Student & Parent Matters
Year 5 Kokoda Walkway Excursion
- Years 5 to 10 End of Year Academic Reports
- Leading with Integrity Forum
- Year 9 Christmas Hamper Appeal
- Year 7 Christmas Giving Tree
- From the Head of Student Services: Year 5 Kokoda Walkway Excursion
- Class of 1997 Reunion
- Year 9 Christmas Hamper Appeal
- Year 7 Christmas Giving Tree
- General Notices: Holiday Programs
Years 5 to 10 End of Year Academic Reports
Teachers are now well in the process of finalising grades for the End of Year Academic Reports for students in Years 5 to 10. Evidence of students' learning has been collated and used to determine levels of achievement.
As stipulated by NESA a standards-referenced approach is used for assessing and determining student achievement in Years 5 through to 11. In standards-referenced assessment the achievements of a student are reported using the A to E Common Grade Scale which will appear on the End of Year Academic Report.
Years 5 to 10 Reports will be available on the Parent Portal on Tuesday 5th December in the later stages of the day.
Please take the opportunity to check your access to the Portal by using the link on the College webpage. If you do have difficulties, in the first instance please use the 'forgot password' facility.
When you log onto your Portal page please click the blue ‘More’ icon which appears next to your son’s photo. This will take you to the page containing his report.
If problems persist please email Ms Leonie Millar lmillar@stpiusx.nsw.edu.au
Mr A Damo - Deputy Principal Teaching & Learning
Leading with Integrity Forum
Oxford Falls Campus 27th November 2017
The Year 9 Student Empowerment Team for 2017 coordinated a successful forum on Leadership for Years 7 and 8. The day included MindMatters activities in groups of 12 led by three Year 9 leaders. The middle of the day encompassed three insightful presentations by well-respected leaders in their own right. The Years 7, 8 and 9 students were given insight into leadership by the following presenters.
Greg Growden, father of Angus Growden Year 11, was for more than three decades a senior sportswriter for The Sydney Morning Herald. Raised on a rice farm in the Riverina and after playing representative sport with the sons of notorious Griffith Mafia identities, Greg joined the SMH from school on the day of the Hilton Hotel bombing in 1978. He then spent many summers sitting next to Bill O’Reilly covering Sheffield Shield and Test cricket for the SMH, before becoming the newspaper’s chief rugby union writer in 1986 .
He was the SMH and Sun-Herald’s chief rugby union correspondent between 1987 and 2012, covering hundreds of Test matches, more than 20 Wallaby tours and every World Cup tournament. He is one of only three international rugby writers to have covered all eight Rugby World Cup tournaments.
He left the SMH in late 2012 to become the Australian rugby correspondent for the ESPN network including espn.com.au and scrum.com. He is now ESPN Australia’s Columnist at Large, writing on numerous sports.
He has written 14 books including ‘A Wayward Genius’, a biography of Australian Test cricketer Leslie ‘Chuck’ Fleetwood-Smith, rated by renowned British writer Frank Keating as among the 100 best sporting books of the 20th century. His rugby titles include: ‘With the Wallabies,’ ‘Inside the Wallabies,’ and ‘Rugby Union for Dummies.’ His most recent book was writing with Test cricketer Brad Hogg,‘The Wrong ‘Un.”
Greg still believes his greatest claim to fame was having the main race at a Wentworth Park greyhound meeting named after him and on the night of the race, after presenting the trophy, being kicked out of the Chairman’s function room as he and his guests were too rowdy. This was well before the NSW Government attempted to ban greyhound racing but that night may have been a contributing factor.
Dr John Honnor is the youngest son of Ralph Honner, who was the commander of the 39th Battalion in New Guinea, especially on the Kokoda track. Dr Honner attended a Catholic School in Sydney where at different times he was captain of debating, rugby and cricket teams. He has been a school teacher, a university teacher and is an expert in modern physics.
Our school is an Edmund Rice school and Dr Honner is one of the leaders of Edmund Rice Education Australia which includes over fifty schools across Australia.
Stuart Maclaine attended SPX between 2007 and 2012. He was the School Captain in 2012 which was the 75th Year of operations for SPX. He has studied Chemical Engineering and Arts at UNSW since 2013. He is now completing an Honours thesis on the risk management of legionella species in water filtration (this is the shortened title).
