St Pius X Catholic Parish Primary School Unanderra eNewsletter

Dear Parents and Carers,

Last Monday I had the privilege of attending the Co-Cathedral at Fairy Meadow for a Mass celebrating the Bicentenary of Catholic Education in Australia. It was wonderful to reflect on the unique history of Catholic schooling and the fact that over two hundred years ago the first official Catholic school opened in Australia. Our School Captains, Ethan and Scarlett represented the students of St Pius X at this Mass, which Bishop Brian Mascord presided over. Our own community also celebrated on this day with a Whole School Mass in the Hall. I thank Father Duane and Sr Kerry for leading us in this meaningful celebration.

As I reflect on this Bicentenary Week, I cannot help but to be proud of all that has been achieved at St Pius X Unanderra. I witness wonderful things happening daily that enrich the life experiences and opportunities of our students and am thankful to lead such a committed community.

At St Pius X we are always open to improvement, our students deserve the best that we can give them and that requires rigorous strategic planning and reflection. As a school I am very mindful of our faith and learning responsibilities and our commitment to continuing to be a school of excellence. In Term Three I look forward to a panel led by the Catholic Education Office, reviewing our directions and achievements over the past 5 years. Further details on this consultative process will follow as the date draws closer.

I will leave you with a quote that I reflect on often, in particular during our time of new enrolments for 2022:

“From the 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”.

The Religious Dimension of Catholic Education in a Catholic School, n25-26

Yours Sincerely,

Pauline Chrostowski - Principal

The following students will receive awards for Week 5 and Week 6

Merit Awards

Week 5

Week 6

KB: Evelina D, Grayson L

KR: Scarlette D, Jack S

1B: Scarlett P, Cael C

1R: Angelica S, Cristian A

2B: Aaliyah H, Harry T

2R: Eli B, Catherine O

3B: Natalie C, Joshua S, Liam M

4B: Diego G, Tiffany T

4R: William S, Jack T

5B: Noah V, Ruby H

5R: Jake H, Zane K

6B: Jack T, Liana D

6R: Ava H, Skye A

KB: Claire N, Isaiah R

KR: Aiden L, Sophia Q

1B: Zia P, Scarlett M

1R: Tristan G, Zane H

2B: Sophie C, Max M

2R: Marlee B, Isaiah S

3B: Rome G, Charlotte M, Emmanuel G

4B: Mason M, Victoria N

4R: Matteo N, Khushi M

5B: Jayden H, Kieran P

5R: Egan M, Molly H

6B: Ari K, Ella G

6R: Ethan J, Sophia C

When you have 5 Merit Awards, you qualify for a PRINCIPAL AWARD

Principal's Award

Scarlett P - 1B

Jonas C - 1B

Jakob P - 2B

Zac M - 2B

Zachary E - 2B

Oliver B - 2R

Joshua S - 3B

Rome G - 3B

Liam M - 3B

Patrick R - 3B

Max W - 4B

Ryan Y - 4R

Charlotte D - 5B

Gabriella M - 5B

Eva B - 5B

Zaylen H - 5B

Olivia S - 5R

Xavier F - 6B

Rose G - 6R x 2

When you have 3 Principal's Awards, you will qualify for a Mackillop Award

Mackillop Award

Katelyn H - 5R

When you have 2 Mackillop Awards, You qualify for a School Medallion

School Medallion

Students that have qualified for a Medallion will be presented with them later in the year by Mrs Chrostowski.

Congratulations to all of these students.

EXCITING NEWS

Please be advised that every FORTNIGHT after the Newsletter has been published and you can see that your child is getting a PRINCIPAL or MACKILLOP AWARD you are cordially invited to come to the FRIDAY AFTERNOON ASSEMBLY, commencing at 2.15pm, to see your child be presented with their award.

Friday 25^th June (Staff Spirituality Day, with a focus on our Vision and Mission)

Uniform Updates

Thank you for presenting your children so well in their Winter Uniform. Please ensure ties are worn. (There is plenty of stock at our uniform shop) .

NAPLAN

I would like to congratulate all students from Year Three and Year Five for their successful completion of NAPLAN. Every student attempted all tests and feedback from teachers has been that they tried their best. Test sessions ran smoothly and students were calm and composed. Results will be shared with parents later in the year, generally around August-September. Thank you for having students prepared and ready.

Mr Whittle

NAPLAN Coordinator

ACE Awards

ACE Awards are coming to St Pius X!

We are excited to announce that starting this year St Pius X will be presenting a brand-new award.

The ‘ACE’ award stands for Academic, Citizenship and/or Endeavour and has been designed to acknowledge those students who always try their best and go out of their way to be kind to others.

Teachers will select just two students each Semester from their class to receive this award.

This award will not be a part of the current school award system and stand alone.

This award will be handed out at an assembly towards the end of Terms two and four each year.

The first of these assemblies will occur at 2.30pm Thursday 24^th June, parents of award winners will be notified prior to the event.

ACE_AWARD.pdf

ACE_AWARD _pdf 80.48 KB

Sport News

Congratulations to Harper M for competing in the Mackillip team at the NSWPSSA hockey championships last week. Harper played fantastic and her team placed 6th overall.

Athletics Carnival

The SPX athletics carnival will be held on Thursday 17th June. Please see the Compass event for details and respond online. Your child will bring home an event nomination form. Please return this to their class teacher ASAP.

