Parent & Student Matters 

What's happening in the College? 

• Year 5 to 10 Parent/Teacher/Student Meetings
• Year Level, Individual, Performing Arts and other Group Photos
• Duke of Ed Silver Adventurous Journey
• Prestigious Literary Prizes for three students
• Science Club Report
• The Santos Science Experience
• Maths Drop In

Year 5 to 10 Parent/Teacher/Student Meetings

Parent/Teacher/Student meetings will be conducted online over two dates:  Thursday 17 June for Year 7 to 10 families and Friday 18 June for Year 5 to 10 students.  

Term 2 lessons will conclude from 12.00 noon for Years 7 - 12 on Thursday 17th to allow students and staff to travel home and/or prepare for the interviews.

Bookings are now open and will close Wednesday 16 June at 12.00 noon.

Bookings can be made using the following link and event code:

Link:                 https://www.schoolinterviews.com.au/code?code=9bk2d

Event Code:   9bk2d

Please see the attached document for more information.

Mr Alex Damo - Assistant Principal, Teaching and Learning

Year Level, Individual, Performing Arts and Other Group Photos

These photos will take place on Friday 11 June. They will be taken in front of the Podium during Period 1 – 3 along with Individual photos in a classroom nearby. Order Forms will be given out to each student shortly. Please fill these out clearly indicating what Homeroom your child is in. These forms will then be given to the photographers on the day once their Year Level photos have been taken. 

During Period 4 – 6 the Performing Arts and other Group photos will be taken. This includes

• Music Ensembles
• College Orchestra
• Jazz and Concert Bands
• Choirs
• Peer Support and Year 11 & 12 Mentors
• College Leaders & Prefects
• Sons of Old Boys
• Duke Of Edinburgh
• Year 12 Captains of Sport & House Captains
• Chess
• Debating & Public speakers

Please see the attached document for a run sheet of photos that will be taken on the day.

Order forms for these extra group photos will be available on the day and will be due back to the College at a later date. 

All students must be wearing their full winter uniform and must bring their ID card with them to each photo they are in.

Mr Antony Horan - Acting General Coordinator

Duke of Ed Silver Adventurous Journey

Five students representing Year 10, 11 and 12 hiked 32 km over 2 nights through Glenbrook National Park last weekend. The boys completed this as part of their Duke of Edinburgh Silver Award which requires 7 hours of meaningful activity a day over 3 days.

The boys certainly had an adventurous journey with washed out tracks and camp sites, cold nights, big climbs, long fire trails, bush-bashing through dense scrub and encounters with large numbers of hungry birds not to mention an inquisitive scorpion.

A big thank you to our Old Boy helpers, Denis Weber and Jack Schyvens. The value they bring to these activities is immense. Their patience, encouragement and support is very much valued.

If your son is interested in participating in our Duke of Edinburgh Award program and is in Year 9 or above then please have them discuss this with Mrs Manga or Mr de Silva.

Mr Paul de Silva - Outdoor Education Convenor

Prestigious Literary Prizes for three Potential Novelists

Standing out from the crowd in the Nan Manefield Young Writer’s Award is very difficult. 

This annual competition for writers aged between 11 and 18 years is now in its 32nd year, receives over 2,500 entries in NSW and is judged by a panel of professional writers in five categories.

Each year, the English Faculty actively encourages St Pius X’s budding poets and authors to enter this prestigious competition. Not only does it help to hone their writing skills, but it can also be a launching pad for their imaginative journeys. 

Of course, it’s hard to come up with a winning entry, but this year James Baldock in Year 12 was awarded 2nd Place in NSW as well as receiving a personal cash prize of $400.

Two other students both from Year 11 (Anthony Elliott and Flynn MacDonald) were considered outstanding and received Merit Awards.

As well as receiving their individual prizes of recognition these three students will have the opportunity to attend a special writers masterclass.

We thank these students for their diligent efforts of creativity and perseverance and hopefully one day they will scoop the Australian BOOKER Literary Prize or the International Pulitzer Prize for Literature.

Mr Alexander Listo - Assistant English Co-ordinator 

Science Club Report

In the last Science Club for the term students built their own centrifuge. Using a CD and string the students were able to build a hand powered centrifuge that could spin a small sample of tomato sauce and water in order to separate the mixture. Students were also able to experiment with a commercially made hand powered centrifuge in order to separate the same mixture. Science Club will return Week 1 Term 3, where students will begin an exciting new project. 

Mr Chris ten Seldam - Assistant Science Coordinator

The Santos Science Experience

Please see the flyer below with information on a National STEM outreach program for students in Years 9 & 10 in 2021.  Please go to www.scienceexperience.com.au for more information.

Mrs Joanne Schuster - Science Coordinator

Maths Drop-In 

A reminder that all students in Years 7 - 12 are welcome to Maths Drop-in. The sessions are run each Tuesday & Thursday morning 7.30 am - 8.30 am in C1.

Mrs Amanda Fileman - Teacher