As a Catholic school community, we join with the global Church in mourning the recent passing of our Holy Father, Pope Francis. His leadership was marked by compassion, humility, and a deep commitment to the Gospel, and his legacy will continue to inspire us all.

Following his death, the College of Cardinals gathered in Vatican City on May 7, 2025, to begin the sacred process of electing a new pope. This process is known as the conclave, one of the most solemn and spiritually significant moments in the life of the Church.

The term conclave comes from the Latin cum clave, meaning "with a key." During the conclave, cardinals under the age of 80 from all over the world are sequestered in the Sistine Chapel, where they will pray, reflect, and vote in secret until a new Bishop of Rome is elected. This decision is made not through politics or persuasion, but through a deep sense of prayerful discernment, guided by the Holy Spirit.

A tradition that captures the world’s attention during this time is the signal of smoke from the chapel chimney: black smoke means no pope has been chosen, while white smoke signals the joyful announcement that a new pope has been elected. (At the time of writing this, a new pope had not yet been elected).

Here at St Pius X Catholic Primary School, we will be marking this period with prayer and age-appropriate discussions in our Religious Education classes. Students will be invited to reflect on what it means to be a leader like Christ, and to consider how we are all called to serve others through love, kindness, and faith.

I encourage you to speak with your children at home about this special moment in our Church's life. It’s a time of both reflection and hope as we await the announcement of a new spiritual leader for over a billion Catholics worldwide.

Let us continue to keep the cardinals in our prayers as they enter this time of discernment, and may the Holy Spirit guide the Church into this next chapter.

Lisa Tyson

Principal

Introducing the Berry Street Education Model at St Pius X!

On our recent Pupil Free Day (Monday 28 April), our staff engaged in a full day of professional learning centred around the Berry Street Education Model (BSEM). This is an evidence-based approach designed to support the social-emotional and academic growth of every student.

The Berry Street Education Model provides strategies that help students build resilience, emotional regulation, strong relationships, and a positive sense of self — skills that are essential for successful learning and wellbeing. It is based on the latest research in trauma-informed practice, positive education, and developmental psychology.

By adopting this model, we are making a whole-school commitment to:

• Supporting the wellbeing of all students
• Building strong, respectful relationships between students and staff
• Creating predictable and supportive classroom environments
• Helping students develop self-awareness, persistence, and emotional regulation skills
• Ensuring that all children, no matter their background or needs, are given every opportunity to thrive
  
  

This work is a key focus of our Annual Improvement Plan (AIP) for 2025 and marks the beginning of a two-year strategic implementation process across our school. Throughout this time, we will be embedding the Berry Street strategies into all aspects of teaching, learning, and wellbeing to ensure a lasting and meaningful impact for our students.

In the coming weeks and terms, we will be sharing more information through our newsletter about how the Berry Street Education Model is being implemented in our classrooms. We will also provide practical ideas for how you, as parents and carers, can support us in strengthening these important skills at home.

We are excited about the positive impact this approach will have on our school community and look forward to partnering with you on this important journey.

PARENT INFORMATION FOR Progressive Achievement Tests (PAT)

Over the coming weeks, our students will be participating in the Progressive Achievement Tests (PAT), developed by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER). These assessments are an important part of our school’s approach to tracking student growth and informing teaching and learning.

The PAT assessments focus on two key areas: Reading and Mathematics. They are administered online during school hours in a familiar classroom environment. Each test is designed to be adaptive, meaning that as students answer questions, the test adjusts in difficulty to better suit each child’s individual level.

The purpose of the PAT assessments is not to "pass or fail" students, but rather to give teachers a clear snapshot of where each child is at in their learning journey. The results help us:

• Identify student strengths and areas for growth
• Plan targeted learning programs
• Monitor progress over time
• Ensure that all students are being appropriately challenged and supported
  
  

We value the information these assessments provide as they enable us to tailor our teaching to meet the needs of every learner. If you have any questions about PAT testing or your child’s progress, please feel free to reach out.

