March 10th 2022

Acknowledgement of Country

The St Pius X Parish School Community acknowledges the Gunditjmara / Marr Nation people who have educated children on these lands for thousands of years.

Prayer

A Note from our Principal

Ngata Families & Friends,

I’m sure everyone would have been a little tired returning to school on Tuesday after a great day at the school athletics on Monday. We were so lucky with the weather. The overcast conditions kept the temperature in check and the rain held off until the evening. Thanks to Matt Alexander for his organisation of the event itself and Kimberley Lack and the team of parent volunteers who kept the canteen and BBQ ticking along.

Our prayer above comes from Caritas. Caritas are the official aid agency of the Catholic Church and each year run a national appeal during Lent called Project Compassion. Our students will be engaging with Project Compassion over the remainder of Lent and classes will have the opportunity to donate money also. This is a great way to support others in need during Lent. If your family is interested in making a donation for Lent this can be done online at www.caritas.org.au . 

Over the coming weeks our Yr 5/6 students will begin their swimming program. The consent for this can be found on the parent access module (PAM). We ask all families of senior students to check PAM in the coming days as they receive their notification.

We remind all families about the shortened week coming up and ask you to read the relevant information in today's edition of the newsletter.

Joe Ewing

Principal

School Athletics

Thanks to everyone in our school community for a fantastic day on Monday with our school athletics at Brauerander. After two years of cancellations and compromise to this event it was fantastic for this to be open to everyone in our community. Congratulations to all of our students who participated in the day. At the beginning of events, Mr Alexander emphasised that we wanted everyone to have fun, and that is what I saw as students moved through their rotations. A special congratulations to all of our age group champions and placegetters (listed below). Well done to the Green team who broke a long drought to reclaim the title of winning team. Photos of the day are shared below in the gallery.

School Athletics Gallery

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Labour Day & Pupil Free Day

Most families will be across the Labour Day holiday on Monday, but a reminder that our second pupil free day will be held on Friday. This day will be used to extend staff training in ReLATE philosophies. TheirCare will offer onsite care on this day for students who require it. Thanks to all families for the extra organisation these pupil free days require.

Staff Leave

Mrs Adele Webster has been on family leave for what has turned into a number of weeks. This unforeseen situation has created a domino effect of other staff taking on her responsibilities for periods of time. We are grateful to Mr Blythe’s and Ms O’Keefe’s classes, as both these teachers have done a great job of keeping Adele’s intervention programs going. We look forward to welcoming Adele back to school next week.

From March 21st, Mr Ewing will take a short amount of leave until the end of term, including a principal’s conference. During this time Mrs Clare Green will act as school principal.

Online Safety & Behaviour

We remind all families to be vigilant with family use of social media. Responsible use equals parental  permission and ongoing  supervision. Whilst our children need to be wary of encountering strangers online, they also need assistance in moderating their own language and behaviour.

Carpark Safety: SAC Concern

We again ask for continued attention to safet driving in our car park.

Currently two important issues are traffic flow and speed. On a daily basis we have cars moving against the arrows and moving too quickly. The SAC is concerned collectively that an accident is iminent unless there is a change in driver behaviour.

We ask all drivers to stay under 10km per hour and to follow the direction of the arrows to ensure all students are safe in the carpark . This should be the case at all times in the carpark - not just when there are crowds at 3.30pm

We thank all families who pay close attention to speed and traffic flow, and especially to those who make a point of walking their children across the carpark safely.

Easter Raffle

Our Parents and Friends will again run the annual Easter Raffle. Families are asked to assist this raffle in two ways:

1. We are asking for you to donate Easters treats (chocolate eggs, chocolate bunnies, lollies etc) so that these can be placed into Easter hampers and baskets. These can be dropped at the school administration office.
2. Families will receive raffle tickets (sent home today) that can be bought or sold to friends and family.

This annual event is a great fundraiser for our P&F and we ask all families to get behind their efforts.

Hot Off the Prep Press!

