One of the great pleasures of being a School Principal is taking prospective families on a school tour and discussing with them our Vision, Mission, our Strengths and, most importantly, their child. It is a huge decision to make when considering all of the school options that are available and if the decision to join our community is made, I take it as a great honour for all of us.

Decisions are based upon a huge range of factors. Yesterday a family came and visited our school having moved to Windsor Gardens from the Western Suburbs. The family were keen to enrol in a school that had a strong sense of values, a commitment of care and compassion. Importantly, the two girls just ‘love to sing’ and so musical opportunities was an important consideration. You would be aware of the very special place that music has in our school thanks to the classroom music programs, the Music Tutors, our celebrations and concerts and our Catholic Schools Music Festival Choirs. At the core of this is our dedicated Music Specialist Teacher, Basia Jedrzejczak.

Coincidentally, in an article in the Sunday Mail, May 21^st,  it was noted that through powerful music programs and experiences, children’s cognitive abilities are being extended. Research from Neuromusical Educator, Anita Collins reports links between learning a musical instrument and improved academic outcomes. “The brains of musically trained children operate and learn differently to brains of non-musically trained.” “There is a complex cognitive component to learning music, I describe it as a full body workout for the brain.”

Over the coming weeks we are re-commencing our Music Tutor programs and offering our children a range of musical instrumental lessons with our highly qualified Tutors. Your child’s Tutors will be in touch with you about the details. I thank each of them for their understanding and patience as we worked through all of the implications, advice and restrictions arising from COVID-19.

For those children who are not currently learning an instrument, you may consider the powerful opportunities that we offer and how these can enrich the whole learning of the child as the article mentioned above articulates.   Here’s hoping.....

As I finish off this article, I will be leaving to attend a meeting at the Church Office to present our proposal for the development of the Stage 1D building that I wrote about in the last Newsletter. Approval from this committee will go a long way to realisation of this project. Wish me luck!

God Bless

Welcome to Week 7

This coming Sunday, we celebrate the Solemnity of “The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ”. This is a significant celebration in the life of our church, as the Eucharist – the most Holy Body and Blood of Christ – nourishes us and makes us whole. In the Gospel on Sunday, Jesus reminds his followers, ‘I tell you most solemnly, if you do not eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you will not have life in you. Anyone who does eat my flesh and drink my blood has eternal life, and I shall raise him up on the last day’. Jesus invites us into communion with God and each other through the Eucharist. We are always welcome at the table of the Lord. 

Last Friday, the second collection of food for our Vinnies Winter Appeal was picked up by members of the Dernancourt St Vincent DePaul conference. Thank you for such amazing generosity! The final collection of food will be later this week, so if you haven’t had the chance to donate, there are still a few days to send your food to school. Please send donations of non-perishable food in a plastic shopping bag. These can be taken straight to your child’s classroom.

May your week be blessed.

Students are required to attend school unless they are:

• Feeling unwell
• Have a chronic medical condition or compromised immune system and are not able to attend school on advice from their medical practitioner
• Live in a household with others that are deemed vulnerable to COVID-19 and are not able to attend school on advice of their medical practitioner
• Have been diagnosed with COVID-19 or have been required to self-isolate by SA Health

If your child will be not attending school please advise the School Office via the link on your Schoolzine App or call 8266 9495 before 8:30am and leave a voice message.

If you wish to also advise your child's teacher via SeeSaw regarding an absence it is important that you have advised the School Office via the methods above.

Thank you.

Enrolment Interviews for 2022 Reception Students will be held this term and families who have already sumitted an Application Form will be contacted regarding the process next week.

If you have a child born between 1st November 2016 and 31st October 2017 and you would like them to attend Reception at St Pius X School in 2022 please contact Susan Trimboli on 8261 4466 as soon as possible.