Pastoral Care

From the Assistant Principal Pastoral Care

• THIS SUNDAY:  White Knight Foundation Walk Against Youth Violence
• RUOK Day
• Lights Camera Pius Short Film Festival
• Information for Semester 2 House Vice Captains​
• Student leadership Team 2019 Speechcraft​
• Being a Great Man for Others​
• Old Boys Annual Dinner​
• College Counselling Team
• Boxercise at the College for Years 5-12 every Thursday and Friday morning at 7.30am

THIS SUNDAY:  White Knight Foundation Walk Against Youth Violence

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.  

RUOK Day

The St Pius X College celebration of RUOK Day was led by College Vice Captain Nikita Papastamatis and his MindMatters Student Wellbeing Team.  Festivities began last Thursday lunchtime with Zooper Doopers distributed to all students and a Staff /Student Leaders Dodgeball Tournament in the Nets. The match boasted, as its crescendo, a superb shot from College Principal Mr John Couani on College Captain Dan Hall, which was well received in the best spirit of Dodgeball, and a conciliation achieved which was befitting of an Award of the Nobel Peace Prize.

Last Friday 14th September, Yellow RUOK themed bunting, posters and photo booths greeted students as they arrived at school followed by a Years 5 – 12 Assembly address by Lifeline National Chair Mr John Brogden. Mr Brogden is a former Vice Captain of our fellow EREA College, St Pat's Strathfield, a good friend of our College Counsellor Mr Rick Russo, and former NSW Liberal Party Leader, who suffered a significant mental health breakdown while in office. He lives daily with the fallout from anxiety and depression by maintaining a positive health regime including medication, exercise, diet and rest in a balanced lifestyle. The candour and open manner in which John shared his story and message, of the need to be attentive to, support one’s mates and connections through the shadow of mental health issues, was a great one for our school community to hear. John endorsed the message of our Year 12 MindMatters Student Empowerment Team that RUOK day and RUOK conversations are skills we all need to develop and have every day.

Every day of the year is RUOK Day.

As their last Hurrah before their HSC and Graduation priorities the RUOK Day event was a good one coordinated by our young Wellbeing Team coordinators: Ms Allington’s Year 12 Team captained by Nikita Papatsamatis and Wellbeing prefects Sam Massey, James Brown, Cooper Alan and Carlo Orbegoso-Jordan . The team was well supported by our Year 11 MindMatters Student Empowerment Team coordinated by Ms Veronica Kugananthan, Year 10 Team with Ms Alex Foord and Year 9 students who have been coordinated by Mr Benn McBrearty throughout the year. 

As reflected in our EREA Touchstone, and ideal as an Inclusive Community, the message is a simple one in the tradition of Edmund Rice, who all those years ago set up a school in New Street to educate the poor youth of Ireland to improve their lives and the lives of others by liberating them through education.  Are we, as young men of St Pius, Men for others? How well do we look after the most vulnerable in our society and lives?

To coincide with RUOK Day and our “Wear your Favourite Jersey Day”, there was a Gold Coin Donation collection on Friday for John Brogden’s Lifeline organisation, collected by our MindMatters students.  Our students gave generously with approximately $1000 collected.  If you would like to contribute please contact our Finance office.

'Lights Camera Pius!' Short Film Festival

Dovetailing well with our RUOK Day message our student-led Creative Arts Department Short Film Festival finals were celebrated in the Gym at lunchtime on Friday. Congratulations to our student Leaders and Ms Doyle, Ms Bryant, Ms Foord and Ms Wateres who coordinated and judged this hugely popular and successful event and then managed to clean the gym in short time for set up of the Our Lady of Dolours Feast Day Parish celebrations held in the gym over the weekend.

Semester 2 College House Vice Captains are reminded to see Mr Brannan before the end of Term ensure your Colour badges are in order.

Information for Semester 2 House Vice Captains

Semester 2 College House Vice Captains are reminded to see Mr Brannan before the end of the term to ensure your Colour badges are in order.

Student leadership Team 2019 Speechcraft

Although currently on their Preliminary Course Examinations, the Student Leadership Team elect 2019 are reminded that we begin our Speechcraft Course on Friday 12th October (last Friday of the holidays) from 10 to 1.30pm.  

A further session takes place on Friday of Week 1 from 2: 3.30 to 5.30pm, before the revamped Leadership Induction Ceremony on Thursday 1st November and finally the Speechcraft Graduation Dinner on Wednesday 14th November at the Chatswood RSL Club. A Trybooking email will be forthcoming providing further details, so stay tuned.  

Being a Great Man for Others

In a flow on from RUOK Day and in the spirit of looking after, and being a great man for others, the challenge remains for our students to rise to the occasion in all components of their lives and consider how they can make a positive difference.

