Pastoral Care

From the Assistant Principal Pastoral Care

• SPX Student Diary Planners
• Year 7 Edmund Rice Inclusivity Induction Day 
• eSafety Forum
• Cyberbullying Overview 
• Old Boys vs Students Gala Day
• Christmas Hamper Outreach and Parish Support
• Welcome to our returning families
• Congratulations Alex Hart Year 10 - National Sailing Silver Medallist

St Pius X College Student Diary Planners:  All Student Diary Planners have now arrived and been distributed to every student with some plastic covers still to follow up. The Diary Planner is an essential tool in communication, organisation and planning of learning throughout the College.

After ensuring their name and timetable are recorded in their Diary, students and parents should ensure they read and sign the ICT agreement principles on Page 18, plan extra curricular involvement on Page 12, and record a learning outcome (classwork, homework or revision) for every lesson throughout the school year. The Diary Planner should be signed on a weekly basis by students, parents and staff to monitor wellbeing and learning progress of students throughout the school year.

The wellbeing, positive education, and growth mindset activities complemented by the muscle memory, goal setting and learning support strategies throughout the Diary Planner will be the subject of Pastoral Care and Brain Plasticity learning programs over coming weeks.

Our wellbeing theme for Term 1 centres on developing Respectful Working Relationships in all contexts of our lives, and our Wellbeing Prefects will be leading the conversation on this during upcoming student assemblies.

Year 7 Edmund Rice Inclusivity Induction Day:  This Friday 8 February all Year 7 students will attend an Induction Day at Oxford Falls where they will participate in sessions including:

1. Our local area and context
2. MindMatters community and team building activities
3. Social Justice in Action at St Pius
4. St Pius as a College in the Edmund Rice Tradition

One outcome of the day will be the writing of  an email letter by each student to Year 7 students at other Edmund Rice Schools around the globe, communicating something of who they are and what it means to be an Edmund Rice student at St Pius X College.  Students need to wear PDHPE / Sports Uniform and bring their Recess and Lunch as no canteen facilities will be available. We will depart Chatswood after Sports Assembly and return to Chatswood well in time for normal transport home.

eSafety Forum:   7.00 - 8.30pm on Tuesday 19 February in the College’s Chatswood Gym.

With the contemporary issues of supporting teenagers in their use of online technology and social media in the educational context of late, it is timely that we have been able to invite Mr Greg Gebhart from the Office of the Commissioner of eSafety to present at the College Gym on Tuesday 19 February between 7 and 8.30pm.

Parking will be available in the school yard to cater for members of the wider St Pius X College and OLD Primary School communities who have been invited. Free bookings can be made through the Trybooking website below for the purposes of setting out seating and asking the P & F to support with tea, coffee and nibbles after the presentation.

https://www.trybooking.com/453005

I look forward to seeing as many parents as possible on the evening. The Office of the eSafety Commissioner has requested that this presentation be aimed at parents only. However, over the coming year it may be valuable to coordinate a session where both students and parents attend to hear the same message. Your feedback or suggestions regarding the session would be valued.

Cyberbullying involves the use of technologies to seriously harass, intimidate, humiliate or threaten a child or young person. These technologies include social networks, instant messaging, end email. By reporting cyberbullying to the eSafety Commissioner, and talking about its impact on victims, we can help stop it.

Please click on the flyer below for more information such as where to go for help and how to report serious cyberbullying.

Old Boys vs Students Gala Day:  The annual Old Boys vs Students Gala Day will be held at Oxford Falls on Saturday 23 February (Basketball and Touch) and Sunday 24 February for the Football.  As the event coincides with the tragic accidental death last year of Lachlan Ridley (Class of 2017) there will be a short prayer and moment of silent reflection preceding each event, and members of the Classes of 2017 and 2018 are particularly invited.  Details are as follows:

• Basketball:  Christian Brothers Centre Gym 2.30pm.  Contact Mr Brannan to register: sbrannan@stpiusx.nsw.edu.au   BBQ at 4pm
• Touch:  Walsh Oval 2.30pm - Contact Mr Brannan to register for catering purposes sbrannan@stpiusx.nsw.edu.au  BBQ at 4pm
• Football:  Walsh Oval Sunday 24th February 9am - BBQ at 12pm

Christmas Hamper Outreach and Parish Support:  It is pleasing to report that at the conclusion of last school year many of our students were actively involved in social justice activities for their Parishes and on behalf of the school. The Year 9 Christmas Hamper drive was consolidated by Will Thomson (Year 10), Luka Krizan, David Giles (Year 8) and Will’s younger brother James (Year 5) who attended the St Anthony’s Terrey Hills Christmas Hamper Mass before assisting in the delivery of our Hampers to worthy and needy recipients in the area along with our Parish Youth Minister, Mr Adrian Brannan.

At Holy Family Parish Lindfield Carols Night on Friday 7 December Will Thomson and his team of helpers, after a full day, ran a highly successful BBQ to raise more than $1000 for the charitable activities of the parish.

The team of St Pius students included James Thomson, Josh Overton, Harry Rowe, Josh Dixon, Dominic Panozzo, Will Rowe and Brad and James Power.  SPX boys Will and James Thomson and Josh Overton have volunteered at the Holy Family Carols fundraiser for all four years (2015 to 2018).

Well done to these young men of action who took on both the Year 9 Gospel Spirituality Theme, “Go and do likewise” (Luke 10:25) and Pastoral Care Theme, “Respectful Men of Honour” last year.

Welcome:  Amidst the positive start by so many students, including all our new students who were welcomed at Monday’s assembly, it is timely to welcome back two families who return from overseas to the College this year. The Scaiff family return from two years in Atlanta, Georgia, with Michael in Year 11, James in Year 10 and William in Year 5 resuming their Australian studies.  Similarly the Cleary family return from 2018 in Ireland with Austin in Year 10 and Thomas in Year 8 starting back into the fray of St Pius learning.

Welcome to them and to all our students returning to St Pius or starting out after the great summer break.

Alex Hart Year 10 National Sailing Silver Medallist:  Congratulations to Alex Hart of Year 10 who represented Manly Skiff Club with great success over summer. Alex skippered a rebellious crew, featuring his sister Sophie, to 2nd overall at the Flying 11 National Championships in Port Stephens in mid January. They were also 1st overall mixed boy/girl crew.