Dear Parents and Carers,

I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate our Kindergarten students who have settled into school life so confidently. It is wonderful to witness the children engaged in learning, making firm friendships and adjusting to the new experiences and expectations of school.

Thank you also to our Kindergarten parents for your understanding as we navigate COVID-19 restrictions to ensure a safe school environment for your children, yourselves, and the staff. We all appreciate your cooperation especially with the emotion of your little ones starting school.  Our hope is that when restrictions ease we can host our new and existing parents at a social event aimed at reconnecting our community.

Positive partnerships with parents and the broader community is a key priority at St Pius X. Contemporary research shows that such partnerships not only enhance student well-being but also learning. Our Annual General Meeting of the Parents and Friends Association on Tuesday night was certainly an example of such a partnership, with the Leadership Team and parents coming together to plan and prioritise for our community in 2021. I am delighted to announce the following positions for this school year:

Parents and Friends Executive

President: Danielle Chapman

Co-Vice President: Kathy Hicks / Helen Meez

Co-Secretaries: Holly Allen / Martina Mulaj

Co- Treasurers: Jane Brejniak / Sharna Mahanidis

How lucky we are that we have parents so willing to work alongside others to learn new roles and support our community. The concept of “Co-leadership” is certainly endorsed at St Pius X!

As we journey into the Season of Lent my hope is that St Pius X continues in our mission of being an authentic Catholic community, inspired by the person and teaching of Jesus Christ, where we all strive to act with hope, integrity, justice and compassion. 

Yours in faith and learning,

Pauline Chrostowski  - Principal

Get_to_Know_Mrs_Alyssa_Frew.pdf

Get_to_Know_Mrs_Alyssa_Frew _pdf 5.29 MB

My Unanderra

My_Unanderra_School_Activity_Sheet.pdf

My_Unanderra_School_Activity_Sheet _pdf 121.96 KB

The Diverse Academic Gifts and Talents Of Students At SPX

At St Pius X staff use a variety of learning frameworks to diversify the curriculum and facilitate quality learning and teaching experiences for all students. Gifted Education is a shared responsibility between teachers and parents.

St Pius X follows Gagné’s differentiated model of giftedness and talent. Gagné defines giftedness as the possession of natural abilities at levels significantly beyond what might be expected for one’s age; that is, giftedness is outstanding potential that may or may not yet be evident in outstanding performance. Gagné defines talent as the achievement or performance of one or more systematically developed skills at a level significantly beyond what might be expected for one’s age.

Teachers may devise specific Individual Plans (IPs) for students who have been formally assessed as gifted. These plans may include:

• Differentiation within the classroom
• Opportunities for growth outside the classroom (SPLICED, da Vinci Decathlon, Maths Games, VEX)
• A variety of grouping strategies
• Acceleration by subject or grade
• Modified reporting procedures

Some of the gifted education initiatives available at St Pius X for students to show their potential and engage in higher order thinking processes, include:

• The ACER General Ability Tests (AGAT) - a test designed to assist teachers of students aged seven to sixteen years (approximately Year 2 to Year 10) in their assessment of students’ general reasoning ability. These tests have been developed especially for use in schools. Each of the tests assesses students’ reasoning skills in three areas: Verbal and Numerical and Abstract (visual). At St Pius X, all students take part in the AGAT assessment in Year 3. The results of this assessment will assist teachers in differentiating the curriculum for all students at the school.
• The Slosson Intelligence Test - a verbal one-on-one test that provides an estimate of verbal cognitive ability. As it is not a full scale IQ test, the Slosson will not provide an IQ score, but rather an indication of the band in which a child may fall and also some valuable anecdotal evidence of their areas of strength and weakness. The assessment focuses on the following areas: Similarities and Differences, Vocabulary, Comprehension, Quantitative, General Information and Auditory Memory. If students perform highly in AGAT, they are then given the opportunity to take part in the Slosson assessment.  Along with the observations of class teachers and the collection of class assessment data these two measures will assist St Pius X teachers in better targeting the specific intellectual needs of our learners.
• SPLICED - A Catholic Education Diocese of Wollongong initiative offered to students who demonstrate creativity, flexible higher order thinking, independence and reflective thinking. SPLICED stands for 'Stretching Potential through Learning in Interactive and Challenging Environments in the Diocese of Wollongong'. Students complete engaging and challenging activities based on the seven Key Learning Areas.
• The da Vinci Decathlon - an academic competition designed to challenge and stimulate the minds of school students. Students compete in teams of eight across 10 disciplines: engineering, mathematics and chess, code breaking, art and poetry, science, English, ideation, creative producers, cartography and legacy. The Decathlon is designed to celebrate the academic gifts of Australian youth by providing a stimulating and challenging competition run in the spirit of an Olympic Decathlon.
• The Maths Games and Maths Olympiad competitions - an opportunity for mainstream students in Years 4, 5 and 6 to learn valuable problem solving skills and expose them to the application of mathematical problem solving strategies and techniques. Teams of high-achieving Year 3 students may also be considered for entry to the Maths Games competition as a precursor to the Maths Olympiad. The Maths Games is aligned with the Australian curriculum and focuses on challenging students to think laterally and creatively when solving mathematically-based problems. 

