Newsletter 10 – 2 July 2025

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

Here we are in the final week of Term 2 with half of the year behind us. I hope the upcoming holidays provide you and our students with an opportunity to slow down, rest and reset. For those who are travelling abroad or going on a family road-trip, I wish you safe travels and many wonderful experiences. For those staying put for the break, I hope you manage to get outdoors and maybe go on a hike or two and enjoy playing some board games. I look forward to hearing what all our families got up to over the two week break upon our return to school.

First Eucharist

Congratulations to our Year 4 students who received the Sacrament of Eucharist for the first time. Thank you to Fr Anthony for making the Sacrament extra special by involving the students in all aspects of the Mass. Having the students line up and pass the wine and hosts down to Father and having them gather around the altar made the experience all the more meaningful and memorable.

On Monday morning, at our Assembly, when I asked the Year 4s how they felt after receiving Jesus for the first time they responded: ‘I feel more connected with Jesus’, ‘I feel like Jesus is in me and with me’, ‘I felt peaceful and calm’, and ‘I feel closer to Jesus and like I can talk to him anytime’. Their responses made my heart sing.

At recess, the Year 4s were treated to a cake to celebrate their Sacrament of First Holy Communion.

Year 5 Assembly

Our Year 5s entertained us with their clever Assembly Item on Friday. Their game show ‘Fact or Flop’ gave us an insight into the learning that has taken place in Geography this semester. They shared some amazing facts about North America and sang a catchy, boppy song about the seven continents of the world. Well done to our Year 5s and to Miss Cohen for putting together a wonderful Assembly.

Speak With Confidence Awards

Congratulations to Charlotte and Nicholas who represented our school at the ‘Speak With Confidence Awards’.

Charlotte presented a very convincing speech which eloquently outlined why female athletes should be paid the same as male athletes. Nicholas’ speech highlighted the urgent need for humanity to put a stop to deforestation.

It was such a privilege to watch Charlotte and Nicholas overcome any nervousness they were experiencing. They both spoke incredibly confidently, expressively and at a good pace making our school and their families so very proud. The calibre of speeches presented by the children who took part in the competition was very high and a joy to listen to. Well done, to Charlotte and Nicholas.

ML Carnival

On Friday our Year 6s and three of our Year 5 students participated in the interschool ‘Mod Crosse, League Tag’ Carnival at Morris Buzacott Reserve, Kardinya. As always, our students displayed wonderful sportsmanship. They encouraged one another, strategised together and worked as a team throughout.

Thank you to Mrs Monks for making it possible for us to partake in the carnival, after the change of date due to last Friday’s inclement weather. Mrs Monks drove the Aquinas bus to transport our students to and from the venue. Thank you to Aquinas for authorising this, too.

Water Corporation Incursions

On Friday, our students were treated to an incursion from the Water Corporation. They learnt about Perth’s urban water cycle, wastewater treatment and groundwater replenishment. Water saving strategies were also explored so if your children are giving you water wise tips, you know why.

Mid-Year Reports

Your child’s Mid-Year Report will be uploaded to SEQTA Engage tomorrow. If you have any issues logging on to SEQTA Engage, please contact the school office and Mrs Gregory will assist you with your queries.

We encourage you to read through the report with your child, to highlight and celebrate their efforts and achievements, and discuss learning goals for the next semester.

Thank you for another amazing semester and I look forward to journeying through Semester Two with you after the school holidays. Stay safe and enjoy the school holidays.

God Bless,

Melissa Vranjes
Principal

Modcrosse and League Tag Carnival

After being rescheduled due to weather, then cancelled, and finally un-cancelled, the Modcrosse and League Tag Carnival successfully went ahead on Friday 27th June. Despite the rollercoaster lead-up, our students showed incredible flexibility and spirit. Congratulations to all the participants who represented St Pius X with enthusiasm, great effort, and leadership throughout the day. It was fantastic to see such positive energy and sportsmanship on display! A big thank you to Megan Monks for her efforts in assisting with getting the students to the carnival. This was a great show of the St Pius X community.

Preparing for Athletics

As we are moving into Term 3 our focus in Physical Education has turned to the Athletics Carnival and the Kindy and Pre-Primary Sports Carnival. Our students are now practicing the various events in which they will participate in. This includes turbojav, long jump, running races, relays, a sack race and rob the nest for our younger years. The students always show incredible determination in refining their skills in the lead up to the Athletics and Sports Carnival.

Mr. Caleb Cooper
Health & Physical Education

Writing:

Over the last three weeks in writing, students have been working on creating their own picture book stories using Keynote. These books are being designed especially for their Year Two buddies, with the aim of both informing and entertaining them. As part of their preparation, students have been analysing how picture books use narrative and informative features. They have also been using Flipaclip to practise animation techniques, which they will include to make their final presentations more engaging

Reading:

In reading, students have recently finished their class novel Space Demons. Over the past few weeks, they have focused on analysing the author’s purpose, how the characters developed throughout the story, and the key themes explored in the book. These discussions have encouraged students to think deeply about the messages behind the text and how authors use character and plot to engage readers.

Mathematics:

In Mathematics, Year Six students have been developing their skills in long multiplication, including working with both whole numbers and decimals. They have been learning efficient strategies to solve multi-digit problems and applying them to real-life worded scenarios. Through this, students have deepened their understanding of place value and how it affects the value of digits when multiplying with decimals. They have also been using estimation and rounding to check the reasonableness of their answers.

Health:

In Health, students have been learning about the concept of trust and how it plays an important role in building positive relationships. They explored what it means to be trustworthy and how to identify people in their trusted network who can support them in different situations. To apply this learning, students completed a blindfolded obstacle course where they had to rely on verbal instructions from their group, encouraging teamwork, communication, and trust. This hands-on activity helped reinforce the importance of clear communication and trusting others in safe and respectful ways.

Design and Technology:

In Design and Technology this term, our Year 6 students have been busy designing their own parks. They started by creating detailed drawings from both a bird’s eye view and a side-on perspective, carefully labelling each feature of their park. Students also identified the joining techniques and components needed to build each part, demonstrating their understanding of construction principles. The exciting final step was bringing their designs to life in Minecraft, where they built virtual versions of their parks, showcasing their creativity and planning skills.

Mr. Xavier Stone
Year 6 Teacher

🎶 Afterschool Music & Singing Lessons – Term 3 at St Pius X 🎤

🎹 Instrumental lessons with Key Up Music require 4 more enrolments to be able to hold afterschool classes next Term.  If you are interested, please enrol as soon as possible.

🎶Group singing classes with Edu Sing are available for a range of ages and skill levels. Whether your child is just beginning or looking to advance their skills, our experienced instructors provide high-quality, fun-filled learning experiences.

📅 Enrolments for Term 3 are now open!
To register or find out more, please see the flyers below, or contact Keyed Up Music or Edu-Sing.

Be sure to register early to secure your place!

Let your child’s musical journey begin!

Registration