Gifted Education

As part of our processes for identifying gifted students, this term at St Pius X, all Year 3 students had the opportunity to take the ACER General Ability Tests (AGAT). This test is designed to assist teachers of students in their assessment of students’ general reasoning ability.

Each of the tests assesses students’ reasoning skills in three areas:

• Verbal 

• Numerical

• Abstract (visual) 

 

Students who scored in the top stanines of the AGAT test were then tested on the SLOSSAN test- a verbal one-on-one test that provides an estimate of verbal cognitive ability. Well done to Year 3 students for completing these.

 

I am very excited to announce the SPLICED topic for 2023- “A View From Afar: Examining and Dissecting, Marvelling and Wondering through a Wide-Angle Lens. Students involved in the SPLICED program will have their first workshop day at St John's Dapto on Monday March 6th. 

Finally, we are in the process of finalising the DaVinci Decathlon groups who will represent St Pius X this year. We are looking forward to continuing to work with and help prepare these students.

New Alternative Summer Girls Uniform

Thank you to the 150 parents and carers that took part in the Google Form survey on the options for the Alternative Summer Girls Uniform.

We are excited to announce that the uniform choice with the most votes was the sky blue shirt with red piping and the skort (please see picture below).

Also, a very large number of parents and carers wish to look into a new school hat option.

I will now take this information and begin the production process with Lowes.

We are looking forward to seeing this new addition to the Girls Summer Uniforms and will keep you informed when they are ready to be purchased. 

Chloe Tighe.

CLEAN UP AUSTRALIA DAY 2023

Pope Francis, in his encyclical, Laudato Si’, challenged every person living on our planet to support the building of a better future for humanity and the world. 

Here at St Pius X we take this challenge very seriously. As our vision statement highlights, we encourage all through our daily actions to be carers for our common home. We believe that every small action can have a big impact on our planet Earth and on our school community. As part of accepting this challenge, we are participating in the “Clean up Australia Day 2023” campaign. 

This will take place on Friday 3rd March. On this day, classes will be required to do their bit by cleaning up a particular area of our school environment. Children have been asked to bring gloves to school on this day.

RAT Kits

The school currently has a very healthy supply of RAT kits. If your family would like
more tests, please don’t hesitate to contact the office. 
What should I do if I test positive?
NSW Health recommends you:
 stay home until your acute symptoms have gone
 register your positive rapid antigen test result with Service NSW
 wear a mask indoors and on public transport, if you must leave your home
 avoid large gatherings and indoor crowded places
 don't visit people at higher risk of severe illness.

SCHOOL NEWS

Enrolment for 2024
Enrolments for Kindergarten 2024 are now open. If you have a child attending
Kindergarten next year or you know of anyone who is thinking of enrolling their child,
please encourage them to attend our SPX New Enrolment Expo on Wednesday 8th
March. This is an opportunity for families to visit the school, meet the staff and enjoy
some hospitality. Enrolment forms are available from the school office or our website
https://www.spxudow.catholic.edu.au

Food Related Allergies and Diet Restrictions

The Canteen understands that food allergies and other diet restrictions can be concerning to parents and students when purchasing food outside of the home such as a school canteen. 

If your child/dependant has any food related allergies please mark this clearly on their lunch order when ordering. The Canteen also requests if parents/carers intend to allow their children to use the Canteen for lunch orders and/or break time that the students introduce themselves a few times to the Canteen. This will help ensure in person identification with allergy charts and the students identified allergies.  

The canteen seeks to provide healthy food options for all, respect and cater for allergies, cultural and religious food preferences. 

The online menu lists ingredients within each menu item. Canteen Kat Facebook page posts photos and ingredient lists of pop up specials. Please contact the canteen if you have any further questions regarding ingredients or preparation of menu items.  

Thank you

Canteen Kat

2023 School Fees – Important information and reminders

All families have been sent their 2023 School fee statements via email. We have been advised that some emails to Yahoo and Hotmail accounts are going to junk or spam boxes. If you have not yet received your fee statement, please check your junk/spam to see if it has been filtered there. If you have not received anything, please contact the school office as soon as possible to rectify this to avoid any overdue notices.

