Head of Junior School

Mrs Jo Messer

As come to the end of our first academic term of the school year, I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a happy and safe Easter and holiday period. We have achieved much in what has been a busy but thoroughly fulfilling first term. I have been most impressed with our boys and how they have lived out our Virgilian Way values and those of Blessed Edmund Rice each day. I would also like to thank our hardworking staff for their dedication to their role, whether it be in the classroom as a teacher or Learning Support Officer, one of our office staff or grounds and maintenance. Thank you also to you, our parents, who have supported us in so many ways – donating to raffles, buying raffle tickets, making items for stalls, coaching and or managing a team. The collective efforts of us all demonstrates and fosters pride in our SVC community.

Pictured below: Year 6s performing Stations of the Cross

Pictured below: Caritas Cup

Long Service Leave

Next term I will taking three weeks Long Service Leave, commencing April 26. Mr Messer and I are very much looking forward to attending the graduation of our daughter, Meg, from the University of Minnesota. We will also be watching her compete in rowing regattas in Oregon and Indianapolis. In my absence Mrs Sandra Mazengarb will be Acting Head of Junior School. Mrs Lindy Lack will be teaching Kindergarten while Sandra assumes this role. We are also very much looking forward to Mrs Sue Burrows commencing on Monday April 24 as our new Head of Learning Enhancement in the Junior School.

Baby News

Many parents will remember former staff member Mrs Mary Weston who taught Year 4 and Prep. In fact, Mr Weston also taught here when filling in for Mr Rasmussen and on relief staff. We are excited to announce that Mary and her husband Phil welcomed a beautiful baby girl, Annabelle Rose, early last week, born in the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney (born at 27 weeks gestation). Mary and Annabelle are both doing well, with the baby staying in NCIU for a little while until she can be discharged. I’m sure you will join us in the heartiest of congratulations for the Weston family.

Junior School Open Day

Last week we welcomed many potential families onto the Junior Campus last Wednesday for Open Day. Our wonderful SRC representatives from Year 3 to 6: Jack Kilgour, Archie Argyropoulos, Patrick Moloney, Hamish Devereaux, Ben Pigden, Jesse Mackey and Hamish Bewley, as well as House and Aussie Sport Leaders: Charlie Booth, Jack Lemm, Xavier Houston, Mitchell Banks, Harrison Nadler and Oscar Henley were wonderful tour guides and represented SVC with pride. They are excellent role models for all of our student body.

P&F Mother’s Day Raffle Donations

We will be holding a Mother’s Day Raffle early next term which will be drawn at our Mother’s Day breakfast. If you are able to donate a gift for the raffle, it would be most appreciated. If these donated items could be handed into the office, please.

Mother’s Day Breakfast and Stall

On Friday May 12 we will be holding our annual Mother’s Day stall. Boys will be asked to bring along $5 to purchase a gift for their mum, or significant female relative in their life. Proceeds go to the P&F.

Change of Date: Mother’s Day Breakfast: now Friday May 19. We have had to change the date of our Mother’s Day Breakfast to the Friday after Mother’s Day.

Parent/Teacher Interviews: time slots now open!

The first day of Term Two, April 24, is a student free day, set aside for Parent Teacher Interviews. Your son’s teacher may have requested to see you on this day. Alternatively, you are welcome to request to see them. This is a wonderful opportunity to connect with teachers and check in on progress made so far this year.

Swimming Team: JSSATIS and STCPSSA Carnivals

Congratulations to the swimming teams who competed at the JSSATIS and STCPSSA Carnivals last week. The boys showed great school spirit and wore their SVC bathers with pride in the pool! I would like to thank Mrs McCullagh for her organisation, particularly at the STCPSSA Carnival where SVC was the organising school for the whole day.

Year 3: Archie Bugg, Winston Whittle

Year 4: Nate Debnam, Lewis Finlay, Clancy Gillie, Edward Gray (reserve), Edward Hickey (Reserve)

Year 5: Oscar Halton, Atticus Johnson Harrington, Angus Lockhart (reserve), Jacob Lowe, Angus Newsham-West, Lucas Newton, Wesley Robinson.

Year 6: Charlie Booth, Kieran Bosworth, Finlay Child, Max Drew (reserve), Liam Facer, Jesse Mackey, Ryder Vagg

News from Miss Reardon and 4R

This term, Year 4R have been learning about sustainability, waste management within a community and taking care of our ecosystems. Now at the end of the term, we have rewarded our efforts by going on a class excursion to the local tip shop. There we met Lisa, the Education Officer, and she kindly took us on a tour of the shop, describing their role within the community and explaining all the items that could be purchased.

We then met Michael, who entertained our young gentleman with a workshop of making toy robots out of reusable materials. It was an engaging and enriching experience, and our boys came back to school with some marvellous creations.

Comments from the boys:

Angus and Eden – “The robots we made from wood, jenga blocks and bits and bobs.”

Cash and Edward H – “They take stuff from the tip, claim it as their own and sell it.”

Lewis – “I did not know, there was gold and copper in old computers!”

SRC and School Leaders Initiative: Nude Food Wednesdays

It has long been a desire of SVC to become more sustainable. With that in mind, our SRC and Year 6 School Leaders will be starting a campaign to reduce the amount of rubbish we are creating each day. From the beginning of next term, we are asking that boys’ lunchboxes do not contain any packaging on a Wednesday. We are encouraging all students to commence this in the last two Wednesdays of this term, so we can be ready for the commencement of Term 2 which is Wednesday April 26. Any packaging that is present in boys’ lunchboxes will be taken home with them. To kickstart this initiative we have included some photos of the SRC boys’ lunchboxes, to give some ideas of what a lunchbox could look like. We ask that you embrace and support this initiative in the interests of SVC becoming more sustainable. NO WRAP = NO RUBBISH.

Nude Food Day is a nationwide initiative developed to encourage kids and parents to eat well, live well, and eliminate all unnecessary packaging.

The benefits of packing a rubbish free lunch are:

Reducing your environmental footprint
Teaching children about the need to reduce, re-use and recycle
Having fun creating delicious lunches and snacks
Looking after your health
Promoting rubbish free days in school

Black Square Chess Tournament

Last Monday 11 boys from the Junior School went to New Town Primary School to compete in a Black Square Chess Interschool Tournament. The boys played with great integrity and enthusiasm and finished 6th out of eight schools. Congratulations to Liam Holliday, our top player of the day, who won five of his seven games.

Sports News

Water Polo

Training has commenced for water polo season which starts on Friday May 5, next term. A group of 12 boys have been turning up to training sessions on Thursday mornings at 7.30 am for their morning training with Mrs Messer. We are looking forward to the start of the season on May 5 next term.

Flippa Ball

March 26: SVC Dolphins V Sacred Heart College Blue

Dolphins had a great win today with the final score 6 -2.

Player of the Week: Lachlan Northeast for great team play.

April 2: SVC Dolphins V Dominic Blue

A great team performance with only 6 players and bringing back a 9-1 win. Well done boys.

Player of the Week: Lewis Finlay for great team play.

Tennis

March 14: SVC Green V Corpus Christi

Boys are improving each week and rotating through the games.

Results: Loss 5-7 and loss 6-3

Player of the Week: Asher Lester for great focus during the match and hitting some strong returns.