Pastoral Care

From the Assistant Principal Pastoral Care

Old Boys Gala Day - Tribute to Lachlan Ridley Class of ‘17

Peer Support

Office of the eSafety Commissioner Cybersafety Forum

• Old Boys vs Students Gala Day 
• Our Lady of Dolours Parish Youth Mass
• Years 5, 6 and 8 Camps

Old Boys Gala Day - Tribute to Lachlan Ridley

Class of ‘17

The Senior Students vs Old Boys Gala day at Oxford Falls last Saturday afternoon coincided with the first anniversary of the tragic passing of Lachlan Ridley, Class of ’17, who was crushed while working on his ute. As such this was a fitting opportunity to commemorate Lachlan’s life and standing amongst his peers as a well-respected young man of great values, a magnetic personality, and great integrity amongst his close family and friends.

The Old Boys vs Students Basketball match featured a number of sibling match ups with Chris Bacic, Matt Garrett and Laurie Fleming taking on their younger brothers Erec, Jack, and Christian. While others to feature in the College team included Zac Lomas, Hamish Alexander, James Miller, Ben Montgomery, George Pickering, Max Martin, Kalani Lenehan and Berte Johnson.

The recent Old Boys V also included Anthony Maras, Brae Fuller, Jack Carr and both Tom Aposhian and Daniel Aposhian, who in a classic but relaxed match for the ages, prevailed by the narrowest of margins 66-65. The fatigue from their earlier 1st V match up with Central Coast Grammar, clearly took its toll on the students, whereas the recent Old Boys, despite being wearied by age, were able to use their experience and knowledge of the court to full effect in very close match.

In very damp conditions which no doubt put a few punters off, the Old Boys touch football team were captained by the Chris Tysoe Class of ’83, and father of current College Captain Oliver Tysoe. Purton House Captain Luke Psaila was his opposite number, leading the students including Keifer O’Brien, Will Chen and Lachlan Onslow, with Jacob Glass, Matt Brannan and Austin Cleary also of Year 10 filling in as required. In an entertaining and enjoyable match I am pleased to record that the scores were locked up at 10 all at full time.

Thank you to Mr Gibson who remained after a full day of Basketball fixtures to facilitate the basketball, and to College Captain Oliver Tysoe who refereed the match last Saturday. The Old Boys BBQ was capably managed by Old Boys Association President Jeff Clarke (Class of ’86) overseeing the Year 10 students mentioned above, and his son Hunter (Class of ’18) who is fresh from representing the College at the Opera House Encore HSC Music performance. What a talented family.

If you are able to assist Jeff with his roster of Old Boys and Parents on the Old Boys BBQ throughout the Winter Season fixtures, he would love to hear from you and can be contacted through the College office or on the St Pius X College Old Boys Association website contact email.

Please stay tuned for confirmation of details regarding the Old Boys Association upcoming AGM to which all are warmly welcomed, and to the Old Boys Annual Dinner which will be held on the second Friday in September in Chatswood. More complete details in next Woodchatta.

On a more sombre note, the College 8am Chapel Mass on Tuesday morning was dedicated to Lachlan Ridley, at which a photo story book of his Pastoral Care journey though the College was presented to his family, mother Leica and father Michael. Fittingly a group of his closest friends and family met up last Saturday at the Blue Gum and travelled to see Lachlan’s favourite musician Ziggy Alberts in concert.  Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Ridley family and friends. He is fondly remembered along with all the ex students of the College who have passed on over the 82 year history of the College.

Vale Lachlan Ridley

Peer Support

Our College’s Peer Support Pastoral care program led by our Year 11 Peer support leaders and guided by Ms Dempsey and Ms Kugananthan, was conducted during Period 2 on Monday this week. Our new Year 5 and all Year 7 students were all well engaged in a range of activities discussions and exercises designed by Peer Support Australia, or contained within our Student Diary Planners, to support their integration into the College. We certainly hope that all students can attain a state of flow and wellbeing at St Pius which facilitates their ability to thrive and achieve higher order learning. While we cannot always be at the top of our game, Peer Support is designed to provide advice, support and strategies which can get us through each day in the most positive way possible.

Office of the Commissioner for eSafety forum

The Office of the Commissioner of eSafety is recognised internationally as a world leader in pro-actively addressing contemporary issues for our students and society online, such as cyberbullying, image based abuse, and desensitising and/or behaviour maladjustment brought about by gaming, social media or online interactions generally.

As such, the St Pius X College eSafety Forum was conducted by Commissioner’s presenter Greg Gebhart and held in the gym last Tuesday. The mix of parents, carers and staff found the presentation to be timely and highly informative. The information was reassuring in both the recourse available in cases of breaches of eSafety protocols, and the values and expectations based approach, we take in educating our students in their responsible behaviours and use of technology in their learning, identity and interactions online. Online or offline, the simple values of treating everyone with dignity and respect, being accountable for your actions, and behaving in a manner of which you can be proud, are the hallmarks of what St Pius X College community is about.

For your information I attach below notes from both last Tuesday’s forum and that conducted by Julie Inman-Grant, the eSafety commissioner last November. I apologise in advance for the paucity of my shorthand.

Our Lady of Dolours Parish Youth Mass

We were well represented on Sunday evening at the 5.30pm Chatswood Parish Youth Mass where students from both Mercy and St Pius X College led the congregation in a meaningful celebration of the Eucharist and prayer. Fr Jim’s homily was at his eloquent and challenging best, while Mission and Identity Prefect David Ko ministered the Eucharist, and Wellbeing Prefect Jason Sacre explained to the congregation the ways in which St Pius X College had started the year in our Mission of Gospel Spirituality and Liberating education.

Thanks go to Parish Youth Minister Adrian Brannan for coordinating our participation in the Mass, supported by Sam Schyvens and recent Old Boy James O’Donnell. Fr Jim McKeon is enthused by the involvement of our students and invites all students of the College to come along to the equivalent Mass next month. 

Years 5, 6 and 8 Camps

Our Year 5 and 6 students attend Camp this week at Milson Island and Camp Wombaroo respectively, while our Year 8 students will head off to The Great Aussie Bush Camp at Tea gardens in Week 6. We wish all our students and staff a safe, rich and rewarding learning experience. These outdoor educational learning experiences are an important part of our Pastoral Care journey at St Pius, and offer opportunities in a challenge by choice, growth mindset context, which provide the cohort with wide shared experiences which cannot be replicated in the classroom and often result in lifelong lessons, friendships and memories.

We look forward to our students and staff articulating their tales of triumph and adversity, when they return from their adventures this week and next. 

Fide et labore

Mr Sean Brannan - Assistant Principal Pastoral Care