Junior School

2023 Student Leadership Voting

Leaders motivate, influence and guide people so that they can work together to achieve common goals. Next week, every student in Year 5 will be given the opportunity to nominate for a leadership position in 2023. The various roles in the Junior School are:

Junior School Captain (one position)
Junior School Vice Captain (two positions)
House Captain (one position for each house)
House Vice Captain (one position for each house).

The process of electing student leaders in the Junior School is multifaceted. All boys in Year 5 who are interested in being a leader in 2023 will be invited to self-nominate within their own homeroom. Two students from each class will then be selected to deliver a two-minute speech at a time to be determined in Week 6. All speeches will be viewed by the Year 5 cohort before every student is asked to vote. These results, in addition to an internal voting process conducted by staff, will culminate in the top three students being elected as either the Junior School Captain or one of two Junior School Vice Captains.

Following this process, all Year 5 boys who are still interested in being a leader in 2023 will be invited to self-nominate within their own house group. Each student will then be asked to provide a short response highlighting two reasons why they believe they would be a suitable candidate for a house leader role. All students in each house group will then be asked to vote. These results, in addition to an internal voting process conducted by staff, will culminate in the top two students from each house being elected as either the House Captain or House Vice Captain.

While we have no doubt that there will be many wonderful candidates for leadership positions next year, we know that there are only a limited number of roles available and as such, there may be disappointment for some boys who are not elected. This reality will be reiterated by staff to the many boys who decide to initially self-nominate for a leadership position.

Age-Appropriate Content

Parents and carers play a key role in guiding their children as they navigate the world of media that is available and begin to learn through exploration, play and social interaction.

Good-quality media can support your child’s learning, especially if it ties in with their interests or sparks their imagination. However, there are sometimes things that we need to protect our boys from because they do not yet possess the level of maturity required to actually process what they are viewing. Nowadays, even the nightly news can be quite disheartening at times!

The following websites can assist parents/carers in helping to make informed decisions about their child’s entertainment and media choices:

Raising Children Network has advice about choosing video games, online games, and apps.
Children and Media Australia provides reviews of movies, apps and games, which are also searchable by age and platform.
The Australian Classification Board’s online database can be accessed to review movies and games.

As always, if you have any queries or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me via email (glenn.stephenson@spc.nsw.edu.au) or phone (8705 9247) and I will endeavour to assist you in any way that I can.

May God bless you,

Glenn Stephenson

Director of Junior School

Mission Mass and Selfless Silence

The Mission Mass will be celebrated this Friday 4 November. Thank you for the support so far in fundraising for our mission partners; St Edmund’s Wahroonga, Catholic Mission and Chetanalaya (located in Delhi, India).

Selfless-Silence – In solidarity with our Mission partners, Friday in Period 3 and Period 4, Junior School will spend two hours in total silence (a parent’s dream). Through this activity we hope to have a small experience of the difficulties of the voiceless in society.

Thank you for your continued support.

Stephen Cooper

Junior School Religious Education Coordinator

Mooney Mooney Volunteer Fire Brigade Visit Friday 28 October

Hear about the great learning experiences and connection with community from some of our Year 5 students. $470 was raised through gold coin donations that will be used by the Brigade to continue their great work. Please click on the following link to view a recap of the day. A huge thanks to Mr Fontana for taking the footage and preparing the video.

5 Black
The Mooney Mooney volunteers’ visit on Friday was an exciting experience because we got to meet volunteer firefighters. They showed us how the equipment worked and the equipment that they use. The firefighters showed us the important duties that they do every day, and this helped us to understand their importance in Australia. They were very kind and generous people that went out of their way and drove a long time to get to us. Because they’re volunteers, they did all of it for free. Personally, my favourite activity was when we went in the garden and learnt about fire prevention because it showed a lot of items that you wouldn’t really see firefighters using. Overall I think we all enjoyed the Mooney Mooney Volunteers and it was a very fun and interesting experience. Thank you, Mooney Mooney Volunteers, for taking time out of your day for us. We really appreciated it. (Lucian S)
I had a great time with the Mooney Mooney Fire Rescue volunteers because we learned the skills that fire fighters have. We learnt how to sensibly use a fire extinguisher to put out the potential flames in our house. We also learnt how to use the fire hoses and which one to use in a specific type of fire. It was interesting to learn about the purposes of the size of the hose. It was good listening about the different types of uniform they use and what season or fire it is for. We had a great and fun experience learning about fires. Superintendent Vicky Campbell helped encourage us like all the other Firefighters to help and serve the community. Personally, the chainsaw or the fire path was my favourite activity. To sum it up It was awesome having the Mooney Mooney Fire volunteers over at SPC. (Gianluca P)

