Junior School News
- From the Head of the Junior School
- Junior School Sport
- From the Junior Resource Centre
- Junior Chess
From the Head of the Junior School
In this Sunday’s Gospel reading (Luke 11:1-13), Jesus teaches his disciples about prayer.
When someone in our family is going through a hard time, we can't just sit by and watch. We try to do everything we can to let him or her know that he or she is not alone. Sometimes we even try to find a special gift for him or her - something that will help that person to understand how important he or she is to us.
Like a good father, God saw that his children needed help. He decided to offer his beloved children a special gift to reveal his love. What did God give us? Not a thing, but a person - the Father's beloved Son, Jesus. Jesus, in turn, taught us to approach God as we would approach a loving father. He gave us the words of a prayer that we call the Our Father, or the Lord's Prayer.
You might like to discuss times when family members were persistent about something until they were able to achieve a goal or receive what they sought. Talk about what it means to be persistent in prayer. Help your children understand that prayer is not like sitting on Santa Claus' lap, asking for what we want until we get it. Emphasise that prayer is a way of striving to recognise how God is reaching out to us in love and responding by presenting him with our needs.
Ref: Sunday Connection
WELCOME TO TERM 3
Semester Two has seen the boys return with great energy and enthusiasm. It was wonderful to see everyone reconnecting after the mid-year break. I hope your family was able to enjoy a well-earned break.
YEAR 5 CAMP
In the last week of last term, Year 5 took off for their much-anticipated, postponed camp at Point Wolstoncroft. We were blessed with gorgeous sunshine over the three days, and the boys enjoyed a range of activities including archery, kayaking, orienteering, and bike riding. The boys also made new friends, learnt to use their initiative, and enjoyed their independence. It was the first time the Junior School had visited this venue, and we loved it. Those of us who were lucky enough to be staying in the main lodges had incredible views over Lake Macquarie. Thank you to those boys who gave everything a go, and a special thank you to those boys who rewarded their teachers’ hard work and sacrifice with exemplary behaviour.
Thank you to Mrs Doheny, Mr Cummins, Mrs Williams, Mr Carroll, and Mrs Barrett for taking the time away from your own busy families to give these boys an experience they won’t forget.
The following link will take you to photos from Camp – enjoy!
DANCE CONCERT
Anyone who made it to Oxford Falls on the last day of Term 2 was treated to a fantastic display of dance as the four Colour Houses competed for the 2022 RedEd Championship. Congratulations Purton on your win! Your performance certainly had a certain professionalism to it. Nevertheless, the other teams also put on memorable performances and were only just out of the points.
Thank you to the team from Raw Energy Dance Education for preparing the boys so brilliantly, to Mr Carroll for organising, and to Mrs Williams for taking on the challenging role of Head Judge. Thank you also to all the parents, siblings and grandparents who came to enjoy what the boys were able to achieve after only a few short weeks of training.
BLUE FIDE AWARDS
Congratulations to those boys who received a Blue Fide Award for showing “Consistent Effort Leading to Improvement” in Semester One.
5 Gold: Zachary Pereira, Thomas Millar, Blake Hagarty
5 Red: Oscar Clubbe, Jack Munro, Stratis Psarros
5 Blue: Oscar Worthington, Christian Kazzi, Liam Ball
6 Gold: Jake Kiem, James Hocking, Joshua Polselli
6 Red: Anthony Sawakid, Oliver Grant, Samson Symeonidis
6 Blue: Harvey Nichols, Luke Morton, Jamie Higgins Thurman
6 Green: Matthew Opie, Oscar Byrne, Matthew Castorina
JUNIOR SCHOOL FOOTBALL TOUR
Thank you to those parents who have taken the time to write to me about the success of the Footy Tour to Tamworth. The boys had some big wins on the field, and I thank Mr Cummins and Mr Carroll for taking time out of their holidays to give the boys this opportunity. There is more information and photos in the Sports section.
I was absolutely thrilled, but not surprised to hear, that our Junior School Football team has just been awarded the Spirit Award at the Tamworth event. For more details, see Mr Cummins' report in the Junior School Sports section below. I am so proud of our young men and it was lovely to see how proud Mr Cummins and Mr Carroll were today also.
