Dear Parents

We have had a wonderful start to the 2024 school year and so much has happened already.

Swimming
In week 4 of this term, our Year 3 and 4 students attended the ARC Swimming Centre for a week of swimming and a Water Safety Program. This program introduced students to the basics of swimming and water safety. Students who already had experience with swimming were placed in more advanced groups and undertook some different activities.

Learning to swim and water safety is such a vital life and social skill. With so many households in Australia having pools and being a country surrounded by water, it is important that all students are given some exposure to a Water Safety Program. Our swimming and Water Safety Program aims to help students build their confidence and skills both in and around water. Apart from being a good learning and social experience for the students, the program was also a lot of fun and the students appeared to really enjoy the week. The staff from the ARC Swimming Centre, also commented on how well mannered and pleasant our students were to teach.

Well done to our Year 3 and 4 students on a fun and tiring week of swimming. Our Reception to Year 2 students will be undertaking a 3 day program at the beginning of Term 3.

Year 6 Camp
Last Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, I had the pleasure of spending 3 days on camp with our Year 6 students. The camp was held at Narnu Farm on Hindmarsh Island. As part of this experience the students had the opportunity to hand feed farm animals, go for a walk to the Goolwa Barrage and learn how to cook cockles, ride a kayak, enjoy Archery and make race billy carts. They also participated in a range of other team building and shelter building activities with the highlight being a game of Spotlight.

Once again we received very complimentary feedback about our students from the staff who ran the camp and I was very proud of the way in which the students participated in all of the activities and supported each other on camp.

Camps offer a wonderful opportunity for students to form closer connections with their peers and teachers and also provides opportunities for students to try new things as well as develop some independence away from home. The Year 6 camp was a wonderful experience, which I hope will provide students with some lifelong memories. I look forward to spending some time with our Year 3, 4 and 5 students when they attend their camps later this year.   

Uniform
St Pius X School has a defined uniform policy which we ask that families to adhere to when sending their children to school. Having a defined uniform is good for families and children as it clearly outlines what children should wear to school. It can avoid arguments between parents and children and prevents peer group pressure around who is wearing the latest and best brands of clothing at school. We have noticed some areas of the uniform policy which a few children are not following and we are starting to talk to children about wearing the correct uniform and are focussing on the following key areas:

1. Children’s shoes should be predominately white (some small coloured marking or stripes on white shoes is acceptable).
2. Socks should be predominantly white – school socks with the St Pius logo are available from the uniform shop and are recommended, however plain white ankle socks are also acceptable.
3. Girls and boys with long hair need to have it tied back when they are at school.
4. Jumpers should be the St Pius X School jumper or jacket.
5. School bags should be either the St Pius X School bag (available at the uniform shop) or a similar bag that is navy in colour. 

If there is any reason why your child is not wearing the correct uniform for a short period of time, then can you please contact your child’s class teacher to discuss these circumstances.

We appreciate your support with following the Uniform Policy.

Student Leaders
At next Tuesday's assembly, our Year 6 Student Leaders will be presented to the school community. I would like to congratulate these students on their achievements and also thank all of the students who nominated for a formal Leadership position. Whilst we only have 20 formal Student Leadership positions on offer, it was clear to me from my experience on the Year 6 camp, that we have more than 20 students who could undertake these positions. I look forward to working with all of our Year 6 students as leaders this year. A full list of our Student Leaders can be found in this newsletter.

Open School Board Meeting
I would like to take this opportunity to invite all members of our school community to an Open School Board Meeting on Monday 18^th March. This meeting will commence at 6:30pm with drinks and nibbles in the School Hall, followed by a 7pm meeting.

At this meeting you have the opportunity to hear about the latest developments around the school. We are also looking for parent input into our next 3 year Strategic Plan and ways to improve our school.

To this end we will be asking parents what we currently do that we should keep doing. What we need to change or stop doing; and what we don’t currently do or offer that we should be considering. We would love your insights into improving our school and hope that we have a number of parents who can join us on this night. 

God Bless,

Ashley Keane