Pastoral Care

From the Assistant Principal Pastoral Care

• RUOK Day and Jersey Day Coin donation to Lifeline
• Year 9 / 10 Drama attend the Pop Up Globe Shakespeare
• House Vice Captains
• House Cup
• Mercy College Chapel Mass
• 75th Anniversary of the 2/33rd Australian Infantry Battalion​
• College Counselling Team
• Notice for Year 12 Students
• St Pius X College Old Boys Association Annual Dinner​
• Boxercise at the College for Years 5-12 every Thursday and Friday morning at 7.30am
• White Knight Foundation Walk Against Youth Violence - Sunday 23rd September

RUOK Day and Jersey Day Coin Donation to Lifeline

As organised by our Year 12 MindMatters Student Empowerment Team the College will celebrate RUOK Day this Friday 14th September. Festivities commence at morning assembly which will be addressed by mental health and wellbeing advocate Mr John Brogden who is a past NSW Liberal Opposition Leader, Old Boy of St Pat's College Strathfield and Executive of Lifeline.

At the assembly students will be invited to put on a Jersey to be worn for the day and donate a gold coin to RUOK Charities such as Lifeline and The Black Dog Institute.

RUOK Festivities will actually commence on the Thursday lunchtime with a gala Staff and Students Dodgeball extravaganza with Zooper Doopers on offer. On Friday Photo Booths and a host of other wellbeing initiatives have been organised by College Vice Captain Nikita Papastamatis’ MindMatters Student Empowerment Team, all complemented by the St Pius X College Creative Arts 'Lights Camera Pius' Short Film Festival to be held in the gym at lunchtime.

Year 9 / 10 Drama attend the Pop Up Globe Shakespeare

In the midst of the excitement of Callum Stephen’s HSC Drama Nomination for Onstage on Tuesday, the Year 9/10 Drama cohort celebrated by attending the Shakespearean Pop Up Globe Theatre at Fox Studios, for a 2.5hr performance of a Midsummer Nights Dream. The performance was made even more interesting by its Maori influence, and the fake blood sprayed all over our section of groundling audience.

Tristan Jung and Ash Johnson were prominent in their interaction with the performers, and I am sure many upcoming Drama lessons will be greatly inspired by the energy, action and themes so evident in the Globe Theatre experience. The only thing missing was the Thames River to wash our clothes in after! A good time and great learning was achieved by all.

House Vice Captains

Congratulations to the Years 7 to 10 House Vice Captains for Semester 2 who were presented by their House Captains to Mr Casey at assembly last Friday.

2018 House Cup

After a full year of tallying House points from all manner and activities including Colour Awards, our 2018 College Vice Captains Jack Moran and Nikita Papastamatis and Captain Dan Hall presented the House Cup at Sports Assembly last Friday morning. In a massive boil-over for the first time since 2011 the House Cup was presented to Rice House, with Rice House Captain Darcy Gyzen commenting that “the Trophy is finally back where it belongs …. in Rice Hands”.  Those Rice guys are crackers!

Mercy College Chapel Mass

Thank you to Year 6 students Joe Cooper (6 Green), Zeke Reynolds and Jakob Lohtaja (6 Gold) who, along with College Captain 2019 elect, Oliver Tysoe, represented St Pius X College at the Mercy College Chapel Mass celebrated by Fr Andrew last Tuesday 11th September.

St Pius X College represented at the 75th Anniversary of the 2/33rd Australian Infantry Battalion-US Liberator Bomber Air Disaster 7th September 1943, Jackson Airfield Papua New Guinea.

It was a privilege last week for 15 students, including Kokoda Expedition participants and Year 8 Cadets Kobe du Moulin, Max Roberts and Jai Oorloff-Kay along with Mr Reay, Mr Long and Mr Greg Growden at the invitation of the 2/33rd Bn Association, to join WWII veterans, officials and relatives of those Australian servicemen and US Air crew involved in Australia’s worst ever Air disaster, at the ANZAC Memorial Hyde Park.

