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Friday 12th August, 2:00pm: P&F Meeting
Thursday 18th August: St Pius X Feast day Mass @11am – 60th Anniversary
Friday 26th August: Book Week Dress up day
Saturday 27th August: 60th Anniversary Gala Dinner
Friday 2nd September: Parent breakfast and Father’s Day stall.
Friday 9th September: School Disco – evening event for children
Wednesday 14th September: School Photos
Thursday 22nd and Friday 23rd September: St Pius X Sports Day
Friday 30th September: Last day of term
Term 4
Monday 17th October: Pupil Free Day
Tuesday 18th October: Students return for Term 4
Friday 21st October: 60th Anniversary Picnic at Point Malcom Reserve as Semaphore 10am – 2pm. Parents invited
Wednesday 9th November: 60th Anniversary School Concert at Influencers Church, Paradise @ 6:30pm
Welcome back to Term Three. It is hard to believe that we are already half way through the year. I hope that you all had an enjoyable school holiday break and that you had the opportunity to spend some quality time with your children.
I would like to take this opportunity to especially welcome all of our new students and families to the St Pius X community. Last week we had 33 children start in our Mid Year Reception classes, one student commence in our existing Reception classes and we also had two new students commence in Year One.
I would also like to welcome our new staff members who have started at the beginning of this term. Cherry Greenslade and Amy Rypstra join our team as our Mid Year Reception teachers. We have also employed Adam Barber, Adrianna Scaffidi-Muta and Martin Pascoe as Education Support Officers and will be working with all of our children across the school.
I have no doubt that all of our new families, students and staff will love being part of this fantastic community.
COVID & Illness
As you would be well aware, Australia is currently experiencing a second wave of COVID with many people being reinfected with the virus for a second time.
At this stage our COVID protocols in regards to parent access to the school site and the wearing of masks on site has not changed since the end of last term. SA Health strongly encourage the wearing of masks by parents on school sites but as a school we are not mandating the wearing of masks by adults on site. If these measures change I will inform the community.
As a school we will continue to follow the advice from SA Health and Catholic Education South Australia in how we deal with this new outbreak and will respond as required if there was to be a significant outbreak of COVID within our school community.
As a school we will continue to plan our usual community events and undertake our usual school operations with as much normality as possible and I know you will understand if some plans need to be altered or changed at short notice.
It is important that we work together to protect the health and wellbeing of all members of our school community. In order to do this I ask for your support with the following measures.
- If your child is ill or displaying even mild COVID like symptoms, please keep them home and administer a RAT test.
- If parents are not feeling well then please refrain from entering the school site.
- If you or your child is a close contact of someone with COVID then please wear a mask whilst on the school site, in line with SA Health guidelines.
Thank you for your ongoing support and understanding as we deal with the everchanging COVID pandemic.
SPARX Transition Program
I am pleased to announce that last week we commenced our SPARX transition program. SPARX stands for Students Prepared And Ready for St Pius X School. SPARX is an optional transition program for children in the year before they start school in Reception at St Pius X. This term we are running our SPARX program on Wednesday and Friday mornings.
Children in the program have the opportunity to come to school for half day each week, where they engage in activities which support them to become familiar with the school environment as well as the routines and expectations which are part of school life. Sarah Tirimacco and Laura Baohm are running the program are supported by Judy Menezes who is volunteering in this program. I would like to thank Sarah, Laura and Judy for all of their hard work in setting up this program. SPARX will run for a full year in 2023, and children who are commencing school in either Term 3, 2023 or Term 1, 2024 are invited to join the program. If you would like any further information about our SPARX program, please do not hesitate to contact the school.
Planning for 2023
As we head into second half of the school year, the leadership team will start the early stages of planning for 2023. As part of this process I will be starting to make decisions around class structures and staffing for next year. In order to accurately set up class structures and set budgets for the 2023 school year, we need an accurate indication of the number of students we will have in each year level. In the near future I will be sending home a note asking families to inform me if their children will not be returning to St Pius X in 2023. Likewise, if you know of anyone who is looking to enrol their children at St Pius in 2023, then please encourage them to contact me so I can factor them into our numbers for next year. If you are still undecided about your plans for 2023 and would like to have a discussion with me about these, then please do not hesitate to contact me at the school or via email akeane@stpiusx.catholic.edu.au. I thank you in anticipation of your support of the above.
