St Pius X College Newsletter

Pastoral Care and Old Boys News

  • College Prayer at Assembly
  • Brad Marshall Managing Screens and Teens Presentation
  • Year 8 Ski Trip
  • EREBB - Edmund Rice Education Beyond Borders
  • GPs in Schools
  • Oakhill Reception 
  • Ginnigay Mark Smith
  • Reconciliation Action Plan Update
  • Congratulations to Students at Assembly
  • Old Boys News

College Prayer at Assembly

Congratulations and thank you to the following students from Mr Carroll’s 5 Red Class who eloquently led the College Assembly prayer on Monday as we wished our Year 12 Students every support and well wish as they entered the first of their HSC English Trial Examinations. The prayer's theme centred on using our God given gifts for the good of the community.

Year 5 Students: Owen Campbell, William Woods, Lachlan Thompson, Cristiano Calcarao, Ed Onslow, Vinn Buckingham, Joe Wilson and Alfred Avila.

Brad Marshall “The Unplugged Psychologist” Screens and Teenagers SPX Presentation Wednesday 10 August

Please book your attendance for this informative seminar on managing screen use for your family which will take place in the College Gym (some parking available in the College yard). Brad will present to our Year 7 and 8 students during Periods 5 and 6 before joining us for this Year 5 – 12 Parent seminar. Use the link below to book. Thank you to Mrs Joe McCarthy, Mrs Judy Gill and Mr Rick Russo in our Counselling team for facilitating this timely initiative.

Trybooking Link for Brad Marshall Presentation

Year 8 Ski Trip

I include today some great photos from last week's Year 8 ski trip.   

EREBB Edmund Rice Education Beyond Borders

We are pleased to announce that as a lead school of EREBB, St Pius X College has been partnered with one of our South African counterpart schools: St Dominic’s (combined co-ed school with former CBC Welkom) Welkom, in the bush veldt of Orange Free State, South Africa.

Ms Kari Motingoe who is an enthusiastic young RE teacher and ex pupil of the school is facilitating the following meetings

  1. Meeting 1 9RE SPX with 8RE St Dominics  Wednesday 14th September 4pm (8am Welkom time)
  2. Student Leadership Team Meeting Wednesday 5th October 4pm (8am Welkon time) Integrated with Speechcraft Presentation Course and Leadership Investiture. 
  3. Meeting 2 9RE SPX with 8RE St Dominics Wednesday 26th October 4pm (8am Welkom time)

NB Probable Delay to Wednesday 2 November due to SPX Staff Meeting

With our student leadership team and the following Year 9 RE students having volunteered to participate and lead the initiative:

Lachie Staber, Rob Oner, Jason Jarrett, Orlando Domenici, Jake English, Dylan Murphy, Jeremy Saraceno, Oliver Jurd and Ryan Horan.

We are looking forward to our continued participation in this exciting program and to all the benefits in rich learning experiences it brings to our students and school.

GPs in Schools Friday 5 August Periods 5 and 6 with Year 10

We look forward to this program sponsored by James Carrington of Sydney North Area Health Network in which our students will have the opportunity to learn about the Health System and discuss contemporary health issues with 15 local GPs who will visit our school on Friday afternoon. The program is a highly regarded one run to positive response by many of our local partner Catholic Schools and I am sure the students and school will get a lot out of it.

Oakhill Reception led by De La Salle Brother Br Steve Hogan

In a great mark of respect for our Principal Mr Couani last week after the 1st XV Rugby fixture the Principal of Oakhill College spoke in glowing terms of the deep appreciation he has for the collegiality, professional and personal consideration, and empathy of our Principal, Mr Couani, towards Br Steve as a “newer” ISA Principal since his return from leading De La Salle schools in Hong Kong! 

Ginnigay Mark Smith

In the context of our recent Red Dirt Expedition and NAIDOC Week Reconciliation Rugby Tour to Nudgee and Gregory Terrace in Brisbane, our 1st XV players and Rugby community generally are extremely grateful to Gumbayngirr Education Officer from our partner school St Mary's Bowraville. After meeting our students on Rugby tour in the holidays, Mark Smith was so impressed with their efforts of “dadirri” or deep listening, that he travelled 7 hours from Bowraville to watch them play Kinross-Wollaroi College on Saturday. For their part our 1st XV rose to the occasion showing their respect with Mark’s symbols on their wrist bands and a stirring victory to boot.

Mark followed up by attending our Annual Rugby Supporters' Club Dinner on Saturday night and acknowledging Country, much to the appreciation of our Rugby community, before making the long train trek home on Sunday.

Thank you Uncle Mark.

