August 4th, 2022

Acknowledgement of Country

Prayer

A Note from our Principal

Ngata Families & Friends,

As we approach the forecast peak of the current COVID surge, we thank all families who have been affected for their communication with the school and the continued observance of rules required for confirmed cases and close contacts. While we are extremely fortunate that our staffing gaps have been manageable, we do note large numbers of  absences in class groups in the past week and hope the upcoming circuit-breaker long weekend can bring some relief to illness. The lastest regulations as they apply to schools are always published on our newsletter.

We thank all families who have supported recent fundraising efforts including the Chitticks pie drive and the Vision Portraits opportunity this Saturday. As mentioned later in the newsletter around 4 time slots are left!

Joe Ewing

Principal

Sympathies

We extend our deepest sympathies to the Jenkins Smith family on the passing of Demmi’s grandmother Maureen Jenkins, great grandmother to Blake and Leo. Maureen had been residing at Lyndoch.  We extend our best wishes to the wider family, especially Demmi’s parents Mark and Sandra.

Circuit Breaker Long Weekend & Pupil Free Day

We offer further reminder of our circuit breaker long weekend which will be held over the period of August 12-15, meaning no classes will be held on the Friday or Monday of this period.

Our 3rd staff professional learning day remains scheduled for September 8.

TheirCare will be providing onsite care on these days. Bookings can be made at https://theircare.com.au/

Chitticks Pie Drive

Orders have now closed, but it would be appreciated if any outstanding monies could be paid to the office as soon as possible.  Thank You.

Vision Family Portraits Fundraiser

Our Vision Portraits fundraiser will be held at school on Saturday. Families attending should report to the admin office area and Vision staff or signs will direct you. The photos are likely to be taken in the library area, but this will be based on the judgements of the photographer.

BOOKINGS NOW OPEN - Still 4 time slots available!

To book simply go to:

https://stpiusxwarrnambool.eventbrite.com.au

and secure your booking time!

For further information, call 03 8689 0033

Gateway Plaza Promotion

Gateway Plaza is planning a promotion to coincide with the 2022 Commonwealth Games, giving shoppers the chance to win sporting equipment for their local primary school.

For the duration of the Games, shoppers will be asked to drop their Gateway Plaza receipts into their school's entry box at the plaza. These boxes are located between Coles and Lowes.

Each dollar spent earns a point for our school. The total points are calculated based on the number of students in each school.

1st Prize: $1500 worth of sporting equipment

2nd Prize: $1000 worth of sporting equipment

3rd Prize $500 worth of sporting equipment

Please consider supporting the school when shopping at Gateway Plaza!

Sports Night With Our Dads

On September 2nd, we would like to invite all dads, grandfathers and special men to school for a special sports afternoon between 4.00pm and 6.00. There will be a number of organised sporting clashes on this afternoon, but there will also be some sporting equipment left out for use by everyone at their leisure.

A sausage sizzle will be cooked during the afternoon. Attendees will have the opportunity of ordering  sausages in the coming weeks.

Hot off the Prep Press!

Wonders of Warrnambool

On Friday we took off on a bus to see some Wonders of Warrnambool. First stop was Logan’s Beach to try and see a whale or two. We were in luck - we saw a mother and her calf. It was the perfect weather for whale watching - blue skies, flat seas and even a little bit of sunshine. Next we went to Hopkin’s Falls to see the gushing falls crashing below into the stream. After that we stopped at the Botanical Gardens for first lunch and took a walk to look at all the living things - trees, plants, sleeping bats, ducks and finish. We loved climbing on the big old trees. Finally we took a little drive to the Albert Park Playground to burn some energy and have fun together. We had the best day!

Lights! Camera! Action!

Yesterday we were out and about again! We got on the bus and headed to the Lighthouse Theatre to look at what happens behind the scenes. We got taken on a tour by Rob (Sound Technician) and we saw the orchestra pit, backstage, the auditorium and the green room. We even got to go up on the stage and practise our Jungle Book song. We were stars!! After that we went to the Library and enjoyed some storytime. Some people even became members and got their own cards and borrowed some great books. Another great opportunity for us to be learning outside the classroom.

