Dear Parents and Carers, 

A very warm welcome back to the 2021 school year. My hope is that all of our families have had a well-earned rest and quality time together over the school holiday period. It certainly was a unique time as the restrictions led to many families having their Christmas and New Year plans changed. The children however, returned back on the first day well presented in their unforms and eager to reconnect with their friends and share their holiday stories. As always, their resilience in these uncertain times is commendable.

Our key priority at St Pius X Unanderra is to ensure that every child is given the opportunity to develop in their faith and reach their full academic potential. This involves rigorous strategic planning to continue to bring about improved outcomes. Our Diocesan mantra is “Lighting the way through Faith and learning”, simply put, our students deserve the best and with this in mind our 2021 key priorities include:

• Re-igniting our Vision and Mission to reflect our contemporary Catholic School community
• A targeted focus on our core subjects of Religious Education. English and Mathematics
• An update of our facilities including the installation of an Adventure Playground, external and internal painting of the Mackillop Centre, repair of the ceiling in the hall and replacement of the windows in the administration block
• A focus on student data and reporting / marketing to parents and the wider community.

The staff are excited about the year ahead at St Pius X Unanderra. We pride ourselves on being a welcoming Catholic school community and we embrace the challenge of supporting the young people that you entrust into our care each day. 

As our students entered the gates of St Pius for their first day of school for 2021 we were certainly mindful of the below excerpt from Lighting the Way- Diocese of Wollongong - Catholic Education-

 “From the first moment that a student sets foot in a Catholic School, he or she ought to have the impression of entering a new environment, one illuminated by the light of faith, and having its own unique characteristics, prime responsibility for creating this unique Christian school climate rests with the teachers, as individuals and as a community". 

Yours in Faith and Learning

Pauline Chrostowski - Principal

Kindergarten Enrolment Forms for 2022

2021 Kindergarten Enrolment Forms are now available from the school office.

You may also access the forms from our school website.

COVID Update

At St Pius X we continue to maintain a COVID-safe environment, with a range of health and safety measures remaining in place, including increased daily cleaning, additional hygiene measures, physical distancing requirements, and strict infection control procedures. It is important that we continue to work together and remain vigilant in our response to this virus. Your ongoing support has been very much appreciated. The safety of our community remains a key priority.

An important reminder that when the reason for your child’s absence is illness with flu-like symptoms (as outlined by NSW Health) students and staff are required to be free of symptoms AND present a negative COVID-19 test, which must be sighted by the school, before returning to school.  In circumstances where students have other medical reasons for recurrent symptoms, a letter from the GP is sufficient to negate the requirement for a negative test.

The complete list of directives in place at all Catholic Education Diocese of Wollongong schools is available at www.dow.catholic.edu.au/covid-19.

Student Absence

Regular attendance at school is essential if our students are to maximise their potential. St Pius X in partnership with our parents, is responsible for promoting the regular attendance of our students. While parents are legally responsible for the regular attendance of their children, our school staff as part of our duty of care, monitor part or whole day absences.

Could we kindly ask that if your child is unwell that you enter the absence in Compass or alternatively email the office on info@spxudow.catholic.edu.au or phone 4271 3550 and we will enter the absence for you.  

Kindergarten 2021.

Today we welcomed our 2021 Kindergarten students for their first official day of Kindergarten. We look forward to getting to know our new students and families. 

Communication

If you have a concern or would like to raise any issue regarding your child’s learning and wellbeing, our staff welcome the opportunity to speak with you about your child. We ask that you contact your child’s classroom teacher in the first instance.

The best way to do this is by:

• contacting the teacher via email to arrange a time to talk. You can email info@spxudow.catholic.edu.au or the teacher directly (emails are available  on the website). We ask that  emails are sent between 8am and 5 pm and they will generally be responded to within 24 hours. Alternatively phone the school office and ask that your child's teacher return your call.
• In the second instance, if you still have concerns or need clarification please contact your Stage Leader:

• Early Stage One / Stage One (K-2): Ms Louise Sartor
• Stage Two (Years 3-4) : Mrs Clare Suartama
• Year 5: Mr Bill Whittle
• Year 6: Mr Simon Farrugia

If the matter is urgent please contact the school office on (02) 4271 3550 and Mrs Chrostowski (Principal) will speak with you.

Year of St Joseph

Pope Francis has proclaimed a Year of St Joseph (8 December 2020 – 8 December 2021) in honour of the 150th anniversary of Saint Joseph being named as patron of the Universal Church. Our own Sr Kerry is a Josephite sister and we are so thankful for the support she and Father Duane bring to our community. We are looking forward to welcoming Sr Kerry and Father Duane on site to engage with the students throughout the term.  

Uniform

At St Pius X students are encouraged to present themselves well and wear their  uniform with pride. Our students' hair, uniform and appearance should be in such condition so as to invite only positive comment.

All items of clothing are available from Lowes, Westfield Figtree or second-hand items can be purchased for a cost of $5 each via the school office. A few reminders as children transition back into school from the holiday period:

Hair

• Students are required to wear their hair in a neat and tidy manner
• Long hair below collar length is to be tied back.
• Extreme haircuts and coloured hair are not permitted. The emphasis is on evenly cut hair. 
• No coloured hair decorations – girls may wear headbands, ribbons, scrunchies in royal blue or red and uniform material only. 

