May 26th, 2022

Acknowledgement of Country

Prayer

God of Service,

Thankyou for the gift of our schools.

Bless our families who build our community.

Bless our staff who guide our learning.

Most importantly, bless our students who bring their learning,

curiosity and persistence to school each day.

AMEN

A Note from our Principal

Ngata Families & Friends,

Happy Catholic Education Week!

This week is an opportunity for us to give thanks not just for our school, but for our school system. Catholic schools were among the first educational institutions in our country and in 2020 we celebrated 200 years of Catholic education in Australia. Catholic schools have a rich history here in Warrnambool and district, with early schools pioneered by the Mercy Sisters and the Good Samaritan Sisters for Catholic children of predominantly Irish descent. Today the Warrnambool Network schools are staffed by lay employees who carry forward the good work of the Sisters from those early days, however the background of our students is far more diverse religiously and culturally.

What has never changed is the core purpose of our schools to provide high quality education in the light of the Catholic tradition. Tomorrow we give thanks for our Catholic Education System and celebrate Mass together with our friends from St John’s School Dennington.

Joe Ewing

Principal

Congratulations Ms O'Donnell

At Mass tomorrow we will recognise the contribution of Ms Jane O’Donnell to Catholic Education. This year marks Jane’s 30th year in our school system and it is important for us to pay tribute to her work for the students at St Pius X and the other Catholic schools she has taught at over her career. On Friday evening Jane will be named among other teachers from the diocese who also pass this fantastic milestone. While Jane is unable to attend this event she will be going into the ‘Hall of Fame’ alongside colleagues such as Anne Kerr, Mick Sully, David White & Jan Nolan. Congratulations Jane!

Catholic Education Week Mass

This week we are celebrating Catholic Education Week. Primarily this has been through welcoming people into our school who are interested in enrolment for 2023. Tomorrow however, we will be celebrating Mass in our church alongside St John’s Dennington at 10.00am. All families are welcome to attend with us and we would love to see you there.

School Enrolments for 2023

Yesterday and today we have welcomed many prospective new families into our school. If you know of families who were unable to make these information tours, please ask them to contact the school. We would be happy to speak with them and give them a look at how our school operates.

Once again we ask all current families to have their 2023 Prep enrolments in as soon as possible. We will be offering places to new families at the end of June and need certainty regarding the number of places available.

Confirmation News

Alfie Parkinson, Annabella McInness. Kate Martin, Mason Halloran, Jimmy Van Rooy, Indie Kermond

This week prayer scrolls for each of our candidates will be available for our parishioners to take away. These are a tangible way for our parish to keep the children in their thoughts and prayers as we approach Confirmation on June 6th.

St Jane was a French woman who started her own order of Sisters in the 1500s. At the time many orders of Sisters were closed off to the world in their convents. St Jane’s Sisters were known for their outreach especially to the elderly and the sick. In fact, many of the Sisters were themselves elderly and sick - this was no barrier to joining the order. For her time, St Jane showed an amazing acceptance of people who did not fit the norm and who in other places might have been rejected or pushed to the side.

St Grace grew up as a Muslim in Spain. As she became older she, her brother and sister chose to become Christians. Her brother and sister also became saints; St Bernard and St Maria. 

National Reconciliation Week

Today, National Sorry Day, heralds the beginning of National Reconcilation Week. Thanks to Mrs Keeley who has again given our students the opportunity to contribute to the sea of purple flowers created for this annual event aimed at uniting Australians with honest acknowledgment of the past.

Hot Off The Prep Press!

Indigenous Story Telling

On Wednesday Mel Steffenson came to visit us and teach us about Indigenous storytelling. Lots of Prep’s knew Mel from Kinder and we loved listening to her and learning about some sacred stories that are special to the Peek Whurrong people. Mel read the story “How the Birds got their colours’ and taught us some colour words in Peek Whurrong language. Thanks so much Mel!!

Our Sacred Stories

Last week for show and tell we were able to bring in a story book from home that we loved reading. Our favourite stories are ‘sacred’ to us and our families. Some of the stories we loved were - Minty May and the Strangely Good Day, Willow the Unicorn, Big Dog, Little Dog.

Reading Eggs

It’s great to see so many Preps using their Reading Eggs program at home as well as at school. Congratulations to Minty Dare, Emmy Ramage, Chloe Harzmeyer, Jordan Brown and Ivy Cawthorn who have all worked hard over the past few weeks to access and read at home as well as at school. 

Please help! We need Recycled Materials

In Week 7 we are going to be designing, creating and making something from the past or the present like a mobile phone, a flatscreen TV, a remote control car or a dial up phone, a box TV set or a pull along toy car. If you are able to start collecting a whole range of recycled materials like boxes, egg cartons, plastic packages, meat trays, cardboard rolls, plastic bottles or more. Please keep them at home but start sending them along to school in Week 7 - Monday 6th June.

Traffic Update

Last week we mentioned the requirement of STOPPING when a crossing guard is holding up their sign in the middle of the crossing. This week we also ask all families of pedestrian students to remind their children to use school crossings on Morriss Road, Hoddle Street and Ross St when walking to and from school. A few children have been seen crossing at other points. The crossings are supervised, but are also highlighted so that drivers are looking for children.