Counting in different ways

Over the past few weeks we have been counting using different patterns and resources. This week we have enjoyed counting with a calculator. We have been learning how to count forwards and backwards to 100, sometimes even further and also skip counting by 2’s, 5’s and 10’s. Check out some of the boys loving their calculator counting!

Pillowcase Project

By Vonal Wijekoon

The Pillowcase Project was at Beamish Street Kinder on Tuesday afternoon.  Jill and Rosalie were there to teach us what the Pillowcase Project was about.  They taught us how to prepare to leave quickly if there was an emergency.  In small groups, we decided which items we should take if we needed to leave.  We decorated a pillowcase using fabric markers and we each got a booklet that had some fun activities to do at home.  I enjoyed it and so did MP4.

The Great St Pius X Tournament of Books!

In preparation for Book Week, we are holding a tournament of books. Classes read two CBCA Book Week shortlisted books and vote on which one they like the best. The most liked book moves forward to the next level. In the week before Book Week, we will have the Grand Final where the whole school will be invited to read the last two books and have their say.

This weeks winners were When the Waterhole dries up by Kaye Baillie, Jetty Jumping by Andrea Rowe, The First Scientists: Deadly Inventions and Innovations from Australia's First Peoples by Corey Tutt, Stellarphant by James Foley, Winston and the Indoor Cat by Leila Rudge, Amira's Suitcase by Vicki Conley, The Inheritance by Armin Greder and Great White Shark by Claire Saxby.

ReLATE Student Survey: Please Help!

We reported that last week would be the last week for the ReLATE survey, but the researchers at Monash University would like a larger sample than they have currently received (12).

We would really love families with children in the Yrs 4-6 bracket to take a few moments to complete this survey which wil support the school’s work in implementing the ReFraming Learning and Teaching Environments model. The survey is designed to be completed by parent(s) and their child.

There are 21 questions about safety, school environment and the teaching relationships that your child(ren) experiences. Our school will receive a report based on the findings that will be distributed.

Please use the link below with your child if they fall into the Yr 4-6 age range.

A Hot Lap With Angus

Angus McKenna (SP4) was treated to a ‘hot lap’ or two at Sandown Raceway last weekend with a professional race driver in a touring car. Angus has shared his experience below as well as a video . See if you think he looks calm at top speed!

On Sunday July 31st, I got to go to the Sandown race track to go in a Holden V8 race car. We arrived at the track at 9.15am and I had to get into a special race suit. Then we went and had a photo taken in a race car, which was framed for me. After a while we walked down to the race track where the cars were . When it was my turn to go in the car, I put a balaclava on and a helmet.

Then the man strapped me in and said, “Remember to smile and have fun, because you’re going to remember this for the rest of your life.”

The driver’s name was Hamish Ribartis. He was a great driver. We did two laps of the Sandown track. On the straights  we reached over 211kms per hour.

It was so much fun and I haven’t stopped smiling!

First Eucharist

The photos of our Eucharist children will be displayed this weekend in our church. During the last week our families have been looking at the second section of learning activities entitled Remembering Jesus.

Eucharist Dates

August 7th Children’s pictures displayed in the Church

August 8th Family Group 3

August 14th Prayer scrolls distributed at Mass

August 15th Family Group 4

August 21st Sacrament of Eucharist 10.00am

Book Fair - Save the Date!

The annual school book fair will run from

Monday 5th September until Wednesday 7th September. 

Each learning area will have a buying day:

Monday - Juniors

Tuesday- Middles

Wednesday- Seniors

The theme this year is Paws for Books! 

The Jungle Book Kids

Costumes

All leading cast members will have costume items provided to them. The remainder of our classroom cast members will need only simple items as listed below:

Prep: Monkeys

Black tee shirt (can be long or short), 

Black pants, leggings or shorts.

Yr 1 - 6: The Jungle

Black, brown or dark pants / shorts 

Black , brown or dark top (long or short)

Choir

Black, brown or dark pants / shorts

Black, brown or dark top (long or short)

Sets and backdrops

Our production crew is beginning to make props for the stage for our play and is looking for some cardboard boxes to make a wall. We have started using Hello Fresh boxes and we need more of these.  If you get Hello Fresh meal boxes delivered, or know someone who does, could you phone the school office if you are able to save them for us. We will collect them from your residence.  