Book Covering

Parents please be aware that students are bringing home their books to be covered, can we ensure this is done in a timely manner and returned to school so as not to disrupt learning. 

2020 St Pius X Primary Swimming Carnival

The SPX swimming trial will be held next Thursday 11th February at Western Suburbs pool. All students who are participating in the trials are to come to school with their swimmers and PE uniform on and will walk to the pool at 9am.

Remember to bring a towel, sunscreen, goggles, lunch, recess and plenty of water to school on the day. PE uniform, joggers and hat to be worn to and from the pool.

Good luck to all our swimmers!

SPX Sports Committee 

Community News

PB4L (Positive Behaviours for Learning)

The beginning of any school year is both an exciting and an anxious time for our children. Getting to know their classroom teacher, new classmates and daily routines. As educators, we spend some time with your children unpacking expectations at a school level, stage level, grade level and as an individual.

Each class reviews the playground expectations for the spaces they use during breaks and also looks closely at our classroom guidelines. Our emphasis is placed on the positive behaviours while redirecting undesirable behaviours. We understand, that like us as adults, children will have moments where they make wrong choices. We stay true to our Catholic belief that every child is created in the image and likeness of God, that we see the face of Jesus in all of our students. This means that we will always promote forgiveness and understanding in these situations and keep the dignity of all children involved when dealing with consequences for actions.

We ask that you, as your child’s first and most important educators, discuss the positive aspects of school and I’m sure that your child(ren) will also be able to describe their classroom and playground behavioural expectations.

We look forward to working in partnership with you during 2021 to ensure a safe and happy environment for all of our students, teachers and families.

Road Safety

Thank you to all of our families who continue to keep the safety of all children and adults in mind when driving or parking near St Pius X. We appreciate that in the busyness of your day and the amount of traffic at school times that drop off and pick-up times can become stressful.

You may have noticed some new banners that were placed on our fences to help clarify some of the road safety issues. This signage moves from school to school, on loan from the council and RMS, to help communities keep our students safe and we have been lucky enough to be one of the first schools for 2021.

Here are a few reminders that may help alleviate some stress at these times.

• The “No Parking” space near the office gate is for drop off in the mornings and cars need to stop within these signs. You may stop for no more than 2 minutes and must remain within 3 meters of your car. The “Bus Zone” is not part of this area.
• The carpark across from Wests is owned by the club. They have graciously allowed us to use this as a parent carpark over the years. Please be mindful not to park another car in when using this space. If the carpark is full, there is plenty of roadside parking in our surrounding streets to utilise.
• NSW Road Rules indicate that, where there is a driveway available, you are not permitted to drive off any guttering to enter a public road. This practice is very unsafe for our children and families who are trying to cross the road safely and has caused a lot of anxiety in the community.

Thank you for your understanding, patience and help with these matters. 

Religious Education News

2021 SACRAMENT INFORMATION

Sacramental preparation throughout 2021 will continue to take a similar approach as was taken last year. Further details will be provided shortly to students within Years 3 and 6, however please see dates and key information below for your diary. 

INFORMATION NIGHT (1 hour duration)

Parents are required to attend an information night (any of the dates below) that involves faith formation and practical information about the Sacraments. This information night is for all 3 Sacraments, and it is essential for one parent/guardian to attend if you wish for your child to participate in the Sacramental program this year. You will be required to register in order to attend; further information about this will be available soon. Due to COVID 19 restrictions we are asking that ONLY 1 parent attends and no children are present for the information night.

The dates for the Information Nights are:

• Immaculate Conception Unanderra: Wednesday 10 ^th March 7 - 8pm,  in the Church
• St Therese West Wollongong: Tuesday 9 ^th March 7 - 8pm,                    in the Church, or Thursday 11^th March 7 - 8pm, in the Church 

SHROVE TUESDAY

On Tuesday 16th February, St Pius X will be having a ‘Pancake Day’ to celebrate the day before Lent commences. Students will be able to purchase 1 large pancake for $2. The funds raised from this day will go towards our school wide fundraising for Project Compassion during the season of Lent. If you would like for your child to have a pancake on this day please complete the note that was sent home last week (blue paper) and return to school with money before Thursday 11th February. 

Important Dates

Reconciliation: Term 2

                          Immaculate Conception Church

                         19th May 5.30 - 7.30pm

Confirmation: Term 3

                        Awaiting confirmation from The Bishop's Office 

First Communion: Term 4

                               Between 6th November and 5th December

Canteen information 

We look forward to our canteen being fully operational, 5 days a week from next Monday 8th February. 

PLEASE NOTE: THE CANTEEN WILL BE CLOSED ON THE LAST WEEK OF EACH MONTH for the forseeable future. If we are fortunate enough to get more volunteers we will endeavour to open the canteen everyday.

We thank Danielle Chapman (Canteen Co-ordinator) and Greenacres Disability Services for their support of our canteen.

Canteen Menu