St Pius X College Newsletter

Pastoral Care 

  • Public Information Evening - Tonight
  • Welcome back - Week 1, Term 3 
  • Red Dirt Immersion
  • Bingara Exchange
  • Reconciliation Action Plan Report
  • St Anthony's Landcare Group

Public Information Evening - Tonight

Fr Frank Brennan SJ, along with prominent Aboriginal leaders, is presenting a discussion on the upcoming Voice to Parliament Referendum tonight at Our Lady of Good Counsel, Forestville.

The evening will commence at 6:45 pm for a 7:00 pm start.

It is essential to book. To book please use the following link:

https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1080068

Week 1 Term 3

Welcome back to Term 3 and what promises to be another semester of deep listening and rich learning for our students and school community.

Our staff spent Monday’s professional learning opportunity engaged with Livingworks Safetalk Training as a foundation of our pastoral care programs and our capacity to empathetically heed and support the contemporary wellbeing needs of our society through courageous and direct conversation and targeted support of those in need.

In this context we reinforce the priority of maintaining engagement and connection within our community by focusing on attendance: understanding that 'showing up is half the battle' and that attendance, engagement and connection are highly significant protective factors for both wellbeing and the higher order of learning and thinking which enrich our lives.

In the event that attendance at school is not achievable due to sickness or other leave, early communication to studentmanagement@stpiusx.nsw.edu.au or via Year Coordinators, is greatly appreciated and avoid valuable time forfeited to following up.

Thank you for your ongoing support of our students, staff and school community in this manner.

Red Dirt Immersion

The College continues to receive glowing feedback on the positive ripples emanating from the actions and legacies of our students' interactions and engagement with the many communities we encountered on the Red Dirt Immersion Expedition during the holidays.

The Immersion focused on our student motto echoing Miriam Rose Ungumerr-Bauman philosophy of Dadirri: Deep listening and rich learning.

As our students considered 'Life journeys and human and ancient stories walking together across ancient songlines':

The 80 students & staff included, (46 from SPX) CBHS Lewisham, Brigidine St Ives and Mater Maria Warriewood who travelled to outback NSW to engage with rural and Aboriginal communities, schools and cultural sites such as:

  • The Warrumbungles National Park Coonabarabran
  • Sculptures in the Pilliga Scrub, Dandry Gorge, Baradine
  • Siding Springs Aust Astronomical Telescope, The Grand High Tops & Breadknife walk
  • Baradine NPWS Discovery Centre & Local Area Land Council
  • Brewarrina Fish Traps and Aboriginal Cultural Centre
  • Bourke PCYC, Port of Bourke Hotel, Wharf and Fred Hollows Grave Memorial 
  • Molong RSL (base for the Ukrainian Refugee effort of central west NSW)
  • Taronga Western Plains Taronga Zoo

Schools

  • St John’s Baradine
  • St Lawrence’s and Coonabarabran High
  • Baradine Central School
  • St Brigid’s Coonamble
  • St Joseph's Walgett
  • St Patrick’s Brewarrina
  • St Ignatius Bourke

We thank Jill Norton NPWS, Michael Ross Baradine LALC Margaret McKinnon, Natasha Milford and Jen, Drew Inman, Mary Doolan, Donna Fiechtner, JB, George Dickson and staff at Bourke PCYC, Amber Brannan, Margie Poole, Wiradjuri elder Peter Peckham, Lachie Dennis, Fleur Madgick, Cassie and Wade Gibbs, former SPX Performing Arts Coordinator  Mrs Pip Waters, Ms Mary Mulhall, Ms Grace Periera, Vika, Mr Greg Wells and the Molong team, Mr Rick Ah See and Mr Brad Hardy of Bree Fish Traps.

Staff: St Pius X : Mr Phil Stollery, Mr Paul Cummins, Mr Fernando Mendez and Mr Anesh Naidoo. 

Brigidine: Mr Brian Loughland, Ms Vicki Boyd, Mr David Chant and Mrs Kate Ryder (nee Brannan).

CBHS Lewisham: Ms Marea Soulos, Mr Luc Benedet

Mater Maria: Ms Kate Ponton, Ms Rose Toner

and Mr Adrian Brannan

It was a hugely informative and significant growth experience “on country” for us all.

Bingara Exchange

Parallel to our Red Dirt Immersion, two Year 10 students Isaac Donlevy and Jack Fairbanks travelled with Willoughby City Council Youth Ambassadorial group to our sister Council of Bingara for the Annual Orange Festival.

Both were impressive ambassadors for the college and received high praise from the Willoughby and Bingara Council leaders and citizens.

Issac and Jack represented us again at the Myall Creek Massacre site and Memorial which is solemn and thought provoking experience. Later this term Isaac and Jack are invited to host the reciprocal visit from the youth of Bingara Gwydir River Council at the Willoughby Spring Fair and Festival, Taronga Zoo and to a surfing lesson.  They will also become members of the Willoughby Council Youth Advisory Group!

Attached below is a report prepared by our ambassadors for the College.

 

Dear Mr Brannan, 

Thought we’d share some of the photos and experiences we had while on our Bingara exchange program. From both Isaac and Jack, we tremendously enjoyed this experience and thank you for the opportunity to do so!