In that context we were concerned last week to hear of some poor behaviour from our students in and around public transport and the Hornsby District. We are certainly quite serious in emphasising to our students how high our standards of behaviour need to be. We seriously follow up any instances when we fall below these standards in uniform, care for others, or interpersonal conduct.  In talking to students it seems there maybe a very small percentage of our young men who may be letting us down and I certainly call upon a team approach to ensuring we do better in all areas.

Looking forward to seeing these standards upheld!

Old Boys Annual Dinner

To top off our RUOK Celebrations, a highly successful St Pius X College Old Boys Association Annual Dinner was held at The Chatswood Club last Friday evening. The Dinner was the first under the tenure of new Association President Mr Jeff Clarke, who fittingly presented a gift to outgoing President Mr David Bullard for his 20 odd years on the Association Executive, approximately 10 of which were fulfilled as President! 

While attendance was down on our 80th Year Celebration Dinner in 2017 the strong representation of 40 Year 12 2017 students, led by 2017 College Captain Joe Unwin, provided a great challenge to other year groups, closely followed by strong representations from the 1980s cohorts, particularly 1982 and 1986.

Thanks go to event MC, our own School Parish Youth Liason Mr Adrian Brannan (Class of 1990), Association Patron Br Carl Sherrin (’53), College Principal Mr Couani and recently returned member of staff Mr Tom Garvey (’74) who was presented with a Life Membership Tie in the forlorn hope that he will now need to borrow less from my tie collection! The most senior Old Boy in attendance, apart from our amazing patron Br Carl Sherrin, was Bill Sutton - Class of 1958 - who made the public transport trek from his current abode in Darling Point. After years working in Singleton Bill has returned to the big smoke and is obviously wearied by the years far less than others.

Apart from the obligatory College Song and War Cry led by Joe Unwin and the class of '17, there were fitting reflections on our recent loss of members, and particularly of our tragic loss of Lachlan Ridley (’17) and Mr Kevin Mutkins, a first day pupil in 1937 and father of long serving and invaluable member of our College Admin Staff, Ms Sue Cheney.  Vale Lachlan and Kevin.   

Annually at the dinner there is a call to prayer for those members who have passed. At this year’s event, in the context of a NSW Heritage Bespoke Jersey donated to the College along with some kind words from Wallaby captain Michael Hooper, there was also a call from the floor for a reflection of past students who have gone on to achieve significant service in the community.

I table below a hurriedly scribed and incomplete list of both of these to which members of the College Community might like to contact me to add to or to correct.  Thanks in anticipation.

Some recently passed Old Boys:

Kevin Mutkins (1st Day Pupil 1937)

Lachlan Ridley (Class of 2017)

Bryan Hoy (Class of 1985)                             Chris Hector                                 Br Stan McNamara

Tony Virgona                                                       Anthony Harris                           Br McDonald

Matthew Elliot                                                    Scott Ezzy                                      Br Sheridan

Stephen Smythe                                               Mike McCarthy                             Br John Mooney

Kevin Williams                                                   Vince Irace                                      Keiran Waddell

Kevin McCarthy                                                 Neil Chapman                               Br Paul Leary

Pat Reilly                                                              Br Des Kelly                                    Dennis Dunkley

Br Dan Cornell                                                    Br Brian Jeffers                            Paul ray (Wa Wa Nee)                           

Some Old Boys who have gone on to achieve significant service to the community

• Michael Wren – NSW Fire Inspector
• Bill James – Founder Flight Centre & On Track Expeditions, CEO Kokoda Track Foundation, Director of Top Deck Travel with business partner “Screw” Turner
• Rodger Shanahan – Colonel Australian Army and United Nations, Lowy Institute expert in Middle Eastern Affairs
• Michael Hooper – Wallabies Captain, NSW Waratahs Captain, past ACT Brumbies Player
• Luke Jones – Wallaby, Western Force and Melbourne Rebels Super 15 Rep, currently playing for Bordeaux Begles, France
• Paul Scully Power – Astronaut; First Australian in Space
• Liam Knight – Anti-Violence Activist, Founder White Knight Foundation
• Simon D’arcy – Quadriplegic, Lecturer of Urban Planning at UTS
• Bradley Hall – Paraplegic from accident in Year 11 at SPX, Lawyer and Property Developer
• Sean Loughland - Human Rights Lawyer
• Stephen Cahill – Lawyer
• Matt Wilson – Leadership expert, ex RAN Serviceman
• John Andrews – District Court Judge
• David Hinder – Order Winner for Services to Catholic Church at Balmain
• Gerard Isaacs – Visually Impaired, 40 years service on Inner West Council
• Anthony “Skylab” Beazely - US Deep Space Projects
• David Kilcullen - ex ADF Officer, US Counter Terrorism Expert
• Bruce Smith ’86 - Federal Circuit Court Judge
• Joshua Duinker - National Basketball player Netherlands, NBL Player Kings and Japanese Basketball League Player currently

Sean Brannan - College/Old Boys Association Liason

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 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

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.

Fide et Labore

Mr Sean Brannan - Assistant Principal Pastoral Care