December 14th 2023
- Acknowledgement of Country
- Prayer
- A Note from our Principal
- Last day tomorrow
- Carols and Celebration Evening - TONIGHT!
- School Fun Run - Tomorrow!
- Graduation 2023
- Gr 6 Fun Day
- Beach Safety
- St Pius X Files
- Canteen Volunteers for 2024
- 2023 School Fees and Student Levies.
- School Laptops For Sale
- Gr. 6 Hoodies for 2024
- A special message........
- Important Dates.
- Uniform Price List
- Before & After School Care.
- Parish Contact.
- COVID 19 Arrangements
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
Third Sunday of Advent
Loving God,
Thank you for a wonderful year. For the chance to learn, for our friends and for our families.
May this Christmas time be filled with peace and joy.
Amen
A Note from our Principal
Ngata Families and Friends,
This is our final newsletter for 2023.
As we bid farewell to another remarkable year at St Pius X, I wish to express my gratitude to everyone of you.
Thank you to our families for your ongoing support. Thank you to our dedicated teachers and staff who have worked tirelessly to creae a nuturing and engaging learning environment.
Thanks also must go to the wonderful students of St Pius X who live out our vision as they are examples of the love, justice and compassion of Jesus.
As we begin a well-deserved break, may this festive season bring you moments of peace, love, and joy. May the New Year usher in new opportunities, growth, and continued success for our school community.
Best wishes for whatever 2024 may bring. It's been my privilege to be interim principal this year. I'm now heading off on 12 months leave where I hope to become reaquainted with my dusty passport and explore some other oportunities.
We're all looking forward to our carols celebration tonight and the colour run tomorrow.
Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Kind Regards,
Stacey
Last day tomorrow
Tomorrow is the last day of term.
3.30pm finish
If you take your child home after the colour run please make sure you have your child's name ticked off with their classroom teacher.
Carols and Celebration Evening - TONIGHT!
Our annual carols and celebration evening will be held tonight beginning at 6pm.
All Welcome.
School Fun Run - Tomorrow!
We're very excited about tomorrow's School Fun Run.
The Crazy Colour Day is all about Fun! It will be a huge colourful mess and is undoubtably one of the most exciting days on our school’s calendar.
The children can come to school in the clothes they will be wearing for the colour run, or any casual clothes they wish to wear. They do not need to wear their school or sports uniform.
What will the day look like?
There will be a sausage sizzle on the day for first lunch (11.30am) for those who have placed orders.
Everyone is welcome to come and watch the run. Please note however, that the Pods will undertake their runs at staggered times. The timetable is as follows:
TIME | POD |
2:10 pm - 2:30 pm | Junior Pod (inc Prep) |
2:30 pm - 2:50 pm | Middle Pod |
2:50 pm - 3:10 pm | Senior Pod |
Below are some FAQ’s relating to your Crazy Colour Day Event:
What should my child wear to the event?
Students should wear white or light sun safe clothing to get the most colourful experience (old tshirts are great). It's best to also run in old running shoes.
Always remember to Slip, Slop, Slap, Seek and Slide!
What should my child bring to the event?
A few things you should pack are:
- A Water Bottle
- Hat
- Sunscreen
- A Towel
- Snacks
- Sunglasses (if preferred)
- A pair of sneakers
- Perhaps a scarf or bandana around noses and mouths.
If you would like to know what is in the colour, ask the school for a copy of the Material Safety Data Sheet.
Here is some other information:
- White t-shirts are best. Please find a cheap one or even an old one to wear on the day. The colour will stain.
- If you don't want to get colour bombed that's fine. Just wear your sports uniform.
- The colour can stain very light/blonde hair.
- Tip: rub coconut oil through the hair before the run and then wash it out with cold water afterwards. it helps the colour not stick to the strands.
- A cheap and easy way to make your Colour Day memories last is to soak your colour stained shirt in a mixture of water, salt and vinegar. This helps the colour powder lock into the cotton and prevent colour running. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IO7awsFZ6fA
Prizes have been sent home, although we are chasing up a couple of missing ones.
Graduation 2023
Year 6 Awards
At our graduation celebration last Thursday night a number of students were recognised. Congratulations to our Year 6 award and scholarship winners for 2023.
- Annabelle Sharples
- Peter McElgunn Arts scholarship for consistent high effort in the arts.
- Ruby Williams
- Peter McElgunn sports scholarship for consistent high effort in sport and physical education.
- Isaac Green
- Warrnambool City Council scholarship for academic excellence.
- Naomi Kishinaka
- Warrnambool City Council award for community service.
- Ollie Miller
- Rotary East scholarship recognising effort and academic growth.
- Zahra Francis
- Rotary East scholarship recognising effort and academic growth.
- Heidi Cushen
- Hands on Learning Scholarship sponsored by the Central Rotary Club.
- Layla Vandijk
- MacKillop Education Award as she lives the values of justice, hope, collaboration, compassion and respect that MacKillop also lives by.
- Byron Keane
- Japanese award sponsored by the Central Rotary Club.
- Will Reilly
- Brent Williams award. Will was recognised as he consistently lives the values of our school- love, compassion, learning, safety, faith and justice.
Congratulations to all of our award winners.
Gr 6 Fun Day
Today our Grade 6 students celebrated the end of their primary school years together with a special fun day outing.
The students began their activities at Tenpin Bowling after which they travelled to the Botanic Gardens for a snack. They then walked to Aquazone for a swim in the outside pool followed by a BBQ lunch.
As can be seen in the following photos, a "fun day" was definately had by all.
Best wishes to all our grade 6's as you transition to secondary school. We'll miss you!!
Beach Safety
Over the past two weeks our Grade 5/6 classes have participated in a Beach Safety Awareness Program at Warrnambools main beach. The students were educated in safe practice both in and out of the water. Following are some photo's of today's session.
