October 13th, 2022

Acknowledgement of Country

Prayer

God of Justice,

Help us to see past the differences we encounter and to find unity with others in our community.

Amen

A Note from our Principal

Ngata Families & Friends,

A note this week from my sick bed, as I’ve been struck down with a nasty case of the flu, and have been confined to the house with a litany of symptoms including sore throat, high temperatures, coughing  and sneezing. I apologise to families if I have missed appointments, but thank Mrs Clare Green for her work and organisation in my absence. As mentioned last week pandemic orders have now changed from 12.00am this morning meaning that isolation rules have been modified. I ask all families to check the regular COVID section on the newsletter to ensure that you understand these changes. This information was also shared via Schoolzine yesterday.

Joe Ewing

Principal

Assembly

Our first assembly for the term will be held tomorrow afternoon at 3pm in the St Pius X Church.

All families are welcome to attend.

Home Social Media Use

I again ask for close parental supervision of social media in homes. All social media providers have age limits that technically exclude primary aged children, and this week demonstrates that children require guidance and support to navigate this digital space safely and respectfully.

I also encourage families to report accounts that carry our broadcast offensive material. All providers are required to have avenues for users to make complaints, or to report anti-social behaviour.

School Uniform

Thanks to families for ensuring students are back in school hats. Term 4 is also the time where our children begin to grow out of (and wear out) uniform items - specifically school shoes. If there is a reason why students are out of uniform, we ask parents to make contact with class teachers so that they are aware.

Pupil Free Day: Reconciliation Action Plan

Families are reminded that our final pupil free day for 2022 will be held on on Friday November 18th. This day will enable our staff to engage in learning and planning for our Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). A RAP is a formal commitment and plan for recognition and acknowledgment of First Nations people, for us, in particular the Gunditjmara Maar Nation.

In the lead up to this day, we are required to complete a school survey on cultural awareness and recognition practices in our school. Families are welcome to contribute to this survey:

Yr 6 Graduation

Our Yr 6s will be graduating on the evening of of December 9th. Families will be sent a formal invitation to this event in due course.

Our P&F are seeking a Yr 6 parent to coordinate the organisation for a post graduation function.

The structure for this is already well planned from previous years and Madeleine Woodward has all of the notes and details from our 2021 celebration to hand over to a volunteer for 2022.

Please contact the office if you would be happy to take this role on.

After School Reading Program

Each term, St Vincent de Paul run an after-school reading program on a Wednesday (3:30pm – 4:45pm), which is free-of-charge.

The program is open to all students, prep to Year 6. Students may come to us if they lack confidence in their reading or because they enjoy reading and being involved in co-curricular activities. Students work one-on-one or in small groups and read to or with a volunteer. We have a wonderful bank of volunteers (many of whom have decades’ worth of teaching experience). We would be delighted to welcome more students into our program.

If this program is of interest to you, please contact Suzi Maxwell-Wright (Education Program Coordinator at St Vincent de Paul Society) on 0447 156 690 or collect an enrolment form at reception.

Class Groupings 2023

In the coming weeks our staff will be drafting class lists for the 2023 school year. If parents have information that relates to their child’s learning needs and will assist in the placement of their child, they are encouraged to forward this information as soon as possible.

All submissions must be in writing.

Either email:

principal@spwarrnambool.catholic.edu.au

or address a letter marked confidential to ‘The Principal’.

Parents are asked to submit this information before October 21. 

Athletics News

Last Friday two of our students travelled to Ballarat to compete in their chosen sporting fields at the Victorian Regional Sporting Championships.

Isaiah Dawson competed in the 12/13 years Shot Put event, while Luke Harrison competed in the 100m sprint race for 11 year olds.  Both boys performed admirably in wet conditions and we congratulate them on their efforts.  Well Done!

Cricket Results

Yesterday a group of our Grade 5/6 students took part in the Cricket Blast School Cup which was held at the Brierly Recereational Reserve.   Both our girls and boys teams tried hard against stiff competition and whilst they not did not progress through to the finals, everyone had fun and represented St. Pius in good spirits.  Well Done!

3/4 Bike Ed

This week the middle school has been participating in Bike Ed and have been learning about road safety and developing their bike skills. The children should be congratulated on their perseverance and attitude towards the Bike Ed program.

Due to the weather forecasted for tomorrow, we have rescheduled our off-site bike ride to Monday (as per permission slip). We will assess the Russell's Creek Track for flooding on Sunday to ensure that it is safe. If it isn't safe, the ride will be cancelled. Bikes can stay at school over the weekend to help make this change easier for families.

Regards, Sara, Jake, Kate & Jane.

Hot off the Prep Press!

Pet Parade

Last Friday we were all so excited to be able to bring our pets to school for our Pet Parade. We had fish, guinea pigs, a rabbit, cats and dogs in our parade. We even had people bring in some photos of their pets if they were unable to bring them to school. There were some very cute, smart, loud, quiet and naughty pets. A big thank you to all the families for supporting this event and allowing the children to share some of their most special possessions with their friends. Check out our award winners in the pictures below. 

Reminders!! 

Over the next couple of weeks we will be heading out on a couple of excursions to support our Science unit - Staying Alive. Our first excursion is on Monday 17th October to the Vet and Pet Shop to learn how we can care for our domestic pets. Then on Wednesday 19th October we are heading to Warrnambool Wildlife Encounters to observe a range of different animals in their habitat. We are excited to be heading out and about again. Please make sure you log into PAM and give permission for your child. 

Twilight Fair

Thanks to those families who have volunteerred to coordinate stalls and events at the Twilight Fair. Other families are still able to support us by donating goods (see below) or being prepared to help on one of the stalls on the afternoon of the fair. We will be seeking volunteers to assist from next week. We are looking forward to the support of as many families as possible!

