Dear Parents

Welcome to Term 4, it is hard to believe we are now only 6 weeks away from the end of another school year.

Catholic School's Music Festival
At the end of last term I had the pleasure of attending the Festival Theatre to watch fifty of our Year 5 and 6 students perform in the Catholic School’s Music Festival.

It was a fantastic evening of music where our children combined with a number of choirs from other Catholic Schools to put on an amazing performance.

The St Pius X School choir were located in the front two rows and the children did an spectacular job at performing on the night.

I would like to thank our Music teacher and choir trainer, Mrs Basia Jedrzejczak, for her tireless efforts in preparing the children for the performance. Basia is well known as one of the preeminent choir trainers within Catholic Education and always prepares the children so that they can perform at a very high standard on the night.

The hours of behind the scenes work that Basia puts into preparing the choir is outstanding and she goes above and beyond to ensure that our children can perform confidently on the stage.

I would like to thank Jenny Mittiga and Rachel Bond who supported Basia with the choir during the year. I would also like to thank all of the children who performed in the choir. The children put in hours of work learning the lyrics and actions to each song and they looked and sounded fantastic on the night. I was very proud of the efforts of all of the children.

Hats
Just a reminder that we are now implementing our No Hat – No Play policy. Can parents please ensure that they are supporting their children by making sure that they have a clearly labelled hat at school. Hats often get misplaced, however if they are clearly labelled then our office staff can make sure that they get returned to their owners. It is a shame when children are required to miss play as a result of not having a hat.

Planning for 2025
Our staff have commenced the process of planning for the 2025 school year. Some of these tasks include placing children into their classes for next year and ordering stationery and school supplies for next year. Please be aware that if your child is not returning to St Pius X in 2025, then you need to inform us in writing immediately, otherwise a term’s fees will be charged.

The children will visit their new classes on Friday the 6th December. School Reports will also be sent home on this day.

Building Works
Over the last few weeks, we have had our stairs to the new Library installed. Work has now commenced on completing the Library and Inclusive Education spaces upstairs and the downstairs office space, storeroom and staff toilets are also being completed. We expect this work to be completed in time for the start of the 2025 school year.

In 2025, we will commence the re-surfacing of the basketball court. As part of this work, we will be erecting a large shelter over the court so it can be used in all weather conditions. This shelter over the court will provide much needed shade during the warmer months and shelter on the wet days. We are also looking at re-surfacing the oval and are in the process of obtaining quotes for this. I will keep you updated on our building works as more information becomes available.

God Bless

Ashley Keane

All Saints and All Souls Day
This year we will be acknowledging the Communion of Saints to which we belong – we are ALL Saints!  The holy men and women who have gone before us continue to be inspirations and role models.  There are many saints to choose from and so, if you would like to add the name of your favourite saint to our Litany of Saints, please email me at rcampbell@stpiusx.catholic.edu.au

Remembrance Day
Our student Mission Team are currently supporting the RSL Gilles Plains and Hampstead Sub Branch in constructing memorial crosses for the Remembrance Day service.  This will be held at their rooms in Manningham.  We will also be recognizing the many soldiers who have dedicated their lives to the armed forces over time. Please join us at school on Monday 11th November at 10:40am at the flag poles.

Parish Visits
Fr John Sebastian continues to support our school by enjoying visits to many of the classrooms. This term he will be visiting the Year 2, Year 3 and Year 5 children in preparation for Advent, Christmas and as a follow-up to the celebration of Reconciliation.

Stall Year 2
The generosity of our community continues with the BIG Year 2 stall that was held in Week 1.  Sarah B, Samantha, Kaira, Ivy, Marlee, Aweil and Sarah S prepared lolly bags, cookies, jelly cups, honey joys, loom bands and crochet scrunchies to sell on the day.  Of course, with the wet weather the stalls went inside but all together the team raised $197.60.  This money will be donated to the Women’s and Children’s Hospital and Catholic Missions.

Important Updates

Due to new packaging regulations and supplier shortages, the canteen menu will be updated with changes to both products and prices in the coming weeks and at the start of the next term.

Thank you for all your support in 2024, we look forward to an even bigger year in 2025!

In 2024, we supported the students through a range of successful fundraising activities. Events like the Mother’s Day Stall, School Disco, Father’s Day & Milk Stall, and an upcoming Bunnings Christmas Party/Fundraiser have all contributed to enhancing the school experience. The P&F take immense joy in helping students to learn about the value of money, exchanging money and seeing the pride and excitement they get from purchasing gifts for their loved ones, it truly is a rewarding experience. 

One major highlight this year was helping to fund VR Headsets for the school, giving students the opportunity to engage in immersive and interactive learning experiences. This has been an exciting addition to the schools educational resources and thank you to Chris Hyde in helping make this happen. 

P&F Meetings
We warmly invite everyone to our next P&F meeting on Friday 7th February at 1:30pm at the school. 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 have some exciting events planned for 2025, and we need your help to make them happen! We will be planning to hold 2 meetings each term; one on Fridays during the day and one night meeting (day & time TBA) to allow for more members to attend. 

