Junior School News
- From the Junior School
- Winter Sports Photos
- Junior School Sport
- From the Junior Resource Centre
From the Junior School
FATHER’S DAY PRAYER
On Father’s Day
May the Lord bless you
And keep you
May the Lord make his face
Shine upon you
And be gracious to you
The Lord lift up his countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
TEACHING AND LEARNING
Students in 6 Green celebrated Book Week with the students having the opportunity to share their favourite books and reasons why they enjoy reading. One activity the boys completed was to choose a favourite book and create a persuasive poster to convince other people to read the book.
In Geography, Year 6 are investigating countries in the Asian region. Students were given the opportunity to research a chosen country in Asia and prepare a 7-day Itinerary for a family of four. They were given the chance to present this task using a variety of tiered assessment methods. There were so many creative, informative, and engaging presentations and the boys thoroughly enjoyed presenting their work and appreciating the work of their peers.
BOOK WEEK PARADE
Last Friday saw the return of the keenly anticipated, and much-loved Book Week Parade. Congratulations to the boys (and teachers) for the thought and effort they put into their costumes, and well done to those parents who may have spent last week putting together a last-minute costume into the wee hours!
A huge thank you to Mrs Martin for her infectious enthusiasm and for her superb organisation of the Book Week Parade. We are so lucky to have a librarian who inspires our boys to read and to ‘dream with their eyes open’. Thanks also to Mr Williams for setting up for the day and to Mr Darbin for building the incredible dream catcher that formed the centrepiece of our parade. Mr (Stephen) Cummins was able to provide a costume-specific soundtrack in real time – genius! - while Mr (Paul) Cummins was the consummate Master of Ceremonies. Thank you also to Mrs Iwatani for walking me through the rigorous judging process!
Congratulations to our overall winners, Liam, Massimo and Phoenix:
HIGH ACHIEVERS IN THE JUNIOR SCHOOL
Michael Qi – 5 Gold
Congratulations to Michael Qi from Year 5 Gold, who sat his Australian Music Examination Board Grade 4 Piano exam last week. This was Michael’s first face to face exam – all his previous exams were submitted by video. Michael achieved a High Distinction (A+). A High Distinction (A+) is the highest level you can achieve in Level 1 exams. The examiner commented that Michael had “demonstrated outstanding achievement in meeting the objectives in all sections of the examination including performance, technical fluency, and stylist insight”.
Congratulations Michael on this wonderful achievement.
Cristiano Calcarao – 5 Red
We didn’t think we could be any prouder than we were when we watched Cristiano win at the NSW Cross Country Championships, however, his stunning performance, to win by 3 seconds at the National Championships on Saturday in Adelaide, has created a wave of excitement and pride across the Junior School. More from Mr Carroll in Sport, but a huge congratulations to Cristiano – our Australian Champ!
FATHER AND SON SPORTS DAY | OXFORD FALLS
Thank you to everyone who RSVP’d to the Father and Son Sports Day at Oxford Falls tomorrow. Thursday is a highlight of our week here in the Junior School and we can’t wait to share our magnificent Oxford Falls playing grounds with our dads, uncles and grandads. A special thanks to those mums who have volunteered to help out with preparing lunch for our very special guests – you should have received an email from me last Friday – please be in touch if you need more information about the day.
TWILIGHT CONCERT
I am very much looking forward to seeing the Junior Jazz, Primary Concert, and Junior Percussion Bands, along with the Junior Chorale performing at the Year 12 Farewell Twilight Concert on Friday. Details for those who are participating:
- Boys who wish to remain at the College may do so. They will be supervised by teachers in the Performing Arts Department.
- Boys who are going home need to return to the College at 5.00 pm.
- The Concert begins at 5.30 pm and will finish at 7.00 pm.
- We respectfully ask that boys remain at the Concert for the duration of the Concert to avoid people moving in and out of the Gym during other performances. Thank you in advance for your understanding.
YEAR 5 FAMILY DAY OUT
On 21 August, Year 5 families took part in an incredible 2-hour event – The Gr8 Race. There were 60 participants making up 11 teams. Each team raced on a journey around the “globe” visiting as many countries as possible to complete a unique challenge in every country. Each team competed to complete a variety of activities to complete their passport in the quickest time possible. Teams worked together to make decisions about which country to visit and in what order, to maximise their passport.
From all reports, there was some friendly competition, lots of pizza, and a good time had by all.
SUMMER UNIFORM – TERM 4
Students return to school in Term 4 in their SUMMER UNIFORM. If you need new or additional summer uniform items (note: shorts are compulsory), please order here:
https://spxchatswood.formstack.com/forms/uniformshop
- Thursday 1 September | Father and Son Sports Day at Oxford Falls from 11.30 am
- Friday 2 September | Father’s Day Liturgy in the Gym + Breakfast
- Friday 2 September | Debating vs PLC
- Wednesday 7 September | Year 6 Chinatown Excursion
- Saturday 10 September | St Pius X Trivia Night
- Friday 16 September | Taronga Park Zoo Excursion
Wishing all the dads, grandads, and special men in our boys’ lives a very happy Father’s Day this Sunday.
Thank you for your continued support of the Junior School.
Mrs Jill Greenwood - Head of Junior School
Transition from Primary School to High School - Attention All Junior School Parents
Starting a new school year can be challenging at the best of times, but when it comes to transitioning from primary to high school a few more difficulties can come into play.