After fighting over the Kokoda Track, and a brief training leave, the 2/33rd Bn were resting in trucks at 4.30am at the end of Jackson Airstrip, awaiting air transport into the battle for Lae, when a fully loaded, bombed and fuelled US Liberator crashed killing 60 infantryman who were armed and carrying mortars, ammunition and grenades. 2 Drivers and all 11 Air crew on board the Bomber also died in the accident. When we asked one veteran of the disaster what happened after the crash. He simply stated “We went into battle the next day ... it was what we had trained to dol”

Photo:  St Pius X College Kokoda Expedition Students at the graves of some of the 2/33rd Bn killed in the 7th September 1943 Air Disaster in Bomana War Cemetery Port Moresby where Jacob deSisto SPX Old Boy 1942, is interred.

Lest we forget.

Our wreath was laid by Mr Reay, Daniel Halverson, Charlie Cullen and Thom Hardman while Jai Oorloff-Kay held the Battalion Colours flag. With ANZAC Memorial renovations still in preparation for the November Centenary of Armistice Day, the wreath was later moved to the Martin Place Cenotaph. Army Headquarters Force Command were represented by Lt Colonel Gregory Colton who served with the same British Army Battalion as our own Mr Reay at one point. The significant presence of our students was gratefully appreciated and respectfully noted and commented on by many present.

Later this year our House Vice Captains, students and student leaders, will represent St Pius at the various local Centenary of Armistice Day Commemorations and our Year 5 students will learn about the Kokoda Campaign while visiting the Kokoda Track Memorial Walkway on Wednesday 14th November.

College Counselling Team

This week we welcome Ms Kellie Dargan to our Counselling Team, filling in for Mr Russo who is on well-earned leave with his extended family in Europe. Ms Dargan is well known to the College as a long term mentor to our Counsellors and locum Counsellor in situ. Her experience with adolescent counselling and current experience of facing the challenges of school and the HSC are second to none and we greatly appreciate her support for our students at this time of the calendar school year where Year 12 students are approaching the HSC exams, Year 11 the transition from Preliminary to HSC courses and all our Junior students in the thick of Semester 2.

Term 3 Counselling:

Ms Dargan:        Week 8:  Tuesday 11th to Thursday 13th September

                                 Week 9:  Monday 17th to Wednesday 19th September

                                  Week 10:  Monday 24th, Tuesday 25th and Friday 28th September

Ms Gill:                  Monday, Tuesday, Friday each week

Ms McCarthy:    Wednesday, Thursday  in Week 1

                                  Wednesday, Thursday, Friday in Week 2

Notice for Year 12 Students

Year 12 Students are reminded that they have limited time to complete the survey emailed by Ms Cheney in which they provide their consent and post-school contact details to join the St Pius X College Old Boys Association. They will then receive membership, Old Boys tie and pin, and an invitation to attend the Old Boys September 2018 Annual Dinner free of charge. See Mr Brannan or Ms Cheney for details.

St Pius X College Old Boys Association Annual Dinner

Associations and connections of the College are reminded that the Annual Old Boys Dinner will be held on Friday 14th September (delayed from the usual first Friday in September) from 6pm at the Chatswood Club, Help St Chatswood.  The class of 2017 are sponsored free of charge and College Captain for 2017, Joe Unwin, will lead a prayer and tribute to Lachlan Ridley.

Final tickets for the Old Boys Annual Dinner must be accessed this week.

Bookings can be made at Trybooking:  https://www.trybooking.com/400629

Please contact Old Boys President Jeff Clarke or Mr Sean Brannan at the College for more details.

Boxercise

A reminder that Boxercise is held every Thursday and Friday morning at 7.30am in the Junior School playground.  This MindMatters initiative provides friendship, fun and fitness to strengthen students’ resilience and general sense of wellbeing.  Classes are free to all students.

White Knight Foundation Walk Against Youth Violence - Sunday 23rd September

Limber up and get ready to make a difference for The White Knight Foundation in the 2018 Walk Against Youth Violence.  Join us for a fun day out and make every step count!

• When:   Sunday 23rd September 2018 - 8:00am - 10:30am
• Where:  From West Spit Reserve, Mosman to Manly Wharf
• Why:  To raise funds for those affected by youth crime whilst on their journey through rehabilitation.

Details can be found in the flyer below.  

Fide et Labore

Mr Sean Brannan - Assistant Principal Pastoral Care