In his time at UNSW he has been the President of the Chemical Engineering Society and Treasurer of both the Exotic Beer Society and the NSW Uni Theatrical Society. Stuart has worked part time in several different research and development engineering roles whilst studying at Era Polymers, James Hardie and the Water Corporation of Western Australia.
Stuart is currently working as the Deputy Dean of the UNSW Colleges, a role he has held since mid-2016. This is mainly an administrative and pastoral care role focused on building a diverse community of young people within the UNSW community. Stuart is also a member of the UNSW Equity, Diversity and Inclusion board.
After lunch the Year 9 students ran a gratitude session, highlighting the benefits of being thankful on their journey of becoming young men. The day began and ended with prayers from Year 9 focusing on leadership qualities.
A big thank you to the staff involved in the day: Ms Felicity Whelan, Mr Greg Virgona, Mr Rick Russo, Mr Joe Lynch, Ms Veronica Kugananthan and Ms Diane Rogers.
The Year 9 Student Empowerment Team did a marvellous job with coordination of the day. Feedback was highly positive regarding the guest speakers and MindMatters Activities.
Ms AFoord - Well-Being Coordinator Stage 5
From the Head of Student Services
Year 5 Kokoda Walkway Excursion
Well done to Jacob Glass, Oliver Fitzroy, Alex Hart, Monte Tanfield and Oliver Clark of Year 8 who led groups at the Year 5 Kokoda Memorial Walkway Excursion at Concord last Wednesday. The team received high praise from the ex-serviceman and veterans (many of whom are in their 90s) for the way in which they conducted themselves at the ceremonial wreath laying, the tour of the Kokoda campaign exhibits and at the Rose Garden of Remembrance. The Year 5 students along with Mr Long, Mr Carroll and Mrs Williams were greatly appreciative of their efforts.
Students will now research the service history of a veteran of their choice and present to their class and the best presentations will be submitted to Chatswood RSL who sponsored the excursion. Many of the Students have already expressed interest in the 2018 biannual SPX Kokoda Expedition. See Mr de Silva or Mr Brannan for more details.
Mr S Brannan - Head of Student Services
Class of 1997 Reunion
Last Saturday 25th November ex-students from the 1997 cohort met in Chatswood to celebrate their reunion. The group came across to the College and Mr Steve Quilty, who joined SPX as a teacher that same year, gave them a short tour of the school. They were very pleased to see their alma mata and how it had changed.
Mr S Quilty - Commerce/Economics/Business/Geography Coordinator
Year 9 Christmas Hamper Appeal
Dear Parents and Carers,
It is time again to think of others for our St Pius X College Christmas Hamper Appeal. This year students are asked to bring in quality Christmas foodstuffs to make Christmas hampers for needy families in our communities. Our Year 9 students will then help to pack and distribute these gifts to spread some joy this Christmas.
As such we are asking for your help in helping those less fortunate in our communities. We are asking for quality non-perishable food items that you would expect to see on your Christmas dinner table. We are also asking that the boys themselves, if possible, raid their own savings to buy these gifts - so they feel like they are actually contributing. Please ask your child to get involved or provide him with the necessary goods so he can bring these in to his homeroom teacher. Alternatively they can leave them in the foyer as they enter the school.
This is a small way in which we can help to teach the boys to have a sense of social justice – actions speak louder than words and we truly hope every student will contribute. We pray that all families may know the hope and joy which is what the season of Advent and Christmas is all about.
With thanks,
Mr P Ticli - Year 9 Co-ordinator
Year 7 Christmas Giving Tree
Dear Parents and Carers
Year 7 students have the special responsibility each year to run our St Pius X Christmas Giving Tree Charity event. Every year ALL students, from Years 5-11 are asked to bring in Christmas gifts for our Giving Tree. In the spirit of Christmas giving these gifts are taken to underprivileged communities at Bowraville and Walgett and given to indigenous children.
As such we are asking for your help in helping those less fortunate in our communities. We truly hope every student will contribute. We are asking for:
- wrapped gifts, labelled for a Boy or Girl
- and indicating the age group: 5-7; 8-10; 11-13
We are also asking that if possible the boys use some of their own savings to buy these gifts so they have the feeling of personally contributing to this cause.
We pray that our young indigenous brothers and sisters may know the hope and joy, which is what this season of Advent and Christmas is all about.
Mr S Yue - Year 7 Coordinator
General Notices