5 Black

The Mooney Mooney volunteers’ visit on Friday was an exciting experience because we got to meet volunteer firefighters. They showed us how the equipment worked and the equipment that they use. The firefighters showed us the important duties that they do every day, and this helped us to understand their importance in Australia. They were very kind and generous people that went out of their way and drove a long time to get to us. Because they’re volunteers, they did all of it for free. Personally, my favourite activity was when we went in the garden and learnt about fire prevention because it showed a lot of items that you wouldn’t really see firefighters using. Overall I think we all enjoyed the Mooney Mooney Volunteers and it was a very fun and interesting experience. Thank you, Mooney Mooney Volunteers, for taking time out of your day for us. We really appreciated it. (Lucian S)

I had a great time with the Mooney Mooney Fire Rescue volunteers because we learned the skills that fire fighters have. We learnt how to sensibly use a fire extinguisher to put out the potential flames in our house. We also learnt how to use the fire hoses and which one to use in a specific type of fire. It was interesting to learn about the purposes of the size of the hose. It was good listening about the different types of uniform they use and what season or fire it is for. We had a great and fun experience learning about fires. Superintendent Vicky Campbell helped encourage us like all the other Firefighters to help and serve the community. Personally, the chainsaw or the fire path was my favourite activity. To sum it up It was awesome having the Mooney Mooney Fire volunteers over at SPC. (Gianluca P)

5 Blue
Personally, I found the visit from the Mooney Mooney Volunteer Fire Brigade exciting and enticing. During the day I loved learning how to use a pump, fire extinguisher and how to backburn certain areas with a drip torch. My favourite activities included learning about how you to use a chainsaw safely in a bushfire and learning about fire movements and patterns. Some of my favourite interactive experiences included using the pumps, using the radio communications, and learning about the fire truck. Overall, I loved the visit and took a lot of knowledge away from it. (Tomas K)
The Mooney Mooney onsite school event was so fun. I loved learning all about the different ways to stop bush fires and just fires in general. I loved how they didn’t just sit there and give you a lecture about it. They got you involved. For example, in the back burning they chose volunteers to rack an area out so he could show you back burning. I am very thankful that they took their time to come down and teach us. My favourite thing was the radio because they taught you the phonetic alphabet and they talked to you on the radio like you were an actual fire fighter. I loved this experience, and I would one hundred percent do it again. (Conor S)

5 Blue

Personally, I found the visit from the Mooney Mooney Volunteer Fire Brigade exciting and enticing. During the day I loved learning how to use a pump, fire extinguisher and how to backburn certain areas with a drip torch. My favourite activities included learning about how you to use a chainsaw safely in a bushfire and learning about fire movements and patterns. Some of my favourite interactive experiences included using the pumps, using the radio communications, and learning about the fire truck. Overall, I loved the visit and took a lot of knowledge away from it. (Tomas K)

The Mooney Mooney onsite school event was so fun. I loved learning all about the different ways to stop bush fires and just fires in general. I loved how they didn’t just sit there and give you a lecture about it. They got you involved. For example, in the back burning they chose volunteers to rack an area out so he could show you back burning. I am very thankful that they took their time to come down and teach us. My favourite thing was the radio because they taught you the phonetic alphabet and they talked to you on the radio like you were an actual fire fighter. I loved this experience, and I would one hundred percent do it again. (Conor S)

