Junior School News
- From the Head of the Junior School
- Junior School Sport
- From the Junior Resource Centre
- Junior Chess
From the Head of the Junior School
P&F COCKTAIL PARTY
You’re invited to the annual P&F Cocktail Party this Friday 24 March in the Junior School playground, starting at 7:00 pm. The Cocktail Party is great fun and a good opportunity to meet new families and make new friends. Secure your tickets now by going clicking on the link below.
NAPLAN
As the NAPLAN testing period comes to an end, we congratulate all our students who sat the tests this year. We are proud of you for taking on the challenge with a positive attitude and a willingness to learn. We were glad to see you approach the tests with confidence, knowing that you have been well-prepared by your teachers and that you have the skills and knowledge to succeed. NAPLAN is just one aspect of your overall educational experience and the skills you have developed and the knowledge you have gained through the process will serve you well in the future.
OPEN DAY
A huge thank you to everyone who took part in making the College Open Day such a success on Saturday. Thank you to the staff who fielded hundreds of questions, the students who guided the tours, and Charlie H, James U and Conor K who did such a great job as part of Mr Ronchetti’s Q&A.
BEFORE AND AFTER SCHOOL HOURS
Please note that before school supervision begins at 8:30 am and that the only students who should be on site before that time are those who have a before-school activity (eg Band, Maths Drop-In, Boxercise). Students who attend after-school activities such as Robotics, need to leave for home, or be collected promptly, once the activity has finished.
PUBLIC TRANSPORT
I had to speak to some students this week about their behaviour getting on the bus (pushing and shoving), and on the bus (described by a member of the public as “rude and obnoxious”). If you could speak to your son to reinforce good manners when using public transport, that would be appreciated. Mr Casey reminded the boys this week that they travel for free and must therefore give up their seat for paying passengers.
HATS
Please ensure your son has a hat each morning. We have a “No hat, no play” policy at Pius. If your son has lost his hat, please ensure he collects a new one from the uniform shop (Mon – Wed) and Mrs Muirhead will call you for reimbursement ($22 for a baseball cap, $25 for the recommended bucket hat).
WINTER UNIFORM
A reminder that students return to school on day 1 of Term 2 in winter uniform. For more details, please refer to the Uniform Shop section of Woodchatta.
JUNIOR SCHOOL WINTER UNIFORM
- Regulation grey long sleeve shirt (can be done up at collar)
- Regulation grey trousers
- Dark socks
- Black leather belt
- Black leather lace-up shoes that take a shine
- Regulation tie
- College Blazer MUST be worn to & from school
- College jumper, if required
DATES FOR THE DIARY
Friday 24 March | P&F Cocktail Party at 7:00 pm
Thursday 30 March | Winter Sport Trials at Oxford Falls
Tuesday 4 April | “The 39 Steps” Drama production
Wednesday 5 April | Interim Reports issued
Thursday 6 April | Easter Liturgy
Friday 7 April | Good Friday / First Day of School Holidays
Thank you for your ongoing support of the Junior School.
Mrs Jill Greenwood - Head of the Junior School
Junior School Sport
Rugby Holiday Clinic:
With the Junior School Rugby season just around the corner there is a 2-day Holiday Clinic being run in the upcoming school Holidays. Please use the link below to sign up for the clinic.
https://www.trybooking.com/CFXMC
Armidale Tour:
Thank you to all students and families who expressed an interest in sending their son to The Armidale School Rugby Carnival. I am pleased to say that a squad has been chosen and will be announced in the coming week. Boys chosen will meet with the touring staff, Mr Morris, Mr Ure and me before the end of this week to arrange tour jersey fit outs and training.
Winter Coaches:
We currently have coaching positions to be filled for the Football Prep 3rds and Prep 4ths, and 10A teams. If you know of any Old Boys of the College who would like to commit to taking one or more teams on a Saturday, then please get in touch with me at the College at bryan@stpiusx.nsw.edu.au.
IPSHA Football:
On Monday 20 March four students trialled for the IPSHA Football team. Whilst all boys gave a good account of themselves, there was strong competition from the 86 nominated students who were contesting just 12 positions. I am pleased to announce that Ryan Volpato (5 Red) was selected in the representative side to compete in the CIS championships. It is especially remarkable given that Ryan was up against Year 6 boys too. We wish Ryan all the best as he competes in this next phase of competition. I also thank Mr Paul Cummins who not only chaperoned the boys, but also took on the role as one of the selectors.
Cross Country Training:
The Cross Country training sessions at Beauchamp Park have been running now for a number of weeks. The sessions serve as a great opportunity for the IPSHA Cross Country runners to hone their running, as well as for anyone else hoping to increase their fitness for the upcoming Winter Sport season. Please feel more than welcome to join in. It is pleasing to hear that many of the Junior athletes are training very hard each session. This will do them well for the 1 April IPSHA Cross-Country Carnival.
