Department News

• English
• Languages
• Performing Arts
• Science 

English

CAS Success - Caelan Hearne

The English faculty is often concerned if those amongst us actually understand the scale of this assessment program and the strength of knowledge a successful student achieves when presented with a certificate.

The International Competitions and Assessments for Schools (ICAS) is an independent, skills-based assessment program which recognises and rewards student achievement.

Congratulations to Caelan Hearne from Year 9 who achieved a high Distinction when he participated in the 2017 International Writing and Assessment Competition run by University of NSW Global in mid-June. This places Caelan in the top 1% of Year 9 participants within Australia.

This was a massive competition conducted throughout twenty countries globally. There were over one million candidates participating in this challenging event.

The skills and understanding that were tested are important indicators of successful communication in our College and are a real statement about the student’s approach to learning

The English Faculty and indeed all of St Pius X College are extremely proud of Caelan and his wonderful achievement.

Mr D Webster - English Coordinator

Languages

2017 China Tour Recap – by Daniel Scipioni Year 10 Chinese

During the Term 3 holidays, students in Years 9-11 studying Mandarin at the College were given the opportunity to be part of the 2017 China Tour. This was a fantastic opportunity to apply what we have learnt in class as well as to improve our speaking, listening and reading skills in a dynamic learning environment.

Obvious highlights of the tour include: visiting the Great Wall in Beijing, seeing the Terracotta Warriors in Xi’an, as well as visiting the World Financial Centre in Shanghai – where we were able to take in breathtaking panoramic views of China’s largest city from the 100th floor observatory.

Other highlights of the tour include: the karaoke on the bus, Mr Blake’s early morning wake-up calls, as well as visiting the Wangfujing and Muslim Markets. Not only was visiting the markets great fun, but it also really pushed our ability to communicate in Chinese. With our proficiency in speaking Mandarin, combined with Mr Blake’s great bargaining tactics, we were able to secure some great deals, including the Beats Headphones, which we were able to purchase in Shanghai for just 50 Yuan!

I would sincerely like to thank Mrs Manga for all the time and effort that she devoted into organising and planning the tour, as well as for going above and beyond to ensure that it was an enjoyable experience for all. I would also like to extend my appreciation to Mr Blake and Ms Ho who gave up their holidays to accompany us on the tour, as well as Mr Couani for supporting this fantastic initiative.

Overall the SPX China Tour was a wonderful learning experience that has certainly inspired me to continue pursuing my interest in Chinese. I cannot begin to express how grateful I am to have been able to be part of such a successful immersion experience!

2017 China Tour - by Joshua Foley, Year 10 Chinese

“The China tour was an amazing trip as it expanded my knowledge of the Chinese culture, language and architecture. The best part of the China trip was the visit to the Great Wall of China. It was an amazing experience to see how the people made that massive, long stretch of wall without the advanced technology and machinery that we have today in the 21st century. The Great Wall was one of my China Tour highlights because of the amazing view from the top of the wall.

Another amazing place that we visited was Tiananmen Square in Beijing. It was incredible to see how many people the square could hold. We visited during the preparations for National Day, October 1st, so the square was decorated with beautiful floral displays and the national colours, red and gold. Having learned about the history of the Tiananmen Square incident made it all the more special to have visited it in real life.”

Performing Arts  

FOUNDER’S DAY FESTIVAL

What a great  day! My congratulations to all who performed on Friday during the afternoon talent show. It was wonderful to see such a mix of acts featuring both Junior and Senior School students. Sincere thanks those that helped out backstage Mr Adrian Brannan, Hunter Clarke, Phillip Cullen, Lachlan Chue, Liaam Rao, and Harry Pfeiffer (Year 11) as well as Mr Cummins, Jaxson Lee-Warner, Lachlan Donlevy and Finlay McLay (Year 10) who took care of sound requirements and Sam Smith (Year 10) who was responsible for the lighting.

CHRISTMAS TWILGHT CONCERT

Our last Concert for the year is THIS Friday 1st December commencing at 5.00pm in the Junior School yard (or the College Gym if it rains). The following ensembles will be performing; Junior, Intermediate and Senior Concert and Jazz Bands, Intermediate and Senior Percussion Ensembles, Junior and Senior Choir, Vocal Ensemble, Senior String Ensemble, College Orchestra and Junior Drama Ensemble. Parking will be available in the College yard and it is anticipated that the Concert will conclude between 7.15 – 7.30pm. There will be the usual barbeque run by the Performing Arts Parents Association and also a raffle, where first and second prizes are Christmas hampers and third a gift voucher. We look forward to seeing many of you there!

AUDITION RESULTS

The parents of all new enrolment and current students who auditioned for places in the Co-curricular Music Ensemble program at the College will be notified by email of the results in the week beginning 11th December.

AMEB RESULTS

Congratulations to the following students and their instrumental tutors on these excellent results: Justin Park (Year 7) Honours in Grade 6 Alto Saxophone and Liaam Rao (Year 11) Honours in Grade 6 Viola.

Ms T Bates - Performing Arts Coordinator

Science

Fun Science Opportunity for Students Aged 8 to 12:  Science, Model Making, Cartooning & Animation