Dear Parents and Carers,

This week we have had the great privilege of celebrating Catholic Schools Week 2021. Catholic Schools Week (CSW) is an annual celebration of Catholic Education. This year, St Pius X Unanderra joins with other schools in the Diocese to celebrate 200 years of Catholic Education in Australia. What a wonderful time to reflect on the story of St Pius X. In the early years, the Sisters of the Good Samaritan and the Sisters of St Joseph built a very strong foundation of community spirit and this strong partnership with the community continues today.

At St Pius X Unanderra we  pride ourselves on being a vibrant and contemporary Catholic Primary School. We embrace diversity and the individual gifts of each child.  Our classroom environments are inclusive, supportive and challenge students to reach their full potential.  

I am very proud of our beautiful school here at Unanderra. We have a wonderful group of students that always manage to make me smile. I thank our supportive parent body, led by the capable P&F executive  who work in partnership with me to ensure the best interests of the children are met. I would also like to acknowledge our professional and dedicated staff who work tirelessly to deliver outstanding academic opportunities and instil faith values in our children.

Last, but certainly not least! I thank Father Duane and Sr Kerry who have worked closely with the leadership team to strengthen school and Parish relationships. We are grateful for their regular visits and guidance as we look to the future of Catholic schooling with great hope and anticipation. 

The student leadership team of 2021, led by our School Captains; Ethan and Scarlett and Vice Captains; Harrison and Sophie  look forward to supporting the student body and collaborating with the wider community.

“ Educating is not a profession but an attitude, a way of being; in order to educate it is necessary to step out of ourselves and be among young people, to accompany them in the stages of their growth and to set ourselves beside them”. Pope Francis

Yours in faith and learning,

Pauline Chrostowski - Principal 

2021 Enrolments

We are now taking enrolments for 2022, please phone the office for further information. School Tours may be booked via our website or office.

Please spread the word about our wonderful school! 

Staff News

Mrs Tighe

This week we said farewell to Ms Chloe Tighe. Chloe is preparing for the upcoming birth of her beautiful baby and we wish her and her husband Mitch all the very best as they embark on the exciting journey of parenthood. 

Farewell Carmelita

We also farewelled Mrs  Carmelita Outeiro.

Carmelita has worked as a Cleaner at our school for 7 years and her bright smile and wonderful work ethic will be missed.

Get to know Miss Shalala

Diocesan Swimming Trials 

NAPLAN Online 2021 

The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is a point in time assessment of literacy and numeracy skills that are essential for every child to progress through school and life. Students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 participate in the annual NAPLAN tests in writing, reading, conventions of language (spelling, grammar and punctuation) and numeracy.

Our school will be participating in NAPLAN Online between 11 and 21 May 2021.

In preparation for NAPLAN Online, our school will also be participating in practice tests between 22 March and 1 April. The practice test is a trial-run and key preparation activity for NAPLAN Online in May. It is not an assessment of student ability a

nd the tests will not be marked.

Excessive preparation for NAPLAN Online is not recommended. Students can use the public demonstration site (https://www.nap.edu.au/online-assessment/public-demonstration-site) to familiarize themselves with the types of questions and tools available in the NAPLAN Online tests.

If you have any questions about NAPLAN Online, please contact your child’s teacher or Mr Bill Whittle (NAPLAN Coordinator)

Staff Professional Development

“Those who dare to teach, must never cease to learn” John Cotton Dana

9/3 English Additional Language Dialect Training

Mrs Kylie Hertsch

Ms Renee Maquire

Mrs Carolyn Malone

10/3 Principal’s Business Meeting

Mrs Pauline Chrostowski (Welcome Ms Gayle McMahon Acting Principal)

11/3 Diverse Learning Network Meeting

Mrs Clare Suartama

12/3 Positive Behaviours for Learning Training

Mr Simon Farrugia 

Mrs Jeanette Starcic

15/3 Principal and Instructional Coach Meeting- Improving learning outcomes for all

Ms Louise Sartor 

Mrs Pauline Chrostowski (Welcome Ms Gayle McMahon Acting Principal)

Kindergarten 2021

Our Kindergarten children have settled beautifully and we are certainly enjoying getting to know their unique personality traits and interests. This week the Leadership Team have the great privilege in contacting each family to talk about their experiences at St Pius X so far. The feedback so far has been overwhelmingly positive, with the sense of welcome and community continually coming thorough. Parents were also surprised at how much learning had taken place; Kindergarten are certainly “Little Sponges” soaking up the life of school. 

