Pastoral Care 

• Appropriate student behaviour
• Mobile phones
• Year 7 Touchstones Day
• Year 10 NSW School Vaccination Program 2024
• Cashless Canteen

Appropriate student behaviour

All students are reminded of their responsibilities to move safely and directly to and from school, and not to loiter in Chatswood CBD. Year 12 only, have the privilege of accessing Westfield and Chatswood Chase. All other students are similarly on notice that any misbehaviour, anti-social activity, lack of appropriate respect, or group movement, will result in the privilege of accessing all shops, including the interchange stores, being lost.

Similarly, the resilience and growth mindset to overcome adversity and be connected to the school community, colleagues, and teams by attending and 'showing up', are great skills for life which we strongly endorse and advocate among our students. Where students have difficulty attending, every support is extended, and we encourage families to adjust the perception that there is a complicated decision to be made each morning! It can be simpler just to rely on good habit, principles, and show up with the team inspite of individual circumstances. 'Quality is not an act, it is a habit', Aristotle.

There is considerable concern in our community about the effects of social media upon our young men and women, not least of which is the phenomena of celebrity. Our Pastoral Care and Wellbeing, Counselling, and PDHPE Teams are continually working at both student and staff levels to enhance positive education, our Pastoral Care programs, healthy, respectful behaviours, and learning in our community.

Rather than give oxygen to the distractions of antisocial commentators, we choose to stand by the ideals and values of our families, faith, and community and celebrate the achievements and growth of our students and staff. 

Mobile phones

The College stands by its values, which are supported by our ICT Policy, of Phone Away All Day, to enhance learning, and not photographing, filming, or posting material without permission to protect all members of our community. We want our young men to be capable of standing up and helping others in a crisis, rather than choosing to get out phones to film / bring about a situation which could otherwise be averted. If a student is caught with a mobile phone, he will receive a Friday detention. Please ensure all phones are in lockers from arrival at school to leaving in the afternoon.

Year 7 Touchstones Day

On Monday, Year 7 travelled to our Oxford Falls campus to participate in the Year 7 Touchstones Day. During the day they learnt the true values of a student in the Edmund Rice tradition, whilst building an inclusive cohort and colour house morale. 

Throughout the day Year 7 engaged in various activities in their given colour houses.  The activities included a Social Justice lesson with Mr Balboa, a touchstones and Edmund Rice values lesson and activity with Mr Di Sano, and a team building exercise focusing on inclusion with Ms McCarthy. Students were also involved in a musical activity using traditional bongo drums, led by Mr James Cummins from the positivity project, where they focused on being positive and including everyone.

With Mr Di Sano, they learnt about each of the four touchstones of Gospel Spirituality, Inclusive Community, Justice and Solidarity and Liberating Education as well as the origins behind them and the core meaning of each. They also learnt what it is like to be a student in the Edmund Rice tradition and the values and enrichment that this is aimed to preach to the world. 

With Mr Balboa, students focused on social justice not only within the college but around the world. They looked at an image which portrays an unequal ‘Yin and Yang’ foreshadowing the difference of privilege between first world and third world nations.  Mr Balboa spoke to the boys about the college's social justice opportunities, including immersions and the Edmund Rice Society.

With Ms McCarthy they focused on a key message of ‘Belonging to a team’, doing various activities which relate back to a core message of an inclusive cohort, community and a connection with your team as well as others. Each student signed their initials on a sign saying, ‘Belonging to a team’, which will be hung up in the Year 7 yard to instil in the boys this inclusive message.

Finally, the students met with Mr James Cummins to focus on positivity throughout Year 7 as well as including everyone. He spoke this message through the power of engaged music. Each student was able to play a beat of their own choosing on a bongo drum whilst stating their name and something interesting about them. This brings about inclusion whilst positively encouraging community. 

Overall, Year 7 had a great day of experience and knowledge, learning much about the college and what it means to be a St Pius X student in the Edmund Rice tradition focusing on the four main touchstones, social justice, and an inclusive cohort with the core message of ‘Belonging to a team’. 

Sean O'Donnell (Year 10 student)

Year 10 NSW School Vaccination Program

If your child is in Year 10 you can provide online consent for their routine school vaccinations.

Year 10 - Meningococcal ACWY, school clinic, 27 March 2024

Vaccination will only be provided at school if consent has been received.

How to provide consent: 

1. To complete online consent for your child’s school vaccinations, visit: https://nswhealth.service-now.com/school and log in using your ServiceNSW details. This is the same account you may already use to renew your driver’s licence. Refer to Service NSW to create an account if you don’t already have one. 

2. Update or confirm your personal details in ServiceNSW as required. 

3. Complete the School Vaccination Consent Form for your child.   

Read a step-by-step guide on how to provide consent online. Translated guides are available in Arabic, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Vietnamese.

If you or your child do not have a Medicare card or access, consent can still be provided by requesting a paper-based consent form directly from your child’s school. 

The benefits of providing consent online: 

• easily update your child’s details 

• receive SMS and/or email notifications when vaccinations are given 

• faster upload of vaccination records to the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR).

For more information on routine school vaccinations, please visit 

www.health.nsw.gov.au/schoolvaccination . 

If you require information in your language, please visit

www.health.nsw.gov.au/immunisation/Pages/school_vaccination_language.aspx

Card only at the canteen

Please see the communication sent out earlier this year. The grace period has now expired and from week 4 students are required to use the below options to purchase food at the canteen.

A cashless system in 2024

As communicated last year, St Pius X College has now transitioned to a cashless system in 2024. 

Students can choose from two payment methods at the canteen:

1. EFTPOS card: This would involve using a physical card issued by a financial institution.
2. Flexischools*: Flexischools is a platform that facilitates online ordering and payments at the canteen.

*New students who haven't been issued student cards can still use Flexischools once an account is linked to their student profile.

To set up a Flexischools account, visit the Flexischools website (https://flexischools.com.au/) and follow the instructions provided. When prompted to enter the student's barcode number, enter the first section of their college email address. For example, if the email address is JSMIT01@stpiusx.nsw.edu, enter "JSMIT01" as the barcode number.

Once the account is activated and the student is linked, the student can present the barcode number to the canteen. Purchased items will be added to their account. Once student cards are issued, the student must present their student card at the canteen to use their Flexischools account.  

Please see the College Finance Department if you have any queries.

Mr Martin Gillogly - Assistant Principal, Pastoral Care