It is a good idea for parents to discuss an agreed route to school with their children, ensuring that the crossings are part of the trip.

Book Club

Book Club has been sent home this week. Orders need to be back at school by Thursday 9th June. Online access is available here.

E-Safety Webinar: Safer Online Gaming

Help your kids stay safe by learning about the benefits and risks of online gaming.  This webinar run by e Safety  is designed for parents and carers of young people aged 8 to 13 years of age.

It will cover:

• the games young people are using and how they are engaging with them
• the benefits of gaming and how to mitigate the risks
• practical strategies to use at home and where to find help and support if things go wrong.

Term 2 dates (Australian Eastern Standard Time)

• Thursday 9 June 12.30 - 1.30 pm
• Friday 17 June 12.30 – 1.30 pm
• Tuesday 21 June 7.30 – 8.30 pm

You can register here.- There are also other webinars upcoming for parents and carers here. There is also a link to a list of safe Apps for children here.

Lions Eye Tests

On Monday the Lions Club volunteers were in attendance at school to run screening tests for students in Yr 3 & 6. Tomorrow they will return to complete these tests. Any families who have children in these year levels who have not returned the consent can still do so if they wish for their children to take part. Spare forms are at the office if required.

Tests will be available for our Prep students later in the year. We again thank the generous Lions for their time and dedication to this fantastic project.

Pupil Free Day: Monday May 30th

Don't forget Monday (May 30th) is designated as a pupil free day. This day will be dedicated to teachers looking at the curriculum for reading to ensure our planning and teaching processes are completely covering the content from the Victorian Curriculum. 

No classes will be held on this day and families are asked to arrange alternate care for children. TheirCare will be running a full day program on this day. Bookings can be made at https://theircare.com.au/

Absentee Notification

As everyone will be aware, an unexplained student absence will trigger a text message to your family. This is an excellent system and essentially acts as a double check between school and home on whereabouts and safety. We have had false alarms when a roll has been incorrectly marked or saved - but generally everything functions well and is efficient. 

In the past many families have used the old email function or phoned their absence notification in. Whilst these are still acceptable we ask all families to make greater use of the link on the Schoolzine app to report school absences. The link takes you to PAM (Parent Access Module) and the notification feeds directly into the school roll, eliminating the double handling of information.

If you’re unsure about this process, Mrs Parkinson has prepared a short demonstration video below.

Divisional Cross Country

Well done to our representatives in the Divisional Cross Country on Monday; Benji Balash, Freya Corbett, Zoe Everall and Holly Woodward. Although no one made it through to the next stage, all ran their best races and did everything to make their school community proud. Below are some highlights from our four runners.

Mini Vinnies

St Vincent de Paul Wacky Clothes Dress up day

On Friday June 10th we are having a St Vincent de Paul Wacky Clothes Dress up day.  This will tie in with our Pastoral Care Day this term and will raise money for food which will be donated to Food share.

Students are asked to either come dressed in wacky clothes they have purchased at St Vincent de Paul, or come dressed in casual clothes and make a gold coin donation.

Cereal Drive

Please support us as this is our first fund raising event.  We are asking students to dig deep and bring a box of cereal to school.  These will be collected and eventually donated to food share.  But before it all goes…We have grand plans.  If we get enough boxes we would like to organise a giant Domino Cereal Challenge on the basketball court! It will be loads of fun but we need your help.  Please DONATE and drop off in the Art Room, but remember it must be in a box!

Crisis Meals

Earlier in the term we asked for volunteers to join a roster to provide some crisis meals that can be shared with community members during times of grieving and hardship. Thanks to those who have volunteered their time and resources to contribute to this. A roster is published below and we will continue to add to it as others volunteer. The person next rostered will be given a reminder through the newsletter each week.

The volunteer for this week is Paula Fleming.

Ideally meals should be easy to freeze & serve, and should be labelled so that the type meal can be easily identified. Any other families wishing to volunteer can now do so by calling the office directly. Meals can be dropped to the office.

Winter Sports

Next week all Yr 5/6 students will have the opportunity to represent the school in netball, football, tee-ball and soccer. All senior students have been given the opportunity to nominate for one of the sports. Where a sport has more students interested than team places, Year 6s are prioritised, with the remaining places filled with skills based selections.

While our preference is for all students to participate, students who choose not to take part will be catered for at school.

Families who have a child participating on this day will receive a notification through the Parent Access Module (PAM). Please ensure consent is given as soon as this is received.

Assembly Awards: Week 4

Second Hand Uniforms

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

Recently we have had a call on  second hand uniforms.  We are desperately in need of larger sizes to replenish our stock.  If you have any school uniform clothing in reasonable condition we would very much appreciate your support.  Please contact Angela if you are in a position to assist.

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 volunteers Maddy and Tracey.

Footy Tipping

Some familiar names at the top of the footy tipping ladder this weed with a romantic tie in for places 1 and 2 (MarkMac & Shahne7). Naomi Kinshinaka and Charlie Williams are no slouches when it comes to tipping and are holding their own with the help of their strategic jokers.

