From the Principal

• Woodchatta Bonus Christmas Edition
• Prayer 
• Prayers for the Ferguson Family (Samuel, Year 5)
• Snowy Hike 2019
• Staffing 2020
• HSC Success - Congratulations Nick Bendall - Music 2 Composition
• Organist, Peter Kneeshaw visits St Pius X for Closing Mass
• St Pius Musicians work with Willoughby Symphony
• HSC Results and BBQ
• Progress in C Block 
• Year 9 Christmas Hamper Appeal, Year 7 Giving Tree & Twilight Concert drought appeal
• North Curl Curl Beach 3 Point Challenge
• Edmund Rice Holiday Activities
• New App for 2020
• Students return for 2020 on Thursday 30 January

Woodchatta Bonus Christmas Edition

With so many happenings since the final edition of Woodchatta last week, we decided to send out this Bonus Christmas Edition.  

On behalf of all of us at the College, I wish all our families every Christmas Blessing and pray that you have a happy, holy and safe Christmas and New Year.

Prayer: 

The prayer above is wonderful but the only addition I would offer is: 

"We give thanks and praise to our loving God and pray for the birth of the Christ child, Jesus"

Prayers for the Ferguson Family (Samuel, Year 5)

It is with deep sadness that we offer prayers for the passing of Mr Kevin Ferguson, father of Samuel in Year 5 who passed away last Friday after a difficult battle with cancer.

We offer our prayers and support to Kristy and the Ferguson family, Samuel (Year 5) and his sister, Mary.

I know in particular of the support of the Year 5 families and teachers and this will be ongoing for the Ferguson family.

May perpetual light shine upon Kevin, may he rest in peace. Amen

Snowy Hike 2019

Our 2019 Snowy Hike was a brilliant experience for our 60+ contingency of Year 11 students, staff and ex-students. I am deeply appreciative of the leadership of Mr Paul de Silva in this outstanding Outdoor Education opportunity. Mr de Silva’s initial report and photos are below.

Snowy Hike is a tradition at the College going back to 1983 in its current form. For the students it is about leadership, mateship, resilience and both personal and spiritual growth. Every student has their own unique experience and journey.

2019 was our largest expedition yet with 67 students and 11 staff and leaders.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank you, the College community for your support, trust and enthusiasm in providing our students with this extremely worthwhile experience.

These events cannot take place without staff good-will so we would like to personally thank all of the College staff and external leaders both Old Boys and others that made this expedition a reality.

Staffing 2020

It is with both sadness and also sincere appreciation for Mrs Natalie Rawle that I announce that her family have decided to move to Toowoomba and as a result Mrs Rawle has resigned her position at the College. Mrs Rawle has made a great contribution to the Performing Arts and will be missed by the St Pius X community. We wish her every future success.

The College is currently recruiting to the position of a Year 5-8 Music Teacher part-time (3 days per week) for 2020. The advertisement for this position, attached below, can also be found on the Employment page of our website.

I am very pleased to advise that Mr Daniel Quilty will join the English Faculty commencing at the start of the 2020 school year. Mr Daniel Quilty will take English classes from Year 7-12.

I am also pleased to announce that Mrs Janelle Arena will take the position of Canteen Manager (2 days per week) along with Mrs Anna Coombs (3 days per week).

HSC Success - Congratulations to Nick Bendall

The College has been informed by NESA that Nick Bendall from Year 12 2019 has been nominated for ENCORE for his HSC Composition “Tango de la Vida”. ENCORE is the HSC showcase of the most outstanding Music in this year’s NSW HSC. We are so very proud of Nick on this outstanding achievement.

Please enjoy listening to Nicholas’ composition, “Tango de la Vida” via this link:

https://onedrive.live.com/?authkey=%21AKZWj2JCZWh9Xbc&id=26029A7AC94AAD50%21478&cid=26029A7AC94AAD50

Well done Nicholas and congratulations to you on this wonderful achievement. Our thanks to all our Performing Arts Staff for their support of Year 12. Special thanks to Stella Talati and Australian Composer Luke Byrne for the HSC Composition Workshops they facilitated for Year 12. Sincere thanks to our Performing Arts Parents’ Association for their support of our Composition Workshops in 2019.