We got in the bus at around 9:00 am and proceeded to spend majority of the day on a slightly cramped bus! We spent the bus ride talking with the other students from Willoughby and got to know them better. We arrived at Bingara and the living classroom at about 6:00 pm, and we met the other students from Bingara and some of the local council representatives. We had a delicious dinner and dessert, and we finished the night playing some card games with all the others. 

The second day was probably the busiest out of all. In the morning we visited the site of the Myall Creek Massacre site. We walked along the trail and learnt all about the event and what it was like as a society at the time. When we arrived at the actual location of the memorial itself we were amazed, it is truly moving to see it. After leaving the massacre site we then went to the kick-off for the orange festival. We learnt about why the oranges are such an integral part of their town. The orange trees lining finch street and the oval, are living memorials for the Bingara town members who died in World War I and II. After this we went to horse riding, this was one of the most fun parts of the trip. We got saddled up and rode in a group of 35 people for about an hour.  We then jumped off at the end of the track and took a break, then went back down the track to the stables. After this we returned home before going to the local theatre, The Roxy, to see Grease. 

Day 3 started off by going to the local town museum before attending the orange festival. In the museum we saw the original switchboard they used for the town. After the museum we went to the orange festival in town, they had shut down the main strip of the town so that different stalls and vendors could set up. During the festival we were presented with certificates by the mayor on the main stage in front of all the town. We then had some free time to explore all the stalls and shops in the local community before we walked in the parade representing the exchange program. After this we went to a sculpture park on the property of an artist that’s open to the public. We then left to go back home to rest for a bit, before dinner and our karaoke night. 

Day 4 was our final day; we spent a lot of this day in the bus driving around to different farming properties that all had different specialties. We went to a cattle farm, cotton, and wheat farm. We stopped at the NorthStar farm for lunch and a break. After this we had an hour-long drive to a famous spot called “cranky rock” which took us on a bush walk to find it. After a long day of driving and walking we returned home to have a rest and pack up in preparation to leave the next morning. That night we had a farewell dinner with the council and other representatives. To finish of the trip, we had a campfire, and all spent one last night bonding and singing some songs together.

We spent Day 5 in the bus going back to Sydney. We got on at 7:30 am and arrived at Chatswood at 4:30 pm.

Reflecting on this trip I think we both found the morning we spent at the Myall Creek Massacre and at the orange festival opening most powerful. It is very interesting because now, once a year in June on the date of the massacre they do a ceremony with descendants from the victims and perpetrators. This is extremely important because it’s a constant reminder for reconciliation from past atrocities. The other thing we found extremely moving was the orange tree memorials. The fact that these orange trees are the towns memorials are so fascinating, they said at the kick off for the festival that this is one if the only “Living Memorials” in the world. Since they are trees, they need to be tended to and cared for, which helps us maintain a connection and honour the past. A lot of the kids in the town have begun to call themselves the “orange police” as they protect the trees, so no one picks it for a year, till the festival. This helps maintain a generational transfer of respect and ceremony.  

Recently, with the upcoming referendum, the Sydney Morning Herald released a video about how the court case for the massacre was so influential. The case convicted and killed 7 white men who were responsible for the death of 28 peaceful and unarmed Aboriginals. This was the first time in history that white men had been tried and convicted for crimes against Aboriginals. It was so fascinating and truly moving to go to this site and see it in person.

So, in conclusion, we are thoroughly grateful for this opportunity to do this, we gained so much from it like new connections, experiences, knowledge, and friendships. We cannot wait for them all to come down to Sydney at the end of term!

Thanks, 

Isaac & Jack  

Reconciliation Action Plan report to Our Lady of Dolours Parish Social Action Group 

Aside from our Reconciliation lessons to our Junior School and Year 7 classes, our Red Dirt, Bowraville and Walgett Immersion teams are excited to be invited to Report to Our Lady of Dolours Social Justice Group on Thursday 3 August with gratitude to ex-parents Mrs Jan Hunter and Mrs Di Munich for their provision of stationery and school learning supplies which our expedition was able to share with the following schools over recent Red Dirt and Immersion trips:

St Ignatius Primary School Bourke, Bourke Public School, St Patricks Primary School Brewarrina, St Josephs Primary School Walgett and St Marys Primary School Bowraville. This year we were also able to pass on a range of calculators and laptops which had recently been superseded at the College and were gratefully received by our partner schools.

St Anthony's Church Terrey Hills Frenchs Forest Catholic Parish Landcare group

As an ongoing component of our RAP and Eddie Rice CIP hours St Anthony's Landcare of Kieran Creek in the church grounds at 46 Myoora Rd Terrey Hills, it was pleasing to note that 3 of our Year 6 students flew the flag for the College by working with the parish community group last Saturday.  Liam Gleeson, Oliver Ryder and Joseph Wilson combined with the girls from Brigidine College to continue to rehabilitate the section of Keirans Creek that our older students have been working on in recent months.

The next session of Landcare Terrey Hills will be Sunday 23 July 11:00 am until 1:30 pm. 

This activity can be used for your CIP hours. Please let me know ASAP if you have any questions or intend to come along on Sunday 23rd for catering purposes.

Mr Sean Brannan sbrannan@stpiusx.nsw.edu.au

 

Fide et Labore

Mr Sean Brannan - Assistant Principal Pastoral Care