Parent & Student Matters
- St Pius X College Duke of Edinburgh Award
- Library Study Hours
- Languages
- Diverse Learning
- Kokoda Trek Expedition and Immersion
- Senior Maths Drop In (Years 7 - 12)
- Visual Arts
St Pius X College Duke of Edinburgh Award
Each Wednesday at 8:15 am in B3 please attend to learn how to enrol, the purpose of each part of the award and for discussion on activities and goal setting.
Adventurous Journeys – external providers
While St Pius X College offers some Adventurous Journeys if you are unable to attend , you may like to consider the following external providers.
There are two reputable organisations which offer Adventurous Journeys for the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme. For AusJourney details please refer to the brochure attached and for Outward Bound please read on.
Outward Bound
Caroline Bowman from Outward Bound is proud to support the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award with the provision of Adventurous Journeys and Gold Residential Projects. Both of these sections are offered as public/open enrolment experiences. Outward Bound Australia will be running public Bronze Award level Adventurous Journeys for 2024. They will be running separated Practice and Qualifying journeys on selected weekends throughout the year in the Royal National Park. This is different from their recent past, where Bronze AJs were run during school holiday periods.
You can check out the public Bronze Journey locations and dates here: Bronze Adventurous Journeys - Outward Bound Australia
Next available dates, 24-25 February (Practice) and 2-3 March (Qualifying), may be of interest if you need to complete an AJ as your final step before progressing on to Silver.
Ms Annabel Gunns - Duke of Edinburgh Award Convenor
Library Study Hours
St Pius X College is pleased to announce the opening of the Academic Annexe where students will be supported to remain at the College after school in the Senior Resource Centre.
Stay, Study, Succeed!
Commencing Week 5, the Senior Resource Centre will be open every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday between 3:20 pm - 5:20 pm.
Years 5 - 12 students are invited to come to the SRC at the end of the school day to complete homework, work on an upcoming assessment task or engage in private study. The SRC is a quiet space conducive to productive work and free from distractions.
For the remainder of the term, there will be staff members to assist students in the Academic Annexe. From Term 2 the College aims to employ past students to act as tutors in support of any student who may require assistance. This is a great opportunity to complete study notes, homework and/or receive additional support when completing work or preparing for an exam.
Students will be required to sign in to the SRC upon arrival so that the College can monitor student numbers to ensure we have adequate supervision in place.
This exciting opportunity is just the beginning for the Academic Annexe. The College looks forward to supporting all our students, from Years 5-12, to be the best students that they can be.
Mr Stephen Davidson - Assistant Principal, Teaching and Learning
Languages
Week 3 saw St Pius X students return to a brightly decorated college, with the entry foyer decorated with traditional red and gold decorations to usher in the Lunar New Year.
This year we welcomed the ‘Year of the Wooden Dragon’. In Chinese culture, the Dragon holds a significant place as an auspicious and extraordinary creature, unparalleled in talent and excellence. It symbolizes power, nobility, honour, luck, and success. Year 12 Chinese language students harnessed these characteristics, to deliver a bilingual speech at Wednesday’s Academic Assembly, forecasting the opportunities, changes, and challenges that 2024 will bring.
In the Sinic world, the Lunar New Year is particularly significant and has deep cultural and traditional roots. It is a time for families to gather, pay respect to their ancestors and welcome the arrival of spring. It offers a wonderful opportunity for all our students and families to come together, make new friends and connections within the College community and welcome the new academic year with joy and excitement.
As the lucky colours for this year are gold and blue, our college colours, we hope that our students will approach all that they do this year with confidence and achieve great success. In Week 5, the Language Department will hold a special assembly for Chinese New Year. We wish everyone in our community a Happy New Year, 恭(gōng)喜(xǐ) 发(fā)财(cái)！
Mrs Kara Manga - Leader of Learning - Languages and Chinese Language Teacher
Diverse Learning
Council of Catholic School Parents NSW/ACT
'Many of our children and young people have diverse learning needs ranging from those that are visible to those that are not so visible yet have an impact on an individual’s learning.' St Pius X College is a place that understands, respects and values the dignity of each child and their family and work to create a sense of belonging for all.
The second edition of this valuable resource below is a parent guide created by parents of students with disability. It encompasses spiritual development, preparing your child for school, nurturing a positive partnership between home and school, success at secondary school, preparing your child for post-school success. This is also a practical guide with conversation starters and activities in the appendices.
Year 12 NESA provisions applications
The NESA deadline for provisions applications is Friday 12 April 2024. As this date will come around quickly, please assist in the application process by encouraging your son to submit a Student Declaration to agunns@stpiusx.nsw.edu.au as soon as possible.
Volunteer parents for exams and assessments Year 7-12
If you have some available time when assessments and exams are scheduled, please consider volunteering to supervise and manage special provisions. A Working with Children Check is required as well as a short briefing prior to the supervision period. Please email agunns@stpiusx.nsw.edu.au to register your interest.
Ms Annabel Gunns - Leader of Learning - Diverse Learning
Kokoda Track Expedition and Immersion
1 July - 11 July 2024
Places still available
Training has commenced for the 2024 July experience. We still have some places available if anyone associated with the College who is of a reasonable level of fitness is interested.
The expedition has been conducted every second year from 2014, except for the COVID years. It is a wonderful opportunity to experience the famous Kokoda Track on which so many Australians fought in the Second World War. Many parents and old boys have attended with their sons.
If you are interested in attending this year's experience please contact Mr Paul de Silva at the College via email pdesilva@stpiusx.nsw.edu.au.
Mr Paul de Silva - Outdoor Education Coordinator
Senior Maths Drop-In (Years 7 - 12)
Let the fun begin, it is that time when Maths Drop is about to commence. A place to sit and study, a place to seek help and support, a place of reassurance, critical thinking and most importantly a place to develop a love of learning.
Where: C1
When: Commencing Week 3, Tuesday 13 February & Thursday 15 February
Time: 7:40 am - 8:30 am
I'm very much looking forward to seeing many students unlock their mathematical potential.
Mrs Amanda Fileman - Mathematics Teacher
Visual Arts
Smart Expressions: Visual Arts on show!
The artwork of several of our talented 2023 HSC students will be on display at the Willoughby Council exhibition space in the Concourse. Everyone is welcome to the opening on Thursday 29 February at 6:00 pm. St Pius X College will be represented by Xavier Domenici, Marco Balverde, Henrik Hogg and Jerome Pickering. The exhibition runs until 24 March.
Ms Frances Doyle - Leader of Learning - Visual Arts