2021 Pupil Free Days (Children are not required to attend school on these days)

Friday 25^th June (Last Day of Term Two)- Staff Spirituality Day

Tuesday 5^th October (First Day of Term Four)- Curriculum Day

Clean Up Australia Day (School Clean Up Day)

This year, Clean Up Australia Day is on Saturday 7th March. To help play our part in keeping Australia beautiful by caring for our common home, SPX staff and students will participate in a Schools Clean Up, on Friday 5th March. This is a great way to inspire our students to learn about the impact of rubbish on our local environment while playing an active role in our community.

This event will take place after recess within the school grounds. Each grade will be allocated an area of the school, to help clean up.

Students will need their school hats and a pair of gloves for this event and will be under the close supervision of class teachers and school staff.

This event is a great conversation starter at home and if you would like to play a part as a family, find a local clean up spot in your local area to clean up in support on Saturday. 

Premier's Reading Challenge

Exciting news !

The NSW Premiers Reading Challenge has opened on the 1st March 2021.

Reading logs must be submitted by 13th August 2021.

K-2 Challenge you can read a book on your own,read with someone else,or someone can read to you.

Reading lists and rules are online. Please fill in the reading log and it will be processed for you.

Books that you have read after the last challenge count towards the 2021 challenge.

Please see Mrs Poder in the library for any help.

Corpus Christi

St Joseph's

ICLT (Information Communication Learning Technologies

As Catholic educators our primary goal is to educate the students in our care and to ensure they are kept safe and protected, while engaging new technologies within contemporary learning environments.

ICLT is an ever-changing area of society in the 21^st Century. Due to this fast-paced nature, we feel that it is helpful to share some reminders with our parents to strengthen the support we have and need from each other.

At St Pius X we aim to develop responsible and ethical digital citizens who are proficient in their use of technology. The staff at St Pius X endeavour to:

• integrate technology authentically across all key learning areas
• instil in our students a strong understanding of information technologies and knowledge with a focus on digital citizenship
• facilitate collaborative learning experiences between teachers and students through electronic based education projects
• involve and inform parents utilising the school website, electronic newsletters and Compass.
• embed opportunities and experiences for students to engage and learn with iPads. create an e-learning culture based on the understanding that technologies will play a key role in their futures.

Please remember, if you need to make contact with your child during school hours this needs to occur through the school office. Using iPads or other devices  to make contact within these hours is a distraction to our students and teachers and can often cause anxiety.

 Responsibilities:

Students accept responsibility for the implementation of the St Pius X 1:1 Program by meeting the following requirements:

Battery Charging

iPads are to be charged at home each and every night.

Applications (Apps)

Applications for students to download will be emailed to students. Additional applications will be required in the future and students will be informed when to install them.

Students may install their own applications on their devices with parental permission.

Acceptable Use

Students must be aware of and abide by the Learning Technologies User Rights and Responsibilities Agreement. Any breach of this is considered serious and disciplinary action will be taken.

Students need to be aware that material accessed at school must be appropriate for a learning environment. In a primary school this means that all material must be rated ‘G’ (General Classification) unless the teacher requires it and permission is given by parents.

Transporting the iPad

School and student owned iPads must remain in their cases at all times. No responsibility will be taken for iPads that are not kept in their cases and in designated places in the classrooms.

iPads are not to be used or taken out of bags when students are travelling on the bus home.

This is for the protection of the iPad and for Child Protection reasons.

Other Important Notes

For those students in “bring their own device” classrooms, iPads are to be brought to school every day. Teachers will inform students on any days that the iPad will not be required such as swimming carnivals and other special event days.