When: Monday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings
Where: Beauchamp Park, Chatswood
Time: 7:15 am – 8:15 am
Basketball, Touch Football and Softball:
With the completion of Round 6 over the weekend, the Basketball, Touch Football, Tennis, and Softball fixtures and training sessions will now cease until the summer season recommences in Term 4.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all families, coaches, officials, and especially the boys, for their consistent application to their chosen activity and their commitment to their team mates. I look forward to witnessing more of the same in the winter season which kicks off with Round 1 on 29 April. Further information will be forthcoming before the end of term.
And Around the Grounds...
Basketball:
Touch Football:
Softball:
Thursday Sport
Winter sports trials for Rugby Union, Football and AFL will commence this week. If your son is currently injured or not well, rest assured that there will be another two trial days for him to attend before the end of the term.
Please ensure that your son has the correct equipment organised and ready for this Thursday e.g. mouth guards, football boots, shin guards, etc.
SAVE THE DATE: St Pius X COERVER run football camp at Oxford Falls.
Wednesday 12 April - Friday 14 April.
Registration details will be in Woodchatta in coming weeks.
Coaches - Winter 2023:
Mr Ben Ryan - Junior School Sports Coordinator
NSTA Tennis
What an amazing day we had for the finals and play offs last weekend. All boys showed excellent sportsmanship and great enthusiasm. Thank you to those boys who came to umpire and mentor our younger players: Lucas Halim, Izaac Tan, Lucas Youngman and Aidan Seifert. With 15 teams making the finals we ended with 10 of those teams placing first in their divisions.
Thank you also to the amazing teachers who have helped this season: Mrs Keighery, Mr Listo and Mrs Fileman. Your help has certainly made my job easier. Finally thank you to the parents for being both a taxi and a cheer squad for the boys.
Mrs Sam Iwatani - NSTA Convenor
Rugby Registration NOW OPEN
All Year 5 - 12 students wishing to play rugby are required to be registered to be included in a team. There are no trials or grading days, all students can find a home within the SPX Rugby Program.
Please see attached for further registration information:
Term 1 Rugby Dates for the Diary:
- Tuesday 14 March – Rugby Training Commences at Oxford Falls for all students Year 7-12
- Friday 24 March – Sunday 26 March - Opens Rugby Camp and TRIAL VS CCGS – Central Coast.
- Saturday 1 April – SPX vs ST ALOYISIUS – HOME- TBC
- Wednesday 19 & Thursday 20 April - School Holiday Clinic – Oxford Falls – TRYTIME RUGBY
Mr Martin Gillogly - Rugby Convenor
From the Junior Resource Centre
Celebrating diversity! Harmony Week 2023
Harmony Day (and Harmony Week, from 20-26March) is about inclusiveness, respect and a sense of belonging for everyone. The theme for this year is “Everyone Belongs”.
(Women, blue, red, sari, shallow, focus photography, woman face, girl, mejk, color | Pxfuel. (n.d.). Retrieved March 21, 2023 from https://www.pxfuel.com/en/free-photo-olsul)
Year 6 Author Tour.
Celebrating the release of: Running with Ivan by Suzanne Leal.
Year 6 had the lovely Suzanne Leal come in on Tuesday to discuss her new children’s novel Running With Ivan. Suzanne spoke about her old neighbour/Landlord Fred who told her stories of his time in the transit camp for Czech Jews, Theresienstadt.
This extraordinary novel follows Leo, a thirteen-year-old who yearns to escape his new family. When he discovers an old music box and turns the key, he is astonishingly transported back to Prague in whispers and fears of World War II on the brink.
Thank you so much for coming in Suzanne.
Students can order signed copies of Suzanne Leal’s books on the following link:
https://www.thechildrensbookshopspeakersagency.com.au/person/suzanne-leal/
The Children’s Bookshop will deliver the books to your child’s school (free delivery).
Books in our JRC
Looking for your next read? Pop into the JRC and see our range of books to compliment Harmony Week as we celebrate diversity, respect and a sense of belonging for everyone. (Pictured are just a few) #harmonyweek
Mrs Martin’s Book Trail: Ratbags by Tim Harris
The rats are coming! (Might be best not to read this book if you don’t like trouble) They have pizza, and they are NOT afraid to use it. A new stupendously rat–tastic new series. Pop into the JRC and pick up the first book in the series.
#MrsMartinsBooktrail2023
#MrsMartinsBooktrail2023
Ms Elena Martin - Teacher Librarian
Junior Chess
Thank you to all the students who attended chess training on Tuesday 21 March in the JRC. A big thank you to Mr Ben Ryan who supervised the training whilst I was absent.
See you all on Tuesday 28 March at 7:30 am in the Junior Resource Centre.
Mrs Elena Martin - Junior School Chess Convenor