February 1st, 2024
- Acknowledgement of Country
- Back to School Prayer
- A Note from our Principal
- Welcome and Smoking Ceremony and Opening Mass tomorrow.
- Hello and Welcome to St. Pius!
- Year 5 Parent Chromebook Meeting
- Student Medical Information Updates Required.
- St. Vincent De Paul Tutoring
- STOMP!
- Structured Literacy
- Inter-school Swimming Sports
- The Foundation Files!
- A special message........
- Canteen Roster for next week.
- 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.
Back to School Prayer
Dear Lord,
As our students begin a new school year,
I pray that you will keep them in your care.
Send your Spirit to open their minds
to all that is true and beautiful and good.
Help them to see the gifts and talents
you have given them and to use them well.
Help them to grow in knowledge and wisdom.
Help them to be kind to others
and lead others to be kind to them.
Give their teachers patience and understanding
and help them teach what is just and true.
Send your angels to guide and guard our
children and to keep them from all harm.
Open their young hearts to your presence
and enfold them in your peace and protection.
Hold them in the palm of your hand
and bring them home safely at day’s end.
Amen.
A Note from our Principal
Dear families and students,
Congratulations on a fantastic first week at St. Pius X! The energy and enthusiasm from students, teachers, and parents have set an inspiring tone for Term 1. Our students' eagerness to learn and the dedication of our staff are truly commendable. Thank you, parents, for your continued support as we have returned to school, or commenced at St Pius X for the very first time!
Thank you to everyone has made my first week as principal at St Pius X a welcoming and friendly one. It is very clear after a short period of time that St. Pius X is an amazing school community and I am looking forward to learning more about as the year progresses.
As we dive into the remainder of Term 1, let's carry forward this positive momentum. Together, let's make this school year one of growth and success. Here's to a year filled with achievements and memorable moments!
Kind regards,
Nick Murrell
Principal
Welcome and Smoking Ceremony and Opening Mass tomorrow.
Tomorrow morning at 9.40am we will be having a 2024 Welcome and Smoking Ceremony facilitated by Mel Steffensen prior to our opening mass at 10am. This will take place on the grass next to the Church.
Everyone is welcome to attend and we thank Mel for her support.
Hello and Welcome to St. Pius!
We warmly welcome the following new students to our school. We look forward to getting to know you all over the coming weeks.
Owen Grimley - JP5
Bailey Askew -SP3
Myra Patel - JP3
Kyra Patel - JP3
Sam Grimley - SP3
Jasper Henry - JP3
We'd also like to mention that Sol McInerney, Harriet and Pippa Dufty have returned to St. Pius after some time away. Great to see you again!
Year 5 Parent Chromebook Meeting
Over the past 8 years, as a part of our implementation of the Victorian Curriculum, our Year 5 and 6 classes have been using individiual Chromebook laptop computers in their classrooms. An information session will be held for the current year 5 families regarding expectations and guidelines for use on Wednesday, 7th February from 3.45pm in the Senior Pod. Please note that whilst the students have had access to the Chromebooks during class time, these Chromebooks will not be available to take home until after this meeting and the Acceptable Use and CyberSafety Agreement has been signed by both students and parents.
Student Medical Information Updates Required.
A reminder that we require all families to login to PAM and update their child's medical information if any details have changed or if you are a new family to St. Pius. Please ensure that this is completed as soon as possible.
To update a medical profile for your child/children please follow these instructions:
- Click on the link to PAM (found on SZ App or on the St. Pius website)
- Click on student. (Remember that each child has their own medical profile)
- Click on Medical Profile (blue writing to the left of screen)
- Check all questions and select Edit Details for updates to be made.
- Once you get to the end of the questions please confirm by clicking on the Green “Update Details” box found at the bottom right of screen.
As a parent/guardian you are able to access your child/rens medical profile on PAM at any time to update as needed.
If you have any queries or require your PAM login details, please do not hesitate to contact the office.
St. Vincent De Paul Tutoring
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.
If you would like to enroll your child in the Vinnie’s Reading Program for 2024, please complete the following form: https://forms.office.com/r/6pixr6tTsG (copy and paste into browser).
STOMP!
This semester in The Arts our curriculum focus is Dance. As part of our program we have arranged for the Stomp Dance Group to coordinate 5 X 40 min workshops for all of our students P-6.
These workshops will take place next week (week 2) and students are encouraged to wear their sports uniform throughout the week - sandshoes and a white polo shirt or t-shirt in their team colour is acceptable.
Then on Thursday evening at 5pm (for roughly an hour), our school community is warmly invited to come along for a performance showcasing their hard work. The exact location of this will depend on the weather and will be shared early next week via SZapp. It will either be on the basketball court or in one of the halls.
