccer), boys need to purchase their sport uniform from the Uniform Shop.
Thursday Sport
Winter sports trials for Rugby Union, Football and AFL commenced last week and will continue this week and in Week 10.
Students are to come to school in their normal PE uniform. Once at Oxford Falls, they will have the opportunity to change into winter sports gear - does not have to be Pius gear, any football/ rugby jersey is fine. With the potential for wet weather, having an extra jersey to train in is a good idea.
Please ensure that your son has the correct safety equipment organised and ready e.g. mouth guards, football boots, shin guards, etc. Students without the correct safety gear will not be able to fully participate in the trials.
CIS Football
We wish Ryan Volpato (5 Green) the best of luck this Friday as he competes at the CIS selection championships as a member of the IPSHA team.
CIS AFL
On Monday 3 April, Leo Barnett (6 Green) and Patrick Butler (6 Gold) will compete for selection at the CIS AFL trials. Both boys have demonstrated a great deal of dedication to the sport of AFL and we wish them well as they seek to gain selection in the CIS squad. We also look forward to watching them compete for the school with the other squad members of the St Pius X College AFL Primary AFL team.
IPSHA Cross-Country
There have been consistently well-attended training sessions by the Junior School squad over the last several weeks. Supported by the coaches, staff, and Senior School young men, the Cross-Country squad have developed a strong team spirit. We look forward to watching the boys compete this Saturday and look forward to providing a summary of the results in next week’s Woodchatta.
Rugby Holiday Clinic
With the Junior School Rugby season just around the corner there is a 2-day Holiday Clinic being run in the upcoming school holidays. If you are interested, please use the link below to sign up for the clinic (PLEASE DO NOT REGISTER FOR THE SEASON, just sign up to the holiday clinic only.)
https://www.trybooking.com/CFXMC
Mr Ben Ryan - Junior School Sports Coordinator
Football
Holiday Camp registrations are open; and in great news you can use your Active Kids Vouchers!
Please see the details below and register via the following link: https://coerver.com.au/courses
Please note limited transport is available and is on a first come first served basis.
From the Football Supporters' Club
Please see attached information from the football supporters' club.
Mrs Lorna Hammond - Football Supporters' Club President
From the Junior Resource Centre
The Legend of Spud Murphy by Eoin Colfer
This term Year 5 have been reading The Legend of Spud Murphy …Can the Year 5 boys survive the legendary librarian and her gas-powered spud-gun? Not only did they survive, we also have winners of the Spud Murphy drawing competition.
PRC = 12454
Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly, illustrated by Aura Freeman
We read Hidden Figures this week. It is an inspiring story of four black women who each faced prejudice, but paved their own way through education and successful careers that led them to play critical roles in the space race and developing the Apollo 11 mission. I love the unifying statement in the book about each woman, 'She was good at math. Really good'.
PRC = 582876
CBCA Shortlist 2021 announced on Tuesday 28 March.
Congratulations to all the authors and illustrators and publishers who helped bring these amazing books to life. Some awesome titles in here. Time to put my thinking cap on and program some exciting things for the boys using these books. What are your favourites? #cbcashortlist2023
Click on the link to explore the shortlist for 2023.
https://cbca.org.au/shortlist-2023
Mrs Martin’s Book Trail: The Boy and The Dog by Seishu Hase translated by Alison Watts.
Of course, I cried but truly the most beautiful story about determination and the bond between us mere humans and dogs. ‘One dog changes the life of everyone who takes him in on his journey to reunite with his first owner in this inspiring tribute to the bond between humans and dogs and the life-affirming power of connection.’
#MrsMartinsBooktrail2022
Ms Elena Martin - Teacher Librarian
Junior Chess
Thank you to all the students who attended chess training on Tuesday 28 March in the JRC. We were in the throes of a chess obsession where the boys can be found engrossed in the noble game.
See you all next Tuesday 4 April at 7:30 am in the Junior Resource Centre.
Mrs Elena Martin - Junior School Chess Convenor