Rehearsal

See the links below to the music and lyrics to the Jungle Book Kids. Students are welcome to practise at home as well!

Before and After School Care

We remind everyone about TheirCare, our outside school hours care provider. Bookings can be made at https://theircare.com.au/

Please select St Pius X Warrnambool as the booking location.

Crisis Meals

Each week a volunteer has been rostered to provide a freezable meal to our school to be distributed to a family experiencing hardship, grief or unforeseen circumstances. These meals have been regularly distributed and the families receiving them have been most grateful.

The volunteer for this week is Bec Mills

The upcoming roster is below. More volunteers are always welcome!

Ideally meals should be easy to freeze & serve, and should be labelled so that the type meal can be easily identified. Any other families wishing to volunteer can now do so by calling the office directly. Meals can be dropped to the office.

Second Hand Uniforms

Families seeking low cost uniform items are welcome to contact Angela Verspay (mum to Dylan and Finn) who has stock of many donated uniform items. Ph: 0477660119.

Recently we have had a call on  second hand uniforms.  We are desperately in need of larger sizes to replenish our stock.  If you have any school uniform clothing in reasonable condition we would very much appreciate your support.  Please contact Angela if you are in a position to assist.

Breakfast Club

Every Wednesday from 8:15 breakfast will be available in the function room for any students that would like to have some breakfast before the school day starts! Everyone is more than welcome to come along, even if they have already had breakfast at home. It is a great initiative supported by FoodShare who provide fruit, yoghurt, cereal and yummy toast. 

Thanks  to our parent volunteers Maddy and Tracey.

Footy Tipping

I was looking closely at the World Class Woodwards moving towards the top, but the Dandelyons have taken us all by surprise to move into top spot on the tipping ladder. From here on in I will be trying not to give away any tipping intel to Anna Lyons in the car park on Friday mornings. MoverDemons is also running red hot in second place, displacing Bluesfan17 from the top of the table - we hope they are still speaking to each other.

Congratulations to our top tippers jamiew3 and Scott48337 who were running hot with 9 winners each with jokers attached!.

Three home and away rounds to go and our competition is very much alive! Happy tipping!

Thanks to our generous sponsor:

Bojangles Pizzeria Restaurant

61 Liebig St

Warrnambool

5562 0666

Parish Contact

Sunday Mass 10.30 @ 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/ 

Upcoming Dates

Aug 5 School Assembly  3.00pm

Aug 6 Vision Portraits Fundraiser

Aug 8 Feast of St Mary MacKillop

Aug 10 Parliament of Victoria Excursion (Yr5/6)

Aug 10 Brauer Lion King Performance (Prep & Yr 5/6)

Aug 11 Yr 3/4 Hooptime

Aug 12 Circuit Breaker Long Weekend

Aug 15 Circuit Breaker Long Weekend

Aug 16 Volleyball Yr 3-6

Aug 19 St Pius X feast celebration

Aug 21 Sacrament of First Eucharist

Aug 21  St Pius X feast day

Aug 22-26  Book Week

 Aug 25 Rock-It Performance

 Aug 25 School Advisory Council meeting 7.30pm

Aug 26 Yr 5/6 Hooptime

Aug 29 Parents & Friends meeting 7.30pm

Aug 31 2023 Prep Interviews

Sep 1 2023 Prep Interviews

Sep 8 Pupil Free Day: Staff Professional Learning

Sep 14 School Production: The Jungle Book Kids

School Canteen Roster

Sharing Tea From the Pot

This week saw the passing of Archie Roach. Over the past 30 years he became a national icon, an artist who spoke to (and will continue to speak to) the heart and soul of Australia. Readers of his memoir ‘Tell Me Why’ will also be aware that he knew what it is to be broken and hurt. A member of the Stolen Generation, he grew up unclear about who he was or where he belonged. Through a lifetime of self discovery he came to understand his own story. Now, his music and wisdom nourishes all Australians interested in acknowledging the central place of our First Peoples and a unified future.