Thank you for your ongoing support as we work together to help every student achieve their best.

Christine Nunes

Assistant Principal

Deacon Joseph Ordination

Last Tuesday evening, we had the special opportunity to celebrate the ordination of Deacon Joseph. Formerly our parish seminarian, Deacon Joseph will now take on a greater role in the Mass, supporting Father Duane with homilies and other parts of the liturgy.

He has already visited our school on several occasions and has shown a genuine enthusiasm for connecting with our students and becoming part of our community.

We look forward to welcoming Deacon Joseph at school events and Masses in the time ahead.

May is the Month of Mary

In the Catholic Church, May is a special month dedicated to Mary, the mother of Jesus. We remember how Mary said “yes” to God with love and trust, and we honour her for being a faithful follower of God.

To celebrate this special month, classes at our school will be participating in decades of the Rosary each Friday. The Rosary is a prayer that helps us reflect on the life of Jesus and Mary, and it brings us closer to God.

We invite families to join us in honouring Mary at home through prayer and acts of kindness.

Project Compassion

Congratultions!!! as a community we raised over $900 for Caritas - Project Compassion. We have united against poverty this Lent and raised funds that will bring clean drinking water and great hygiene to communities around the world.

Thank you for your kind donations. 

Upcoming Religious Events:

Week 2

Thursday 8th May - Deacon Joseph visiting SPX

Week 3

As part of the Year of Jubilee, classes will take part in special Jubilee celebrations this week. Each student will receive a Pilgrim Passport to mark the occasion and use to visit our Diocesan Pligrim sites

Week 4

Thursday 22nd May Immaculate Conception Church 9.30am - Stage 3 Mass

Saturday 24th May - Feast Day - Our Lady Help of Christians

Parable of the Lost Sheep: A book reading by Bishop Brian Mascord

The Council of Catholic Schools Parents (CCSP) warmly invites all families to join Bishop Brian Mascord in a very special online reading of the classic Bible story ‘The Parable of the Lost Sheep’.

This unique online event, organised as part of the Jubilee Year of Hope, will take place on Tuesday 27 May from 7.00 pm to 7.30 pm. The first 100 registrations for the reading will be posted a free copy of the book to read along with Bishop Brian!

 A flyer promoting the event is linked here.

ANZAC DAY

Term 2 commenced with a whole school liturgy to commemorate ANZAC Day.

We thank Rod Nairn for speaking with the students about the importance of ANZAC Day and the ongoing work undertaken around the world by the members of the Australian Defence Forces. 

On Friday 2nd May, our School Captains and Vice Captains accompanied Mrs Tyson to the ANZAC Combined Schools Assembly to lay a wreath at the McCabe Park Cenotaph.

WAKAKIRRI UPDATE

The staff, students and parents have been working hard over the past term with our SPX Wakakirri performance, ‘Every Crack Makes You Stronger,’ and it is looking FANTASTIC! We have 105 performers and 15 backstage crew working together to bring this story to life through dance and drama!

Humpty Dumpty sat on the wall,
A proud egg with dreams so tall.
He loved the view, the sky so blue,
But what happened next, no one knew.

Humpty, don't give up, you’re not done!
Your journey’s just begun!
Look at your cracks — they make you unique,
It’s not the end, but a chance to seek.

The journey of healing was not so quick,

It took time, patience, and a little bit of grit.

Will Humpty Dumpty find his inner strength and face his fear of heights? Will a little help from his Nursery Rhyme friends (5 monkeys who jump on the bed, Incy Wincy Spider, Hickory Dickory Dock and more) be the encouragement he needs? 

Come and watch the SPX Waka Team at Wollongong Entertainment Centre, Friday 15th August (night performance) to find out! Stay tuned for ticket information in the coming weeks.

All welcome to support our students.

