It is hard to believe we are nearly at the end of Term 3. What a busy term it has been, filled with many exciting events.

Year 4 Camp

Earlier this term, I had the pleasure of attending the Year 4 Camp. Set in the beautiful Adelaide Hills, the camp offered a range of exciting activities that encouraged teamwork, resilience, risk taking and exploration. From soaring through the air on the giant swing and flying fox, to building rafts and racing them across a pool, the children embraced every challenge with enthusiasm. They navigated scavenger hunts using maps, tested their aim in archery, and enjoyed the thrill of playing spotlight at night and finished the evening toasting marshmallow on the bonfire. The behaviour of all students was outstanding, making the experience even more enjoyable for everyone involved. I would like to thank the Year 4 teachers for their wonderful organisation of the camp and all the teachers who attended the camp. Camps provide children with lasting memories and provide them with a great opportunity to develop some independence and develop closer connections with their peers.

Father’s Day Celebration

Our Father’s Day Breakfast and Open Morning was a fantastic celebration, with a wonderful turnout of parents and special guests. It was heartwarming to see how much the children enjoyed having their dads and loved ones visit their classrooms and share in the morning’s activities. A huge thank you to Cassandra Figg her amazing behind the scenes planning of the day; our dedicated staff who arrived early and cooked over 600 bacon and egg sandwiches and the Parents and Friends Group for organising the always-popular Father’s Day Stall. It’s such a joy to see the excitement on the children’s faces as they choose a special gift. A considerable amount of time and effort goes into ordering the items for the Father’s Day stall and then setting up, pricing and making sure that all children have the opportunity to purchase a gift. I really appreciate the wonderful work of the P&F in making this stall possible for our children. We hope all our fathers had a truly memorable Father’s Day!

Well Being Day & AFL Max

Last Friday, our school came alive with laughter, creativity, and connection during our Whole School Wellbeing Day. It was a joyful, technology-free celebration that gave students the chance to unplug and immerse themselves in nature. Children delighted in playing with mud, building cubby houses from sticks, drawing vibrant chalk art on the ground, kicking around oversized soccer balls, and exploring the fun of tents. The day was filled with hands-on experiences that encouraged imagination, teamwork, and a deep appreciation for the outdoors and physical activity. I would like to acknowledge  Ashlee Stanley, Jane Buhagiar & Holli Caputo for their leadership of the wellbeing day. I would also like to thank our incredible Sustainability Leaders and Eco Guardians for their hours of planning and for their assistance with setting up the day. A great day was had by all.

On Friday night, we hosted a family fun evening at AFL Max. We had over 250 people in attendance and the children and parents enjoyed exclusive use of the facility and all of the activities that AFL Max has to offer. I would like to thank AFL Max for hosting the evening. The staff ran competitions and worked hard to ensure that everyone who was there had a great night. It was such a wonderful evening and something that we will be likely to offer again in the future.

Confirmation and Communion

On the 3rd and 4th of September, over 50 Year 3 and 4 students celebrated the Sacrament of Confirmation at St Pius X Church, marking a significant milestone in their faith journey. It was a beautiful and reverent occasion, filled with joy and pride as the children embraced this important step in their spiritual growth. A sincere thank you to Rita Campbell and the dedicated Year 3 and 4 teachers for their guidance and preparation in helping the children understand and appreciate the meaning of this sacrament. This coming Sunday, the celebrations continue as the children receive their First Holy Communion—Year 3 students at the 9:30am Mass and Year 4 students at the 2:30pm Mass. All families are warmly invited to attend and support these young members of our faith community. Congratulations to all the children on this special achievement!

School hats:

We are now heading into the warmer weather and in line with our sun protection policy, there will be a No Hat, No Play rule implemented from the beginning of Term 4. Can parents please ensure that their children have their hats and that they are clearly labelled so we can return them to their rightful owner. We don’t like asking children to sit out of play time and I ask for the support of parents in ensuring that their child has a positive start to Term 4, by having a hat with them on the first day of Term.

