Pastoral Care

From the Assistant Principal Pastoral Care

Student Leaders' Investiture and Speechcraft Dinner

Movember 2019

Office eSafety Forum chaired by Mr Trent Zimmerman MP and eSafety Commissioner Ms Julie Inman Grant

Visit from St Edward’s College Gosford

• Year 9 Camps
• College Counselling Team
• Boxercise

Student Leaders' Investiture and Speechcraft Dinner

Mr Masters and the Student Leadership Team 2019 elect have developed a distributed student leadership model based on student input and involvement throughout Year 11. This will be showcased in a reformatted HSC Student Leadership Investiture at the Concourse this Thursday. The students' presentation skills at assemblies and functions they have led recently have drawn positive response and I look forward to the Ceremony on Thursday.

The Student Leaders Speechcraft Course culminates in a Practice Speaking Speechcarft Dinner at Chatswood RSL on the evening of Wednesday 14 November and I remind our Year 11 student leaders they need to confirm to Mr Brannan by Wednesday 6 November which of their parents will be in attendance as an audience, and what meal (Beef/Fish/Chicken) they would prefer .

Movember 2019

In the absence of our Year 11 Student Leaders who have their first HSC Year Study day at Oxford Falls on Friday, our Year 10 House Vice Captains will conduct the Sports Assembly.  House Vice Captains Adam Greenwood, Lachlan Mathie, Erec Bacic and Ethan Tat will be looking to promote our Sports Curriculum highlights and results from last weekend and fixtures for this weekend, in an appropriate and positive framework.

In addition to this our Year 10 MindMatters Student Empowerment Team will launch the College’s awareness, raising and promoting Mens’ Health issues in the context of the Movember movement. We look forward to our students and staff working together on this important contemporary promotion of positive mens’ health.

Office eSafety Forum chaired by Mr Trent Zimmerman MP and eSafety Commissioner Ms Julie Inman Grant

It was pleasing to see a number of parents join Mr Stollery representing our Year Coordinators and Mr Russo representing our Counselling Team at the eSafety Forum on Tuesday evening hosted by Liberal MP for North Sydney Mr Trent Zimmerman and eSafety Commissioner Ms Inman Grant at Monte Sant Angelo College, North Sydney.

It was a most informative and educational summation of how we can assist our young men in learning to both cope with and optimise their use of technology to improve their world and wellbeing.  There were some valuable lessons on how we can both protect our children from risk on the internet and support their use and learning in this contemporary paradigm, for all in attendance, and I would appreciate feedback on whether there would be interest in hosting such a forum at St Pius X College next year.

Visit from St Edward’s College Gosford

As an EREA network school St Pius was very pleased last Wednesday to host a Leadership Program visit from Mr Paul Sullivan, the Year 7 Coordinator from St Edwards College Gosford and former Acting Director of The Haven outreach educational facility on the Central Coast. Mr Sullivan was highly impressed by the Pastoral Care programs, protocols, initiatives and pathways offered at St Pius and had a chance to share some time and insights with our Year Coordinators, Counselling Team, Pastoral Care Class 8H3 and Ms Pip Waters' Year 8 Music Class.

We are proud of our programs but also the important connections between St Pius and St Edwards through their inspirational Social Justice Coordinator Mr Pat Dell, Pastoral Care AP Mr Paul English, and also St Joseph’s East Gosford Girls School Principal Mr Tony McCudden, all of whom are ex-St Pius staff.  We note also that one of St Edward’s illustrious ex-students is our current Parish Priest, Fr Jim McKeon!

Great things are clearly happening in the charism and tradition of the Liberating Education founded by Blessed Edmund Rice in Ireland in the 1800s.

Year 9 Camps

With a pause this week for the College Music celebrations and our Student Leadership Investiture, Year 9 Camps resume next week for Homerooms 9H2 and 9H3.  Given the overwhelming positive response to the camps as a an experience of growth mindset and positive connection with their peers and with the College, I take this opportunity to thank the staff who have facilitated these camps.

Below is an account from Lachan Onslow of 9H4 chronicling the camp activities:  

We arrived at Huntington House and settled into our rooms for the 3-day camp. After this Rhys the caretaker gave us a quick rundown of the rules and expectations of the house. We then walked down to Terrigal lagoon for our paddle-boarding lesson with James Cummins (The Positivity Project). After this, we then went to Terrigal beach and some of us braved a “Challenge by choice” cold 400m swim out to ‘Goldie” the Terrigal swim buoy challenge. We then went back to the house and enjoyed Chargrill Charlie’s for dinner. After this Lachlan Ridley’s Uncle Charles, a Gatigal man and Aunty Jen, a Wiradjuri woman, spoke to us about Aboriginal Australia.

We got up the next morning and hiked 6km, where we met Niko. He talked to us about mental health and wellbeing. We arrived back at the house and had short lunch. We then walked down to Terrigal beach for our surfing lesson, yet within 5 minutes of us being there it started thunder storming with an impressive display which included a hail storm. After a one hour wait the storm finally ceased and we briskly walked back to the house. We all had quick showers then went downstairs and had a drum lesson with James, relating back to our touchstones. After dinner, we had a self-reflection and evaluated the camp. The next morning we woke up and went back to Terrigal and made-up for our lost surfing lesson. We went back to the house and cleaned up. Before departing back for St Pius X College we walked up the Skillion and enjoyed views of the coast.

Overall the camp was very enjoyable for us and many thanks go out to the teachers that helped run and organise the camp.

The camps form an important component of the students’ Rite of Passage through our Pastoral Care program, and through the College. A further upcoming component of this occurs on Wednesday 21  November when our Year 9 Students will host Brigidine College Year 9 to a Ceroc Dance workshop at our Oxford Falls facility.

I have no doubt our Year 9 students will rise to the occasion and demonstrate their positive and growth mindsets at this important opportunity to develop both their movement and social skill set on the day.

College Counselling Team

Term 4 Counselling:

Mr Russo:            Tuesday - Friday in Week 1

                                  Tuesday - Thursday in Week 2

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