TUITION FEE INSTALLMENT 3 REMINDER
Installment 3 of Yearly Fees is due & payable on 5th AUGUST 2022. If you have entered into a part time agreement to pay your fees over the whole year this due date does not apply.
Thank you to those parents who have paid promptly. Reminder statements will be posted home for parents who do not met the due date. Please pay promptly on receiving your overdue fee statement so figures can be finalised for 2022.
For parent’s convenience, EFT, BPay, QKR, Visa and Mastercard are available.
If you wish to pay your fees via BPAY please ensure that the full reference number (which is found at the bottom left hand side of your statement) is entered so funds can be applied to the correct family.
If you pay by EFT or QKR please use for your reference number, the ID Number at the top right hand side of your statement. This will ensure that funds are applied to the correct family.
PLEASE NOTE – There are still unallocated funds from Term 1 which can not be credited to the correct account as no reference number was given for this large payment. If you are receiving a statement for overdue fees and you feel this is incorrect and that this unallocated payment might relate to your account, please contact me and be able to show me your bank receipt or copy of bank statement with the amount clearly shown. I will then be able to finalise this payment for you.
If you are holders of a Health Care Card, you may be eligible for School Card which is granted by the school. Please see me if you feel you meet either of these criteria or have any queries relating to fees.
Thank you.
Traffic Management around School
The school received correspondence from Port Adelaide Enfield (PAE) council regarding proposed traffic changes in surrounding suburbs which includes changes to roads around the school. This includes a proposal to make the below roads one-way
- Hillburn Ave (between Windsor Grove and Cookes Road) Westbound
- Acton Ave Eastbound
The school now can provide feedback and the final decision will depend on feedback from all residents on the streets impacted.
PAE council will advise us of the final outcomes later this year however we see the proposed changes as a strategy to improve traffic flow around the school and create a safer environment for students and families.
School Development
Construction will continue throughout the year and ongoing scheduling is occurring between the builders and the school to reduce impact to students and maximise the school holiday periods.
The temporary new garden and lawn area will soon be finalised and children will have an opportunity soon to contribute ideas to the future new playground area.
60th Anniversary Celebrations
The Board encourages families to attend any of these where possible to celebrate the anniversary
- School picnic
- School concert
- Anniversary dinner
- Anniversary Mass
Finance Report
Krupka Foundation continues to support many families through school fee relief and recently the Fund trustees met to determine recipients for that support.
This support stems from a former teacher, Margo Krupka, who passed away in 1992 and established a Trust Fund to support students at St Pius X and many families have benefited.
2021 Annual Compliance Report
The report which is an annual Commonwealth government requirement, was reviewed which is accessible via the school website and highlights the school performance in attendance, NAPLAN results, survey results and financial position amongst others.
School Uniform Transition
2022 is the last of the 3 year transition to the new active wear uniform and a final transition plan is being developed for families in situations where this is still not possible.
We are pleased to inform our school families that there will be no increase in school fees for the 2023 school year. As South Australians continue to feel the impact of COVID-19, Catholic Education SA has announced it will freeze fees at its 86 Diocesan schools for the 2023 school year. “These decisions are part of our continued COVID 19 response as we seek to support families at a time when they are being impacted by rising costs and inflation,” says Dr Neil McGoran, Director, Catholic Education SA. Since 2019, Catholic Education SA has been implementing the Making Catholic Education More Affordable Initiative to ensure our schools are accessible to any family who wants their child to have a Catholic education. Dr Neil McGoran said the fee-freeze would not impact the quality of education. “We’re committed to keeping school fees as low as possible and ensuring a Catholic education is affordable and accessible to all.” In addition to the fee-freeze, further fee remissions are available to any family who is struggling to pay school fees due to financial pressures. Families should contact for more information.
The next P&F Meeting will be held on Friday 12th August at 2:00pm in the staffroom. All are welcome to attend.
Please don't forget to book a table - there is still time!
All orders must be placed via the Order Form distributed in hard copy with the Invitation/Menu.
If you choose to pay via QKR the Order Form must still be completed and returned.
We cannot process your order without an Order Form for each purchase.
This is the Order Form below. If you did not receive a paper copy spares are available to collect from the Front Office. Thank you!
More information to come!
Please find the latest edition of The Southern Cross - The Southern Cross July 2022