February 17th 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

God of Peace,

We pray that peaceful resolutions are brought to disagreements and conflicts in our world.

Bring dialogue and understanding to people divided by disputes and ill feeling.

Bring restoration to those who live in the looming shadows of war.

AMEN

A Note from our Principal

Ngata Families & Friends,

The 2022 school year is well and truly up and moving now, with our students and staff all settled into routine. We will still be some time away from a number of school features and events, but we hope that elements like breakfast club and assemblies can begin to return to normal before the end of term. Our staffing has been affected by some absences related to COVID, but overall we have been able to manage these absences by redeploying staff when we are unable to replace them from outside the school. This unfortunately has led to the interuption to a number of intervention programmes however.

An online assembly will be pushed out to all families tomorrow, and in the absence of a face to face option it is hoped all families are able to access this.

Thanks to all in our community for the coordination required for last Friday’s pupil free day.

Joe Ewing,

Principal

Pastoral Care Day

Tomorrow is our first Pastoral Care Day for 2022. The whole school will participate in lots of fun activities to encourage their regulation of behaviours, to help them stay in the Green Zone and be ready to learn. They will also create their own safety plans to use if they are not quite feeling themselves. Next week we will share some photos of all the fun we had.

Take another look at the videos we made last year demonstrating the ReLATE tools to use at school and at home.

Student Representative Council 2022

Last week we announced our school captains and Student Representative Council. One student nominated was absent at this time, and we have waited until his return to school to consult with him about joining the SRC. We are delighted to announce that Lewis Haberfield will be an SRC member for 2022. Congratulations Lewis.

Hot Off the Prep Press!

Don’t forget tomorrow’s Show and Tell focus is ‘Something that makes me happy!’ Your child might like to bring in a favourite game, toy, book or sports equipment. Ms Osborne is going to bring in her Uno cards!!

Today we have sent home your child’s Seesaw logins. Follow the steps to install the Seesaw Class app on your phone or ipad device. This is a great way to see what your child is doing at school and we will sometimes use it to send messages as well. 

We have been so busy working hard to learn more about patterns and shapes. Some of us are even becoming experts! It has been so much fun having a go at all of the discovery activities and learning with our friends. 

Check out our happy snaps!

Sports Stars

Well done to two of our school athletes who participated in the regional track and field carnival at the weekend in Ballarat. Zarli Best placed 2nd in the shot put with 4.87m, 3rd in the 100m sprint in a time of 16.49 sec. Over her 5 events Zarli achieved 4 personal bests.

James Turner participated in the shot put. Although not achieving a place James demonstrated persistence in hot and trying conditions, making his club (and all of us) very proud of him.

Yr 6 Jumpers: On Their Way!

At the end of 2021 orders were processed for Yr 6 jumpers for our senior students. Normally these jumpers would have been received by the students by now. Unfortunately our suppliers, Lowes, are experiencing delays in product supply due to complications caused by COVID 19. Our order is on the move and we have been assured it will arrive soon. Thanks to students and families for their patience, and also to Madeleine Woodward who has been following this up.

School Advisory Council Meeting

Members of our School Advisory Council are invited to attend our first meeting for the year next Thursday (February 24th) at 7.30pm. This meeting will be held remotely. An agenda with a link will be shared soon.

Parents & Friends Meeting

Thanks to those who were able to login on Monday evening and join our P & F meeting. The minutes of the meeting are linked below. The next meeting will be held on March 21st and will be the AGM. All positions will be deemed vacant. Parents interested in taking on a role are asked to attend on this evening, or speak to Joe Ewing if unable to attend.

After School Parking in Humphreys Street

The school has been contacted by a resident of Humphreys St and the Warrnambool City Council with a request for parents not to park up on the nature strip. This is an ideal location to collect children from due to its trees and shade. It also gives these children some independence in using the crossing and walking part of the way. If parents who use this location as a pick up point could please remember to park cars beside the kerb rather than on top of the nature strip it would be greatly appreciated.

Kangaroobie is Calling!

Monday will see our Yr 3/4 classes on their annual Kangaroobie trip. This would usually be an overnight camp, but due to COVID a decision was made for this to be a day trip only to eliminate the risk of residential spread of infection, which would require widespread home quarantine  for students in the event of a confirmed positive case while away.

The 3/4 staff will look at another special day later in the year to make up for the lost day of camp at this time. Thanks to families who have returned consents for this trip, we know the students will have a great time!

Japanese

A correction from last week's newsletter:

The Term One Class captains in SP3 are Heidi Cushion and Tia Schrama-Wilmot. 

School Athletics: March 7th

While COVID regulations mean that our organisation may need to modify as we get closer, we are confident that our school athletics will be able to go ahead on Monday March 7th. This event will return to Brauerander Park for all students this year, after splitting the event into two COVID safe days last year.

Students will gather at school on the morning in their sports uniforms to practice their cheer squad chants before our Yr 3-6 students making their way to Brauerander on foot and our junior students being bussed to the complex.

A simple canteen will be provided on the day and we are seeking parent volunteers to staff the canteen through the day and to cook the BBQ in half hour shifts. This is a fundraiser for the P&F committee. Please use the link below to indicate if you would be able to assist.

School Fees and CSEF Aplication for Pension/HCC

School fees were sent out to all families last week.  Thank you to families who have already paid their fees and also to families that have commited to regular payments.  Late last year  ALL families should have received an envelope with fee information and an application for Camp, Sport and Excursion Fund (CSEF).  To be eligible for this concession we require a copy of your pension card/HCC.  On the left hand side of the this Newsletter you can download a copy of the application.  Please return to school asap with a copy of your concession card.