St Pius X Files
Families will be receiving a copy of the St Pius X files today. This is a great record of life at St Pius X in 2023.
Thank you to Jack, Jenna and Natalie who have worked on this throughout the year. They have never missed an opportunity to take a photo and capture a moment.
Canteen Volunteers for 2024
A big thank you to those parents who have volunteered to help in the canteen next year. Our total number of helpers however, is currently only six which is not enough to cover the roster.
Please consider volunteering to help in the canteen in 2024. The canteen is open at second lunch (1.50pm) on Tuesdays through to Fridays for the sale of icypoles and frozen fruit. You would only be required for a half an hour or so and depending on numbers, may only be rostered on a couple of times a term. A current Working With Children check is required. If you would like to help, please click on the following link and provide your name and preferred day of the week. Thank you for your support.
2023 School Fees and Student Levies.
With only a few days until the end of term I again draw your attention to our current school fees and
levies position. Your school now has an outstanding balance of $99,593.86
We do greatly appreciate the support of our families who have honoured their fees and levies and
also appreciate our families who are on a regular payment plan.
PLEASE, PLEASE, contact me should you require us to assist in setting up a plan.
Families should understand our governing body; DOBCEL (Diocese of Ballarat Catholic Education
Limited) have policies and guidelines that our school must follow and adhere to. These policies and
guidelines also incorporate school fee collection and we are obliged to follow them.
I ask that you please consider your response to this situation should it apply to you.
Anne Kerr
Business Manager
School Laptops For Sale
The school is currently replacing some of the classroom laptops in the junior school. As a result, we have 17 devices for immediate sale.
-HP 250 G6 Notebook PC, X64, Intel i3-7020U CPU @ 2.30GHZ, Windows 10 Education, Office 2016 included. Comes with charger.
All devices have been taken off the school’s network.
The devices are available from the school office for $100 each. Strictly, no warranty given or implied.
Gr. 6 Hoodies for 2024
We still have a number of 2024 Grade 6 Hoodies awaiting pick up. Please call in to the office to collect.
A special message........
The following students will be celebrating their birthdays in the coming weeks of December:
Lochie McKenna, Lilah Jacobs, Ivy Miller, James Turner, Bailey Askew, Arlo Sloane, Andrew Mugavin.
The following students will be celebrating their birthdays over the holidays in January:
Harrison Keegan, Ethan Malikudy, Alice McDuff, Tilly Sinnott, Georgia Woodhams, Carter Searle, Carla Elkomos, Leo Johnson, Elizabeth Norton, Letty Parkinson, Jayden Farley, Lucy Sloane, Ned Widdrington, April Santamaria, Maggie Corbett, Josephine Foard, Renata McKenzie, Leytton Meyer, Indi Neale, Allan Nguyen, Darcy O'Shannassy, Ashley Huang, Fynn McInnes, Maggie Shand, Payson Walker,
Important Dates.
Thursday December 14th: Carols and Celebration Evening, 6pm
Friday December 15th: Last day of classes. Fun day/colour run. (3.30pm finish)
Tuesday January 30th: Classes resume
Monday 12th February Pupil Free Day- Staff First Aid Training
Wednesday 21st February: Pupil Free Day- Structured Literacy
Uniform Price List
Before & 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.
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/
Pro Shop Xmas Sale
Our Pro Shop is now fully stocked with the latest racquets and Apparel. Great chance to update racquets for the latest models with 10% discount.
10% off junior and Adults racquets
30% off Clothing and Footwear
Could you make a difference to a young life?
Could this be what you are looking for?
Foster carers come from all walks of life. They can be working, not working or retired; married or single; in same-sex relationships; and can own or rent their home. The most essential criteria are that they care, can provide a safe and nurturing home, and have room in their home to support a vulnerable child or sibling group.
If you would like to know more call MacKillop Family Services on 1300 791 677, visit www.mackillop.org.au/fostercare or ring Alana in our Warrnambool office on 5500 2000.
COVID 19 Arrangements
All famililes are asked to familiarise thesmselves with the updated COVID 19 regulations.
Managing a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19
- It is recommended that rapid antigen tests (RATs) are used by students and staff if they:
- have symptoms of COVID-19 infection, no matter how mild
- are a household or close contact of someone who has COVID-19
- are a social contact of someone who has COVID-19.
- The Department of Health recommends that all Victorians report their positive RAT result via the online form or by calling 1800 675 398.
- Principals are no longer required to inform their school community of a positive case associated with the school.
- Staff or students who are positive are strongly recommended to stay home and isolate for a minimum of five days.
- Symptomatic students or staff should not attend school, even if failing to test positive on a RAT or PCR.
Communication
There is no longer a requirement for schools to inform their communities of positive cases. All health information is held in accordance with the school’s privacy policy.
Masks
Staff and students who wish to wear a mask will continue to be supported to do so. Masks are available from the administration office for anyone wishing to obtain one.
Any staff or students who are close contacts are recommended to wear a mask indoors.
Any staff or students returning from isolation are recommended to wear a mask for 7 days after returning to school.
RAT Kits
RATs are available for all Victorians from council sites. Individuals can obtain two free packs (10 tests) for themselves and two free packs (10 tests) for each household member. People with disability and their carers can get up to four free packs (20 tests) in line with existing RAT distribution for people with disability.
The RATs are available at the Civic Centre (25 Liebig Street) and the Archie Graham Community Centre (118 Timor Street).
Vaccination
St Pius X strongly supports vaccination for all in our community who are eligible. There is 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.
Medically At Risk Students
Students who have chronic health conditions, especially affecting the respiratory system ie Asthma, must have up to date health support plans. Families who are unsure about the status of their child’s plan should make contact with teh school administration office.