Dear Parents.

It is hard to believe that we are almost at the end of the first semester.

As we wrap up another successful term, I want to extend our heartfelt thanks to our entire school community for a wonderful first semester. I feel so blessed to be working at St Pius X on a daily basis. Thank you to all of our students, teachers and parents for your ongoing support throughout the first half of 2025.

Leadership Arrangements in the last week of school.

Next Week, I will be taking a week of Long Service Leave and enjoying some time in Bali with family friends as part of an extended birthday celebration. Whilst I am away, Jamie Deverson will be Acting Principal and Jessica Jenkins will step in as Acting Deputy Principal to support Jamie.

School Disco

A special shout-out goes to our Parents and Friends Committee for organising an unforgettable school disco! With over 440 children in attendance, the night was filled with music, dancing, singing and joy. Events like these create a strong sense of community and provide lasting memories for our students. We are so grateful for the time and energy that the Parents and Friends Committee put into making the disco a big success. I would also like to acknowledge the work that Cassandra Figg provides to our P&F committee. Cassandra’s work in supporting the P&F to run these events for our children is greatly appreciated.

Wellbeing Day

Last Friday we had our termly Wellbeing day for the children. Our Wellbeing days are becoming a termly tradition and provide children and staff an opportunity to spend a day focussing on their social, emotional and physical wellbeing. The children had the opportunity to participate in activities of their choice, some of which included, rock painting, bracelet making, fairy bread making, clay, mindfulness activities, scented playdough making and a sensory room experience. As part of the day the children also engaged in a fitness session with Miss Fit movement and had the opportunities to work with a buddy class throughout the day.

I want to express our sincere appreciation to Ashlee Stanley and Holli Caputo for organising a fantastic Wellbeing Day. The day was packed with fun, engaging activities that promoted connection, mindfulness, and joy among our students. It was a wonderful reminder of the importance of looking after our mental, physical and emotional wellbeing.

School Reports and the Community Portal

School Reports will be sent home to families in the last week of this term. Please note that the school reports will now be distributed electronically through the Community Portal. Email invitations were sent to each enrolling parent’s email address inviting you to set up the portal. If you have not yet set up the portal, please do so or contact the school office for further support. All school reports and financial statements will be issued through the portal from this point forward and printed copies will not be sent home.

Labelling Clothing

As we head into the cooler months, we kindly remind parents to label all clothing and personal items. This simple step helps us return lost items quickly and reduces the growing mountain of lost property. We have changed the way that we manage lost property at the school this year. Rather than having a lost property container that all items are placed in; lost items are now handed into Anita McDonnell in the front office. Anita then checks if the items are labelled, and if so, they are returned to their rightful owner. If items are not labelled they are stored and parents and children can come in and ask to see these items and re-claim any lost items that belong to them. We were finding that there were times when children were taking items from the lost property containers that did not belong to them. This new process allows us to try and return labelled items before they end up in a lost property box. If all children have their items clearly labelled, then this will assist us in ensuring that lost property that is handed in is returned to its’ rightful owner.

Dates for the Diary

Please see below some important dates for the diary for next week and Term 3.

Term 2:

Tuesday 1^st July: Year 5 Hot Dog fundraiser and whole schoolletter Pyjama Day.

Friday 4^th July: Last day of Term for students – school finishes at 3:00pm.

Term 3

Monday 21^st July: First Day of Term 3.

Monday 21^st – Friday 25^th July: Reception and Year One Swimming (Reception Monday to Wednesday only).

Monday 28^th July: Mid Year Reception photos.

Friday 1^st August: Whole School Italian Day

Thurs 7^th & Friday 8^th August: Year 4 Camp to Mylor

Friday 15^th August: Book-week Dress up day and Grandparents day.

Friday 5^th September: Father’s Day Breakfast and Stall.

Friday 12^th September: AFL Max family evening 5:30pm – 7:30pm.

Wednesday 17^th – Friday 19^th September: Year 5 Camp @ Woodhouse.

Thursday 25^th September: Last day of Term 3 for students.

Friday 26^th of September: Pupil Free Day – Staff Retreat

SAVE THE DATE:

FRIDAY 31^ST OF OCTOBER: WHOLE SCHOOL PICNIC AT THORNDON PARK

SPX NEWS Podcast

I’m excited to announce that some of our senior students are now presenting our School Newsletter as a podcast. You can follow the SPX News podcast to hear all the information and more from this newsletter article.

Thank you once again for being such a supportive and caring school community. We wish you all a safe and restful break and look forward to seeing everyone refreshed and ready for another exciting term ahead.

Joke of the Week

What did the sad taco say?