Pupil Free Days

Thanks to families for the extra layer of organisation involved in last week’s pupil free day. The day was used fruitfully with staff renewing CPR learning and mandated child health and safety modules. A reminder that our next pupil free day will held before the end of term 1 on March 18. Their Care can be accessed on this day. Families interested should book at https://theircare.com.au/ 

Dates for future pupil free days across this year are listed below. TheirCare will provide service on these days.

Term 1: 

ReLATE Staff Training

Date: March 18th

Term 2:

Reading Learning & Pedagogy

Date: TBC

Term 3:

Prayer, Liturgy & Ritual

Date: September 8th

Term 4: 

Reconciliation Action Plan

Date: TBC

Photo & Media Consent

A reminder about the note that was sent home last week seeking consent for the use of children's photos in a small number of school contexts, visible to the wider community.

• The school website
• The school app
• Promotional materials
• Newspapers & media

This consent can be amended if needed throughout the year. Please return this consent to the office if this has not been done already.

Please note that Prep students and other new students to the school have already indicated this consent on their enrolment form.

Sacramental Dates

A meeting of the schools within the Star of the Sea Parish was held last week to determine Sacramental dates for 2022. The dates for St Pius X are below:

Confirmation (Baptised Yr 2)

Family Evening: April 28,  7.00pm

Family Program: April 28 - June 3

Celebration: June 6, 7.00pm

Eucharist (Baptised Yr 4)

Family Evening: July 20,  7.00pm

Family Program: July 20 - August 19

Celebration: August 21, 10.30am

No Sacrament of Reconciliation will be held next year. From 2023 Baptised Yr 6s will celebrate this sacrament as part of their final year of primary school.

Footy Tipping

The P & F footy tipping competition is now open for entries. Simply go to the link below to join up!

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

Another reminder that our Vinnies reading club has returned. This important initiative is run free of charge by St Vincent de Paul and staffed by volunteers. The programme 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 or from the school office and must be filled in for all interested families regardless of past participation.

Please support this initiative.

Breakfast Club

While the return of Breakfast Club is still some while away, we are pleased to announce that Maddy O’Shannassy (Mum to Indie) and Tracey Williams (Mum to Ruby) will be taking on the coordination of this important school service.   More information soon.

School Uniform Thanks

Thanks to families for attention to uniform elements from last week. We still have a small number of students who don’t have black school shoes as part of their regular school uniform. We ask families to contact the school if assistance is required to ensure full uniform.

Parent Access Module (PAM)

A vital part of school communication is the Parent Access Module (PAM). All families should now have their login details. Please call the administration office if you are having difficulaty with this.

PAM can be accessed at the following link:

https://pam.spwarrnambool.catholic.edu.au/Login 

or by using the link on the Skoolbag dashboard.

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.

The Cost of Kindness

A friend of mine is a university lecturer and we have been friends since she taught me at university. I have always been impressed by the kindness and generosity she has shown towards others, especially her students. An example of this was the day a student came to my friend in need of transport. This student was a young girl beginning a teaching round the following week, but being without a car, she was unable to get herself from her residence on one side of town, to the school each day on the opposite side..

‘Don’t worry about it’, my friend told the student. ‘You can borrow my bike for three weeks and ride to the school.’

The student took the bike and was able to complete the teaching round without a problem, travelling each day from one side of town to the other. 

The only trouble was the bike was never returned. 

About 12 months later, my friend was walking through the local gardens and in the distance saw the bike and student. The bike was still in working order and the student was with others who were also on bikes. I expected my friend to say that she went to confront the student to demand the bike back, but instead she said,

‘I think she needs the bike more than I do.’

In Sunday’s Gospel Jesus uses hyperbole (exaggerated language) to provoke his listeners into actions of social justice:

‘Love your enemies’

‘Give to others’

‘Be compassionate’

‘Lend without hope of return’

What becomes clear as I read these words is that these actions are easier to say than they sometimes are to do. It is easy to do good when it is repaid to you, or when praise is received, but Jesus reminds us that in some cases these actions come at a cost to us. Sometimes the people we help do not appreciate us,  and at other times we won’t be repaid.

For me, this is the central challenge of the Gospel - to be ready to put aside my own needs for others. My friend's story always serves as a small reminder and inspiration to me for this.

COVID 19 Arrangements

No changes to our current COVID settings. We are grateful to everyone for keeping to the rules and also for double checking requirements when unsure.

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.

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.

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

RATs have been supplied to all families for each child. We are encouraging families to test children on Monday and Wednesday mornings. Positive tests are considered confirmed cases.

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.

Adult Entry

Visitors must:

• Wear a mask
• Scan QR code.
• Show vaccination status (double vaxxed or exempt)
• Complete school sign in.
• Carry a visitor pass.

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)

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 cannot be held for at least 4 weeks. A special effort will be made to continue online assemblies that can be shared with families through the Skoolbag app.

Visiting Therapists and Allied Health 

Visiting therapists and allied health may continue to visit, but must be double 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 double 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

Many offsite school events can still go ahead, but must be assessed carefully for infection risk. These will be looked at on a case by case basis.

Before and after school care available at St Pius X

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

Recycling Initiative

As part of a recycling drive, the Warrnambool City Council has provided us with a station which will be used to collect items that can be recycled.  These include amongst other things; bread tags, batteries and pens.  If you have any of the items listed in the picture below, you are welcome to deposit them in the recycling station which will be sitated in the office.

St. Pius X Recipe Book

This is your last chance to submit your recipes for our school cook book. 

For those  families who are new to our school;  this is a Parents and Friends initiative and we would love to receive your favourite family recipes to include in our publication.   

Please send to:

principal@spwarrnambool.catholic.edu.au with the subject: ‘Recipe Book’.

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.

Term Dates