Dear Parents

The year is moving by very quickly and it is hard to believe that we are already at the half-way mark!

Building and School Improvement

These are exciting times for our school, and I have no doubt that the long-term benefits for our children of the developments outlined below, will far outweigh the short-term inconvenience that is associated with the projects.

• Completion of the current stage of the building project – we anticipate the two Reception classrooms, along with the new music room and 4 new instrumental rooms, to be ready for use by the beginning of next term.
• Completion of the paving and landscaping, along with the handover of the new Junior Primary and OSHC toilets.  This is expected early next term. You may have noticed a lot of external landscaping happening in the main courtyard area over the last couple of weeks. Part of this work is to adjust ground levels to improve drainage, provide new pathways and re-lay the lawn area to a better standard (last year’s lawn landscaping was a temporary measure).
• Plans for the re-development of the classrooms above the administration area are well under way.   This stage of the project will provide us with a new Library, Inclusive Education Centre, multipurpose meeting room, learning space and an Italian classroom.   We anticipate work will commence next term once the current stage is completed.
• Planning for the resurfacing of the basketball courts and the construction of a large shelter over the court. The shelter will provide another all-weather outdoor learning space which can be used for PE lessons, after school sports training, OSHC and extra shade for the children during playtimes.
• Upgrading of the air-conditioning system in the OSHC building
• Installation of blinds to the STEM terrace to shelter it from the elements

Longer term planning continues for the re-development of our front office and administration spaces as well as the construction of a new playground for the children.

World Environment Day Celebrations

Over the past nine months a very committed group of Year 6 students, led by Jane Buhagiar, one of our Year 4 teachers, worked hard behind the scenes to organise our World Environment Day activities in Week 4.  Their work included:

• A vision for a theme based on children enjoying playing in nature and re-using old materials, that may otherwise be sent to the rubbish dump, to make cubby houses, shelters, and other items from loose parts. The children then presented their vision to the School Leadership Team and staff to seek support to turn it into a reality.
• They sought donations from local businesses and parents to run competitions and are now hosting a raffle to raise money for future school resources which will be used for similar activity days.
• The children organised an assembly and liturgy based around Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si (Praise Be to You), which calls for all people to care for creation and our common home, the Earth. The liturgy was planned as the launch for the World Environment Day activities, which unfortunately, due to the inclement weather were postponed for the Year 3 – 6 students.  The Reception to Year 2 children were able to participate in their activities on Friday and although I couldn’t be at school to join in the fun, teachers and students reported that the day was a wonderful success.

The Years 3-6 World Environment Activity Day has been re-scheduled for Thursday 8^th June.  Children are invited to wear casual play clothes that are allowed to get dirty.  I look forward to joining in with the students.

Well done to all the students involved in bringing the World Environment Day event from a vision to a reality. We have some wonderful future leaders on our hands.

The Southern Cross Newspaper interviewed the students regarding the event and will be running a story on our World Environment Day activities in an upcoming edition.     

Cyber Safety Sessions

Just a reminder that we are offering three Cyber Safety Sessions for parents next week. The sessions will be held on Monday 5^th June at 9:00am and 6:30pm and Wednesday 7^th June at 6:30pm. I strongly recommend these sessions to all parents.  Cybercrime and attempts by people to inappropriately contact children online, is on the rise and these sessions will provide all parents with the knowledge and tools necessary to make your homes cyber safe for their children. If you haven’t booked into one of these sessions, then it is not too late to contact the office to register your attendance or you may just come along to one of these sessions. Please note if you wish to utilise the school creche on the Monday and Wednesday evenings, then you must register so we may organise the appropriate number of staff to manage the service. Creche for Cyber Safety Information Sessions

Parents & Friends Meeting

11 people were able to attend our meeting last Tuesday where we discussed the following –

• P&F Committee office bearer nominations – we welcome and thank the following parents for their commitment - Francine Schiller (Chairperson), Amanda Vernik (Vice-Chairperson) and Niomi Spiby (Treasurer)
• Possible community events for the remainder of this year
• Formal Parents & Friends meetings will occur once per term on a Friday afternoon
• In addition to these meetings, separate committees will be established for different events throughout the year and will meet at times that are mutually convenient to members of that committee.

If you are interested in being a member of our Parents and Friends group, even if it is just helping with one event for the year, then please contact Cassandra Figg in the front office or Francine Schiller at pandf@stpiusx.catholic.edu.au

The Parents & Friends Committee has many exciting plans for the remainder of the year and further information will be shared with you.

Our next Parents and Friends meeting will be held on Friday 4^th August at 2:00 pm in the Staffroom.

Thank you to all those people who are supporting our P&F Committee - without a strong Committee we could hold some of the community events that we do.  

Pupil Free Day

Just a reminder that next Friday, 9^th June, will be a Pupil Free Day and the OSHC service will be available for families needing care.  

Our staff will be undertaking professional learning on creating assessment capable learners and exploring the role of Artificial Intelligence in education.

God Bless

Ashley Keane