Notification of Students not returning in 2026.

Just a final reminder that if your child is not returning to St Pius X in 2026, you need to inform the school in writing by Tuesday the 14^th of October, which is the first day for students in Term 4. During the first week back next term we will be starting the process of ordering stationery and ICT resources for the 2026 school year. Parents who do not inform us that their child is leaving the school by the above date will be charged a full term’s fees as we will have already incurred expenses for your child for the 2026 school year. If you are unsure of your intentions for 2026 or want to have a conversation about this, then please don’t hesitate to contact me. 

Class Placement Considerations for 2026.

In the early stages of next Term, we will begin the task of placing children into classes for the 2026 school year. This is a very significant and time consuming task and a lot of time goes into trying to get the best class placements for all children. If there is anything that you would like us to consider for your child as part of the class placement process, then please ensure that you communicate this to me in writing by no later than Friday the 17^th of October. A separate letter about children not returning and the class placement request process was sent home via SZapp about 2 weeks ago.

Whole School Picnic – SAVE THE DATE!

We’re excited to invite all families to our Whole School Picnic at Thorndon Park on Friday, 31st October! It’s a wonderful opportunity to come together as a community and enjoy a day filled with fun, laughter, and connection. Permission forms have been sent home, so please ensure they are returned promptly. We look forward to seeing everyone there for a relaxed and enjoyable day with friends and family!

Congratulations and Good Luck!

I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate our Year 5 and 6 Girls netball teams who play in the Saturday competition. Both of these teams have qualified to play in the Grand Final, this coming Saturday. We wish all of the girls the best of luck.

End of Term 2 – Beginning of Term 3

Just a reminder that the last day for students this term is Thursday the 25^th of September. All teaching, admin and ESO staff will be offsite for a retreat on Friday the 26^th of September, so the office will be closed on this day.

Monday the 13^th of October will be a pupil free day, with all teaching staff undertaking professional learning. The first day of Term 4 for the students is Tuesday the 14^th of October.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the students, staff and parents for another wonderful time. I hope you all enjoy the upcoming holiday break.

God Bless

Ashley Keane

Reporting Absences

If your child is absent from school please notify us through SZapp.  Use the 'Absences' tab.  If you notify your child's class teacher via Seesaw or email you are still required to notify the office. 

If your child/ren will be absent for 5 days or more please complete an Exemption from School Attendance ED175 Form C - https://stpiusx.schoolzineplus.com/form/389

Change of clothes

Please have spare pants and socks in your child's bag incase of wet or dirty clothes.  Junior primary parents please ensure there is always change of clothes in your child's bag. 

Labelling reminder

Lots of unnamed lost property is being handed into the office. If your child has a missing uniform item which may be unnamed ask them to check outside the office before the end of this week. All unclaimed items will be donated.

Please ensure ALL your children's belongings (all clothing items, lunchboxes - lids and containers, drinkbottles, pencil cases etc.) are CLEARLY LABELLED with your child's name.

Labelled property can be easily returned to their owner.

Check out my name label for simple, easy and inexpensive labels for uniforms, drink bottles, lunchboxes and just about anything! 

Discount code = SPXS0515

Community Portal 

? Don’t Miss Out – Jump on the Community Portal! 

Have you registered for the St Pius X Community Portal yet? If not, you’re missing the keys to the kingdom ?️ – it’s the only place to find your school reports ? and your fee statements ?. 

All current statements are waiting there for you, so please log in, have a peek, and make sure you’re not falling behind. Remember, all fees must be paid in full by 30 November 2025.

Not registered yet? Now’s the perfect time to jump on board.

 Need a hand? Contact our friendly Business Manager at finance@stpiusx.catholic.edu.au – no question is too small.

Thanks for keeping up to date and helping us keep things running smoothly!

Sue Dixon

Business Manager

Athletics Results

On 22^nd August our District Athletics Team competed in the Adelaide North East carnival against 15 other schools. It was an outstanding day with many of our students achieving personal bests and collecting a large amount of place ribbons throughout the day.

