Newsletter 11, Wednesday, 12 August 2026

Dear Parents and Caregivers

As we journey through August, our UR Strong focus is on respect. Respect is one of those values that has stayed with me throughout my life. Growing up, it was a message that was consistently reinforced by my parents. They taught me that respect is shown not only through our words but also through our actions, the way we treat others and the way we make people feel.

Many of you have probably experienced that I am a bit of a handshaker. There is something powerful about greeting someone warmly, offering a handshake, using their name and looking them in the eye. These simple gestures communicate that we see and value one another. They are small acts of respect that help build connection and a sense of belonging.

At St Pius X, respect is at the heart of everything we do. We encourage our students to greet others warmly, use people’s names and make eye contact when speaking. These habits foster positive relationships and help create the welcoming community we are so proud of.

Our staff work incredibly hard to build positive and meaningful relationships with every student. When children feel safe, known, loved and respected, they are able to flourish. They develop the confidence to take risks in their learning, build friendships and grow into the best version of themselves. Through our UR Strong program and the daily interactions that occur across our school, we continue to nurture a culture where respectful relationships allow every child to thrive.

Afterschool Clubs

I have received lots of positive feedback from members of our community about our after school clubs and it is wonderful to know that our students are enjoying participating in these activities. These clubs conclude at 4pm, thank you for promptly collecting your child at the conclusion of the session via the Ley St gate.

Containers for Change

Our Sustainability Team held their inaugural Containers for Change Drop and Go event at the Kiss and Drive this morning, Thursday 13 August from 8:00am to 8:45am. An enthusiastic team of Sustainability Staff and Year 6 Leaders were on hand, dressed in high-vis vests, to collect cans and bottles from our community. A big thank you goes out to those families who were ready to drop and go, with their cans and bottles loaded and ready in their cars. It was a huge success for our first event!

All funds raised will go towards supporting sustainability initiatives at St Pius X. We would be very grateful for your future donations. Look out for our Sustainability Team members, who will be wearing pink high-visibility vests to make them easy to identify on the next collection morning.

Thank you for supporting this important initiative.

P&F Quiz Night

A huge thank you to our wonderful P&F for coordinating the Quiz Night on Saturday 8 August. The evening was a tremendous success, with lots of laughter, fabulous prizes won and a wonderful opportunity for families and staff to come together as a community. It was fantastic to see so many people enjoying a night of fun and connection. Thank you to everyone involved in making the event such a memorable occasion.

Important Safety Reminders

• A reminder that the Cloister Avenue gates close at 4:00pm. Students attending all after school activities are to be collected via the Ley Street gate.
• In the interests of student safety, please ensure that bikes are walked at all times while on school grounds.
• Additionally, Cloister Avenue is designated for Kiss and Drive only. If your child is not ready for collection, please continue around the block rather than waiting. We also ask families to be mindful not to block traffic, particularly around the roundabout, to ensure the safe flow of vehicles for all members of our community.

Planning for 2027

Families who may be planning to leave our school at the end of this year are asked to please notify the office. In line with our enrolment procedures, we request one term’s notice to support continuity of learning and ensure accurate planning for staffing and resource allocation.

Glimmer Moments

A big shout out to our Year 1, 2, 3 and 4 students who all received an Outstanding Award at the Catholic Performing Arts Festival, Chorale Speech section last week. An amazing achievement for our students and for Mrs Miller and Miss Dempsey. What a wonderful way to represent our school in the wider community, we are proud of all of you.

Congratulations to Freja in Year 3, who recently competed in the Women’s Artistic Gymnastics (WAG) State Team Competition. Freja’s team achieved an outstanding result, taking home a silver medal. Freja has demonstrated our SEARCH values of Courage and Excellence through her dedication, perseverance and commitment to her sport. We are proud of her achievement and celebrate this success with her and her family.

As always, thank you for your ongoing support of our school community. Together, through strong relationships, mutual respect and a shared commitment to our children, we continue to create a school where every student can flourish.

Jacki Tucker
Principal

Celebrating Creativity and Performance in the Arts

It has been a wonderful term celebrating the creativity, confidence and talent of our students through both the Visual and Performing Arts.

This term, our Year 5 and 6 students explored the theme Storytelling Through Art, guided by the driving question, “What Matters to Me?” Throughout the unit, students reflected on the people, places, memories and experiences that have shaped who they are and translated these ideas into meaningful and expressive artworks. It has been a privilege to watch each student develop their own visual story and discover the power of art as a form of personal expression.

I have been incredibly proud of the creativity, thoughtfulness and care that every student has invested in their artwork. Following the completion of the unit, staff came together to view the collection and select eight pieces to represent St Pius X at the Angelico Exhibition.

This is an exciting milestone for our school, as 2026 marks the first-year St Pius X has participated in the Angelico Exhibition. It provides a wonderful opportunity to celebrate and showcase the artistic talents of our students within the wider community. I warmly encourage our families to visit the exhibition and celebrate the achievements of our young artists.

Angelico Exhibition Details

• Exhibition Dates: Monday 10 August – Friday 28 August 2026
• Weekend Viewing Session: Saturday 22 August 2026, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
• Location: Forrest Centre, 221 St Georges Terrace, Perth
• Opening Hours: 9:00 am – 4:00 pm, Monday to Friday

It has also been a pleasure preparing our students for the Catholic Performing Arts Choral Speech Section this term. I had the privilege of working with our Year 1, Year 2 and Year 3 classes, while Miss Dempsey prepared our Year 4 students. Their commitment throughout rehearsals was evident in their performances, with every class presenting their piece with expression, confidence and enthusiasm.

