May 16th, 2024

Acknowledgement of Country

A Note from our Principal

Ngata Families & Friends,

This week I have chosen to address a recent State Government budget announcement that is very unfair for a large number of our school families, and families of other children attending Catholic schools. Please take the time to read and consider the information. 

Last week the Allan Labor Government announced a $400 School Saving Bonus for all school students in government schools regardless of income, but only for Health Care Card holders in Catholic schools.

This is deeply unfair.

We believe the payment should be means tested for all students or apply to all students.

It should not be based on which school you attend. 

This policy punishes families for choosing to send their children to a Catholic school.

Our school, DOBCEL and the peak body, the Victorian Catholic Education Authority, are working hard to oppose this policy and we need your help.

We need to show the Victorian Government that punishing families who choose a Catholic school is unacceptable.

Please consider contacting our local Member of Parliament to express your concern.

Our school’s local MP is Roma Britnell and Roma can be contacted by calling 5562 8230 or by emailing roma.britnell@parliament.vic.gov.au 

A template letter is available to assist you with making your voice heard.  See the link below. 

Thank you for your time in reading this and for advocating for your family and our school.

Yours sincerely,

Nick Murrell

Principal

Learning Adventure

We have an exciting opportunity coming up in May for any prospective 2025 Foundation families to come and visit St Pius X. We are inviting students and parents to come along and be part of our Learn and Discover mornings. On these mornings kinder students will have the opportunity to join in some learning activities with our 2024 Foundation group, while parents and carers can learn about learning, teaching and school life at St Pius X. There is also a Parent Information session for those parents and carers who are unable to make it during school hours. Please see the flier below for more information. 

Please RSVP via this link.

Komodo

Komodo - Wellbeing Student Surveys!

As part of our wellbeing journey at St Pius X, students from Grade 3-6 will now be completing wellbeing check-in surveys through Komodo. This will take place once a fortnight to help us gain a better understanding of what is working well for our students and where challenges may lie. Students will be asked a number of wellbeing questions/statements, then based on student response the staff will look at the data and find ways to best support the students in need. Some examples of questions or statements that the students are asked include ‘I enjoy coming to school?’ Or ‘How would you describe the quality of your sleep in the last week?’ 

If you have any questions please contact your classroom teacher.

SchoolTV

In this edition of SchoolTV - PHYSICAL ACTIVITY & EXERCISE

In the last decade, children’s participation in physical activity and exercise has been in decline. In this digital age, children are using computers and mobile devices, not only for learning, but for relaxation and recreation purposes. This sedentary lifestyle is having a detrimental effect on today’s youth. The key is finding the balance.

Research shows, that regular physical activity and exercise leads to changes in the brain. It improves cognitive function, elevates mood, enhances learning and improves academic outcomes. Playing sport helps kids develop fundamental movement skills impacting positively on their confidence, self-esteem and ability to develop social skills. Parents play an important role in helping children establish positive habits that will benefit their children in the long-term.

In this edition of SchoolTV, parents will discover practical advice relating to the benefits of regular physical activity and exercise, as well as tips on how to get their kids motivated and moving more.

We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this edition of SchoolTV and we always welcome your feedback. If you have any concerns about your child, please contact the school counsellor for further information or seek medical or professional help.

Eisteddfod - Starting Tomorrow!

The grade five and sixes have been busy over the last month getting ready for the Speech and Drama section of the Warrnambool Eisteddfod. The students have entered many sections from poetry reading, to writing speeches, reading from a novel, character recital, delivering a news report and reading from the bible.

This year for the first time the eisteddfod will be held in the St Pius X hall. 

Attached is a link so that all parents can see when their child is performing.   Please note however, that these times are approximate only.  For a variety of reasons, performances can sometimes run ahead of the schedule or alternatively be delayed.  Please bear this in mind if you plan to attend and maybe allow a little extra time either side.

There may be also be a small entrance fee to view.      Any questions or concerns please ask Adele Webster.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nhVOUT5Tet5Cwtrqvxan5Gke7I-mj6TJIkccdyPtFVE/edit?usp=sharing 

Mother's Day / Special Person's Day Breakfast

Thank you to all who made our Mother's Day / Special Person's Day Breakfast so special last week. Thank you to everyone who was able to attend with their family, the atmosphere on the morning was amazing. I would like to thank Foodshare, Dennington Woolworths, South Coast Auto Services and Reeves Bakery for supporting the event in various ways, your contributions were what made the event possible. I would also like to thank our school Parents and Friends group for the planning, set up, volunteering on the morning and the pack up/clean up. It was amazing to see so many volunteers support the P&F group by coming along and giving their time on Friday morning. Our P&F raised $973.06 through hosting the event. Funds that will go towards resources and learning experiences for your children. 

Please see the video below celebrating our mothers and the special people in our lives.

The Foundation Files

50 Days of School!! How clever are we?!

This week we have celebrated our 50th Day at school. It’s hard to believe that we have been at school for that many days but we know we have learnt so many things since we have started school. To mark our special celebration we made crowns, medals and explored the number 50 in many different ways. We also reflected on all of the things we have learnt since beginning our school journey at St Pius X. Here they are….

• Matilda S - I have learnt about shapes
• Alice - I have learnt that at the start of a sentence we need a capital letter.
• Izaiah - I have learnt how to write letters.
• Kion - I have learnt about classroom norms.
• Carter - I have learnt lots about my 5L’s.
• Jackson W - I have learnt my coloured words.
• Lilly - I have learnt how to make new friends. 
• Thomas - I have learnt how to count.

Sharing different stories.