  2025 NAIDOC Celebrations - Save the date

We are excited to invite all families to our NAIDOC Week 2025 celebration on Wednesday, 3rd July at 11:40am. This special event will include an official Welcome, Smoking Ceremony and Blessing of our new Yarning Circle, followed by Indigenous games and craft activities, supported by the Berry Sports and Recreation team. The entire school will participate in these meaningful activities, fostering connection and cultural understanding.

The celebration will conclude with an afternoon tea and yarn for our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families. We warmly encourage all parents and carers to attend and join us in this important occasion.

Mark your calendars – we look forward to celebrating together!

Illawarra Regional da Vinci Decathlon Day

On Wednesday, April 30th, 16 of our students proudly represented SPX at the Regional da Vinci Decathlon Day. This exciting interschool event, inspired by the spirit of an Olympic Decathlon, focused on the theme of Sustainability. Our students showcased remarkable resilience and perseverance as they competed across ten challenging academic disciplines.

Our two teams demonstrated their skills in Mathematics, English, Science, Code Breaking, Engineering, Ideation, Creative Producers, Art and Poetry, Cartography, and Legacy. 

We are incredibly proud of the following students for their dedication and achievements: Ezekiel B, Sophie C, Claudia D, Logan D, Tom F, Dylan L, Catherine O, Zoe S, Julien C, Cody F, Olivia H, Levi L, Sonny L, Scarlett P, Chloe R, and Tommy R.

Their participation in the da Vinci Decathlon highlights their academic abilities and commitment to teamwork, supporting each other, and using creative thinking to solve complex problems. Their resilience and perseverance throughout the competition were truly inspiring. We are genuinely proud of these students and would like to congratulate them all for representing our school in such a commendable manner.

Update from the eSafety Commissioner

For any parent who has watched the Netflix drama Adolescence and was left highly disturbed by the harmful impact that social media is having on young men and boys, you are not alone. 

It’s hard to think of a show that has captured the world’s attention so fully and shone a much-needed light on the dangerous impact of misogynistic content, algorithms and influencers on the minds of young men and boys.  

Shockingly, despite our best efforts as parents to raise great kids, it is not a fair fight when tech companies and algorithms can influence our teenagers within seconds.  

As Australia’s national online safety educator, nothing is more important to us than ensuring young people are safe to create, connect and explore the wonders of technology and the internet.

It’s what motivates us in every aspect of our work, whether we’re connecting with educators, parents and young people to develop digital literacy and resilience resources, encouraging the tech industry to take a Safety by Design approach by putting safety at the forefront of the design, or developing guidance to prevent under 16-year-olds from having accounts on certain social media services.

eSafety Resources

eSafety resources to help you and your community navigate the risks facing young people online:

• Register for our free 45-minute parent webinar, exploring the online experiences of boys and young men, to understand the impact of social media, gaming, and influencers on attitudes, behaviours and sense of identity
   
• Listen to ABC Fran Kelly and eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant unpack the themes of Adolescence, including toxic masculinity and the online manosphere
   
• Listen to ABC Big Ideas! to hear eSafety Commissioner, Julie Inman Grant and other experts in their fields discuss how parents can better support young people to navigate the risks and threats online
   
• Read our blog about how eSafety is shining a light on the dark forces manipulating our teenagers
   
• Read eSafety's young men online research series which explores young men's experiences and how they can be supported to develop healthy and positive masculinities
   
• For the young person in your life: explore our resources for young people. 

Do you have access to the SPX Parent Calendar? If not, follow these instructions:

To subscribe to this calendar use this link, it will require you to sign into a Google Account:

GOOGLE ACCOUNT

To see this calendar online, without signing in:

CALENDAR ONLINE

To add this calendar to an iPhone or Calendar App:

iPHONE OR CALENDAR APP

LOWES SALES

This term, we have the following sports events coming up:

• Diocesan Cross Country Championships 2025 – Week 5, Tuesday 27 May

• SPX Athletics Carnival – Week 7, Tuesday 10 June

• South Coast Netball Gala Day – Week 9, Tuesday 24 June (Please note: this event is only for girls in Years 3–6 and boys in Years 5 & 6.)

What a start to term 2!!!