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Friday 28th May - Term 3 Reception Transition
Friday 4th June - Term 3 Reception Transition
Tuesday 1st June - P&F Meeting
Friday 11th June - Pupil Free Day
Monday 14th June - Queen's Birthday Holiday
NAPLAN
As you would be aware NAPLAN, the national assessment of Literacy and Numeracy is currently occurring for our Year 3 and 5 students. The teachers have helped over the past weeks to ensure children had some practice for the test and we introduced the PAT M and R testing for Year 2’s last year. So, I am hoping that there is less anxiety about the test and that children and parents know that it is a snapshot on a particular day in a particular year. Like all things we just encourage our children to ‘have a go’ and do their best. The Year 5 test is all on-line whilst the Year 3 Writing was traditional paper test.
UV
The UV rating in the past few days have been quite low so children are able to play outside without hats, although we encourage them to continue with hats. The UV can vary up until August so please encourage your child to have a hat in their bag for when needed.
On another note about weather, in a recent rain event we were able to inspect the work undertaken on Windsor Grove over the holidays. We noted improvements in the run off and drainage. A special thanks to Guinevere Flavel (mother of Sophie and Elizabeth) who was very helpful in obtaining the support for this work by Port Adelaide/ Enfield council.
Mother’s Day
My deep thanks to our P and F and volunteers for making the Mothers Day stall so successful this year. Also thanks to our Social Workers, Tsedye and Kathy for their support in the Year 6 ‘high tea’ for mums event. I think this is a tradition well worth continuing as we acknowledge our mums of Year 6 children who have been so supportive of the school for many years.
Children’s University
On Monday we had a presentation from Adelaide University on the opportunity for our school to be part of this initiative. In essence it gives children the chance to document their ‘out of school learning’ (in sporting clubs, family visits to venues, music tuition outside of school etc). Children receive a passport and keep a record of events and if thet have had 30 hours of learning before end of October, they get to graduate at ‘Elder Hall’ in a ceremony in November.
We are starting this year and hope to have about 20 involved. Notes were sent to Year 3’s and 4’s and there is a parent information session here on Monday, May 31st at 3:30pm to hear more and answer questions. The opportunity is open to all, or if you wish other siblings to join in, we just needed to ‘start small’.
Your Graduating child could look like this!
Thank you so much for the very warm welcome that I have had since beginning at St Pius X School! I feel very welcome and already part of this wonderful community.
Mother’s Day was a wonderful occasion that encouraged the children to think about the special people in their lives and how they can show their thanks. The children were so excited to be able to make something to take home as well as have the opportunity to purchase something at the Mother’s Day Stall. The Year 6 children were very excited to host the special ladies in their lives at a Morning Tea. It was lovely to see the children serving tea and coffee and to see the adults chatting and enjoying each other’s company.
A very big thank you to all of the ‘Parents and Friends’ who volunteered to help on the Mother’s Day Stall. Sharing the load made the day more enjoyable for all those who could help. The response was wonderful! The next ‘Parents and Friends’ event is the Mum's Night Out, please look out for more information about this.
This week is the annual NAPLAN assessments. The children in Year 3 and Year 5 will be undertaking online assessments in Writing, Reading, Language Conventions and Numeracy for the rest of the week. We schedule these assessments for the first part of the day so that the children are fresh and so that they are not too disruptive for the rest of the day. NAPLAN is always a very busy times in schools!
We hope you have a great week!
I am writing to introduce myself as the new Italian teacher for our community.
I have been a teacher with Catholic Education SA since 2009, primarily teaching Italian as a second language and also teaching in a Year 3 class and drama in a high school setting. However, in 2019/2020 I had the opportunity to teach English in Italy in the Piedmont region. I taught conversational English to students for whom English was their second language. This was a very challenging experience as the first outbreak of corona virus in Italy, was during this period. I was fortunate enough to return to Australia in March 2020, as our borders were being closed.
Since commencing here at St Pius X, at the beginning of this year, I have focused on getting to know our students and their needs in second language learning. It has been a very busy Term 1 and start to Term 2. Thank you to the families who have introduced themselves and made me feel welcomed. I feel very blessed to be here. And a big thank you to the staff, who have made me feel very welcomed and have warmly embraced me.