In the end our school was crowned as the district champions once again meaning this is now our third championship in a row.

Special mention to the following students who were selected to represent our district at the State Championships next week: Peyton, Eva, Milana, Ariella, Audrina, Valentina, Emma, Sam , Ben, Giorgio and Ethan.

SAPSASA Basketball Carnival

On Monday 18^th August our SAPSASA Basketball teams attending the Lightsview Stadium for their annual basketball carnival. Our boys and girls teams played amazing basketball and both ended up playing in the grand finals. Our boys lost narrowly to Prince Alfred College in their grand final after playing an incredible game. Our girls went on to win their grand final, meaning that next term they will  play in the State Day Championships against the best teams in Adelaide.

Soccer 2025

Thank you to Michael Colagrossi and Jake Fitzpatrick for their efforts in coaching our 2 soccer teams for the 2025 season. We congratulate all of our players for such a fabulous season!

Netball 2025

Shout out tothe amazing winter netball coaches, Sarah Dawidowski, Lisa McPartland, Kirsty May, Daisy Figg & Cassandra Figg for their help and efforts! We are so proud of the improvement of our girls and the sportsmanship they displayed each week.

Our Sub Junior 10's (Year 4 & 5) coached by Kirsty May and Sub Junior 5 (Year 6) coached by Cassandra and Daisy Figg have their grand final on the 20th of September at Campbelltown Comets! 

Catholic Schools Athletics Carnival

The Catholic Athletics Carnival will be held on Thursday 30th October for selected students in year 3-6.

Trials have been ongoing thoughout the year in PE lessons. Students are invited to attend trainings for the remainder of this term. The Athletics team will be selected and information and permission forms will be sent to selected students at the end of week 10.

Training for Athletics team members will continue in term 4, strictly for students attending the carnival.

Adelaide North East Sapsasa

Please click to read and register.

Tennis - Open to students who play yellow ball only.

Adelaide_North_East_Tennis

Cricket - If your child would like to be considered for Cricket please speak to Mr Zamparelli before registering.

Catholic Schools Music Festival 

St Pius X School Choir will be performing at The annual Catholic School's Music Festival at 7:30pm - 9:15pm on Wednesday, the 24th of September 2025. 

Ticket Sales:

Families purchase tickets directly from Ticketek from August 12. More information may be found on the Music Festival website at https://www.musicfestival.cesa.catholic.edu.au/news-events/ticket-sales

Music Tuition 2025 Enrolments

There are some vacancies with some Music Tutors.

If you would like your child to learn an instrument please complete the enrolment form

2025 Music Tuition Singing with Megan 

2025 Music Tuition Drums with Daniel

2025 Music Tuition Piano with Jen

2025 Music Tuition Piano with Lucy

2025 Music Tuition - Guitar with David

2025 Music Tuition with Julian

2025 Tuition - Speech and Drama

• Important details about tomorrow's Wellbeing Day
• A special interview with Sahil Jha, conducted by Emma Palmieri during his visit to Adelaide as part of his world cycling tour to raise awareness about soil degradation

P&F Meetings
Our next P & F meeting will be held early next term.  We will notify families via SZapp. We would love to see some new faces and welcome back some familiar ones. If you would like to come and see what its all about come along, no need to let us know beforehand. It's a fantastic chance to meet other parents, share ideas, and see how you can get involved in supporting our students and the SPX community. We are ready to start our planning for 2026, and we need your help to make it happen! 

Want some great entertainment offers while supporting our school ?

Click here to sign up - https://subscribe.entertainment.com.au/fundraiser/162x804

Families are invited to attend our school assemblies.

Whole School Picnic

Complete your child's picnic permission form here - Whole School Picnic Day 2025

Free Baseball Come and Try 

Free Little Athletics for Beyond Barriers Para Pathway Program

Please find the latest edition of The Southern Cross newsletter and the online edition of The Southern Cross September 2025.