October 23rd, 2025

Acknowledgement of Country

A Prayer for National Water Week

Loving Creator,

You gift us with water — flowing, cleansing, and life-giving.
Help us care for every drop with gratitude and respect.
May we work together to protect our rivers, oceans, and all creation.
Bless our hands and hearts as we share your living water with the world.

Amen

A Note from our Principal

Ngata families, 

As we near the end of October, our school community continues to share in so many wonderful experiences together. Tomorrow night we look forward to our School Movie Night — always a highlight for students and families. Drop-off will begin from 6.15pm and we ask families to please check the email sent earlier this week for full details. It’s sure to be a fun and relaxed evening for everyone.

A big congratulations to our senior pod students who represented our school so proudly at the cricket today. This event marked our final interschool sporting excursion for the year and we thank Mrs McDonald for her incredible organisation and dedication in providing these opportunities throughout 2025. Her efforts ensure our students experience teamwork, sportsmanship and joy in representing our school.

As we move into the final stretch of Term 4, let’s continue to celebrate these moments that make our community so special.

Kind regards,

Nick Murrell

Principal

Movie Night - Tomorrow!

🎬 SCHOOL MOVIE NIGHT! 🎬

• To book in - Please sign your children up through CDF Pay - $5 gets you entry + a snack pack (chips, popcorn, lollies) 
• Drop off from 6.10-6.15pm 
• Movies start 6.30pm  
• Pick up F-2 8pm
• Pick up 3-6 8.30pm
• Children need to be signed in and out at the office. 
• Movies showing are: Gr F-2 - The Emoji Movie G (1hr 27min) & Gr 3-6 - Mufasa: The Lion King 2024 PG (2hr 4min) 
• Movies will be shown simultaneously in two different areas of the school. 

We are looking for parent and carer volunteers to help make our upcoming Movie Night a success. Volunteers will assist with signing children in and out, as well as supervising during the movies.

All volunteers must hold a current Working with Children Check.
If you’re able to help, please complete the form — your support is greatly appreciated!

Please click on the following web link (or copy it into your web browser if clicking doesn't work) to go to the signup sheet:

volunteersignup.org/D774T 

What to bring and wear:

• Pyjamas or casual clothes
• A drink bottle
• Optional: something comfy to sit or lie on (pillow, blanket, or beanbag)

Behaviour expectations:
Students are expected to behave respectfully throughout the evening.
Any student displaying anti-social or disruptive behaviour will have their parents/carers contacted to collect them immediately. (Last year’s event was affected by excessive noise, so we appreciate your support in ensuring everyone enjoys the movie!)

Supervision:
Supervision will be provided by members of the Parents and Friends of St Pius X (all with valid Working With Children Checks) and Mr Murrell.
Please note that parents/carers/grandparents will not be able to stay and watch the movies.

What not to bring:

• Food
• Extra lollies
• Mobile devices

If a mobile device must be brought, it must be handed to Mr Murrell upon arrival. Any devices not handed in will be confiscated and returned to a parent or adult at the end of the night.

We look forward to a great night!

Can you help?

The Warrnambool Agricultural Show is looking for donations of baby dolls and baby doll clothes, Barbies and Barbie clothes and children's books as they have had all of theirs water damaged.

If you can help, any donations can be left at the school office tomorrow morning and they will be collected during the day and taken to the show.      Thank You!

School Choir at the Warrnambool Show

This weekend, on Saturday, 25th October, our Grade 3/4 Choir will take to the stage at the Warrnambool Show, joining other school choirs in the district for an exciting performance. Our choir will be performing at 10:15am, just inside the main gates. If you're at the show, come say hi and enjoy the music!  We’d love for you to cheer us on!

For parents of participating students, please ensure your child is dressed in their school uniform and is ready to meet Mrs Keeley at 10am, just inside the main gate.   Note that all children must be accompanied by an Adult.

In addition to the choir performance, many of our students have entered their artwork, crafts, and cooking in various sections at the show. Don’t forget to visit the pavilion to see their fantastic creations!  

Thank you to our Hands on Learning students who have been working hard this week helping to set up at the Show. Great Work!

Grade Six Jumpers for 2026

Attention Parents/Carers of current Grade 5 Students.