The Whites now pose a danger for those who have used all their jokers. After mastering the joker application they are all set to cause havoc - as long as Collingwood plays more predictably (How did they beat Freo?).

Finally, well done to Alfie Parkinson who pulled 9 winners out of his hat this week. Nice work from a Yr 2 tipper!

Thanks to our generous sponsor:

Bojangles Pizzeria Restaurant

61 Liebig St

Warrnambool

5562 0666

Parish Contact

Sunday Mass 10.30 @ 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/ 

Student Medical Details

At the end of last year we asked parents to use the Parent Access Module (PAM) to add and adjust medical details. This information is vital to the wellbeing of our students and we ask parents to prioritise the maintenance of this information.

Upcoming Dates

Tomorrow: Lions eye tests (Yr 3 & 6)

Tomorrow: Catholic Education Week Mass: 10.00am (all welcome).

May 30 Pupil Free Day (Teacher professional training)

Jun 6 Sacrament of Confirmation 7.00pm

Jun 7 Parents & Friends Meeting

Jun 9 SAC Meeting 7.30pm

Jun 13 Queen’s Birthday public holiday

Jun 21 Learning Conversations

Jun 22 Learning Conversations

Jun 23 Learning conversations

Jun 24 Final day of Term 2

School Canteen Roster

Voting 1 & Becoming one.

During the election campaign, I listened to an interview on the ABC with a representative from the Australian Electoral Commision. She was being questioned about the potential for citizens to log their vote via an online app in the future rather than turning up in person at a polling booth. It was interesting that it was still the case that the old fashioned pencil and paper is regarded as the best and safest way for us to vote. Together with scrutineering protocols it is considered the method with the most integrity.

The other interesting thing about the election is how it brings us all together. I know that there are still health concerns in this currently, but I find it reassuring that people of all political persuasions can stand in line together, chat with representatives from different parties and wait patiently as the line edges forward, sniffing the sausages cooking.

We all know this is not the case in other countries, and while there are many things we would all like to improve about Australia, surely we can all agree that our approach to democraic elections is one that we can be proud of. There are those in our country and world who seek to divide us, but I think election days remind us that we are one.

In Sunday’s Gospel Jesus prays for unity, that those who follow him - immediately and into the future will remember that they are essentially one. St Paul would later take this idea further, when he wrote that while we are many parts, we are the one body.

As our community and society becomes more diverse, Jesus and St Paul’s ideas have a particular resonance. We can sometimes be conditioned to identify the differences between ourselves and others. It is important that we firstly identify the things that unite us including our shared humanity.

Our Diocesan Community

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

COVID 19 Arrangements

RAT Kits

Since the beginnig of the year, students and staff have been invited to test themselves twice weekly using the RAT kits supplied. The latest COVID communication has advised that staff and students should only be tested with a RAT kit when symptomatic or when testing as a close contact over the 7 day quarantine period.

The school will continue to supply these kits periodcally for the remainder of term.

Vaccination 

Triple vaccination status will continue to be a requirement for all staff onsite with students and will be required for any volunteers and visiting workers. This will include:

• Parents assisting in classrooms
• Canteen volunteers
• Parents performing tasks on behalf of the Parents and Friends.
• Visiting medical and allied health professionals.
• Visiting speakers, presenters and performers.
• Student teachers.

Parents visiting the school to attend school events (ie sports, performances, classroom visits) will not be required to declare their vaccination status.

Rapid Antigen Tests

Staff and students are invited to continue RATs twice a week, on Monday and Wednesday mornings before attending school. Staff or students who have previously had a positive COVID test are not required to test for 12 weeks after their initial positive result.

Managing a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19 

As soon as a staff member or student 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
3. Positive cases must be isolated for 7 days, testing again on day 6.

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. 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.

If a staff member or student tests positive with a rapid antigen test but does not have symptoms or has not been in contact with a positive case, a PCR test is recommended. If a subsequent PCR shows a negative result the staff member or student can return to school.

Close Contacts

A close contact (a person who has spent more than four hours with someone who has COVID 19 inside a house, accommodation or care facility) is no longer required to quarantine, as long as they follow the additional safety measures:

• Notify the school if returning within the 7 day period.
• Undertake RAT testing on school days within the 7 day period (unless the 12 week exemption applies)
• Wear a mask indoors if an adult or a student Yr 3-6.
• Not visit hospitals or care facilities.
• Avoid contact with people at higher risk of infection.
• If symptomatic take a RAT or PCR test.

Masks

Masks are no longer required to be worn by students, staff or visitors. However the wearing of masks continues to be a recommended practice which will still be required in certain circumstances including bus travel or a period of high levels of prolonged transmission.

Any staff of students who are identified as close contacts must wear a mask indoors.

Warrnambool Table Tennis Association

Invitation for any students and parents to have training / fun time at the Warrnambool Table Tennis Centre on Wednesday afternoons from 5.30pm - 6.30pm.

The invitation is open to all, the cost is free, but for regular attendees we would expect you to join the club as a social member to cover insurance costs.

For more information contact Pat Nicholson 0418 173 854.