PAY BY INSTALMENTS

Many families have already elected to pay their school fees by instalments. If you wish to take up this option please complete a Request to Pay by Instalment Form which is available on your school’s website or at your school’s office. On completion of the request either email it to instalments@dow.catholic.edu.au or submit at your school’s office. Following receipt of the request, instalments will be generated on your account and a schedule of payments and due dates will be provided on your next school fee statement. It is only necessary to complete this form once during the period of child/children’s enrolment unless you wish to amend your payment frequency. The Fees Team have received a large volume of requests and updated statements will be emailed to families on their next school fee statement.

DIFFICULTY WITH PAYMENT

If you are experiencing financial difficulty, we encourage you to contact the school in which your child/children are enrolled to discuss an arrangement that will assist you meet your commitments. This may include the completion of a Diocesan Application for Fee Concession which is available from the school office. Be reassured that your situation will be treated with strict confidentiality and respect for your circumstances. Please note, if you have children in more than one school, it will only be necessary to submit one application.

For those families that received a Fee Concession in 2022, you will receive an email prior to your annual review date attaching a further Application for Fee Concession. You may also initiate an earlier review if you wish to do so by contacting your school office.

For further information regarding school fees, please access the Diocesan School Fee Management Policy and Frequently Asked Questions which is available on your school’s website.

ICLT

Thank you to the parents who replied to the Google Form about Parent Technology
Sessions. Due to only eight responses showing interest in holding a session we are going to hold off, at this point in time. I will look into creating a few step by step videos for some aspects that I had planned to cover. In the meantime I have just been made aware of an application - Our Pact that can be found at https://ourpact.com/ and should allow parents the ability to monitor devices and settings. This has been recommended by one of the Technology Leaders in the office who used it with his own children.
The eSafety Commissioner who we regularly turn to for technology guidance is also hosting four webinars that may interest you. These webinars can be on the esafety website found below https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents/webinars and cover topics of:eSafety 101: how eSafety can help you (30min)
This 30-minute webinar is designed for parents and carers of young people in primary and secondary school.
 
It will cover:
 who we are
 what you can report to eSafety
 helpful advice and resources for parents and carers. 
 
Term 1 dates (Australian Eastern Daylight Time)
21 March 7:30 pm to 8:00 pm
Setting your child up for success online (30min) 
This 30-minute webinar is designed for parents and carers of children in primary school.
 
It will cover:
 age-appropriate expectations and boundaries
 online risks and strategies to keep your children safe
 where to find support for you and your child when things go wrong.
 
Term 1 dates (Australian Eastern Daylight Time)
28 February 12:30 pm to 1:00 pm
14 March 12:30 pm to 1:00 pm
Getting the most out of gaming (45min)
This 45-minute webinar provides families with strategies for supporting children and
young people to have safe, positive experiences when playing games online. It is
designed for parents and carers of children aged 7 to 14.
 
It will cover:   
 when gaming can be beneficial and strategies to promote better in-game
experiences
 how to keep children safe online – using safety and privacy settings in games and
platforms
 strategies to promote more balanced gaming and how to create smoother
transitions from game-play to other activities
 the key online risks and where to find help for things like bullying and harassment
in games. 
 

Term 1 dates (Australian Eastern Daylight Time)
14 March 7:30 pm to 8:15 pm
Navigating online friendships (30min) 
This 30-minute webinar is designed for parents and carers of young people in
secondary school.
 
It will cover:
 how to support young people to have safe and respectful online relationships
 what to do when something happens at school and ends up on social media or
private messaging apps 
 how to report to social media platforms and eSafety. 
 Term 1 dates (Australian Eastern Daylight Time)
29 March 7:30 pm to 8:00 pm

I recommend registering for any courses that might interest you. I have also included in this newsletter and all following newsletters one social media or gaming article that explains safety concerns and actions for that specific area. These infographics are from the Carly Ryan Foundation and have very useful information.

Regards
Bill Whittle
ICLT Coordinator

eSafety Commission Parent and Carer Webinars

 LOWES SALE