 

Community News

Thank you From St Vincent de Paul Society

Back to School Anxiety

Year 7 2022

Holy Spirit College

The Holy Spirit College Open Day and Evening will take place on Thursday February 25 2021. 

There are two sessions scheduled for the day.  

The morning session begins with an information session in the Casey Ryder Centre at  8.45am - 9.45am followed by a tour of the College from  9.45am - 11am.  

The evening session will begin with a tour of the College from 5.30pm - 6.45pm followed by the information session in the Casey Ryder Center at 7pm.  

Applications opened for Year 7 2023 on February 1 2021, and will close on Thursday April 1 2021.  Please contact the College for an enrolment package. 

Student Leadership

Congratulations to our Year 6 students who were commissioned in as leaders of the school and received their leadership badges. 2021 sees some changes to the structure of our student leadership program and our current students have already seen the benefits of this.

We still have our School Captains, Vice Captains and Student Representative Council and have introduced the role of Student Leader rather than leaders of specific groups. This allows our students to demonstrate their leadership skills across a range of environments and situations rather than one particular area. Our leaders have already supported the school in events such as the Swimming Carnival, Caritas Launch, Pancake Day, Canteen support, sports equipment and many more.

We wish them every success and show our complete support as they grow as leaders of St Pius X.

 PB4L (Positive Behaviours For Learning)

Canteen

The St Pius X Canteen reflects the values the school places on healthy eating and social skills. Not only does our canteen provide an essential service via lunches and snacks but it also assists our students in developing skills when dealing with money and social interactions. Here are some helpful tips for you to discuss with your children when they are purchasing from the canteen:

• Prepare for your purchase; while lining up think about what you would like to buy and how you will ask for the items.
• Approaching the counter; Only move up to the counter when the person in front of you has moved away.
• Manners; Our parents in the canteen are volunteers and have given up their time to provide this service, a simple please and thank you goes a long way to a positive environment at school.
• Money; If you are unsure of prices or change that you have received, please ask while you are at the counter. Also, please do not send large amounts of money with your child to use at the canteen as this can be confusing for our students when purchasing.

We thank you for your support and we thank Danielle Chapman for all of her hard work and dedication in our canteen.

IMPORTANT REMINDER!!!!!!

The Canteen will be CLOSED next week.

Canteen will be OPEN again Week 6. 

Message from Fr Duane

Dear friends,

Thanks be to God – restrictions have eased starting today! With the return of the 2 square metre rule, we can allow everyone to attend whichever Mass they prefer across the four Sunday Masses:

6pm Saturday Unanderra
8am Sunday Unanderra
10am Sunday West Wollongong
5pm Sunday West Wollongong

As I mentioned at last Sunday’s 7pm Mass, there will be NO 7pm MASS this weekend or for the foreseeable future. I wish to especially thank those who generously gave up their preferred Mass time to attend the 7pm Mass, creating spaces for people at the standard Mass times. Together, we have been able to ensure that everyone who wanted to come to our weekend Masses had a place for them in spite of all the restrictions, thanks to the wonderful help of our monitors, secretaries and others and that is worth celebrating!

Registrations will still assist monitors and admin staff, but registration at the door is now possible at all Masses.

The mandate of mask wearing also no longer applies, though masks are still strongly encouraged – especially noting that 1.5m distancing may not always be possible now that we return to the 2 square metre rule.

Please find attached:

The Parish Bulletin for this Sunday (with thanks to Melissa Bridges)

May God bless you, keep you safe, and give you peace. 

 Fr Duane Fernandez
Parish Priest
Immaculate Conception and St Therese Parishes