St Pius X Feast Day 

On Monday 21st August we celebrated the feast day of our Patron Saint, St Pius X with a range of classroom activities to educate our children on our school’s namesake. 

St Pius X, or Giuseppe Sarto, was born in 1835 at Riese, Northern Italy, the second eldest of ten children. He was brought up in a poor family but was able to lift himself from his modest beginnings through his sharp mind and academic brilliance. 

Ordained to the priesthood in 1858, Fr Sarto quickly became known for his charity and education, especially of the poor. His work was recognised by the church when he was made a bishop in 1879 and a cardinal in 1893. Cardinal Sarto was elected Pope in 1903 and extended until 1914. He is often called the Pope of the Eucharist because he made Holy Communion available to younger people “at the age of reason”. 

The story of St Pius X is one of triumph in adversity through hard work and study and he is held up as an example for all the students, staff and families to this day. Our Vision Statement speaks of how we are authentic to our traditions and the anchor from the crest of St Pius X featured predominantly on our new adventure playground and reminds us that although the seas may be stormy at times, faith in God will help us. 

Principal Appraisal 

Last Friday I took part in my five year Principal Appraisal process. The purpose of this is for the community to give feedback on my leadership of St Pius X. I was overwhelmed by the support of the community and in particular the recognition of a strong parish / school link, community engagement and an ongoing commitment to excellence in teaching and learning. 

Thank you for all those that took time to complete the survey and who were part of the day. I am humbled by your thoughts on my leadership and look forward to future leadership growth. 

Book Week 

Tomorrow we celebrate our Annual Book Week Parade. Thank you in advance for taking the time to present the children so well in their outfits. In the words of Dr Seuss,

“The more that you read, the more that you know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go”.

Reading is certainly a gift that we value at St Pius X and research shows that reading  increases comprehension skills, strengthens your brain, helps you widen your vocabulary. What great skills for our children to develop early and sustain throughout their life. I encourage you to pop into our new library and interactive space and have alook at our wonderful amphitheatre type furniture and flexible seating. STEM 2024 lessons and library classes will operate out of this space, along with timetabled options for grades to utilsie the space. 

Yours Sincerely,