A sausage sizzle will run on the evening. Sausages will cost $3.
See you there for an evening of fun and entertainment and our first St Pius X gathering for 2024.
Structured Literacy
We are thrilled to announce that our school - along with many others - has joined the Diocese of Ballarat's Structured Literacy Project. In 2024 we will be taking the first steps towards a renewed, evidence-based approach to Literacy instruction through participation in this award-winning research partnership with La Trobe University.
The Sciences of Reading and Learning tell us that a systematic, explicit approach to the teaching of the alphabetic code and the grammatical rules that underpin written English offers our students the best chance at becoming confidently literate. The approach we are strategically adopting is called Structured Literacy, which is the approach endorsed by the International Dyslexia Association, the International Literacy Association and the Australian National Inquiry into the Teaching of Literacy.
Our whole staff group will be working closely with the Structured Literacy team from the Catholic Education Office over the next few years, to learn more about the principles, elements and characteristics of a Structured Literacy approach with our second school closure on Wednesday 21st February dedicated to this new learning.This is a substantial change that will take time. However, we are assured by the results achieved in the pilot schools and the endorsement of the La Trobe University researchers.
We will strive to keep you updated on the progress of this important project, but for now you may wish to watch this short video from the DOBCEL Structured Literacy team to find out more:https://www.youtube.com/
Attached to this newsletter is important information regarding the collection of data for the research project. If you do not wish for your child/children’s data to be used in the study, you may opt out by:
1. Printing and returning the attached form.
2. Collecting a hard copy form from the office.
3. Emailing Rebecca Parkinson directly at rparkinson@spwarrnambool.
Endorsement - Opt out letter for parents
Inter-school Swimming Sports
The inter-school swimming sports are coming up this month on Friday, 29th February so its now time to nominate! If you have a child who is interested in submitting their times, I will require recorded times per student (per event) signed off by a swimming club or coach by Wednesday, 13th February.
These can be submitted to the school office. Thank you.
Emma McDonald.
The Foundation Files!
Welcome to St Pius X!
This week we have welcomed our new class of 27 Foundation students and their families to our wonderful school community.
On Tuesday our classroom was abuzz with some excited and nervous energy as we all embarked on a new journey together. We all said ‘Bye’ to our loved ones and the learning began. We were all so busy and by the end of the day we were all well and truly ready for a rest, including Ms Lane, Ms Osborne and Louise. It was a big day but the first of many fun and exciting days at St Pius X! We look forward to sharing many special and happy moments learning together this year!!
Check us out - we look like a very happy and intelligent crew!
A big thank you to Sophie from SW Designs for her amazing balloon display to brighten our room for the first few days!
Happy Snaps!
To kick off our learning in the classroom we are asking all students to bring in two photographs - one of them as a baby and one of their family. These can be provided in hard copy or sent via email to Ms Osborne or Ms Lane. If these can be provided by Monday 5th February then that would be greatly appreciated. Photos can be emailed to josborne@spwarrnambool.catholic.edu.au or llane@spwarrnambool.catholic.edu.au
Thanks so much for your support!
Our Morning Jobs
Each morning we have a list of jobs that we have to do before we can play with our friends. Some of us already know how to do these on their own. When we come into the classroom this is what we have to do:
- Say ‘ Good Morning’ to our teachers.
- Change our reader books and put our reader bag into the coloured tub.
- Put our fruit into our tub
- Put our drink bottles on top of the tubs.
It is so important that we are trying to do these jobs by ourselves and if we get stuck then our teachers will be there to give us a helping hand.
Well done to all our Foundation students! You are all doing a great job!!
A special message........
The following students will be celebrating their birthdays in the coming week.
Minty Dare, Codan Emeny, Zahra Moore, Kaden Pulham, Emily Amos, Addison Le Cerf, Gia Everall, Indiana Pulham, Aurora Huang, Ellanie Koroblitsas.
Canteen Roster for next week.
| Tuesday, 6th February | Samantha Hunt |
| Wednesday, 7th February | Amie Poynton |
| Thursday, 8th February | Cherie Geyer |
| Friday, 9th February | Lauren Johnson |
Important Dates.
Friday, 2nd February - Welcome and Smoking Ceremony 9.45am
Opening School Mass at 10am
Monday, 5th to Friday 9th February - Stomp Performances
Wednesday, 7th February - Year 5 Parent Chromebook Meeting at 3.45pm in Senior Pod.
Monday, 12th February - School Closure -Pupil Free Day (Staff First aide training)
Wednesday, 21st February - School Closure -Pupil Free Day (Staff professional development - Structured Literacy)
Monday, 11th March - Labour Day Public Holiday
Thursday, 28th March - Last Day of Term 1
Friday, 29th March - Good Friday Public Holiday
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/
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.