Student & Parent Matters

• From the Deputy Principal:  Correction to Holiday Dates on our Magnetic Calendar
• ​From the Head of Student Services:   
• -  Email addresses for Communication
• -  Tuesday Morning Mercy College Mass
• An Introduction to Library Services
• Public Speaking & Debating
• Chess
• Kokoda Track Expedition Training Hike​
• Lads & Dads/Mums & Sons BOOTCAMP
• Army Cadet Unit​
• General Notices
• -  Teaching Learner Drivers Workshop

From the Deputy Principal

Correction to June/July Holiday Dates on our College Magnetic Calendar

Students finish Term 2 on Friday 29th June and return to school on Tuesday 24th July. 

It has come to our attention that the mid-year holiday dates on the College Magnetic Calendar are incorrect.  The first week of July should be greyed-out to indicate holiday dates.   

Mr M Casey - Deputy Principal

From the Head of Student Services

Email Addresses for Communication

It has become apparent in communication that some parent emails on our database are incorrect.  If you wish to change your preferred email for communication please do so by either the Portal or by emailing cjennings@stpiusx.nsw.edu.au

Tuesday Morning Mercy College Mass

Thank you to representatives of 6 Red, Cooper Anderson and 6 Blue, Blake Markulin who represented St Pius X College at the weekly Mercy College Mass on Tuesday morning before school.

Mr S Brannan - Head of Student Services

An Introduction to Library Services

A warm welcome to new St. Pius families from the library and some information about our services.

The Library is a Popular Place

Library staff are enjoying meeting new students and welcoming them to our school library. Our library is a popular spot before school and at lunchtimes for reading and subject studies either independently or with friends.

We Support Learning

The library supports students in their classroom studies in a number of ways, such as:

• Quiet spaces for individual study and reading
• Meeting spaces for group work
• A green screen for multi-media productions
• Books, journals and a range of eResources to support curriculum studies
• 24/7 access to Library resources including eBooks & audiobooks via the Senior Library tab on the Portal and a website (spx.libguides.nsw.edu.au) to support research assignments
• Photocopying, scanning and help with printing

Reading - a Key Goal

Supporting adolescent book reading is one of our key goals as research shows that “reading for pleasure” develops literacy and contributes to academic success. We encourage students to read in a number of ways:

• Together with our English teachers in Years 7 to 10, students have one lesson per cycle in the library. The focus of the class is independent reading.
• We have reading challenges - all students from Years 5 to 9 are enrolled in the Premier’s Reading Challenge and the Edmund Rice Readers’ Challenge for Year 10 students
• We stock all the latest fiction, supported by exciting themed displays and author visits.

Our aim is for every visit to our library to be a positive one, please do not hesitate to get in touch if you have questions.

Mrs K Keighery - Teacher Librarian

kkeighery@stpiusx.nsw.edu

Public Speaking & Debating

Public Speaking & Debating information can be found in the document below:

Mrs M Waterson - Debating and Public Speaking Convener

Chess Training

Chess training begins on Monday 12th February from 3.15 to 4.30pm in D1. Training is open for all students - beginners to experts!  We welcome any student who is considering taking up Chess as their extracurricular activity and will allow them a free two week trial.

Competition matches are played on Friday afternoons during Term 2.  If you have any questions please contact Mrs Janelle Dempsey or Ms Denise Ramsey.

Ms D Ramsey - Convenor of Chess

Kokoda Track Expedition Training Hike

The first Sunday of term provided a great opportunity to train for the Kokoda Track expedition. At 7.30am 28 willing participants met and hiked the 13.4km from Cowan to Brooklyn. With the lower temperatures and cloudy sky the day was perfect for walking.

It is difficult to replicate the conditions that the participants will experience on the Track. The mountains, heat, humidity, clay, mud, roots and many insects will only add to the experience.

Many thanks to the participants who treated this as a training hike and also to the members of the College community who joined us for a bit of exercise and a casual chat. All are welcome.

The dates for the next training hikes are:

• 4.           Sunday 4th March 2018
• 5.           Sunday 8th April 2018  (date change due to Easter)
• 6.           Sunday 6th May 2018
• 7.           Sunday 3rd June 2018

Thank you also to Mr S. Brannan, Mr Reay and Mr Long for their assistance with the hike.

Mr P de Silva - Outdoor Education Coordinator

Lads & Dads/Mums & Sons Bootcamp

You’re invited to join 206 Army Cadet Unit

The 206 ACU (Army Cadet Unit) is currently recruiting.  It is our Centenary Year – so it’s a great year to join because we have lots of special events planned!  Australian Army Cadets is a leadership program for teenagers in Year 8 and above. It provides young Australians with the opportunity to learn, develop and practice many interesting, fun and valuable skills. It is the only government sponsored youth group in Australia.

The 206 ACU is the regional unit closest to SPX. We parade every Tuesday night of the school term from 5:30-8:40pm and we attend one bivouac (weekend camp) at the end of each term.  As a cadet there are lots of other activities you can participate in like: an annual camp (one week); leadership, abseiling and watercraft courses; military marches (such as on ANZAC Day) and much more. We learn lots of skills such as first aid, navigation and organisational skills as well as obtaining real leadership experience.

Come along to our information night on Tuesday 13 February 2018, 7:00pm at Marist College North Shore, 270 Miller St, North Sydney.  If you are interested in finding out more please check out our website 206acu.org.au

If you have any questions you can contact CAPT Tim Wark on 0400 369 312 or speak to one of our cadets at SPX.

James Spencer – Year 12

General Notices

Teaching Learner Drivers Workshop