Below are the confirmed events and the coordinators. We will be asking for volunteers to help run these stall also. Details will be provided to coordinators tomorrow in regards to ordering protocols.

Second Hand Books, CDs & DVDs

Many homes would have used the holiday period for a spring clean and would now have books, DVDs and CDs that are no longer wanted. If so,  our Twilight Fair second hand stall would love these as a donation. Simply drop off to the school office over the coming weeks and they will find a new home!

Twilight Fair Raffles - Yes Two!!

ART NEWS - Twilight Fair Fun!

On the night, don't forget to come along to The Pumpkin Patch (aka the Junior Pod), to see some wonderful Halloweeny art created by our very own talented artists here at St. Pius X School. 

This years exhibition has been inspired by the incredible artwork of Japanese Artist Yayoi Kusama.

Here’s a sneak peak!! 

Book Club

Book club magazines have been sent home this week. They can also be accessed here. It's a huge magazine this term with a range of books starting from just $3.00! You can order books online or using the LOOP app or bring the forms and money to the office. Thank-you! 

School Fees and Levies

With only 9 weeks of the 2022 school year remaining it would be greatly appreciated if school fees and levies could be finalised as soon as possible. For families who have committed to regular instalments, please continue with your payment plan as per your arrangements.

Ringing families as a reminder to pay fees is not only embarrassing and uncomfortable to you but also to the admin staff. Please contact the school office to organise a payment plan should you wish to set up a payment plan.  Thank you.

Breakfast Club - Can You Help?

Breakfast Club runs each Wednesday morning thanks to our fantastic parent and student volunteers and Foodshare. As most in our community will be aware Tracey Williams (mum to Ruby) and Maddy McCosker(mum to Indy O’Shanassy) have been coordinating the program this year. As of this term, Maddy will need to step away from this role due to work commitments. We thank her sincerely for all her efforts this year, which have made a difference for a significant number of our students every week.

We are seeking other parents who might be able to assist with the Breakfast Club, either on a weekly basis or for a period of time (ie a fortnight or a month) between now and the end of year. A Working With Children Card is compulsory for any volunteer and names need to be registered with the office as a child safety measure.

Please call if you might be able to help. Any assistance is valuable.

Car Seat Checks

West Warrnambool Neighbourhood House are sponsoring a free check of child seats and car restraints on Friday October 14 in the St Pius X carpark. Bookings are essential. Please see the information included later in the newsletter.

Crisis Meals

We have reached the bottom of the freezer! Anyone able to donate a meal over the final weeks for the school year is encouraged to add your name to the document linked below.

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.

We have come to the end of our rostered families. Anyone interested in joining the roster over last term is invited to add their name to the document linked below:

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 volunteer Tracey.

Before & After School Care

Don't Overlook Justice and Love

This week I watched the film ‘Belfast’ which was written and directed by Sir Kenneth Branagh and is a semi biographical story that links to his formative years growing up in the back streets of Belfast during the late 1960s. The film is set during the ‘troubles’ in Northern Ireland when there was awful violence perpetrated along religious and political lines.

The story focuses on the character Buddy, a 9 year old boy of a Protestant family who live in a Catholic street. Buddy tries to come to terms with how he and is neighbours can be said to be at odds, when their similarities so outweigh their differences.

At one poignant part of the story Buddy asks his father whether he and his Catholic friend have a future together. His wise father answers, ‘That wee girl can be a practising Hindu or a Southern Baptist, or a vegetarian antichrist, but it she’s kind and if she’s fair and you two respect one another, she and her people are welcome in our house any day of the week.” 

In one of the Gospels from this week Jesus is critical of the Pharisees for being blind to humanity while enforcing laws and cultural  norms. Pharisees were essentially legal experts so their mindset was perhaps understandable, but Jesus is critical that the Pharisses speak words of justice, but do not live justice with their actions.

The people of Belfast for a long time believed that their differences were the most important thing, but Buddy’s father’s monologue reminds us that we need to look beyond generalisations, beyond differences and beyond our prejudices. While Australians are rarely separated by religion anymore, we can sometimes still judge people by how different they are to us. Perhaps we should be mindful of Jesus and Buddy’s lesson.

Parish Contact

Sunday Mass 10.00 @ 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/ 

School Canteen Roster

Our Diocesan Community

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

Upcoming Dates

Tomorrow - School Assembly in the church at 3pm

Oct 17 School Nurse

Oct 20 SAC Meeting

Oct 21 Final day for class grouping input.

Oct 28 Yr 5/6 Warrnambool Show Excursion

Oct 28 Twilight Fair

Nov 1 Yr 1/2 swimming commences

Nov 3 Yr 5 Emmanuel College visit

Nov 11 Remembrance Day & Social Justice Day

Nov 18 Pupil Free Day - Reconciliation Action Plan

Nov 21 - 29 PSG Meetings

Nov 28 Yr 5/6 beach safety commences

Nov 30 SAC & P&F social evening

Dec 6 Transition experience 1

Dec 7 Learning Conversations 1

Dec 8 Transition experience 2

Dec 9 End of Year Mass (daytime)

Dec 9 Yr 6 Graduation (early evening)

Dec 12 Learning Conversations 2

Dec 13 Transition experience 3

Dec 14 Learning Conversations 3

Dec 15 Carols and Presentation Evening

Dec 16 Final day of school classes for 2022. (Final bell at 3.30pm)

COVID 19 Arrangements

All famililes are asked to familiearise thesmselves with the updated COVID 19 regulations. Rules around isolation were changed from 11.59pm last night.