I don't want to taco about it - hahaha

What does a cloud wear under his clothes?

Thunderwear 

God Bless

Ashley Keane

Reconciliation Ceremony

24 children in Year 3 have been preparing this term for their First Reconciliation.  The liturgy took place at St Pius X Church, on June 18^th along with children from St Paul’s College and the Parish.  This is the next step in their faith journey after the Sacrament of Baptism.

The four steps of Reconciliation are:

Admit –tell the priest what they did wrong.

Say Sorry – Saying sorry is knowing that we are not perfect and asking for forgiveness. It allows both people to plan a better way to relate.

Be forgiven – God forgives them through the support of the priest. Forgiveness is about building bridges after they are broken and making relationships peaceful. It’s about making relationships right again with self, others, and nature

Make up – the priest asks each person to complete an action or prayer as a sign of accepting the forgiveness. This is called Penance.

Wear you Pyjamas Day

To support the St Vincent de Paul Society and our Dernancourt Vinnies,              Tuesday July 1^st is WEAR YOUR PJs DAY.

Children are invited to wear their Pyjamas and in return donate tinned and packaged food to school.  Families can also donate good quality second-hand clothes for winter.  These donations will be delivered to our Vinnies parish shed ready to distribute to our local families.

World Day for Grandparents and Elderly Mass

A Parish Mass will be held on Sunday 27^th July at 5:30pm at SPX Church, Dernancourt.  All families are invited to join the student leaders who will help minister at Mass and distribute gifts to the elderly parishioners.  The day was established by Pope Francis to honour grandparents and the elderly in the hope of creating love, appreciation and connection between generations.

Soup Kitchen

Thank you to the Year 5 families who continue to support the SPX Soup Kitchen.  Every Tuesday afternoon, teams of 6 students meet to cut and dice vegetables making a variety of flavoured soups.  This soup is then delivered to the Adelaide Centre for the Homeless in Queen St, Adelaide. It will continue next term as well.

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.

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.

Book Fair

Book Week Parade & Grandparents Day

This year our Book Week Parade and Grandparents Day will be combined on Friday August 15th, stay tuned for more details.

Whole School Picnic

Save the Date !!!!!   We would love to see as many families there as possible.

SAPSASA Sports Carnivals

Congratulations to...

Giorgio, Sam & Ben who participated in the SAPSASA Boys AFL Carnival,

Shenali and Emerson who participated in the SAPSASA Girls Netball Carnival

and Eddie, Sam, Sebastian & Kyson who participated in the SAPSASA Boys

Netball Carnival this term

Knockout Boys AFL Carnival

Our Knockout team have progressed to round 2 of the Statewide Schools Knockout AFL competition. We will be taking on Trinity Gardens Primary school next Thursday. A huge shoutout to our coaches Mr Smith and Mr Keane.

Athletics and Cross Country Training 

Team to be selected very soon.............

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 Virginia

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

Eco Guardians in Action

Our Eco Guardians have been hard at work, making meaningful contributions to our school’s sustainability efforts and inspiring others to do the same.

♻️ Recycling Awareness at Assembly

At our most recent assembly, students viewed a powerful video presentation demonstrating the correct use of our recycling bins. This served as an important reminder that every small action matters when it comes to protecting our environment.

Seaside Safari: Coastal Discoveries

A group of adventurous students recently took part in a Seaside Safari, exploring our stunning coastline while learning about the delicate balance of marine ecosystems. This hands-on experience sparked great curiosity and deepened their understanding of environmental stewardship.

Podcast Spotlight – Tiny Planet, Big Hearts

Our new podcast, Tiny Planet, Big Hearts, has launched with great success! Featuring engaging discussions with special guests, recent episodes have explored topics like Antarctic exploration, book reviews, expert interviews on frogs, and school excursions. The podcast highlights how even the smallest actions can make a big difference in caring for our planet.

Exciting Projects Ahead!

There’s lots to look forward to!

• A group of Eco Guardians will be heading to the Adelaide Hills to attend a full-day student conference focused on technology and the environment. They’ll be presenting their podcasting journey and even recording a live podcast on-site!
• Meanwhile, another team will be taking part in “A River Ramble,” an outdoor learning experience along the River Torrens, where they’ll explore the local river ecosystem and its importance to our environment.

Stay tuned for more updates from our amazing Eco Guardians as they continue to lead the way in sustainability and environmental awareness!

Jane Buhagiar

Key Sustainability Teacher

P&F Meetings
On Friday September 12th @ 2pm  we will be holding our next P & F meeting in the meeting room. We would love to see some new faces and welcome back some famiiar 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.

Please find the latest edition of The Southern Cross - The Southern Cross June 2025.