Lane Cove Council is running a free event called Small Fish, Big Pond for parents on how best to manage the transition to High School. This will be a very worthwhile and informative seminar for parents, providing them with practical suggestions and strategies on how they can support their child through this transitional period in their lives. If, as a parent you are already feeling a little anxious (and what parent isn't?) about your son starting high school, then this seminar is for you.
Please see below for registration details.
Sessions are being held on Wednesday 21 September and Thursday 13 October from 6.30 pm to 7.30 pm. Click on the following link for registration details.
www.lanecove.nsw.gov.au/events
Mrs Judy Gill - College Counsellor
Junior School Sport
Thursday Sport: Training for Basketball, Touch Football, Cricket, Softball and Tennis continues this week. Please remember to bring any additional gear you may require.
Father and Son Sports Day: On Thursday 1 September we will hold our Father and Son Sports Day at Oxford Falls. We look forward to welcoming dads, grand-dads and male relations to this fantastic wider school community event. Arrival is 11.30 am for 11.45 am start time. A BBQ lunch will follow at 1.15 pm. Students require normal PE clothes and will be active irrespective of their father’s participation.
IPSHA Athletics: Congratulations to squad of 17 who performed strongly at our IPSHA selection carnival on Monday. The squad has trained hard over the last month, resulting in some great individual and team performances across the board. The following squad members gained selection in the IPSHA team for the upcoming CIS Carnival on 20 September:
- Cristiano Calcarao: 1st in the U11 800m (2m17s) and 1st in the U11 1500m (4m44s)
- Zac Fourie: 1st in the U12 Shot Put (10.16m) and 1st in the U12 Discus (32.09m)
- Parker Ball: 4th in the U11 Long Jump (4.15m)
- Lachlan Thompson: 5th in the U10 Shot Put (7.45m)
- Snr 4 x 100m Relay Team (Patrick Butler, Matthew Castorina, Max Barnett, Ryan East): 5th place (55.85s)
Australian Cross Country Championships: Finally, it is with great pride that I share the news that Cristiano Calcarao (5 Red) travelled to the Australian Cross Country Championships on the weekend, where he took on a strong field of competitors from around Australia and won the U11 3km event. After his dominant performances at IPSHA and CIS, the Nationals was always going to require yet another level of endurance and willpower. In the biggest Cross Country race of the year, a strong Queensland opponent quickly built a solid lead over the field. Making his assignment tougher, Cristiano also had to overcome a few stumbles on the undulating course, at one point finding himself 100m behind the leader. However, in typical Calcarao style, he refused to let the obstacles blur his goal and he patiently closed in on the leader. Cristiano then employed his signature move in the final 200m, running more like a sprinter in a primal surge that saw him take the lead and cross the line in first place. Well done Cristiano!
Mr Glen Carroll - Junior School Sports Coordinator
From the SPX Football Supporters' Club
Help Needed:
We need prizes for the Trivia Night Mega Raffle. This is a major fundraiser for Clubs, including Football.
Please consider donating services, accommodation or experiences, sporting memorabilia or any other desirable goods that could be raffled off in this major fundraising auction.
If you have a favourite restaurant, café, gym, golf course or similar and would be willing to ask them to support the fundraising Trivia Night Raffle by donating goods or services, please email the SPX Football Supporters' Club and we can provide you with an official letter from the P&F, to support your enquiry.
Please direct all correspondence regarding Football Club Trivia Night Raffle Donations to the Club email footballclub@pandf.spx.nsw.edu.au
Mrs Lorna Hammond - SPX Football Supporters Club President
From the Junior Resource Centre
This week’s Highlights are:
Premier’s Reading Challenge 2022 – Celebrate Reading with Popcorn and a Movie!
A huge thank you to all the students who entered the PRC for 2022, just a quick reminder that I will be busy validating student records over the weekend and will reveal the winning classes for the PRC Party next week.
Many thanks to all for an amazing Book Week Parade.
The boys loved it, and it would never have happened without all of your participation and Support. A BIG SHOUT OUT to our Indiana Jones – Mr Cummins – Amazing!
Another big SHOUT out to Mr Andy Darbin for the amazing Dream Catcher, Mrs Bradley and Mr Cunneen for taking all the photos, Mr Cummins for the music, Mr Williams for all his help in organising the display, and to our amazing Judges.
Finally, congratulations to all the boys, their efforts were spectacular!
Competitions in the JRC Continue
Book In a Jar Competition
Winners will be announced at Friday’s Assembly.
Guess Mrs Martin Competition
Winners will be announced at Friday’s Assembly.
Name the Teacher Competition
Name the teacher behind the book! Entries close on 7 September. Pop into the library to fill in an entry form.
Book In a Jar Competition
Winners will be announced at Friday’s assembly.
Mrs Martin’s Book Trail – Iceberg by Claire Saxby and Jess Racklyeft.
CONGRATULATIONS TO ICEBERG! PICTURE BOOK OF THE YEAR 2022. ‘In the final freeze of an Antarctic winter, green tails wave across a star-full sky as if to farewell endless nights. If this world looks empty, look closer..’ a stunning, lyrical portrayal of the life cycle of an iceberg: born into spring and travelling through the seasons, before dying in a new spring. This picture book also provides an opportunity to discuss the impact of global warming and increasing temperatures on the environment of Antarctica through the handwritten note at the conclusion of the book in a gentle and sensitive way. #MrsMartinsbooktrail2022.
Mrs Elena Martin – Teacher Librarian