2025 Year Level Reps Needed
We are seeking parents from Year 2, Year 4, and Year 6 to become Year Level Representatives in 2025. As a Year Level Rep, you’ll play an important role in keeping families informed and fostering connections within your child’s year level. If you’re interested, please email us at pandf@stpiusx.catholic.edu.au. The sooner we can fill these roles, the better prepared we’ll be for the new school year.

We look forward to achieving even more in 2025!

Entertainment Book
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 on the following days:

Thursday 7th November at 9am
Monday 9th December at 9am (end of year assembly)

Catholic School Athletics Carnival
On Thursday 31^st October we took 75 children to the Catholic School Athletics Carnival to compete in a variety of track and field events. We thank all our Volunteers, ESOs, teachers and especially Mr Zamparelli and Cassandra for making this day possible. We are super proud of the results our students achieved, and we would like to make a few special mentions to some certain children. 

Association Record Holders
In High Jump, Samuel M jumped a new PB and broke the Association Record of 1.45 metres.

Lillian C jumped a new PB and broke the Association Record of 1.32 metres. 

In Long Jump, Ava W jumped a new PB and broke the Association Record of 4.64 metres and won the Open Pentathlon Champion. 

In the Year 6 Girls Relay, they broke the Association Record of 57.64 seconds.   

Marco Z was awarded the Individual Age Champion.

Our Year 5 boys were the overall Age Champions and the boys overall as a collective came second. Overall, the girls came first!

Personal Best
In High Jump, Sophie F jumped a new PB of 1.37 metres.

Ben L jumped a new PB of 1.42 metres.

Eddie R jumped a new PB of 1.21 metres.

Ariella G jumped a new PB of 1.11 metres. 

Milana G jumped a new PB of 2.98 metres.

In shot put, Nicola A put a new PB of 7.03 metres. 

In the 100-metre Sprint, Marco Z ran a new PB of 13.49 seconds and in the 400-metre sprint, he ran a new PB of 1 minute 7 seconds. In Long Jump, he jumped a new PB of 4.22 metres.

The Australian All Schools Athletics Championships
Congratulations and best of luck to Ava W who will be representing South Australia in the Australian All Schools Athletics Championships later this term.

Javale graduated St Pius X School in 2023 and started his schooling at CBC this year. He is very well known in our school community for his amazing singing and performing skills.  Recently, Javale sustained significant injuries during an athletics training at his high school and is currently undergoing a period of recovery.

CBC and their Parents and Friends Association are conducting a silent auction to provide financial assistance to Javale and his family. This fundraising initiative seeks to alleviate some of the financial burden associated with his ongoing medical needs and support his family during this challenging time.

The silent auction has over 50 items available for bidding. It opens on Friday 1st  November and closes on Friday 22nd November. The page can be viewed here: https://www.cbc.sa.edu.au/auctions for anyone who would like to participate in this fundraising event.

The Southern Cross and Catholic Education SA are calling for students in the Adelaide and Port Pirie dioceses' to use their artistic skills to design Archbishop Patrick O’Regan’s 2024 Christmas Card.

Entries are open in the following categories: Reception to Year 2, Years 3-5, Years 6-8 and Years 9-12. The images should be no larger than A4 size and can be created by hand or computer-generated. 

The winning entries will be published in the December issue of The Southern Cross and on the Archdiocesan website. Category winners will receive Wallis Cinemas passes.  

Entries must be submitted as hard copies by close of business Wednesday 20th November to: The Southern Cross, 39 Wakefield Street, Adelaide 5000 with name, address, school and age included. 

If you would like your chld to receive a certificate of participation, we can provide you with an electronic template contact Mary Coombe on 8210 8125 or mcoombe@adelaide.catholic.org.au    

Kind regards

Rita Campbell

Happy Diwali - The Festival of Lights - October 31st - 1st November 

A five-day festival that celebrates the triumph of light over darkness, good over evil and knowledge over ignorance  It is a major religious festival in Hinduism, Jainism and Sikhism.  The name Diwali means ""row of lights." In our own Christian Faith we can connect with these sentiments as we too celebrate good over evil during Pentecost and at Easter time when Jesus rises from the dead.

To our families Wishing you a Bright and Happy Diwali.  May your year be filled with light, love and laughter.

Please find the latest edition of The Southern Cross -https://thesoutherncross.org.au/news/2024/10/21/miracles-really-do-happen/

On Saturday 26th October over 70 students participated in Drama Day at Walkerville Primary School.

15 plays and 5 monologues were rehearsed during Terms 3 & 4 and then performed! It takes 1 hour of rehearsal to make 1 minute of theatre – so this is quite an achievement. AMEB certificates, participation ribbons, and Speech and Drama Awards were also presented. St Pius X students presented the plays: The Dead Bat, Wolf Friend, and Kurtis in the Wild. Angas L was awarded the Spirit of Speech certificate, and Sienna D was awarded a Brilliant Beginner Prize. Students received their official AMEB certificates. Congratulations to ALL of our St Pius X Speech and Drama students on their courage and dedication.

It was so much fun!! If you would like to enrol your child for the last few lessons of the year you can head to our website: speechanddramasa.com.au/enrolments or call Miss Bec 0400 202 399.

Enrolments for 2025 will be via the school extracurricular forms. Enrolment is for the full year. Year 7 students entering high school can participate at our Walkerville Studio after hours Monday-Thursday.

Bec Pannell