Dear Parents and Caregivers of St Pius X,

As we step into 2025, I am excited to introduce myself as the new Principal of St Pius X, Unanderra. It is an honour to join such a vibrant Catholic community dedicated to nurturing the faith, learning and wellbeing of all students.

As we embark on this new year together, I express my commitment to fostering an environment where every student feels valued, supported and inspired to reach their full potential. I believe that education is a collaborative effort, and I am eager to work alongside our dedicated teaching and support staff, and our families, to build on the positive and enriching experiences offered to the students of St Pius X. 

Throughout 2025 St Pius X will continue to focus on:

• Faith development - providing many opportunities for our students to strengthen their relationship with God
• Academic excellence - maintaining a rigorous focus on ongoing student achievement for all students from Kindergarten to Year 6
• Wellbeing - continuing to provide consistent behaviour management support through our PB4L procedures and implementing approaches that promote resilience, empathy and mental health awareness.

I encourage you to stay connected with us through our newsletters, the school website and social media channels as we share important dates, upcoming events and ways to get involved in our school community.

I also take this opportunity to thank the teachers of St Pius X for their dedication and preparation over the student holiday period to ensure that your children have a successful start to the school year. The year has commenced very smoothly and the students are already engaged in rich learning experiences as they settle into their 2025 class. 

I look forward to meeting each of you and getting to know your children as we commence 2025.

In Faith, Learning and Wellbeing,

Lisa Tyson - Principal

Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome back to the 2025 school year! I hope you all had a wonderful, restful break over the summer holidays and that you are as eager to return to school as we are. I would like to take this opportunity, in the first newsletter of the year, to extend a very warm welcome to all our students and their families as we begin the new school year. A special welcome to the families who are new to our school community – we are thrilled to have you join us!

I would also like to introduce some new faces to our staff this year:

• Mrs Tyson, our new Principal, who brings with her a passion for supporting children and a strong commitment to our school’s vision: “With faith as our guide, we nurture hearts and empower minds.” I look forward to working alongside her throughout the year.
• Mrs Burrows, Miss Vezinias and Miss McDougall, our new teachers, who are excited to work with our students and support their growth throughout the year. I know you will all join me in welcoming them to our school.
• Mrs Tibbs, our new pastoral care worker, who is eager to support our students through her extensive knowledge and experience. 

As your Assistant Principal, I’m eager to work alongside you to make this year a positive and successful one. At St Pius X, we believe that a strong partnership between home and school is essential for student success. This year, we will continue to nurture this relationship by working together to support our students, guided by the Catholic Education - Diocese of Wollongong Parent Partnership Framework. This framework emphasises the importance of open communication, shared responsibility, and active engagement between families and the school to ensure the best outcomes for our students.

I look forward to working closely with you all to make 2025 a year full of growth, learning, and meaningful experiences for every student.

Kind regards,

Christine Nunes

Assistant Principal

Safer Internet Day 2025: Promoting Online Safety

This year, we will be celebrating Safer Internet Day 2025 on Tuesday, 11 February. Throughout the week, students at St Pius X will revisit ways to stay safe online and engage in activities that emphasise the importance of protecting themselves in the digital world, whilst learning how to navigate the internet safely.

The theme for this year is "Too Good to Be True? Protecting Yourself and Others from Scams Online." During these lessons, teachers will guide students in understanding the responsible use of technology and set clear expectations for technology use at St Pius X, in line with our school agreements. Additionally, all students will complete Safer Internet modules provided by the eSafety Commissioner before using iPads for learning in Week 3.

For parents, the eSafety Commissioner offers a range of resources, videos and  free webinars designed to help you protect your child online. These sessions cover important topics such as privacy settings, identifying online risks, and how to have open, supportive conversations about your child’s internet use.

For more details on webinars and resources, visit the eSafety website: esafety.gov.au.

TECHNOLOGY AGREEMENT

The student technology agreement (See below) is a vital aspect of keeping students safe with technology at St Pius. Over the next few weeks we will add aspects of the document so you are aware of what it entails. 

Technology resources are available to all CEDoW students. The effective use of technology relies on the responsible conduct of the users who must adhere to the following agreement, school-based processes and respect the dignity of all involved in line with our Catholic ethos. I acknowledge my use of technology to access the CEDoW network (including CEDoW supplied technology as well as personal technology) can be remotely monitored and logged for auditing, forensic data gathering, planning and fault determination. 

If I am directed to do so by my Principal, I will make the following technology available (including by providing all passwords/passcodes etc. required to ‘unlock’ the device and access to relevant data for auditing purposes):

• CEDoW supplied technology, and
• Personal technology that CEDoW has reasonable grounds to suspect has been used for a school related purpose or activity (including but not limited to joining the school WiFi; accessing school Gmail, using Google Drives, Google Classroom, Seesaw, Social Media etc.; installing any application supplied by CEDoW such as MS Office).

Inappropriate use will result in subsequent actions in line with the school’s behaviour management processes.

FROM THE SCHOOL HANDBOOK

 Attendance

Catholic Education, Diocese of Wollongong, released a new Attendance Policy, implemented as of 31st January 2025. Please carefully read the information below, which has been updated in our 2025 Parent Handbook:

P and F - AGM

The Parents and Friends Annual General Meeting will be held in the STEM Room on WEDNESDAY 19TH FEBRUARY.  All parents/carers are warmly invited to attend.

Message from Fr Duane

Dear Parishioners,

Please find attached this week's bulletin.

Fr Duane Fernandez
Parish Priest
Immaculate Conception and St Therese Parishes