5 Green
On Friday 28 October the Mooney Mooney Rural Fire Service came to our school to teach us the importance of fire safety and how to use the tools correctly if there was a fire emergency situation. I enjoyed spending time with the volunteers and learning new things about the fire truck, the chainsaws, the fire extinguishers, the tools, clothing and what they pack in their bags. I would really like to thank Mooney Mooney for giving up their time to come down to St Patrick's College and to educate us on the importance of fire safety and saving lives. (Noah K)

5 Green

On Friday 28 October the Mooney Mooney Rural Fire Service came to our school to teach us the importance of fire safety and how to use the tools correctly if there was a fire emergency situation. I enjoyed spending time with the volunteers and learning new things about the fire truck, the chainsaws, the fire extinguishers, the tools, clothing and what they pack in their bags. I would really like to thank Mooney Mooney for giving up their time to come down to St Patrick's College and to educate us on the importance of fire safety and saving lives. (Noah K)

5 Gold
On October 28, Year 5 spent the entire day on Breen Oval with the Mooney Mooney Fire Brigade. We split into our classes and had stations each with a time of 30 minutes in every station. Each station had one volunteer running the demonstration. There were 7 stations one of their trucks, fire hydrants, walkie talkies, fire safety, fire hoses, chainsaw safety and how to backburn. At the end Year 5 came together to thank Mooney Mooney for their time to teach us. (Jacob Ibrahim)
On October 28, the Mooney Mooney Fire Brigade came to our school. They taught us about fire and what they do in case of a fire. There were 7 stations. They each went for 30 minutes. There were chain saws, fire demonstrations, how to use a fire extinguisher, how to use a hose, how they do hazard reduction, communication with a walkie talkie and they showed us how to wear their uniform. It was a really exiting day and we all loved it. (Harlan F)

5 Gold

On October 28, Year 5 spent the entire day on Breen Oval with the Mooney Mooney Fire Brigade. We split into our classes and had stations each with a time of 30 minutes in every station. Each station had one volunteer running the demonstration. There were 7 stations one of their trucks, fire hydrants, walkie talkies, fire safety, fire hoses, chainsaw safety and how to backburn. At the end Year 5 came together to thank Mooney Mooney for their time to teach us. (Jacob Ibrahim)

On October 28, the Mooney Mooney Fire Brigade came to our school. They taught us about fire and what they do in case of a fire. There were 7 stations. They each went for 30 minutes. There were chain saws, fire demonstrations, how to use a fire extinguisher, how to use a hose, how they do hazard reduction, communication with a walkie talkie and they showed us how to wear their uniform. It was a really exiting day and we all loved it. (Harlan F)

5 Orange
The Mooney Mooney Rural Fire Service told us all about the different aspects of fire. Fire can act and behave in all different sorts of ways to defend against fire. The brigade taught us a lot about fire, which will help us in class for the rest of the term. I felt throughout the lessons the danger of fire can be very severe but with the right people fire danger can be reduced. Drip torches can be very interesting because they create fire to stop fire, which might be confusing but can save the day. (Isaac N)
The Mooney Mooney volunteer fire service came to St Patrick’s on 28 October. I found it so much fun because we got to learn about the different types of gear that fire fighters use and even test some of it out for ourselves. My personal favourite was when we got to use the hoses. This was fun because we worked out how hard it is for fire fighters to aim and even hold the hoses properly. I learnt that fire fighters use walkie talkies when they are separated, and they don’t have time to run to each other. They use the walkie talkies to communicate what equipment they need and where the fire brigades can be found. (Joseph A – 5 Orange)

5 Orange

The Mooney Mooney Rural Fire Service told us all about the different aspects of fire. Fire can act and behave in all different sorts of ways to defend against fire. The brigade taught us a lot about fire, which will help us in class for the rest of the term. I felt throughout the lessons the danger of fire can be very severe but with the right people fire danger can be reduced. Drip torches can be very interesting because they create fire to stop fire, which might be confusing but can save the day. (Isaac N)

