September 19th, 2024

Acknowledgement of Country

A Note from our Principal

Ngata families, 

This week I have chosen to share the words of praise and gratitude at the conclusion of our school production last night. 

"What an incredible show! A huge round of applause for our amazing cast and crew who brought “Finding Nemo” to life with such energy and enthusiasm. I am so proud of each and every one of our students who has poured their heart and soul into this production.

Special thanks to:

Hands on Learning for helping create the amazing set pieces.

Warrnambool Theatre Company for help with set creation.

Holiday Actors for costume support.

Mel Steffenson and Primary Performers for set and costume support.

Emmanuel College for kindly allowing us to use their seating. 

Hammonds Paints for the donations of paints.

Reece Lane for creation of our posters.

Rob Foard for technical support.

Joel Baker for filming our production.

All Volunteers who assisted with setting up and packing up of our production.

Parents and Friends Committee for running the canteen.

Pat and Lorraine O’Keefe for assistance with the parish hall.

Mrs Webster for her constant support to the production.

Staff Costume support - the core group of staff who worked very hard to create costumes. 

Sam O’Keefe - Director 

I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to our incredible director for bringing “Finding Nemo” to life. Your vision, dedication and tireless effort have turned this production into a true masterpiece. From coordinating rehearsals to guiding our students, you’ve shown unwavering commitment and creativity. Your passion has not only shaped a memorable performance but has also inspired our students to shine brightly. On behalf of the entire school community, thank you for your hard work and for making this a night to remember. We are deeply grateful for your exceptional contribution.

A special thank you to our dedicated teachers, volunteers and parents who supported and guided our students every step of the way. Your hard work and commitment have truly made tonight's performance possible.

To our young performers, you’ve shown us the power of teamwork and creativity and you’ve entertained us with your talent and dedication. You’ve made us all so proud.

Thank you to everyone for joining us tonight and for your unwavering support of our school community".

Kind regards,

Nick Murrell

Principal

Finding Nemo Kids!

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Ready, Set, School! program - Last session Tomorrow!

Click below to register for our Ready, Set, School! program

Click here to Register

Footy/Netball Colours Day Tomorrow!

As a way to celebrate the last day of term, tomorrow everyone is welcome to come to school dressed in their favourite football, netball or any other sporting team colours.    

Early Finish Tomorrow - 2.30pm

Please remember that due to the early finish tomorrow of 2.30pm, the buses will also run an hour earlier than normal.

Pastoral Care

National Parent Survey

Catholic School Parents Australia (CSPA) is running a parent survey in partnership with the University of New England on Student Wellbeing and Learning and are seeking your perspective as parents/carers of children who attend a Catholic School in Australia.

You are invited to share your views on existing and emerging affirmations and/or challenges in relation to your child/children’s wellbeing and learning.

The survey is anonymous, confidential, and completely voluntary.    

For more information about the study and to participate go here.

Thank you for your support.

The Foundation Files

End of Term Wrap Up. 

We would like to wrap up Term 3 and congratulate ourselves on all the hard work and amazing fun that we have had together. Here’s our list of Top 10 achievements. (There is a whole lot more but Mrs Walsh and Ms Lane ran out of time to list them ALL!!!)

1. FINDING NEMO - Stars on stage - we were the smallest and the cutest but the Prep teachers couldn’t have been more proud. 
2. DOTTED THIRDS - our handwriting is simply amazing. We can see how important daily practice is.
3. WONDER TREE - we have loved exploring the wonderful world around us especially our own local environment and pledging to take care of it for the future.
4. ST PIUS X FEAST DAY - Kaboom Sports was sooooo much fun! We love being at St Pius X school.
5. LIGHTHOUSE THEATRE AND LIBRARY - We love to get on a bus and visiting the Lighthouse Theatre was very exciting. We got to see backstage, dressing rooms, orchestra pit and so much more. Reading and Relaxing at the library was also such a joy.
6. FLUENCY PAIRS & WORD LISTS - we are all still so busy reading every day and working on our word lists. So many of us cannot wait to get their words tested and climb onto a new list.
7. COMMUNITY MEETINGS - Every morning we love to get into a different group and say hello to our friends as we remind ourselves of our goals for Happiness, Learning and Safety.
8. DAILY REVIEWS - During Maths time we have begun to use our TV to help us solve different questions that review what we know in Maths. We use our whiteboards to park it, solve it, chin it and wipe it.
9. BUDDIES - We continue to enjoy the friendship of our buddies. They help us in the yard, they say hello whenever they see us, they sometimes include us in their games, some of them have helped us during wet weather inside play and we look forward to them taking us to assembly.
10. PLAYGROUND - Without our monkey bars, we have loved exploring the playground and oval in many different ways. The quiet garden and the wooden playhouse has been home to many interesting games - hairdressers, shops, barbies and more. The oval is the best place to kick the footy or the soccer ball. The shed and all it’s wooden toys is also so much fun. The sand tyres in the quiet garden is also another new place to dig and bury and build. But some days we don’t need any special equipment, we just love to get together with our friends and run around and create new fun in lots of ways.