This term we have been sharing and learning about different stories. We have shared our own special family stories and enjoyed listening to others. On Wednesday we welcomed Mel Steffenson into our classroom to share some Indigenous sacred stories. We loved listening to ‘How the birds got their colours’, ‘How the kangaroo got his tail’, and ‘How the echidna got his spines’. Mel shared some of her language with us and we learnt some new words. Listening to different stories is so interesting. Thank you to Mel for sharing her expertise and knowledge with us. We are very lucky and grateful to have her as part of our school community. 

We love learning! Check out our writing!

It has been a very busy and exciting week in the Foundation room. We have been celebrating so many things and here is another….our writing. Since beginning school we have been practicing writing letters every day on our whiteboards. We have been working hard to make sure that we are starting our letters in the correct spots, going the write way and making them the correct size. As well as that we have been busy learning all the important parts of a sentence. This week we have tried writing sentences independently using all of our sentence rules such as capital letters, full stops, finger spaces between words, placing letters on our baseline and most of all checking that it makes sense. Here are some of our super writers from this week - Georgia, Hayley, Lincoln, Harrison and Zola. We are working so hard!

Our New Peer Mediators.

Over the course of a 10 week program, 12 grade 5/6 students have been trained in Peer Mediation and have started to put their skills into action. During this program, students were taught skills such as active listening, problem resolution, communication and inclusion. These students will be on ‘Yard Duty’ in the courtyard each lunch time to support students in finding resolutions to small issues in the yard. Mr Bacon & Mrs Webster are very proud of the amount of growth the students have made and the leadership skills they have displayed. Keep an eye out for them in the yard! 

Well done to Renata, William, Chase, Lincoln, Flynn, Kaylee, Layla, Grace, Matthew, Andin, Emily and Cheyne (absent from photo).

Mobile Phones

Our school understands that some families require their child to have a mobile phone for communication and safety needs before and after school. If your child is bringing a mobile phone to school it must be checked in with Karen or Bec at the office as soon as they arrive at school and it can be collected as they exit school in the afternoon. Families in this situation, can you please remind your child of this important school procedure. 

The BIG Library Raffle is........ still going!

We are still seeking the return of overdue library books from last year, or 5 years ago! These books can be added back into circulation for other students to borrow and enjoy.

On Thursday the 25th May, one lucky winner will be drawn and receive a $20 gift card for their efforts. We also have 3 other minor prizes for students to win and enjoy!

Thanks to Matthew Harrison who went searching through the bookshelf at home and found these books, he even had one from 2019! Matthew received 7 raffle tickets into the draw.

Thank you for taking the time to look and good luck searching!

Mrs Dowling

Breakfast Club

Breakfast Club is open each Wednesday morning at 8:20am.   Again, a big thankyou to Foodshare for providing us with breakfast items and Woolies 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!

St. Vincent De Paul Reading Program

Fee-free after school reading program

 Want your child to improve their reading and academic skills? Make new friends? Be involved in a co-curricular activity? Foster positive relationships with caring adults?

 The Vinnie’s reading program might be for you!

St Vincent de Paul run a reading program which offers children the chance to read with a volunteer each week. The program runs each Wednesday of the school term (3:30 - 4.45pm in the library). It is open to any student at St Pius X  (prep to Year 6). Students of all ages and abilities are welcome, from those who need additional support to those who are confident and avid readers. The program provides students with a safe and welcoming environment where they can experience the magic of books, enhance their skills, make new friends and enjoy the support of caring adults. Vinnie’s would love to welcome some new faces.

School fee payment plans

St Pius X is a low fee-paying school. Our global operating budget comprises funding from the Federal and State Governments, School fee collection, and fundraising.

School fees are a vital part of providing many aspects of your child's tuition at St Pius X. The 3 main options for paying your school fees are: Direct Debit, Credit Card (at the school office) and Direct Credit Payments.

Please take some time to consider which of these options is best for your family. If you would like to set up a direct debit payment plan please contact Bec Lawlor at the school office or email Bec at rlawlor@spwarrnambool.catholic.edu.au

Your support with this, early in the school year, would be greatly appreciated.

A special message........

The following students will be celebrating their birthdays over the coming week....................

Patrick Cain, Olivia Dwyer & Victoria Balash.

Canteen Roster for 1st Week Term 2.

We are currently looking for extra volunteers to help in the Canteen for the year, particularly on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.  You would only be rostered on a couple of times a term and your assistance would be greatly appreciated.  The only pre-requisite is that you have a Working With Children Check.   Please contact the office if you can help.  Thank You.

Class Awards Week 4

Important Dates.

Friday 17th May to Friday 24th May - Warrnambool Eisteddfod 

Monday, 20th May - Open Morning: 10-11am

                                        - Open Evening:  7-8pm

Thursday, 23rd May - Open Monning: 10-11am

Thursday 23rd/Friday 24th May - Grade 3/4 Camp Kangaroobie

Tuesday, 31st May - Pupil Free Day for Staff Wellbeing Focus PD

2024 School Closure Days - Updated

Term 1 

Monday 12th Feb - Staff First aid training (COMPLETED)

Wednesday 21st Feb - Structured Literacy Staff Professional Development (DOBCEL determined date) (COMPLETED)

Term 2

Friday 31st May - Wellbeing focus 

Term 3

Tuesday 20th August- Structured Literacy Staff Professional Development (DOBCEL determined date)

Term 4

Friday 18th October - Religious Education Staff Professional Development

School Fees and Levies 2024

Uniform Price List

Before & After School Care.

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/ 

COVID 19 Arrangements

All famililes are asked to familiarise thesmselves with the updated COVID 19 regulations.