Organist, Peter Kneeshaw Visits St Pius X College for our Closing Mass

Last Thursday was a proud day for our staff and students. Our final College Mass was a jubilant celebration and standout in terms of the involvement by all. A new initiative for 2019 saw Sydney Organ Scholar, Mr Peter Kneeshaw (Organist Emeritus, St Mary’s Cathedral Sydney) visit St Pius X College to accompany our boys, choirs and string players on the pipe organ.  Professional trumpeters, James Blunt and David Sismey raised our carol singing to greater heights through the addition of descant lines arranged by composer, David Willcocks. Mr Primrose-Heaney added poignancy to our prayers through his beautiful performance of the Bach/Gounod arrangement of “Ave Maria” on cello.  Our sincere thanks to Father Jim McKeon, staff and students for making our final Mass so uplifting.

“Congratulations on the choir and instrumentalists. The boys at SPX know how to sing. It was a privilege to be part of this magnificent service. It was stunning to see a Church gallery full of young musicians. I wish the community of St Pius a wonderful Christmas and many blessings in the new year.”  Peter Kneeshaw.

St Pius Musicians Work with Simon Kenway, Willoughby Symphony, Willoughby Choir and Pacific Opera in the sell-out concert, “The Magic of Christmas” (December 8, Chatswood Concourse)

Last Sunday twenty St Pius musicians rose bright and early to take part in the Willoughby Symphony’s final concert for 2019, “The Magic of Christmas”. Under the baton of Australian Opera chorus master, Simon Kenway and alongside professional musicians and opera singers, our boys performed an array of stunning Christmas music ranging from Grade 4 to A Mus in its complexity. SPX String Players Eamon Boyle, Eugene Kim, Andrew McKinnon and Hudson Lomas, were thrilled to perform on stage with the orchestra. It was a sell-out concert organised by the legendary Arts Officer for Willoughby Symphony, Mrs Annette Brown.

Ms Pip Waters

Performing Arts Coordinator

HSC Results and BBQ

This year the HSC results will be released on Tuesday 17 December.  The ATARs will be released at 1.00pm on the same day,  The college will hold a BBQ for all 2019 HSC students at 1.30pm on Tuesday 17 December at the College.  All those students are most welcome.  Please spread the word!

Progress in C Block 

Our builders, Grindley Interiors, are progressing well with this project and I share a few more photos below. It is expected that this will be completed and ready for the start of the 2020 school year.

Year 9 Christmas Hamper Appeal, Year 7 Giving Tree and Twilight Concert Drought Appeal

In consolidation of our Year 7 Giving Tree, Year 9 Social Justice Christmas Hamper Appeal and Twilight Concert collection for the drought appeal, our toiletries were last Sunday consolidated into hampers at St Michael's Darlington Parish for homeless people of inner Sydney, the toys collected will be distributed by Mr Mulheron to St Mary's Bowraville and hopefully St Patrick's Brewarrina, while the Foods were delivered to St Anthony in the Fields, Frenchs Forest Parish, Terrey Hills Hamper Appeal. We were represented at Fr Sateesh’s 9am Hamper Blessing Mass on Sunday by Year 5 student James Thomson and Year 10 student Will Thomson.

Photo of James Thomson, Yr 5, Will Thomson Yr 10, Fr Sateesh and the Brigidine College Yr 9 Social Justice Christmas Hamper advocates at St Anthony in the Fields Hamper Mass Terrey Hills. 

On Wednesday morning at 10.00 am Year 9 students Patrick Browne, Nathan McAdam, Jake Ormsby, Andrew McKinnon, Charlie Dwyer, Ben Cullen, Will Thomson, James Thomson and Tom Fong will assist with delivery of the Christmas Hampers to Centacare, St Vincent de Paul and the Burdekin Charitable Institutions at Brookvale for delivery to those in need prior to Christmas.

North Curl Curl 3 Point Challenge

St Pius was well represented in last Saturday's 3 Point Challenge Biathlon at North Curl Curl when recent Old Boy, Jake Stollery, placed a creditable 5th in the Ocean Swim.  In the Biathlon, we congratulate Year 10 student, Ben Ferguson, who won the U/18 Division.

Edmund Rice Holiday Activities

We wish our 1st XI Cricket squad well in January for the bi-annual edition of the Christian Brothers Cricket week in Brisbane hosted by Nudgee College.

We also wish College Captain 2020, Lachlan Mathie, well as he represents us at the EREA Student Leaders' Conference from 20 - 22 January.

New App for 2020

During the summer holidays the College will be upgrading its website and as part of this will be launching a new App in 2020.

The App will be available to download in late January and instructions and links will be detailed in Woodchatta in Week 1, Term 1, 2020.

Students Return for 2020

All students will return for 2020 on Thursday 30 January. 

Mr John Couani - Principal