 

Some St Pius X College Reconciliation Action Plan Teamwork initiatives are listed below:

Please see Mr Brannan for more information if you would like to become involved and support these or other initiatives:

  • St Pius X College Reconciliation Action Plan Update
  • Monday 2nd May Cammeraygal man Dennis Foley featured in State Library Documentary “Sydney Elders visit to SPX to Welcome us to Country, tell his story and consider our RAP initiatives
  • Reconciliation Week Assembly – Kaleb Taylor leading smoking ceremony on behalf of the College
  • Reconciliation Rugby and Football Round vs St Aloysius College, Milsons Pt at Oxford Falls and Tyneside.
  • Reconciliation Week lessons conducted by Year 10 and 11 students Pat Frost, Dom Mitchell, Jose Monk, Luke Sissons, Jesse Mansbridge, Declan Fitzgerald, Mitch McGrath et al to the benefit of Year 5 and 6.
  • Red Dirt Expedition 26 – 2nd July 2022: 55 students and staff travelled to our Remote Partner Communities, Schools and Significant Sites in Coonabarabran, Baradine, Pilliga Scrub, Warrumbungles, Coonamble, Walgett, Brewarrina Fish Traps, Bourke, Gundabooka and Dubbo.   
  • Preparation of link with Year 10 Immersions to visit Camp Cypress and Baradine Local schools and community.
  • NAIDOC Week 1st XV Ambassadors for Reconciliation Tour – Brisbane: St Joseph’s Nudgee and Gregory Terrace
  • Sunday 24 July 8 Students working with St Anthony’s Terrey Hills Land Care group to plant trees and regenerate the Kieran Creek Bora Circle and pathway between the Cowan and Cammeraygal beaches peoples. Pat Frost, Dominic Mitchell, Harry Morton, Chris Mander, Will Lyall, Sean Tutaan (Year 10) and Lucas Gleeson and Sean O’Donnell Year 8.
  • Gumbaynggirr man Mark Smith and St Mary’s Bowraville Aboriginal Education Officer visit to SPX Oxford Falls ISA Round 3 30/7/22 vs Kinross and Rugby Club Dinner to consolidate his connection with the 1st XV developed on Queensland NAIDOC Week Rugby Tour

 

Upcoming

  • Thursday 4 August:  10.00 am Presentation of Red Dirt Expedition to Our Lady of Dolours Parish Social Justice Senior Group: Lachlan Staber, Rob Oner, Christian Wong, Sam Cooper, Jack Fairbanks with Mr Balboa.
  • Friday 5 August: Celebration of Learning Profiling of Year 9 Reconciliation Unit: Liam Boswell, Spencer Anderson, Fergus Fung.
  • Wednesday 10 August: visit from Andrew Kirkpatrick EREA Aboriginal Education Officer hosted by Eamon Boyle, Cavan Ryan, Mitchell McGrath, Will Pavely, Pat Frost, Max Forbes, Nick Kwan.
  • Thursday 11 August: Presentation to EREA Liberating Education Team – Acknowledgement of Cammeraygal Country bordering Gadigal across Sydney Harbour to the South and Dharug to the West, in the context of Red Dirt and our RAP. Student led.
  • Friday 26 August: Craig Ruddy – David Gulpilil Archbold Prize Winning Artist tribute to Craig, Greg Moore and Br Mac launched along with Splinters Splashes and Sounds in the Art Precinct. 
  • Student leaders elect to develop their understanding of and update RAP during their training for their 2022-23 tenure of leadership.
  • Yarning Circle to be developed at Oxford Falls
  • Junior school walkathon to raise funds for partner schools: St Mary's Bowraville and St Joseph's Walgett.
  • November Year 10 Immersions to Bowraville, Walgett, and Central Coast partner schools with Baradine and Coonabarabran tbc. 

Congratulations to Students at Assembly

Congratulations to the following students recognised at assembly on Monday:

John Badger-Rahme Year 9 for outstanding performance in the ACER Schools Cup.

Eamon Boyle and Xander Buckingham who celebrated the Science Club and presented awards from their recent competition to Year 9 and 10 students.

 

Fide et Labore

Mr Sean Brannan - Assistant Principal, Pastoral Care and Wellbeing

Old Boys News 

Dominic Panozzo

Best wishes to Dominic Panozzo (Class of 2021) who competes in the U/20 World Championships in Columbia this week. Dominic’s event, the 400m hurdles, is challenging, and his recent foot speed improvements has been significant enough to cause him to adjust and re-align his hurdle and stride length patterns. As last year's Treacy House Captain and one of our current school Athletics Team coaches, Dom is more than up for the challenge. 

Good luck Dom!

Nathaniel Panozzo

Dominic's brother, Nathaniel Panozzo (Class of 2017), today presented two jerseys to the College.  Nathaniel has recently been playing Rugby in Italy and has played for Italy for their Emerging A Team and also Petrarca.  The Petrarca Club came first in the Top 10 Italian Rugby and Nathaniel was also nominated as best No 5 player in the Top 10. The jerseys will be proudly displayed at Oxford Falls.

 

Fide et Labore

Mr Sean Brannan - Old Boys Association