From the Principal

• Prayer
• Respectful Relationships
• P&F Meeting
• Cocktail Party Invitation
• Consultation about an Optional Broad Brimmed School Hat
• ISA Summer Sports
• Annual Improvement Plan
• Pius In Profile Autumn 2021
• Open Day
• Enrolments for Years 5, 6 & 7 2023 Now Open
• Key Dates

Prayer 

Next Monday, 8 March, is International Women's Day.  A day when we celebrate with love and appreciation, all women.

The theme for the 2021 International Women's Day is #ChoosetoChallenge.

"A challenged world is an alert world. Individually we are all responsible for our own thoughts and actions - all day, every day.

We can all choose to challenge and call out gender bias and inequality.  We can all choose to seek out and celebrate women's achievements.  Collectively, we can all help create an inclusive world.

From challenge comes change, so let's all choose to challenge."  

Taken from the official website: https://www.internationalwomensday.com/  

The College will focus Monday's Assembly on the issues confronting us and continue to grow and foster Respectful Relationships.

Respectful Relationships

It was with enormous sadness that I have recently read, through the press and online, the accounts of young women from schools in Sydney who have been the subject of sexual abuse. I am sickened and upset for any victim of such abuse and I question what we must do as parents and teachers in schools to teach, shape, reinforce and challenge the issues that this presents to us all.

As a parent, a teacher and a school leader I reflect upon the problems in youth culture and our society generally such as sexual abuse, consent, attitudes towards women, gender equity, pornography, misogyny, under-age drinking, alcohol abuse and other drugs, domestic violence and social media trolling to name a few. At the heart of every one of these issues is RESPECT. Respect for self, others and community. In every way we stress the need for RESPECTFUL RELATIONSHIPS.

We all must play our part in addressing these matters and I understand and appreciate how difficult it is to parent adolescents today. As Principal and leader of St Pius X College, I am committed to challenge injustice and unjust attitudes, build inclusion and acceptance of all and especially acceptance of difference. I strongly work for dialogue and to teach our students the values, beliefs and behaviours to which we aspire in our own community and families. We can never be accepting of any ill treatment towards others and we are all rightfully appalled and outraged by these accounts.

How are we addressing this at St Pius X College?

• At all our Year Meetings we have been giving student presentations at age appropriate levels regarding these issues.
• For example, at the Year 12 Year Meeting the Mission and Identity Prefects gave an extraordinary presentation on the subject of Respectful Relationships with direct and clear details about Consent, our values and the Catholic Church’s teaching.  The students were very responsive. These Prefects will also present to Year 11 and Year 10. This is excellent leadership and shows the strength of our student voice and their leadership.
• In RE and PD/H/PE there are specific and excellent units throughout each year that address the topic of Respectful Relationships. Teachers discuss topical issues such as this to help the boys become attuned to our shared values and their responsibilities.
• Mercy College and St Pius X College Student Leadership Teams have been meeting and discussing these issues and we are establishing opportunities for a dialogue between the girls and the boys.
• As has happened in previous years, we will have some of the Mercy students speak at some forums such as Year Group meetings and our students are willing to dialogue at meetings in Mercy College. All of this naturally follows and would also be a normal part of our program but now with this added clarity bringing the issues into focus.
• We will focus on the issues on Monday 8 March through our whole school Assembly recognising International Women’s Day.
• The National Day Against Bullying and Violence is a major day for us on 19 March and this is led by our students.
• I have spoken at Assembly addressing this matter last Friday and again on Monday this week.

What can parents do?

I truly understand the many challenges and difficulties in raising teenagers and the College Counselling Team have prepared some advice for parents in the new section in Woodchatta. Mrs McCarthy has prepared this week’s advice. Each week the Counsellors will cover a new topic for parents. Last week 'vaping' was the topic we covered.

Parents are welcome to contact the Counsellors for further advice or certainly feel welcome to contact the Year Coordinators or Mr Long in the Junior School. 

P & F Meeting

On Monday night we held our first P&F Meeting for the year.  It was wonderful to be able to have parents on-site for the meeting, and we also thank our new Committee Members and particularly our new President, Sarah Gillard.  We discussed significant issues around respectful relationships, vaping, the Junior School start to the year, recent College events and the proposal for an additional school hat.

Cocktail Party - You're Invited!

Consultation on an Optional Broad Brimmed School Hat

At Monday night's P&F Meeting a proposal was put forward that the College offer a Broad Brimmed School Hat for students.  Attached is the proposal and  we invite feedback on it via the email address:  feedback@stpiusx.nsw.edu.au.

ISA Summer Sports

This weekend is the last round of competition before the Finals on 13 March. We wish all our teams and coaches best wishes for Saturday and our thanks for the season.

2021 Annual Improvement Plan

The College Advisory Council endorsed the 2021 Annual Improvement Plan at its recent meeting and I share it with you below.

Pius In Profile Autumn 2021

Our Autumn edition of Pius In Profile is now on the College website and a copy will be forwarded to each family in the coming weeks.  Please use the link below to view the document on the website:

Open Day

The College's Open Day will be held on Saturday 20 March. 

Due to COVID restrictions this year's Open Day will only be available to families for enrolments into Years 5, 6 and 7 in 2023.  We will be offering small group tours on the day. Please book your place by clicking in the image below which will take you to the Website which contains further Open Day information.  All visitors will need to register for a ticket, including children.

Enrolments are now Open

Enrolment Applications for commencement into Year 5, 6 and 7 in 2023 are OPEN NOW. Applications close on 14 May 2021.

Key Dates 

Sunday 7 March:  Old Boys vs Students Gala Day

Wednesday 10 March:  Year 7 Camp to 12 March

Tuesday 16 March:  Summer Sports Photos/Basketball Presentation Night/Staff Meeting

Wednesday 17 March:  Year 6 Camp to 19 March

Wednesday 24 March:  Year 5 Camp to 26 March

Mr John Couani - Principal