Dear Parents and Carers,

It was wonderful to witness the connectedness of our community during our Carnival Week celebrations. Whilst, we were not able to celebrate on site, it was lovely to see the children interacting with staff on their classroom zooms and participating with enthusiasm in the various competitions throughout the week. The positive attitude of students towards the celebrations was certainly in the spirit of St Pius X and demonstrated our sense of strong togetherness, even in challenging times.

Last week the NSW Premier and Education Minister announced that a phased return to face-to-face learning will begin from Monday 25 October. On Friday afternoon a letter was sent via Compass to all parents and carers from the Catholic Education Office Diocese of Wollongong and the school, advising the NSW Government's Strategy for all NSW students.  When safe, we look forward to welcoming our students back, further information will follow as the date draws closer for our students to commence their return to school.

I would once again like to extend a big thank you to all of our families who are assisting their child(ren) with remote learning. I understand it can be very challenging, but by limiting the number of students at school to only those who have no option to stay home, we are able to keep all of our students, staff, and school families as safe as possible. If you require any support, please do not hesitate to make contact with the front office and we can direct your call.

Next week, to honour R U Ok day, we have dedicated a whole week to well-being. Student work load will be reduced for this week and the children will be required to submit one teacher identified task only.

A focus, after midday each day will be on screen free activities. Mr Simon Farrugia and myself are looking forward to signing the children off line at midday each day with a special story. A zoom link for story time will be sent next week and I encourage as many children as possible to join Mr Farrugia and myself in these zooms. Hopefully, the reduced expectations will also benefit the well-being of parents and teachers.

I would like to leave you with a special global blessing delivered by our own Pope Francis on the steps of St. Peter’s Basilica. Over an emptied square, Pope Francis delivered the Urbi et orbi, a blessing typically given just at Christmas or Easter. In his address, was a call to live differently.

"We find ourselves afraid and lost," he said, "caught off guard by an unexpected, turbulent storm. We have realised that we are on the same boat, all of us fragile and disoriented, but at the same time important and needed, all of us called to row together, each of us in need of comforting the other." 

Yours Sincerely,

Pauline Chrostowski - Principal