Pastoral Care 

• Appropriate student behaviour
• St Pius X College Narragunawalli Reconciliation Action Plan Student Team
• Adrian Yip Year 7 High Achiever and Year 7 EREBB Global Letters Initiative
• Visit by Michael Schneider St Pius X College Class of ’89 and Managing Director Bunnings Group Australia 

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.

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 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.

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. In that context I commend you to listen to a recent Radio National program which may give perspective, voice and rational integrity to a conversation you might choose to have in your household.

The “Man Cave” is an organisation referred to in this interview, used by some of our Melbourne schools, with links to the boys education programs employed at St Pius through our Year 9 Camps and other initiatives over time.

St Pius X College Narragunawalli Reconciliation Action Plan Student Team

An important meeting of our Student RAP Team was held today, led by College Captain Eamon Boyle to renew our commitment to Reconciliation and Reconciliation Actions for the year. As we prepare for Reconciliation Week in early Term 2 and informing ourselves through education around the Uluru Statement From The Heart, Eamon shared some of the invaluable resources, materials and learnings gleaned from Edmund Rice Centre for Social Justice Director Mr Phil Glendenning at the EREA National Student leaders Conference in January.

Mr Balboa shared our RAP template and commitments for renewal online, and we very much handed over the mantle to our younger students and team members to lead our RAP into the future. We spoke about the new inclusions in our Ambassadors for Reconciliation Jersey and planning for members of our team to teach Primary Lessons in May, attend Kierans Creek Land Care and Singing Up Country Concert in June. We also look forward to our Social Justice outreach programs and immersions to our aligned schools and communities throughout the year and particularly approaching Christmas.

Our June Red Dirt Expedition to Baradine, Coonabarabran, Walgett, Brewarrina and Bourke, has been a key feature of our Listening and Learning in recent years.  Expressions of interest for the expedition are now due to Mr Brannan.

Adrian Yip Year 7 High Achiever and Year 7 EREBB Global Letters Initiative

Congratulations to Adrian Yip of Year 7 who has recently been selected to attend Tennis NSW U/12 Teams Championship to be held in Bathurst on 25-26 March. We wish Adrian every success and commend him, along with our entire Year 7 cohort under Year Coordinator Ms Jacqui Loughman, on the start made to their High School. We note that post our Week 2 Year 7 EREA Touchstone Induction Day, this week our 7RE classes will be writing to articulate what it means to be an Edmund Rice student at St Pius, to our EREBB (Edmund Rice Education Beyond Borders) schools in Ireland (Cork), NZ (St Kevin's Oamaru), South Africa (Mt Edmund's) , England (St Anselm’s Liverpool), Uruguay (Stella Maris) and Argentina (Cardinal Newman). We look forward to the replies from all quarters of the globe.   

Visit by Michael Schneider St Pius X College Class of ’89 and Managing Director Bunnings Group Australia 

This afternoon we enjoyed a visit by Old Boy, Michael Schneider, who took time out from a business trip from his Melbourne Head Office to visit the College and our newly commissioned Principal, Mr Michael Ronchetti. Mr Schneider shared some of his leadership and business insights with a very insightful group of Year 11 students in Ms Colefax’s Business Studies class in.

For his part Michael shared that while he attended St Pius X from 1986 - 1989 (years 9 - 12). “… What the College gave me academically, socially and spiritually was something I’ve always cherished”. 

Fide et Labore

Mr Sean Brannan - Assistant Principal, Pastoral Care and Wellbeing