I believe that my role as the Italian language teacher here at St Pius X is to support students in learning a second language, its connection to the English language and to broaden students’ understanding of the world around them. I am also keen to help students for whom English is their second language by comparing the similarities and differences of Italian with the English language. I believe that this helps students deepen their understanding of English.
To date, students in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 have focused on sounds and the beats of words and vocabulary for numbers, colours and animals. In Italian language class, students are encouraged to make connections with their own family culture and language. It has been exciting to watch them make these connections. For example, a student in Year 1 sang a beautiful song about a butterfly in Vietnamese. Whilst learning the numbers in Italian some students were keen to teach their classmates numbers in Japanese and Chinese. These are some of the wonderful connections we are making.
Students in Years 3-6 have focused on talking about what they like and don’t like and how to use common Italian phrases in their everyday lives, including using well known Italian gestures!
Learning Italian at school is about literacy. It is about making connections. It is about students reflecting on their own culture and how they see themselves in the world.
I look forward to getting to know many more families in our beautiful community. Please feel free to come and chat with me. I am at school on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.
Ci sentiamo !
Signora Villani - lvillani@stpiusx.catholic.edu.au
Installment 2 Tuition Fees are due and payable by Friday 14th May 2021. If you have entered into a part time agreement to pay your fees over the whole year this due date does not apply.
If you were unable to meet this deadline, please do not hesitate to contact me and part time arrangements can be made. For parent’s convenience, EFT, BPay, Visa and Mastercard are available.
Some parents omitted to pay the Building Levy and Year Book in the first term so this amount is due in Installment 2. If unsure of the amount due, please contact me and I can discuss this with you.
If you wish to pay your fees with internet banking, please ensure that you use the new BPAY ID number which can be found at the bottom of your statement. If paying by Direct Transfer of Funds then please use the Account Number at the top of your statement.
If you are holders of a Health Care Card you may be eligible for School Card and therefore Fee Remission.
If your income is still being affected by COVID 19, you may also be eligible for some Fee Remission.
Please see me if you feel you meet either of these criteria or have any queries relating to fees.
Thank you
Parking
Last week, the school received complaints from neighbouring properties regarding cars parking over driveways at pick up time. Please follow road rules and refrain from parking over neighbouring driveways.
Acton Avenue
We have observed many parents stopping in the middle of Acton Avenue waiting for cars to leave and then reverse parallel parking. This holds up the traffic flow and creates an unsafe environment for our families and other road users. Please do not stop your vehicle in the middle of the road and wait for a carpark to become available. If you are collecting your child from the Acton Avenue gate, please park your car safely in the surrounding streets and walk to the gate. Alternatively, the Kiss and Drop is open if you do not wish to leave your vehicle.
A reminder that Acton Avenue is to be used for a 10 minute park, then come in and collect your child and take them out to your car. To avoid congestion, Reception children will assemble at the undercover walkway - please come in and collect your child.
Children are not permitted to cross the road without a parent or caregiver. Please cross the road to collect your child.
Pedestrians at Kiss and Drop
When the gates open at 3pm, please enter the school grounds to collect your children. It becomes extremely congested and unsafe when children are exiting the gates and looking for parents. The Kiss and Drop gate is a high traffic area and is not safe for children or adults to be walking through. You are asked to exit via the Acton Avenue gate or the OSHC gate, a little further down. Please do not exit through this gate.
Traffic around the School
Cars are continuing to stop on the corner of Hillburn and Windsor Grove and using this as a drop off point. Please do not stop on the yellow lines marked around the school, even if only for a few seconds. It is illegal to stop in these spaces and the Council regularly patrol and issue fines, even if you are stopping briefly. Due to drivers not complying with these safety protocols and indeed, the law, traffic monitors and staff on duty will begin recording number plates of vehicles which stop on these lines – before and after school, and these will be reported to SAPOL. We know that you would agree that we do not want a child injured or worse, before drivers recognise the dangers that they are creating. Please observe the signage and help to keep our children and community safe.
Please see this linked document for details - P&F Committee Mum's Night Out
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