For those parents/carers with children going into Grade 6 next year, please note that we will be having jumper try-ons for sizing on Monday 27th October.  One of our fabulous parents Lara will be at school between 2.30pm-3.30pm to size all the children.  Any parents wishing to pick the size of jumper for their child themselves can call into the office anytime during the day on Monday the 27th.

Jumpers can be ordered and paid for via CDF Pay.  They are $30 each.  Should you wish to order an extra jumper, please be aware that it will cost $45 as extra's are not subsidised by the Parents & Friends.

Class Groupings for 2026

In the coming weeks our staff will be drafting class lists for the 2026 school year.  If parents/guardians 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/Guardians are asked to submit this information before Friday, 31st October. 

St. Pius X Raffle

The Parents & Friends committee of St. Pius X School is responsible for raising valuable funds for our school and this year they have organised an exciting Christmas Raffle for everyone to participate in.

This Major raffle will have three prizes:

·      1st Prize - $1,200 Coles Group & Myer Gift Card

·      2nd - $500 Coles Group & Myer Gift Card

·     3rd -  $300 Coles Group & Myer Gift Card 

In addition to the above prizes, there will be a ticket seller draw. There will be one winner drawn and this lucky school family will get their 2026 Family Fee credited against their school fee account (or for those in grade 6 it will go to the secondary school they are attending in 2026.)

All the eldest students in families have received these tickets. We would appreciate all tickets sold with the money to be returned to the school by the 3rd of December. All unsold tickets can be returned anytime so they can be redistributed for sale which will ensure the best possible outcome for this fundraiser.   

The raffle will be drawn on the 5th of December 2025 at 3pm.

Congratulations Addison!

Our warmest congratulations go to Addison who has just completed her first year of competitive gymnastics. She qualified for the Victorian Championships which were held in Melbourne over the weekend.

Addison’s team came 2nd overall for level 3, division 3 in Victoria. They also placed in every event.

Vault: 1st place

Bars: 5th place

Beam: 2nd place

Floor: 2nd place

Overall: 2nd place.

What a fantastic effort!

Digital Citizenship Week

This week, is Digital Citizenship week! It is a time to help our students learn how to be safe, respectful and responsible members of the online world. In today’s digital age, it’s more important than ever for children to understand how to make good choices when using technology, exploring media and engaging with others online.

To support families, Common Sense Media offers an excellent Resource Centre for Parents and Carers. This free online platform provides reviews and age recommendations for movies, TV shows, apps, games and websites, helping you decide if a form of entertainment is suitable for your child.

You can explore their resources at www.commonsensemedia.org — a trusted tool to guide conversations at home about media use, online safety, and digital wellbeing.

The Foundation Files

Ordinal Numbers

Ordinal Numbers are numbers that show us a position. We often know them in an order or a sequence. We have learnt to see how they are like our numbers on a counting chart but they need some letters to make them into an ordinal symbol.

We raced against each other in a few simple challenges and then we had to order ourselves in the position of our results. Check out our photos to see who came 1st, 2nd, 3rd and more. 

Weather Reporters!

What’s the weather?? It’s sunny!!! What’s the weather?? It’s rainy!!

Our new science topic is all about our environment and the changes that occur. We are investigating the weather, the seasons and what differences there are between day and night. We are even using science words like ‘diurnal’ and ‘nocturnal’. Ask us what those two words mean or what animals match the meaning of those words?

Each day we are also reporting on the weather. We have learnt to use simple symbols to record our data. Check out this week’s weather…….it was definitely windy!!!

Community Meetings with our own goals!!

We are definitely getting ready to move into Grade One!

We now run our own community meetings in the morning. Each day we are in different groups and one of us is invited to be the leader. We listen to each other as we say hello and tell each other how we are feeling. We also have to remember that we have new goals. We are trying hard to achieve a token that matches our goals every day in the classroom and the playground. 

We love starting our day with our friends and working to keep each other happy and safe.

Mini Vinnies

Honouring the Changemakers of St Pius X- A Celebration of Student Impact'.