SNIP! SNIP! - Every week we have been creating something special to match the new letters and sounds we are learning. Cutting and pasting can be a little bit tricky for some of us but each time we practise we can see how our skills are improving. Cutting pictures out of a newspaper or a magazine is something that the Prep’s could do at home, too. Check out the concentration on Brooklyn McCarthur, Evelyn Thompson,  Leo Johnson and Alfie Couch as they work on cutting out the letter ‘A’ - for apple and alligator.

WORD WIZARDS - Well done to Aubri Anderton, Minty Dare, Addison Dowling, Olivia Dwyer, Lachlan Foreman, Codan Emeny, Messi Le, Arlo Le Cerf and Harry McDuff for moving onto their next list of words - Blue or Red. We will be checking more children over the next week so please remember to be practising their words (in the back of the green book in their reader bag) each night. Challenge them by mixing them up and not having them in order! 

School Sports Day - Prep Style!

READY! SET! GO! - What a great day we had at the School Sports on Monday. We ran, jumped, threw, kicked, cheered and rested until our little hearts were content and weren’t we AWESOME! We tried our best, had fun with our friends and enjoyed seeing our families there too. It was a big day and we were a little puffed at the end but we all can’t wait until next year. 

'Positive Start in 2022' Government Intitiative

The Victorian Government has provided information on the Positive Start in 2022 initiative, which offers students in all low-fee Catholic schools a chance to reconnect with peers and enjoy the kinds of activities that many missed out on over the past two years.

Under this initiative, eligible families have the opportunity to book holiday camps for children free of charge.

To be eligible for free holiday camps, students must meet one or more of the following criteria:

• attend a school that experienced closures of five days or more due to COVID-19 in 2021
• have an approved Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF) application for 2022
• have a parent who holds a valid means-tested concession card
• are Indigenous students
• reside in out-of-home care (temporary or permanent)
• are from a refugee background
• are students with a disability.

The letter linked below gives more detailed information regarding this initiative. Families must register their interest by Friday 25 March 2022 to be considered.

CASEA program (CAMHS and Schools Early Action)

The CASEA program has been designed to assist schools and families to support children with their social, emotional and behavioural development. It has been developed to help children in Foundation to grade 3 to understand and express emotions more effectively and to enhance problem solving and relationship skills.   CASEA is a free program and is not compulsory.  

The CASEA program will be offered at St Pius X Primary School during Term 2, 2022. The program runs over an 8 week period and consists of a weekly children’s group (1.5 hours), a parent/guardian group (1.5 hours) and teacher consultation.    

If you have any questions or would like further information regarding the program please contact: Elli Smith, CASEA Clinician, South West Healthcare CAMHS.  Telephone 5561 9100. 

If you would like your child to be considered for this program, please complete a consent form, available through the school.  Forms will need to be returned by Wednesday 16th March 2022.

Hand, Foot & Mouth

We have had a case of Hand Foot & Mouth Disease in the Prep rooms. We ask families to be watchful for symptoms:

People usually develop symptoms between 3 to 7 days after being infected.

The most common symptoms include:

• fever
• sore throat
• small, blister-like lesions that may occur on the inside of the mouth, sides of the tongue, palms of the hands, fingers, soles of the feet and ‘nappy’ area
• children are often irritable, tired, and may be off their food.

Car Seat Fittings & Checks

On Friday March 25th, the Warrnambool Neighbourhood House will be runinng a free car seat fitting and check service in the St Pius X carpark. We urge all families with children who require a car seat to take up this free offer.

Assembly: Parent Attendance

From next week, we will be inviting parents to rejoin us for our fortnightly assembly. This will be held in our parish church. All adult family members who attend must be double vaccinated. We are seeking the help of double vaccinated parents who might be able to act as marshals to check vaccination status at assemblies for the time being. Please contact the office if you would be able to help with this.

Pupil Free Day: March 18th

Families are reminded that our next pupil free day will be held on March 18th. This day will enable all staff to continue their training in trama-informed ReLATE teaching practices in partnership with MacKillop Education.

Their Care can be assessed on this day.  Families interested should book at https://theircare.com.au/ 

Farewell Bella!

Yesterday we bid farewell to Bella O'Connor who is moving back to New Zealand.  The senior school all signed this special bear for Bella and held a guard of honour to see her out too. 

Good Luck Bella, we'll miss you!