Ms Lane, Mrs Walsh and Ms Osborne would love to congratulate you on all the achievements from Term 3. You continue to bring us joy. We cannot believe how hard you work everyday and how the simple things are what you enjoy the most. Let’s bring on Term 4!!! Enjoy the holidays with all your loved ones and get plenty of rest!

New Uniform Options!

St Pius X now has new options for uniform! "Yoga" pants with a zip pocket as modelled by Chloe and
bucket hats that turn inside out as modelled by both Chloe and Alfie.

One side of the hat is the school colour and logo and on the inside is the child’s sports colour!  This will make
Sports Day very colourful and bright.  These hats can be tightened with a toggle and are comfortable
for all head sizes.  The hat sizes range from small, medium, large and up to extra large.

The pants are made from Viscose, Nylon and Elastane and are stretchy and comfortable. They have elasticised waists and they range in size from a size 6 up to a women's small (larger sizes can be ordered if needed.)

Both the hats and pants are now available for purchase online (via Flexischools App) and if you need to check sizing please see Bec and Karen in the office.

The hats will be $15.00 and the new pants will be $30.00.

Flexischools App - Update

Thank you to those families who have downloaded and are now using the new Flexischools App.   If you have not yet set up your account with Flexischools, we strongly encourage you to do so as soon as possible.  Moving forward, it is proposed that all ordering and payments for canteen lunch orders, special events etc will be handled through Flexischools.

Canteen Ordering:

Overdue Library Books

Dear Parents and Carers,                                                                                                                

Over the past few years, St Pius X students have borrowed books to enjoy at home. The idea of borrowing books from the school library means they can be read at home and then  returned for others to enjoy. 

At the end of this year, we will be conducting a stocktake of all the books within the St Pius X library. This week, your child may or may not have received an 'Overdue Library book' notice. We are hoping that you may be able to find one or all of these books in your own home and have them returned to school. 

We greatly appreciate your support.

Alanna & Isla

St Pius X School Library

Food bank support - Thank You!

We have had a great response to the launch of our weekly community food bank to support families within our school. Thank you to everyone who has volunteered  to help with this great initiative. 

Please text Lara on 0423 453 334 if you wish to participate or need more information. Thank you for your continued support and generosity.

Text Lara on 0423 453 334

Breakfast Club

A friendly reminder that Breakfast Club is running on Wednesday mornings from 8:20am. It is open to ALL students before school to enjoy some yummy toast, yogurt, cereal or a piece of fruit and take part in a morning conversation with others. We look forward to seeing everybody there!

Again, a big thankyou to Foodshare for providing us with breakfast items and Woolies Dennington for providing the fruit! Of course, this wouldn't take place without our amazing parent helpers, so a big thank you to Sarah & Virginia as well!

A special message just to say.............

The following students will be celebrating their birthday over the holiday break and into the first week of term 3:

Andy Nguyen, Tyler Hunt, Lacey O'Shannassy, Hailee Aban, Jimmy Van Rooy, Layla Goldsmith-Watson.

Davey Walker, Joseph McKenzie, Sofie Seuren, Emily Bertrand and Austin Francis.

Canteen Roster for next term.

Important Dates.

Friday, 20th Sept - Last Day of Term 2.30pm finish

                                         Ready, Set, School Program 9.30am to 10.30am

Monday, 7th October - Term 4 Commences

Remaining 2024 School Closure Day

Term 4

Note:  Change of Date

Monday, 11th November

Before & After School Care.

Parish Contact.

Sunday Mass 9.00am @ St Pius X Church. School families are always welcome.

The Parish office can be contacted on 5562 2231

Other information and contact details can be found on the Star of the Sea South West Coast website: https://www.ballarat.catholic.org.au/parish/southwestcoast/ 

FOSTER CARE WEEK:

MacKillop Family Services is calling on communities of the South-West to understand the need for local foster carers and highlighting the positive impact foster carers make to children’s lives.

8-14 September was Foster Care Week, when MacKillop celebrates the work foster carers do for children temporarily unable to live at home.

People like Rachael and Matthew Buck, who have provided respite and emergency care to over 100 children and young people.

See their story here: www.mackillop.org.au/theirstory and visit www.mackillop.org.au/fostercare for more information.