Catholic Schools Week Celebrations

Stage 3 Mass with Fr Duane

What we love about St Pius X Catholic Primary School

Mufti Day/Hot Dog Day

Today we raised $887 to go towards our school wide Project Compassion Lenten appeal total. What an AMAZING ACHIEVEMENT! A big thank you to each and every student who ordered a hot dog today. Also a MASSIVE thank you goes out again to Mrs Danielle Chapman and her wonderful helpers who made today the success that it was. Lets keep up the great work toward making a difference in the lives of those less fortunate than ourselves.

2021 Sacraments – Reconciliation, Holy Communion and Confirmation

ELIGIBILITY

First Reconciliation: Children must be in Year 3 or above, and must have been baptised in a Catholic Church. We will require a copy of your child’s Baptismal Certificate.

First Holy Communion: Children must be in Year 3 or above, must have been baptised in a Catholic Church, and must have received the Sacrament of Reconciliation. We will require a copy of your child’s Baptismal Certificate. If your child is in Year 4-6 or in High School, and/or if they missed out on the preparation program for Reconciliation, please let us know.

Confirmation: Children must be in Year 6 or above, must have been baptised in a Catholic Church, and must have received the Sacraments of Reconciliation and Holy Communion. We will require a copy of your child’s Baptismal Certificate.

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. 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 listed below. Please register using the try-booking link from Monday 22nd February. Bookings close Friday 5th March.

There is a small fee of $10 for Confirmation and $10 for First Holy Communion to cover the costs associated with each Sacrament. This is to be handed in with the completed registration forms on the information night.

Sr Kerry Gardiner – Parish Associate Immaculate Conception Parish

The Universal Church celebrates the Feast of St Joseph on the

19th March. It is easy for us to think piously about St Joseph. May I

suggest you listen to this song by Michael Card and think about the

questions St Joseph was faced with. No doubt he was confused and

concerned. Fr Paul Gurr refers to the connection between Jesus and

Joseph by saying, “throughout his life he was fathered by a man called

 Joseph.” I find that gentle and tender.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KT4VDAIaMwU

St Joseph’s Feast Day Celebrations at St Pius X

Students of St Pius X will be celebrating St Joseph’s feast

 day on Friday the 19^th March with a day full of liturgy,

activities and a special MUFTI DAY option.

Students are encouraged to come to school on this special day dressed as ESSENTIAL WORKERS.

Pope Francis launched the Year of St Joseph and wrote that he desired to share his reflection which were increased during the months of the pandemic, when “we experienced, amid the crisis, how our lives are woven together and sustained by ordinary people, people often overlooked. People who do not appear in newspaper and magazine headlines, or on the latest television show, yet in these very days are surely shaping the decisive events of our history. Doctors, nurses, storekeepers and supermarket workers, cleaning personnel, caregivers, transport workers, men and women working to provide essential services and public safety, volunteers, priests, men and women religious, and so very many others.“

More details around this significant celebration will be forthcoming.

Mini Vinnies Update

It is with GREAT pleasure that we are able to share some wonderful news about our new MINI VINNIES team. There has been an OVERWHELMING response by our senior students and Mrs Sullivan has been inundated with students wishing to join the team. We had over 30 students sign up to be a part of this very significant social justice initiative – a big thank you to those students who are giving up part of their lunch time to make a difference to those less fortunate.

Mini Vinnies will be updating the school community with the Project Compassion tally as the term continues. For week 5 and 6 we are pleased to announce 6R as the classroom leaders with a total of $60.25!

Canteen is OPEN EVERYDAY Week 7 and 8

Dear friends,

Thank you to those who volunteered as monitors last weekend. We can always use more volunteers, simply reply to this email if you're interested and we will give you more information. 

Please find attached:

The Parish Bulletin for this Sunday (with thanks to Melissa Bridges)

May God bless you, keep you safe, and give you peace. 

Fr Duane Fernandez
Parish Priest
Immaculate Conception and St Therese Parishes
0414 626 357