Compulsory_School_Attendance_May_2021.pdf

Compulsory_School_Attendance_May_2021 _pdf 75.06 KB

Tween and teen girls' friendships can be complex, intense and filled with unpredictable ups and downs. Even though we might wish they could “just get on with it”, most girls need adults to help them problem solve daily challenges. In this webinar Michelle Mitchell and Linda Stade will address the most common of all girl challenges – relational aggression, and how it surfaces in the playground. They will discuss frenemies, exclusion, gossip, the silent treatment, belittling and conditional friendship. Together they hope to help you dial down the drama and replace it with a framework of empowerment.

REGISTER HERE

This presentation will provide you with the following how-to information:

How to identify relational aggression - what it looks and feels like for our tween and teen girls, and the way it surfaces in the playground.
How to bring down the emotion and encourage girls to solve friendship problems by offering a framework of empowerment.
How to navigate the ups and downs of friendships with your daughter, without taking over.
How to approach schools with troublesome friendship issues.
How to help girls navigate cliques and the pecking order.
How to support girls as they transition between friendships or friendship groups.
How to model and explain the role of forgiveness and empathy in relationships.
How to help girls deliberately dial down the drama and reduce conflict in relationships.

REGISTER HERE

Who is this webinar for?

This one-hour presentation will be directed to parents of girls 8 - 16 years old.

Good news: You are welcome to watch it with your tween or teen. We believe it will be super helpful for them too!

How do I access the webinar?

Once you register, you will automatically receive an email containing a link to register for the live webinar. You will also receive a reminder email a week before, 2 days and 2 hours before.

Remember, if you can't join us live, you can watch the replay, anytime.
You will also have a chance to submit questions on registration, and if time permits we will also take questions live.

How much is this webinar?

AU$25

REGISTER HERE

Semester 1 Reports:

As we dive deeper into our Term 2 learning, we approach the reporting period for Semester 1. The reporting period is a time to celebrate each student's achievements and learning during the first half of the year. Semester 1 student reports for Years 1 to Year 6 will be sent home to parents/carers on Friday 18^th June (Week 9).

An important part of the reporting to parents process is the parent/teacher meeting. These will be conducted throughout Week 10 (21st – 24^th June) of the Term 2. Booking information will be sent out in the coming weeks.

Kindergarten students do not receive a Semester 1 written report. However, Kindergarten teachers will be holding parent/teacher meetings where parents will engage in conversation with the class teacher about your child's progress, achievements and areas for growth.

School Photos

Our school photo day will be held on Tuesday 22^nd June (Week 10). We ask that all students are in their full winter uniform on this day. More information, along with ordering forms will be sent to you in the coming weeks.

Working Bee

A sincere thank you to all of the parents, relatives and students who attended and assisted at the Working Bee on Friday 14^th May. Our Gardens are looking amazing, and our storage areas have had a much needed clean and clear.

It was great to see so many people offer their time on the evening, and it was great to mingle over a “sausage sizzle”. We thank Woolworths Unanderra for the kind donation of the sausages for this event.

SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION

On Wednesday 19^th of May, 21 Year 3 students from St Pius X made their Sacrament of Reconciliation. These children have been preparing for this special sacrament throughout the term with their teachers and parents. Each child was individually guided through the sacrament by Fr. Duane in a beautiful personal ceremony.

The students were gifted a commemorative bookmark by the school to help them remember this very special event along their spiritual journey.

We congratulate all of these students and look forward to walking with them as they will prepare to make their Sacrament of Holy Communion later in the year.

Congratulations to Elias B, Rome G, Emmanuel G, Liam M, Bruce T, Orlando S, Bella G, Georgia H, Sienna G, Isaac L, Bronte C, Charlotte M, Marlee M, Oliver M, Patrick R, Hudson O, Dexter P, David C, Natalie C, Allira Ci and Eli R.

WHOLE SCHOOL MASS

Monday 24^th May was Our Lady Help of Christians Feast Day, the patron saint of Australia. On this very special day we celebrated our VERY FIRST whole school mass on site in our school hall in what seems like forever!

During this mass we co-celebrated our lady and the magnificent milestone of 200 years of Catholic Education in Australia. Students and teachers across our school played significant roles in the Mass that was led by Fr. Duane and assisted by Sr. Kerry. It was wonderful to be able to sing and celebrate again as a whole school community.

PJ DAY - FAITH IN ACTION FUNDRAISER

The St Pius X school community will be raising funds for the good works of St Vincent de Paul – Unanderra Chapter by supporting the annual Winter Appeal. Students are invited to wear their WINTER WOOLY PYJAMAS to school on TUESDAY 8^th JUNE. A note was sent home outlining an opportunity to purchase a hot chocolate and donut deal, with all proceeds raised going straight to St Vincent de Paul Unanderra Chapter. If you require another note please inform your classroom teacher or head to the school office.

SAVE THE DATE

Grandparents Day 2021 – MONDAY 26^th JUNE : Details TBA

National Sorry Day

On Wednesday we acknowledged and recognised members of the Stolen Generation during our National Sorry Day Liturgy. Students reflected on the trauma faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, their families and culture.

Today we commemorate the first of two significant milestones in the reconciliation journey – the successful 1967 referendum. Students will spend the next week learning about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures and achievements and how each of us can discuss, support and participate in reconciliation in Australia.

The 2021 theme of National Reconciliation Week is More than a word. Reconciliation takes action, marking 20 years of Reconciliation Australia.