ABSENCES
If you child is going to be absent from school for any reason other than illness, please complete the form found on the school website under PARENT & COMMUNITY/POLICIES AND PROCEDURES/STUDENT ATTENDANCE.
Absences of one to four days are approved by me, absences of five days or longer are sent to me and then are forwarded to Mr Couani for approval. The leave application form can be found following this link (you might like to bookmark for future reference):
EREA NETWORK DAY
The Junior School staff were proud to be able to host three other EREA (Edmund Rice Education Australia) schools from across Sydney at Chatswood on Monday at the inaugural EREA Network Day: St. Patrick’s (Strathfield), Waverley College, and Christian Brothers High School Lewisham. When four schools get together, it is remarkable to see how many people have worked with each other over the length of their careers.
When the reunions and new introductions were finished, we enjoyed a productive and informative presentation from Mrs Bronwyn MacLeod. Bronwyn has a passion for gifted education, curriculum differentiation, assessment and leadership development and works with schools and systems across the global educational landscape. Teachers in the Junior School have already started adapting programs to align with our new learning.
Thank you for your support of the Junior School
Mrs Jill Greenwood - Head of the Junior School
Junior Maths Drop-In
Junior Maths Drop-In sessions will run on Friday mornings from 7.40 am - 8.30 am in The Learning Enrichment Room in the Junior School.
This is an ideal place for extra revision or taking the time to get support if needed. Come along and be part of the team.
Mrs Amanda Fileman - Junior School Teacher
Junior School Sport
Thursday Sport: It is with regret that I have had to make an early call to cancel our normal Thursday sports day at Oxford Falls this week. St Edmund’s Wahroonga are currently using all the indoor spaces at Oxford Falls, which means we would have nowhere to train in the event of wet weather.
Teachers will be encouraged to get the boys moving and active as best as we can here at Chatswood so boys can still wear their House uniform and tracksuit. Winter Sport training will resume in Week 2 for AFL, Football and Rugby. Term 3 program is as follows:
Term 2 Dance Program: Congratulations to Purton House who at the end of last term took out the Annual House Dance Competition. Treacy placed 2nd with Barron House rounding out the podium. The boys did a great job pulling together a complex group dance in such a short space of time.
Round 8 Fixtures – Saturday, 23 July
Term 4 Summer Sport: All families should have received an email confirming their son’s selected sport for Term 4. If the email is correct, no action needs to be taken. If the email has the wrong sport listed for your son, please let me know by tomorrow (Thursday, 21 July) at the latest. I will be finalising our Term 4 teams with the other IPSHA schools at the end of the week.
Mr Glen Carroll - Junior School Sports Coordinator
Junior Football: The Junior Football Preps have returned from Tamworth after a very successful tour to participate in the National Primary Games. The boys played 5 games on Saturday and 3 on Sunday, finishing with 4 wins, 3 losses and a draw. The boys had to adjust from 9-a-side on half fields to 11-a-side on full fields and can be very proud of their efforts. Most importantly the boys were fantastic ambassadors for the College. They were great sportsmen on the field and showed exemplary behaviour off the field between games, at the accommodation and during the Welcoming ceremony. The boys and their families created lifelong friends and memories and it was a pleasure to participate in the 2022 National Primary Games with them.
To top off a great weekend, the boys were awarded the Spirit of Football Award by the other teams and organisers for their great sportsmanship and attitude during the Games! Congratulations to the boys.
Mr Paul Cummins - Junior School Football Convenor
SPX Football Holiday Camp at Oxford Falls
A successful SPX Football holiday camp was held at Oxford Falls from Monday 27 June 2022 to Wednesday 29 June 2022 attended by 130 SPX boys from Years 5 to 10.
Thanks especially to Coerver Coaching, led by Jeff Hayes and Chris Semaan and their team of coaches for the fantastic football skills and game development provided to our SPX boys. The boys developed their football skills and also had a lot of fun together. We would also like to thank Mr Couani, Mr Yue, Mr Cummins and the SPX Oxford Falls grounds team for arranging this camp and Mrs Lorna Hammond, Mrs Cathy Thomson and Mrs Maureen Hurley Bryans from the SPX Football Supporters Club (FSC) and Julie Charlton from the SPX P&F for their organisation of the camp.