When a great musician dies, their music is often played in memoriam at our house. As Archie’s final album filled our Monday evening, I was again taken by the song One for Each Person and One for the Pot.

The song words are more than a process for serving tea, they are also a reminder of what it means to show hospitality and gratitude - this is essentially what we do every time we acknowledge Country in our newsletters, meetings, assemblies and classrooms.

St Augustine taught that our human perspective prevents us from fully understanding God. Instead we are left with what he termed ‘traces of God’ - sacred experiences and moments.

I think that the words of One For Each Person and One For The Pot, take us into one such sacred moment - two people sharing tea. As listeners, we too are invited into the sharing of tea, sandwiches and cake.

The sharing of tea is an opportunity for nourishment, wisdom and ritual. We’ve all sat with friends and family and shared tea or coffee, perhaps you’ve also sat with a steaming tea pot in the middle of your table.

The preparation and sharing of the tea reminds me of our Catholic Social Teachings which, inspired by Jesus, propose dignity for all, solidarity, preference for the poor, subsidiarity and participation and consideration of the common good. I am also prompted to consider the implications for the First Peoples of Australia and culturally diverse Australians- who have not always been invited to the table, nor been included with a spoonful of tea.

We are forever grateful to Archie Roach for sharing the tea with us.

Our Diocesan Community

The link below opens the quarterly diocesan magazine that features news from across the Ballarat Diocese.

COVID 19 Arrangements

Masks

All education sectors in Victoria are strongly promoting the wearing of masks for anyone in an indoor school setting, aged 8 years and above. The wearing of masks has been a recommended practice for some time (the letter from education sector heads is included below).

Students will be required to wear masks in certain circumstances including bus travel or a period of high levels of prolonged transmission in the school or in a specific area of the school.

Any staff of students who are identified as close contacts must wear a mask indoors.

RAT Kits

Staff and students should only be tested with a RAT kit when symptomatic or when testing daily as a close contact over the 7 day quarantine period.

Another supply of RAT kits was sent home this week. Families who require extra kits should make contact with the administration office.

Vaccination 

St Pius X strongly supports vaccination for all in our community who are eligible. However, the new COVID regulations have lifted the mandate for all employees and volunteers to be vaccinated. This means there will be no requirement for adults entering the school to declare their vaccination status.

All community adults are reminded of the child safety requirement to sign in when attending the school between 9.00am and 3.00pm

Transport 

Parents who have tested positive to COVID 19 are permitted to drive children to and from school during their 7 day isolation period. They are required to return home immediately afterwards and not attend other locations.

Managing a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19 

As soon as a staff member or student becomes aware of being a suspected case - that is symptomatic (fever, cough, shortness of breath, sore throat, loss of smell or taste:

1. The suspected case is required to leave the school site, or be isolated on-site until they are able to leave.
2. The suspected case is required to be tested with a rapid antigen test. A positive test result must be reported to the Department of Health
3. Positive cases must be isolated for 7 days, testing again on day 6.

In the event that school receives notification that a staff member or student was infectious while onsite:

1. All staff must use a rapid antigen test if they have symptoms.
2. All students must use a rapid antigen test if they have symptoms.
3. Staff and students will be strongly encouraged to use rapid antigen tests for the following 5 days if they don’t have symptoms.

Where a positive case is recorded from a staff member or student who has been on site, the school community will be notified. Personal information will not be released in this communication.

If a staff member or student tests positive with a rapid antigen test but does not have symptoms or has not been in contact with a positive case, a PCR test is recommended. If a subsequent PCR shows a negative result the staff member or student can return to school.

Close Contacts

A close contact (a person who has spent more than four hours with someone who has COVID 19 inside a house, accommodation or care facility) is no longer required to quarantine, as long as they follow the additional safety measures:

• Notify the school if returning within the 7 day period.
• Undertake RAT testing on school days within the 7 day period (unless the 4 week exemption applies)
• Wear a mask indoors if an adult or a student (aged 8 years or above).
• Not visit hospitals or care facilities.
• Avoid contact with people at higher risk of infection.
• If symptomatic take a RAT or PCR test.