I was incredibly proud to see all of our students perform with such poise, representing St Pius X with pride and respect. We are especially delighted to celebrate that each of our participating year levels — Year 1, Year 2, Year 3 and Year 4 — received an Outstanding Award. This was an exceptional achievement across the Choral Speech Section and a wonderful recognition of the hard work, preparation and dedication demonstrated by our students and staff.

These outstanding results are a testament to the confidence, collaboration and communication skills that flourish through the Performing Arts. It was particularly rewarding to see the students’ commitment throughout rehearsals translate into such confident and polished performances. I am incredibly proud of the way each class embraced the challenge and represented our school.

Congratulations to all of our students on a fantastic term. It has been a joy to witness their growth, creativity and willingness to embrace new challenges. Whether through creating a meaningful artwork or stepping onto the stage to perform, our students have demonstrated such wonderful confidence, enthusiasm and pride.

Lucia Miller
Performing Arts Teacher

Students enjoyed a fantastic educational excursion to Parliament House and the Electoral Education Centre. A highlight of the day was meeting Geoff Baker, our South Perth Member of Parliament, and sitting in the seats where Members of Parliament debate and make decisions. Students then visited the Electoral Education Centre, where they learned about the Western Australian electoral system and participated in a mock election, providing an engaging and practical insight into democracy in action.

Students have recently begun exploring fractions in Mathematics and have embraced the topic with great enthusiasm. Through a variety of engaging, hands-on learning experiences, students have developed their understanding of fractions by recognising, representing and comparing different fractional parts. They have investigated equivalent fractions, using their knowledge of multiplication and division to identify and create fractions that represent the same value, and have explored the different types of fractions, including proper, improper and mixed fractions.

Eve Hay
Year 5 Teacher

Mathematics

This term, students have begun our Probability and Data unit by exploring the different types of data: categorical, numerical, ordinal and nominal. They are learning how to identify and classify data before collecting and organising it in meaningful ways. Students will design and conduct their own class surveys, gather responses, and represent their findings using a range of graphs and tables. Throughout the unit, they will also develop their ability to interpret data, compare results and draw conclusions based on the information they have collected.

Design and Technologies

In Design and Technologies, students are creating Food and Fibre Process posters. They are investigating how a chosen food or fibre product is produced, tracing its journey from the farm or source through processing, manufacturing and transport, before it reaches shops and our homes. Students are developing their understanding of production systems while considering the people, technologies and processes involved at each stage.

Reading

Students have begun our five-week picture book study of The Little Refugee by Anh Do and Suzanne Do. Throughout the unit, students will explore the themes of resilience, belonging and courage while developing key reading comprehension skills such as making predictions, identifying themes, analysing characters and using evidence to support their thinking. This text links closely with our HASS (Geography) learning, where students will investigate geographical diversity, migration and the reasons why people move between countries, helping them make meaningful connections across both learning areas.

Xavier Stone
Year 6 Teacher

“Keep an eye out on Social Media and SeeSaw platforms for the next Kiss & Drop date”!

Got cans and containers collecting at home? Bring them along to school via our Kiss & Drive.

🚗 Drop and Go, Safe & Slow – one less thing to stow! 🚗

Look out for our Sustainability Team in their PINK high-vis vests, who will be on hand to help make the drop-off quick and easy.

Every eligible container helps support our school’s sustainability initiatives while making a positive impact on the environment.

Together to turn recyclable containers into positive change for our SPX community!

Thank You from the Sustainability Team

School Dental Service, It’s Time to Enrol!

Every year Dental Health Services (DHS) offers parents and carers the chance to register their kids for free dental care at the School Dental Service (SDS). The offer is open to every student from the year they turn 5 until their 17^th birthday and includes check-ups, fillings, and simple extractions.

Your child will soon bring home an envelope with an enrolment form, Frequently Asked Questions, and reply-paid envelope from DHS. Just fill in the enrolment form, pop it in the reply-paid envelope, and put it in your nearest post box.

Once we receive your form at DHS our team will register your child and arrange for you to receive an appointment in the mail.

If you would like further information on DHS services and the SDS please visit our website: www.dental.wa.gov.au

A Busy Start to Term 3!

It has been a busy and exciting start to Term 3 for our P&F, with plenty happening across our school community!

Some of our P&F members recently attended the CSPWA Awards of Excellence, where we had the wonderful opportunity to celebrate our school being nominated as a finalist in four categories:

Jo Ann Jenaway – Parent Nomination Award

Jacki Tucker – Principal’s Award

Gaye Sanchez – Agnes Weymouth Award

Our entire P&F Team – Parent Group Award

While we didn’t take home an award on the night, being recognised across four categories was a fantastic achievement in itself. Most importantly, we had a brilliant evening celebrating these absolute superstars and the incredible contribution they make to our school community. We were very proud to be there representing our school and celebrating the dedication of our wonderful volunteers.

We then rolled straight into our School Quiz Night over the weekend, and what a fantastic night it was! It was an evening full of trivia, friendly competition, plenty of laughter and some fabulous prizes. For those who weren’t able to attend, our raffle was also run during the day and was very well supported – thank you to everyone who purchased tickets and helped make it such a success.

All funds raised from the Quiz Night and raffle are going towards our new playground, so we would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who continues to support our fundraising efforts. Every contribution helps us get closer to creating something wonderful for our students.

And finally, our Father’s Day Stall is coming up very soon! 🎁 Please see the brochure below for all the details, including the closing dates for purchases. Make sure you keep an eye on this so you don’t miss out!

Thank you, as always, for your continued support of our P&F.

Kim Passmore
P&F President