Anaphylaxis Awareness

Anaphylaxis is a generalised allergic reaction that is potentially life-threatening. It always involves the respiratory and/or cardiovascular systems. Sometimes, the skin and/or gut systems are also involved. The signs of anaphylaxis can be:

• Difficult or noisy breathing.
• Swelling of the tongue.
• Swelling or tightness in the throat.
• Difficulty talking and/or a hoarse voice.
• A wheeze or a persistent cough.
• Persistent dizziness or collapse.
• Young children may become pale and floppy.
• Abdominal pain and vomiting (if the reaction is to an insect sting or bite).

Anaphylaxis is the most severe and serious form of allergic reaction and is treated as a medical emergency. We currently have one student enrolled who has been diagnosed with allergies (some severe/anaphylaxis) to a number of foods including nuts, egg, milk, dairy, soy and shellfish. We ask that you please be mindful of what you pack in student lunchboxes, particularly for students in MP1.

Allergy and Anaphylaxis Australia provide a number of resources to help raise awareness within our school community and we will be using a short slideshow to help our students understand anaphylaxis at an assembly, when we’re able to gather together. 

Here at school, the children will be encouraged to think about ‘How to be a mate to keep schoolmates with anaphylaxis safe’. A poster outlining the four main steps of ensuring you are a mate are attached. 

Footy Tipping

Not long to go until the men's AFL season kicks off. Only 10 tippers are registered for our school competition!! We hope that our gun tipper Isaac Green didn't scare prospective tippers off!

The cost of entry is $10 for an individual entry or $20 for a family (multi entry with up to three individual family members). We ask adults to assist children in this process to ensure information shared is appropriate. Entry fees need to be paid at the administration office as soon as possible.

Last year we had 50 tippers - it would be great to get to 75 this year!

There will be a fantastic prize for first place thanks to Bojangles, and we would love to hear from any other potential sponsors too.

Vinnies Reading Club

There are still places to fill in the Vinnie's Reading Club which runs every Wednesday afternoon from 3.30pm to 4.45pm. Any student from Yr 1 - 6 is welcome to take part. An enrolment form is available at the link below.

Important: All students are to be picked up from the circular area outside reception at 4.45pm. I will be there with one of our volunteers to ensure students are going home with a parent or caregiver. If you need to collect your child ahead of this time, please come into the library to sign them out directly (rather than relying on a sibling etc to do so). Many thanks and apologises for not clarifying this previously. If your child is walking home, we will require them to sign themselves out. 

A Symbol that Inspires

It took some time to process the reality of Shane Warne’s death this week. We were all so familiar with him, his personality and his approach at the crease. It was also a shock to acknowledge that someone relatively young could succumb to a heart attack. I, like many men of this age bracket, paused to consider my own health. The gravity of the loss was brought home to me when tributes by his three children were published in the media. His children remembered the relationship they had to their dad. To the rest of us he was essentially a symbol. A symbol of sport, of cricket, of larrikinism, of Australia. 

There are many people in history who come to stand for something bigger than just themselves - they become a symbol. When we see a picture of Greta Thunberg we immediately think of the environment, and the hard truth this young woman has served to world leaders. An image of Nelson Mandela reminds us of racial injustice and the years of patience required to bring dignity to the black population of South Africa. Whilst you may not know the name X Gonzalez, when you see a picture of them, you will remember X’s impassioned pleas to the United States government to increase controls for guns in order to protect children in schools.

Sunday’s Gospel likens Jesus to a symbol of justice. When you consider it, Jesus is the ultimate symbol. You can visit towns and cities all over the world and the cross is present, on buildings, clothing, jewellery and even tattoos. It's also conceivable that the cross is a reminder of pain and suffering for people, especially those who have survived the horror of abuse while in the care of the church.

However, I am reminded of the mission of our school each day when I walk under the cross above our school doors. Just as the sight of Shane Warne bowling inspired a generation of kids to try leg spin, the sight of Jesus’ cross continues to inspire me to live out our school's mission statement, that we intend to be a learning community in the Catholic tradition, inspired by his love, justice and compassion.

