Pastoral Care
- Founder's Day
- Buddies Beachwalk
- St Mary's Bowraville Mini-Immersion
- Year 10 Peer Support Training
- Visit from Br Francis ToLiman
- Year 11 Character Strength Awards
Founder's Day
Founder's Day 2022 was a great event, enjoyed by the entire school community. We were pleased to have the opportunity to farewell Mr Phil Glendenning OAM, founding leader of the Edmund Rice Centre, President of the Refugee Council of Australia, tireless worker for Social Justice worldwide, and an inspiration to St Pius X College over so many years of service including addressing Mr Pawlak’s Year 10 and Ms Lindley’s 2018 Drama “Boy Overboard” cast with Zaki Hadari.
Buddies Beachwalk
After Founder's Day, it was a great afternoon to celebrate and conduct our Peer Mentoring Program’s annual Buddies Beachwalk.
Under the leadership of Mr Russo and accompanied by Mrs Williams, Mr Stollery and Mr Ticli our Year 11 Mentors and their Year 5, 6 and 7 mentees walked from Long Reef to Dee Why SLSC before a swim between the flags and spirited games of Touch Footy and Soccer and afternoon tea on the sand.
What a great way to close out a huge day for the College and we thank the Year 11 Mentors including: Julius Mirabello, Liam Thomson, Daniel Galati, Sean Balagi, Zac Hollinger, Noah Elms, Pat Frost, Ethan Li and Spencer Anderson for championing this program and initiative.
St Mary’s Bowraville Mini Immersion and Christmas Giving Deliveries
After a kind invitation from St Mary’s Bowraville Principal Nadine Slingsby to attend their Graduation Mass at 9.00 am on Tuesday 13 December, our representative “Giving Group” will now depart St Pius on the afternoon of Monday 12 December with Mr Stollery, Mr Russo and myself.
We will enjoy an afternoon on Country with Gumbayngirr Aboriginal Education Officer and SPX 1st XV July 2022 Reconciliation Rugby Tour Cultural Leader Mark Smith at Scott’s Head, and fishing on the Nambucca River, before hosting the St Mary’s Staff to dinner.
On Wednesday 14 we will join St Mary's Primary School for lessons and sport and have the opportunity to listen to elders and research the Manusu local family who lost two brothers KIA on the Kokoda Track in WWII.
Please contact Mr Brannan with any questions. More information will be forthcoming to participants' parents with a Trybooking link.
This initiative consolidates the work being done in bringing our Christmas Giving programs to fruition across the College as men for others in the Edmund Rice Tradition of our Touchstones of Gospel Spirituality in the example of Jesus, Liberating others through shared Education, Justice and Solidarity with and for the marginalised, and the enhancement of an Inclusive Community.
We also build upon the great work of our Year 10 Immersion student leaders at St Mary’s, St Joseph’s Walgett, St Gabriel's Castle Hill, St Edmund's Wahroonga and the Central Coast.
Year 10 Peer Support Training
All Year 10 students will be working with Mr James Cummins of The Positivity Project, on Monday 5 December at Oxford Falls to complete their Peer Support Training. James Cummins is an Exercise Physiologist and Positive Education specialist who brings a wealth of knowledge and experience of our charism to developing the sense of story, identity, and growth of our students and school as they learn and train to begin their leadership of this important program across the College. This is an important day for those students transitioning to Year 11 studies.
Visit from Br Francis ToLiman CFC
The College was privileged to host Br Francis ToLiman CFC on Monday when he was introduced to the students at Assembly and spoke with Mr de Silva’s Year 9 Science class and then Year 5 and 6 students. Br Francis is a young Christian Brother originally from an Edmund Rice School, St Mary’s Vunakanau, near Rabaul on the Island of New Britain.
Br Francis is in Sydney to attend an Edmund Rice Pacific Social Justice Conference at Mulgoa later this week and was very happy to teach the students about his country, his work, and renew the close connection between St Pius X College and Callan Services PNG.
In the wake of Founder's Day, where a proportion of our fundraising goes to support Callan Disability Education Services in New Guinea, our students enjoyed learning about Papua New Guinea, the Kokoda Track, and Edmund Rice Disability Education.
Year 11 Character Strength Awards
This week Year 11 held their final Form meeting of the year before classes conclude and 54 students head off on the well worn 50 year old rite of passage which is the 100km Snowy Hike from Round Mountain to Thredbo.
It was great to recognise some students whose leadership is often largely unheralded across different areas of the school with character strength awards and books from pastoral care staff including those students in the photo below
Cooper Gillard, Declan Fitzgerald, Liam Thomson, Luke Sarkissian, Will Pavely, Max Holmes, Ethan Boulos, Zavier Domenici, Jack Lonergan, Laurence Kisten, Xander Buckingham, Ben Woollard, Cavan Ryan, Luke Sissons, Andre Mury, Aidan Parsons, Johnathan Webster, Josh Bewley, and Darcy Keenlyside.
As we all strive to bring the school year to a positive conclusion and celebrate the enormous and unparalleled contribution of Mr Couani over the past twelve years, over the coming week, I remind all of our students of their responsibilities as respectful young men of integrity and “men for others”, to look after one another and their families by helping out and doing the “little things” right to stay safe and strong over the Holy and festive seasons and holidays.
Year 12 2022 and connections are reminded of the get together at the HSC ATAR results BBQ from 11.00 am on Thursday 15 December in the Junior School yard where it all began in your Pius journey 8 years ago!
Wishing you all a safe and Happy Christmas and rejuvenative Summer Holiday break before we return bigger and stronger on 30 January 2023 for another year of wellbeing, learning, growth and fun.
Fide et Labore
Mr Sean Brannan - Assistant Principal, Pastoral Care and Wellbeing