Pastoral Care
- Year 7 Study Skills Evening
- Push Up Challenge
- Year 12 Your Choice Road Safety Intervention Incursion
- Year 7 & 8 Screen and Gaming Overuse presentation
- Year 11 RYDA Road Safety Day
- Year 9 Sports Science Day
- Mercy Careers Expo
- Red Dirt Expedition
- Long Weekend NSW Rugby Championships
Year 7 Study Skills Evening with Enhanced Learning Prue Salter, Monday 20 June
A reminder to parents of Year 7 to register via the link below for this invaluable and informative Parent and Student evening led by Dr Prue Salter. Dr Salter assists our students particularly in Year 7 and 11, to develop the study skills, habits and patterns to equip them for academic success.
Parents and students who may have missed this seminar in Year 7 2021 and 2020 are also welcome and encouraged to attend.
Dr Salter’s Website: Study Skills handbook is accessible to all St Pius students using the password below:
www.studyskillshandbook.com.au username: spx password: 25success
Push Up Challenge
Congratulations to all those students and staff conducting the Push Up Challenge to raise awareness for mental health. With the challenge to complete 3149 push ups in the first 24 days of June there are significant health gains and conversations to be had. It is great to see the manner in which our students have stepped up to lead the initiative.
223 push ups to do tomorrow so we better get pushing!
Great to see our students enjoying the Centre Square Basketball Court this week with each Year group allocated a day for recess and lunchtime while Year 12 share Friday with Year 11.
Year 12 Your Choice Road Safety Intervention
Last Thursday our Year 12 students participated in a compelling presentation from Melissa McGuinness from YOU CHOOSE Youth Road Safety, and were invited to join Australia’s youth-led mission to change driving culture. Melissa’s message is a brave, personal and heartfelt one which resonated with our students and the many others to whom she has presented. A letter to Year 12 parents included a link to the YOU CHOOSE Information video.
YOU CHOOSE is the winner of the Australian Road Safety Award for school programs
Please contact Mr Brannan or Ms Janes if you would like further information.
Brad Marshall “The Unplugged Psychologist” SPX Presentation Wednesday 10 August
In Week 4 of Term 3 our Year 7 and 8 students will hear a presentation from Child Psychologist Brad Marshall. Brad specialises in supporting adolescents who are affected by screen and gaming overuse. His advice on how to manage this contemporary problem for our young people and society, is timely as we evolve from the reliance on screen and online activity characterised during the recent Covid lockdowns, to a situation where estimates suggest we have 60 – 80% of our school population experiencing “normal” but not healthy screen overuse.
After presenting to our Year 7 and 8 cohorts in the early afternoon, our College Psychologist Ms Joe McCarthy has arranged for Brad to present to parents from across Year 5 – 12 in the evening: Wednesday 10 August. Please keep the date free and opportunity will be available to book through Trybooking over the coming weeks.
Year 11 RYDA Day Thursday 16 June
Tomorrow Year 11 students will attend the Rotary Youth Driver Awareness program at the Honda Advanced Road Training (HART) school at St Ives.
The students will learn significant practical lessons including braking and stopping distances under variable speeds, the inclusions and exclusions of insurance and registration costs, and hearing compelling testimony from road accident and trauma affected young people, Police, and Emergency services who too often witness the effect of road trauma as first responders.
Year 9 Sport Science Day and BBQ - HMAS Penguin and Oxford Falls
Year 9 Physical Activity and Sport Science (PASS) excursion to HMAS Penguin Navy Base concentrated on the physiology of Underwater Medicine and Training requirements of Royal Australian Navy Clearance Divers. Understanding the role of Medical staff and the Recompression Chamber in addressing decompression sickness is important to our study of enhancing and overcoming barriers to human performance. Learning about the sport science and medical aspects of training, exercise, performance and underwater diving activities, among the many roles and responsibilities in our Navy, complemented the study of Gridiron NFL at Oxford Falls on the day. No doubt all Year 9 enjoyed the BBQ to round out our last Triple Oxford Falls PE lesson for the term.
Thank you to Mr Kovacic, Mr Perry, Mr Virgona, Mr Stearn and Mr Cogan for taking the day to teach these invaluable concepts at a busy time of Term 2.
Mercy College Careers Expo
It was pleasing to see a good number of our students and families attending the Mercy College Careers expo on Tuesday evening. The long tradition of positive connection between our two schools and vibrant Parish continues.
Red Dirt Expedition
Preparations continue as we look forward to our mid-winter sojourn to connect with and learn from the rural, remote and indigenous communities of Western NSW in the first week of the July holidays. Last Thursday, the lunchtime briefing concentrated on cooking, hygiene, packing and preparation of warm practical kit. This week on Thursday Mr Di Sano’s briefing concentrates on what to expect, deep listening, reflection, learning and being culturally sensitive and empathetic!
If any members of our community have teaching/learning stationery, sports equipment, clothing or other items that could be donated to support our EREBB connections in Western NSW or Papua New Guinea at Callan Disability Education Services, or on the Kokoda Track please don’t hesitate to contact Mr Brannan sbrannan@stpiusx.nsw.edu.au
We thank past parents Mrs Di Munich from Office Max and Mrs Jan Hunter for their generous donation of stationery and equipment, and look forward to presenting to the Parish Social Justice Team on our return.
Long Weekend NSW Rugby Championships
In congratulating all of our students and members of our Rugby program who participated in the State Rugby Championships over the long weekend we highlight our U/13 representatives in Graham Halgreen, Oscar Davidson and Brad Newman (Gordon District) as well as Matari Webster (Manly) who travelled to Dubbo to contest their 6 matches of the State Finals on Saturday, Sunday and Monday.
They will back up for our U/13As vs Sydney Grammar at Edgecliff next Saturday.
Vale Matthew Marien (Class of 1994)
The College was saddened to hear of the passing of Matthew Marien on Wednesday 8 June. Matthew graduated from St Pius X (Year 10) in 1992). His nephew, Hunter, is currently in Year 10 at the College.
Matthew is survived by his wife, Lucy Marien, nee Nemes, (Brigidine class of 1998), and his three beautiful young daughters.
Our sincerest condolences are extended to all Matthew's family and friends.
Fide et Labore
Mr Sean Brannan - Assistant Principal, Pastoral Care and Wellbeing