COVID 19 Arrangements

A new recommendation has come through in the latest operating guidelines for students and staff who have tested positive with a rapid antigen test, but are not symtomatic and have not been in contact with a confirmed case. See red text

Managing Suspected or Confirmed Cases

As soon as a student (or staff member) 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 using the RA portal and the school (notification on the VicED COVID tool).
3. Positive cases must be isolated for 7 days before returning to school. Another RAT test is not required.

Student and staff who return a positive RAT but who are asymptomatic, and have not been in contact with a confirmed case are now recommended to get a PCR test. If this subsequent test is negative the student or staff member may return to school.

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. Close contact 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.

Adult Entry

Parents visiting the school as volunteers (eg. canteen, classroom helper, P&F)  must:

• Wear a mask
• Show vaccination status (triple vaccinated or exempt)
• Complete school sign in.
• Carry a visitor pass.

Parents visiting to attend an event must:

• Wear a mask if indoors
• Show vaccination status (double vaccinated or exempt)
• Complete school sign in.
• Carry a visitor pass where applicable.

Parents who need to briefly speak with teachers, or pick something up from a classroom before or after school,  can enter classrooms before 9.00am and after 3.30pm, but must:

• Wear a mask.
• Scan QR code at the building door.
• Keep visit brief (5 minutes)

The opportunity for family members to help with reading and other classroom based activities will begin soon, but the above criteria must be adhered to.

Close Contacts

A close contact is now defined as a person who has spent more than four hours with someone who has COVID 19 inside a house, accommodation or care facility. Students fitting within this definition must access a PCR or RAT test and follow quarantine protocols if the result proves to be positive.

Rapid Antigen Tests

We encourage families to conduct rapid tests on children on Monday and Wednesday mornings. Rapid test kits have been distributed to families. Please contact the office if your family has not received the latest round of kits.

Please note that students who have been confirmed cases should not complete a RAT for 30 days after a positive test as the result will not be accurate.

Face Masks

Face masks for P - 2 students remain optional but are encouraged.

Face masks for Yrs 3 - 6 are required while students are indoors. These masks must be supplied from home and need to be managed by the students themselves.

Students whose physical or mental health will be impacted by wearing a mask may be exempt from this regulation, but we ask parents to contact the school to confirm this. Medical certificates and letters from doctors are not required.

We have listed all students with asthma or known respiratory conditions as exempt. Adults are no longer required to wear masks outdoors.

Masks are required to be worn on buses to and from school also.

Student Illness and Symptoms

Students and staff who are unwell should not attend school.

Students displaying symptoms that are beyond what they normally experience with a known existing condition (ie hayfever) will be sent home.

Assemblies & Liturgies

Special whole school gatherings such as liturgies and assemblies can now be held, however we are still required to maintain separation of class levels. Parents attending must provide evidence of double vaccination.

Visiting Therapists and Allied Health 

Visiting therapists and allied health may continue to visit, but must be triple vaccinated. We have encountered a minority who believe this does not apply to them - they are incorrect.

Canteen

Our canteen is open Tuesday - Friday for lunch orders and also for small items at second recess.

Parent volunteers must be triple vaccinated and follow sign in procedures.

Hand Cleaning

Students will be prompted to sanitise or wash their hands at key times across the day.

We ask that children not use their own hand sanitiser, unless this has been discussed with the school.

Progressive Cleaning

The school will continue to be progressively cleaned throughout the day, with our teaching staff ensuring surfaces are wiped down during school hours, complementing the work of our cleaning contractors after hours.

Sharing Food

Food sharing will continue to be avoided unless individualised portions can be organised (ie. birthday celebrations).

Camps, Excursions, Interschool Sport

Most offsite activities can go ahead, with safety controls in place and some modification.

Before and after school care available at St Pius X

Book at: https://theircare.com.au/

Parish Mass

Sunday Mass at 10.30am at St. Pius X Church.  School families are always welcome.

Second Hand Uniforms

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

School Canteen Roster

Tuesday, 15th March - Tammy Karnajaya

Wednesday, 16th March - Maddy O'Shannassy

Thursday, 17th March - Paige Beck

Friday, 18th March - No Canteen - Pupil Free Day.

Term Dates