Pastoral Care and Old Boys' News

National Day of Action Against Bullying and Violence, Harmony Week and St Patrick's Day
Year 7 Camp
Year 10 PDHPE House Points
Year 8 Cross Country
Year 9 and 10 Alcohol and Harm Minimisation Presentations
Brigidine College Social Justice Evening
Old Boys' News

National Day of Action Against Bullying and Violence, Harmony Week and St Patrick's Day

There was great support for our student leaders at our Assembly last Friday morning celebrating:

Orange for the National Day of Action Against Bullying and Violence instilling in our students the courage to stand up against cowardly actions and insults which have the potential to compromise our culture of inclusion, acceptance and integrity.

White for Harmony Week and reinforcing the message that Everyone Belongs – How good were the Max Lenton trio featuring Pat Frost on Bass and Aaron Lau on Drums: “keeping the beat for bad company”.

And Green for St Patrick, Edmund Rice, and our Irish heritage and connections. Celebrating wellbeing examples such as Mr Ricardo O’Russo. We must always celebrate the great things we do well, the dignity, inclusion, kindness, and respect that our students and school are challenged to show for others.

In that theme of connection our Year 7 RE staff Mr Di Sano, Mrs Zervakos, Mrs Spanyk, Mrs Fileman and Ms Loughman whose Religious Education classes have prepared letters articulating what it is like to be a student in an Edmund Rice school in Sydney to EREBB school students overseas. Their letters were sent to Principal Aaron Wolfe, Christian Brothers Cork, Ireland.

When Mr Ronchetti represents us at the EREBB Conference in Dublin later this year we will celebrate our ongoing connections with schools in Ireland (CBC Cork, St Finstan’s Dublin, St Mary’s, Belfast), England (St Anselm’s, Birkenhead) Africa (St Dominic’s, CBC Mt Edmund Pretoria, St Raphael’s Tanzania), India, Canada (St Thomas and Vancouver College), US, (CBC Chicago, Iona New York), New Zealand (Liston, Auckland, St Thomas, Christchurch, St Kevin’s Oamaru) and South America: (Fe y Alegria, Peru, Stella Maris, Uruguay and Cardenal Newman, Argentina). Mr Umberto Olivares Principal of Newman College is a former schoolmate of Pope Francis!

Thanks to our student leaders Eamon Boyle, Josh Bewley, Mitch McGrath, Liam Thomson and Billy Sykes for leading the assembly.

Special mention in dispatches goes to Wellbeing Prefect Thomas Wilkins, who despite falling during a boxercise playground run on Thursday, got out of his hospital bed to co-host our assembly on Friday morning. A huge effort and commitment to the cause!

Year 7 Camp

Thank you to our Year 7 Pastoral Care Staff attending Year 7 Camp from today until Friday: Mrs Loughman, Mrs Baguley, Miss Barwick, Mrs Scott, and Mrs Lewis, and Mr Chan, Mr Quilty, Mr Gibson, Mr Reay, Mr Wall and Mr Stearn. The students' engagement in all the growth mindset and challenge by choice activities is a great step in their path to resilience and strength. We look forward to hearing their great stories of overcoming the challenges of Year 7 Camp.

Year 10 PDHPE House Cup Points

Congratulations to our Year 10 students who last week completed their course of cultural activities including Gaelic Football, Fencing, and Wheelchair basketball.

For the record the final day of House Cup Gaelic Football resulted in House points as follows

Rice 100, Purton 80, Barron 60, Treacy 50

Next Tuesday, 28 March, all Year 10 will partake in a wellbeing project facilitated by Living Works Safetalk Australia which is highly endorsed and supported. This evidence-based course centres around suicide prevention, and a sponsored lunch of Guzman y Gomez will be provided on the day. Bring your own snacks or additional lunch to supplement if required.

Year 8 Cross Country

Congratulations to all participants in the Year 8 Cross Country last Wednesday. The final points and placings for the day went to:

Treacy 100, Purton 70, Rice 60, Barron 50

1st Harry Arnold (T) , 2nd Leo Boyd Clark (T), 3rd Hamish Mullen (P), Ben Fogale U/12s (R)

Followed by:

A Calcarao, E Stearn, N Beauchat, C Elsby, X Davidson, M Ringrose, A Bourke, A Zofrea, M Hillsdon, O Roberto, E Silver, J Alajajian, C McNeilly, M Draper, D Horstead, Z Rapa, O Reiner, L Monaco, S Judd, E De-Fina, F Chammaa.

Gibber Smashed Australia Alcohol Misuse / Abuse Harm Minimisation Production

Year 9 and 10 Alcohol Harm Minimisation Drama Productions were successfully held on Wednesday in the gym. Thank you to Mr Steinman, Mr Pawlak and the supporting staff. Any feedback or suggestions on our Pastoral Care programs to support our students, families, and communities in addressing these contemporary societal issues as well as problem gaming and the adverse influence of social media celebrities, (including Andrew Tate), is welcome and gratefully received.

Brigidine College Social Justice Evening Tuesday 21 March

Congratulations to the following Year 11 and 12 students who represented us at the Brigidine Social Justice Forum on Tuesday evening:

Mitch McGrath, Fergus Fung, Max Forbes, Quinton Crispe, Chris Mander, Harry Feehan, and Patrick Frost.

There are similar upcoming school representation opportunities for which you can approach Mr Brannan for details including:

Amity College Prestons IFTAR Dinner Monday 3 April with Brigidine College
Amity College Auburn a taste of Ramadan Dinner Tuesday 4 April with Mercy College
Shoah Memorial Event Sunday 16 April Kensington tbc Jewish Deputies of NSW
ANZAC Commemoration Kokoda Track Memorial Walkway 10:30 am Saturday 22 April
ANZAC Dawn Service 5:00 am Chatswood Garden of Remembrance Tuesday 25 April
ANZAC 7:00 am Service Willoughby Park Tuesday 25 April
RSL and Schools ANZAC Commemoration tbc

Old Boys' News

Old Boys' Gala Day

This Sunday, 26 March, our Old Boys' Gala Day will be conducted at Oxford Falls from 9:30 am. With our Opens Rugby squad at camp on the central coast with Mr Gillogly, Mr Stearn and Mr Cross, there will be no rugby / touch however our Opens / 1sts teams will play an Old Boys selection in Basketball (contact SPX Basketball Convenor, Danny Garrett) and our 1st XI football will play a star studded team of Old Boy Captains.

BBQ to follow the festivities at 11:00 am – inquiries to sbrannan@stpiusx.nsw.edu.au

Fide et Labore

Mr Sean Brannan - Assistant Principal, Pastoral Care and Wellbeing