From the Principal     

• Mothers' Day Prayer
• Funding
• 80th Anniversary Concert -  'Night of Stars'
• Mothers' Day Celebrations 
• How to Talk to Young People about Suicide 
• White Knight Foundation Dinner

Mothers' Day Prayer

At Assembly this week Ms Doyle’s Year 7 RE class led the school in a prayer for mothers.

Dear Lord, we pray for our own mothers who are so important in our lives.  

Mums are the hardest working being in the universe. They will work and have sleepless nights 24/7 just to give us a comfortable life and a rich education.

We give thanks for our mums and for their experience in dealing with tough situations. 

Dear Lord, we give thanks for the wisdom of our mothers. We ask you to guide them in their important role in supporting us at important moments in our lives.

Mothers are caring, kind and good natured and encourage us to do our best.

Mums will never lose hope in us. 

In tough situations mothers still manage a family. They keep us on the right path throughout life. 

They will always lend a helping hand.

The truth is mums do so many things for us that we don’t even realise. They take us to all our commitments and they will always help us when we are in need of help.

We pray for those mothers who are no longer with us, those who are dealing with illness and difficult circumstances in their lives.

We pray for grandmothers and for expectant mothers, wondering and waiting, we pray for those women without children who nurture us. We pray today for mothers around the world, mothers who cannot feed their children, mothers who are homeless or without a homeland.

Help us create a world where mothers can raise their children in peace and plenty.

                                                               Blessed Edmund Rice             Pray for us

                                                               Mary, Mother of God                Pray for us

                                                               St Pius X  College                       Pray for us

                                                               Live Jesus in our hearts          Forever

Federal Funding Changes for St Pius X College

In last night’s Budget, the levels of Federal funding for education were announced and confirmed the advice which I sent to the College community yesterday. I attach again (below) a copy of my letter sent to parents yesterday along with the letter received from the Minister of Education and Training, Senator Simon Birmingham.

The Department of Education and Training have contacted me and advised with deep regret that the Minister’s letter “included an inadvertent error”. “Unfortunately there was reference to an average annual per student decrease of 2.5% over ten years; instead the figure should have been 4.2%. The 2.5% figure refers to the average decrease over four years.”

In essence, this was the only incorrect figure and the remainder of the actual figures are correct.

For clarification, I restate that our 2017 Commonwealth funding of $6969 per student will reduce in 2018 to $6834 per student. This represents a reduction of 1.9% in nominal terms. This equates to a decrease of $135 per student for 2018. In total, this is a reduction of $154,600 for 2018. Over the next 10 years our per student funding will continue to reduce in order to bring us back to our SRS which would equate to $4557 per student in 2027 based on today’s figures. The estimated average annual per student decrease between the period of 2018-2027 is 4.2%.

This reduction in funding is certainly a challenging concern for the community and I again emphasise that the College will responsibly and prudently manage any funding changes. The College will need to increase its fees over time but I emphasise that this will be done in careful consideration of the affordability and accessibility for our parents and through the direction of the College Finance and Risk Committee, the College Board and Edmund Rice Education Australia (EREA). The College will continue to provide Financial Assistance to families in need through the College Equity Scholarship Program and fee concessions based on financial need.

I thank each family for their commitment to providing a Catholic education for their children and parents are always welcome to contact me directly to discuss their personal circumstances.

80th Anniversary Concert:  'A Night Full of Stars'

7.00pm on 18th May 2017 at The Concourse

Preparations for this stellar event are in their final stages and the evening will be brilliant.  This is a LAST CALL for ticket sales and I urge parents to book now to avoid the disappointment of missing out. Tickets can be purchased at the Concourse Box Office during business hours, via the Concourse website or by clicking on the following link:

http://premier.ticketek.com.au/shows/show.aspx?sh=NIGHTFUL17  

It is going to be an amazing night featuring the talents of current and past students, instrumental tutors and teaching staff.  We look forward to seeing you there!

Mothers' Day

Friday 12th May:  All Mothers, Grandmothers and Carers are invited with their sons to an early morning light breakfast and Liturgy.  Refreshments commence at 7.30am and a short Liturgy begins at 8.10am in the School Gymnasium. For catering purposes, please RSVP by clicking on the Trybooking link here.

Please see the Junior School Page for information and RSVP details for the Junior School Mothers’ and Grandmothers’ Day Mass and Morning Tea, which is also being held on Friday 12th May, 10.30am at Our Lady of Dolours’ Church Chatswood. 

How to talk about Suicide with Young People

Recently there has been significant attention drawn to a Netflix series '13 Reasons Why'.  This series depicts concerning content on youth suicide, self harm and rape.  Attached is a letter to parents offering direction and assistance as well as advice on how to talk about suicide with young people  There are also key contact details for support to students and parents.

The White Knight Foundation Gala Dinner

Friday 19th May at The Concourse, Chatswood

Time is running out to purchase your tickets (or a table) to attend this significant school community event which seeks to support the wonderful work of ex-student, Liam Knight.  Liam and the White Knight Foundation seek to raise funds to support victims of youth violence.  

It would be wonderful if more parents and friends could attend the evening to boost current numbers. Join the crusade and fight youth violence by attending the White Knight Foundations’ second Annual Gala Dinner on Friday 19th May.  Please see the flyer below for details:

Mr John Couani - Principal