Junior School

I often think how lucky we are to live in Sydney, a city blessed with the harbour, the beaches, the mountains, the rivers, the national parks and the public spaces we all love. This long weekend I spent time with my family in a couple of nooks and crannies around the harbour I’ve not had the pleasure of visiting before, just for the sake of doing something new. We love to stroll; we’re certainly not serious hikers like some of you would be. In these somewhat leisurely walks, I do have the chance to go gently and notice, and marvel at, and feel grateful for the beauty of creation. I also find that I wonder about the lives of the Gadigal and Cammeraygal peoples before my ancestors arrived in these lands. Perhaps if your mind also tends towards these thoughts you might enjoy this short video that was recommended to me at a Catholic Schools NSW meeting earlier this year: Virtual Warrane - Sydney Cove. 

I am sure you and your young sons will be mindful of the massive social upheaval in the USA at present, and the large-scale demonstrations in a number of our own capital cities this past weekend. When we saw these demonstrations, my children and I had very interesting discussions about why people would risk attending mass gatherings during a pandemic, and whether it was ethical to attend. Rest assured, children and young people are capable of wrestling with moral and philosophical dilemmas! Sometimes they can cut to the heart of things without the burdens or baggage adults carry. I overheard a Year 6 child explaining the ‘Black Lives Matter’ issue to a peer in a really straightforward way, and as far as they knew, away from adult ears. They said something like “It’s true that all lives matter, but in our country Aboriginal people are much more likely to go to prison than other people, and many have died in prison, and that’s not right. So when people say Black Lives Matter, it doesn’t mean other lives don’t matter, it’s just pointing out that something is not right here and something should be done. It’s like when people want equality for women, it doesn’t mean treating men badly, it literally means equality – being equal and fair.” Sometimes I hear young people talk, and I hear some politicians and media commentators talk, and I am reminded of the fable of the Emperor’s New Clothes.

On a more practical note, can I ask you please to revisit the concept of road safety and awareness with your sons. With increased traffic around the College at this time, I do worry that a student who thinks “I’ll be fine, I’ve got time,” might come to grief while crossing the road after school. I have had the awful experience, at another school, of caring for a young student until paramedics arrived after a road accident, and I hope never to have to do that again. Can you imagine your son in that situation? Every conversation matters: I encourage you to have this one again tonight.

Yesterday families were emailed details of the optional Parent Teacher Interviews taking place in Week 9. Please read this email and take action if you require an interview, noting the differences between signing up for Junior and Senior interviews. If it’s not in your Inbox, be sure to check your Junk/Spam folder just in case. If you have any question after reading the email, please contact your son’s class teacher or me.

Best wishes to you all at this time and always.  

Ben Munday

Director of Junior School

Orange 430 Library Book 

During remote learning, Year 6 read the humorous and thought-provoking book ‘The All New Must Have Orange 430’, by Michael Speechley. For our recent library assignment which stemmed from this compelling book, our grade was required to make an advertisement for a ‘useless’ object. We were encouraged to do more than think outside the box; we travelled through the realm of imagination in a way unknown to our intellect. We ventured into the uncharted and unveiled what is perhaps our best weapon: creativity. But we did more than just journey deep inside ourselves – we expressed ourselves. We put ourselves in the shoes of an advertiser and thought, “How will this appeal to the audience? How will this resonate and correspond with our audience?” 

We learnt about the power of advertising and how advertising can do so much more than just be irritating. Making a convincing advertisement would have been a task intricate enough but persuading someone to buy something that is completely useless was a much more arduous task. Nonetheless, we rose to the challenge and created advertisements worthy of gifted high school students. Although some were a little questionable, overall, these ads provoked genuine laughter, emotions and interest. But what was perhaps most interesting of all – each useless object derived from a contrasting genre. This illustrates the uniquity that reigns throughout our grade and how creativity varies from person to person. Although there was a multitude of distinctive genres, we were sold! Catchy phrases and budget selling scripts encouraged ‘purchase’ of these useless objects, but we didn’t even notice; we were having too much fun. 

Oscar Midolla and Tyron Garzaniti

Year 6 Students