Mrs Lorna Hammond
SPX Football Supporter's Club
SPX Rugby Supporters’ Club - Annual Dinner - Saturday, 30 July - Bookings closing on Monday! - Book Now or Miss Out!
Roseville Golf Club - 7.00 pm to 11.30 pm - Special Guest Speaker - Former Wallaby Ben Darwin
Tickets $180 per head - includes drinks and canapés on arrival; three course meal; beer, wine & soft drinks - plus a complimentary $20 ticket in our raffle to be drawn on the night with the major prize of a three night ‘Port Macquarie Luxury Accommodation Get Away Experience’ valued at over $2,500.
During the Dinner we will have Lucky Door Prizes; Raffles and Live & Silent Auctions (and some other surprises!).
Book your tickets via https://www.trybooking.com/CAEGM
To make it easy for you we have set the Tables up in College Years so you can just go straight on and book yourself on a table with the parents of your son’s team mates (eg Tables 19 & 20 - Year 5, Tables 17 & 18 - Year 6, etc).
Alternatively, If you would like to organize your own table (as a Table Captain or similar), or you need some assistance in relation to your booking or seating arrangement please feel free to reach out to me on my below mobile number or email address.
Looking forward to your attendance at your SPX Rugby community Dinner !
Mr Paul O’Neill - President
SPX Rugby Supporters’ Club
Tel: 0418 634 750
Email: paoneill21@gmail.com
From the Junior Resource Centre
This week's highlights:
A big welcome back to Term 3, 2022. This term we are highlighting CBCA Shortlist books and Book Week celebrations.
On Monday I was fortunate enough to visit Inner West Council Library. Marrickville Library is a stunning, award winning library and community space in the heart of the Inner West. Lots to see, amazing Art book collection and lots of online resources. Free to join.
SO MANY NEW BOOKS!
The weather has now turned and made it the perfect time to grab a copy of the many exciting new books that have come out in the last few months; and to curl up in a warm space in the JRC.
Author Tour celebrating the release of:
Solomon Macaroni and the Cousin Catastrophe by Ashleigh Barton
I am very excited about the upcoming PUBLICITY TOUR of children's author Ashleigh Barton. Ashleigh will be speaking to all of Year 5 in the JRC. Monday July 25, 2022, at 2.00 pm.
It is an opportunity for students to purchase signed books. The books are all presigned and will be forwarded to the students BEFORE and AFTER the presentation - students are welcome to order at any time and books will be delivered to the school in a bag with their name on the bag.
Ashleigh Barton is the author of the picture books What Do You Call Your Grandpa?, What Do You Call Your Grandma? and What Do You Do To Celebrate?. What Do You Call Your Grandpa? was a 2021 CBCA notable book. What Do You Call Your Grandma? is shortlisted for the 2022 CBCA Book of the Year: Early Childhood.
Solomon Macaroni and the Cousin Catastrophe is her middle grade fiction debut.
The link for purchasing is below.
https://www.thechildrensbookshopspeakersagency.com.au/person/ashleigh-barton/
Mrs Martin’s Book Trail: Solomon Macaroni and the Cousin Catastrophe by Ashleigh Barton.
A hilarious middle grade novel about the sweetest vampire you’ve ever met. Can he survive 100 years staying with his naughty prankster cousins?
‘You’ve never met a vampire like Solomon macaroni before – he’s friendly, polite and makes a mean tofu Bolognese. Understandably, when his parents go on a one-hundred -year cruise without him, Solomon is not impressed. Especially because it means having to stay in creepy Transylvania with his six cousins, who are the rudest and naughtiest vampires in existence. #mrsmartinsbooktrail2022
Mrs Elena Martin – Teacher Librarian
Junior School Chess Club
Chess Competition resumes this Term 3 Friday 22 July.
It will be a HOME game for all players.
Chess training has finished for the season. A big thank you to all the Chess participants who braved the early morning start for chess training on a Tuesday.
Mrs Elena Martin - Junior School Chess Convenor