Last week, our Mini Vinnies team gathered in the Art Room with Mrs Keeley and Miss Atkins to welcome (via video link) students from St Joseph’s, along with Sarah and Rob from the St Vincent de Paul head office in Melbourne. Together, we shared the inspiring work taking place across our schools in 2025. It was a fantastic chance to hear about each group’s projects, receive valuable feedback, and ask thought-provoking questions. The positive energy and respectful dialogue between both schools made for an uplifting and inspiring session.  Congratulations to everyone involved.

Collins Booksellers Kids Club - Launching in Term 4

We’re excited to share that Collins Booksellers is launching their Kids’ Club program in Term 4 and our school will be taking part!

The Kids’ Club is designed to encourage children to develop a love of reading through a carefully selected range of books and games chosen especially for young readers.

How the program works:

• 10% of every purchase through Kids’ Club is credited to St Pius X Collins Booksellers account and will go towards purchasing new learning resources.

• Families can choose from a great selection of books, including mystery books for just $4.

• Receive a free Legami erasable pen with every $20 purchase.

• All ordering is completed online via a QR code on the Kids’ Club catalogue — no cash or forms need to be sent to school.

• Orders are delivered directly to the school, individually packaged for each student or family.

The program will run twice a year, in Terms 2 and 4. A digital copy of the catalogue has been shared below and printed catalogues will be distributed to families this week. 

This is a wonderful opportunity to support your child’s reading journey while helping our school earn valuable resources

School Fees

Dear Families,

It has been noted that there are still a large amount of school fees that haven't been paid or had a payment plan set up.  Just a reminder that it is an expectation that all fees will be paid in full by the end of the year unless a payment plan is set up and ongoing.  Please call Bec Lawlor if you have any questions or have any concerns over being able to meet your financial obligations.  Bec is more than happy to help with different options that will work for your families needs.

St. Pius Beanies For Sale!!

2026 Enrolments

Do you know someone looking for a great school in 2026? Word of mouth is the best way to let people know about our wonderful school. Please encourage anyone who might be interested to contact the school for a private tour. 

REMINDER: Parent/Guardian/Carers Code of Conduct to be signed ASAP

As a DOBCEL school, we are required to have all Parents/Guardians/Carers sign a Code of Conduct as part of the Enrolment Agreement.  This Code of Conduct is a guide to the expected conduct and behaviour of all Parents/Guardians/Carers while in all school environments, engaging in school-related activities or representing the school.   This document has been written in the context of new enrolments, but is to be utilised for all current enrolments as well. 

A copy of this document was sent out electronically through PAM to all Parents/Guardians/Carers.  Please take the time to read and acknowledge your acceptance of the terms and conditions listed. 

Thank you to those who have already signed their Codes of Conduct.   It is an important part of our school's Compliance regulations that this document is read and signed by all Parents/Carers.  It would be appreciated if this could be attended to as soon as possible.  Please contact the office if you are unable to access the document in PAM.  Thank you for your assistance.

Important Dates.

Friday, 24th October:            Movie Night.   

                                                       1/2 Swimming

                                                       Assembly in the Church - 3pm

Monday, 27th October:          1/2 Swimming

Tuesday, 28th October:          1/2 Swimming

Thursday, 29th October:        1/2 Swimming

Friday, 30th October:              1/2 Swimming

Thursday, 6th November:     SAC Meeting @ 7.30pm

Friday, 7th November:            SCHOOL CLOSURE DAY

Remaining School Closure Days 2025

Fri 7th November  – Religious Education 

Canteen Roster for Week 1, Term 4

Seaside Community Kitchen

Before & After School Care.

Free Uniforms!

If you are looking for some good quality second hand uniforms, we currently have a display set up in the foyer area near the office.  You are welcome to come in anytime and have a look through what we have.   Items include summer dresses, shorts, pants, shirts etc. in various sizes.  All items are FREE to take.

School Uniform Prices

Parish Contact.

Sunday Mass 9.00am @ 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/ 

POWER SAVING BONUS

Do you or someone you know need some help to apply for the Victorian Government’s $100 Power Saving Bonus ?

Your local Neighbourhood House can help with the online application.

Please contact Jill for an appointment 0418 944 276

This round of savings is for concession card holders only and will run until March 2026.

West Warrnambool Neighbourhood House - Calendar of Events