The Mooney Mooney volunteer fire service came to St Patrick’s on 28 October. I found it so much fun because we got to learn about the different types of gear that fire fighters use and even test some of it out for ourselves. My personal favourite was when we got to use the hoses. This was fun because we worked out how hard it is for fire fighters to aim and even hold the hoses properly. I learnt that fire fighters use walkie talkies when they are separated, and they don’t have time to run to each other. They use the walkie talkies to communicate what equipment they need and where the fire brigades can be found. (Joseph A – 5 Orange)

5 Red
The day was so fun hanging out with the volunteers who gave up their time to come and show us what it is like to be a firefighter. We got to experience how to use a fire hose, using radio and the process of back burning when a bushfire is happening. (Charles C)
There are a lot of experiences that we had during Friday such as fire hoses, drip torches, fire extinguishers and many more. The whole of Year 5 were excited to have the people of Rural Fire Service come to our school to teach us about firefighting. I found it interesting to learn about how fire moves up a hill and how the RFS try to manage it. (Joseph M)

5 Red

The day was so fun hanging out with the volunteers who gave up their time to come and show us what it is like to be a firefighter. We got to experience how to use a fire hose, using radio and the process of back burning when a bushfire is happening.

(Charles C)

There are a lot of experiences that we had during Friday such as fire hoses, drip torches, fire extinguishers and many more. The whole of Year 5 were excited to have the people of Rural Fire Service come to our school to teach us about firefighting. I found it interesting to learn about how fire moves up a hill and how the RFS try to manage it.

(Joseph M)

5 White
It was truly a great experience that showed how amazing volunteers from the Mooney Mooney Volunteer Bush Fire Brigade are constantly saving lives. It was inspiring to see how they did it and why. They taught us skills such as how to use a chainsaw, how to use a digital radio, and the phonetic alphabet, all skills that could be used in the future. We thank the MMVBFB (Mooney Mooney Volunteer Bush Fire Brigade) for coming out on Friday to St Patrick's College to educate us on the day-to-day life of a volunteer bush fire fighter. The part I most enjoyed about the day was learning the way that fire spreads with Superintendent Campbell. (Maximilian C)
Last Friday, the Mooney Mooney Volunteer Fire Brigade visited Year 5. We learnt a lot and we enjoyed our time with them. Some of the many things we learned about were the behavior of fire, the equipment the amazing volunteer fire fighters use and how to use a radio to communicate with each other. It was a truly spectacular experience to get to use the different equipment that the volunteer firefighters use daily, including a fire extinguisher and a fire hose. We also got to learn a new language! The phonetic alphabet. This is used to communicate when there is lots of noise around them. It was very interesting to see other things like live fire or to see how to use a chainsaw because those are things that you would usually only see on TV. The activity that I enjoyed the most was seeing how fire spread at different angles. On behalf of Year 5, I thank you for your time and your service to the community. You are truly amazing people that we can all look up to! (Luca M)

5 White

It was truly a great experience that showed how amazing volunteers from the Mooney Mooney Volunteer Bush Fire Brigade are constantly saving lives. It was inspiring to see how they did it and why. They taught us skills such as how to use a chainsaw, how to use a digital radio, and the phonetic alphabet, all skills that could be used in the future. We thank the MMVBFB (Mooney Mooney Volunteer Bush Fire Brigade) for coming out on Friday to St Patrick's College to educate us on the day-to-day life of a volunteer bush fire fighter. The part I most enjoyed about the day was learning the way that fire spreads with Superintendent Campbell. (Maximilian C)

Last Friday, the Mooney Mooney Volunteer Fire Brigade visited Year 5. We learnt a lot and we enjoyed our time with them. Some of the many things we learned about were the behavior of fire, the equipment the amazing volunteer fire fighters use and how to use a radio to communicate with each other. It was a truly spectacular experience to get to use the different equipment that the volunteer firefighters use daily, including a fire extinguisher and a fire hose. We also got to learn a new language! The phonetic alphabet. This is used to communicate when there is lots of noise around them. It was very interesting to see other things like live fire or to see how to use a chainsaw because those are things that you would usually only see on TV. The activity that I enjoyed the most was seeing how fire spread at different angles. On behalf of Year 5, I thank you for your time and your service to the community. You are truly amazing people that we can all look up to! (Luca M)