Newsletter 16 – 19 October 2022

Dear Parents,

Thank you for warmly welcoming me back from Long Service Leave. It was so lovely to be greeted with your smiles and to have so many students, parents and grandparents take the time to say hello and ask me what I got up to in my leave.

Most of my leave comprised of spending quality time with family, particularly with my two youngest nieces and my teenage nieces and nephew. In some respects, I walked in your shoes for a short snippet of time. For three weeks I got my Pre-Primary aged niece ready for school, did the school drop off and pick up and spent the days keeping my two-year-old niece entertained. I also managed to get away for two weeks to explore the picturesque landmarks in Tasmania.

The uninterrupted time I spent with my nieces and nephew reinforced how very privileged we are as parents, grandparents, aunties, uncles, friends, and educators to be a formative part of children’s lives. There truly is no greater or more rewarding gift than to have children in our lives and to be able to positively contribute to their development and sense of self. One thing our children teach us and regularly remind us of is to be present in the moment, to notice and appreciate the beauty around us, to be curious and find joy in the simple things in life.

As we enter the last few months of the year, which are often punctuated with increasingly busy schedules and demands on our time, I hope that each of us, myself included, intentionally take the time each day to be fully present and connected with our children and loved ones and to actively express gratitude for the simple things in life that bring us so much joy. Our faith, our children and science demonstrate that mindfulness (aka being fully present in the moment), expressing gratitude, doing things for others and savouring (reflecting upon and re-living) experiences is what brings us happiness, fulfilment, a sense of purpose and belonging. 

Thank you

Thank you to Mr Kim Hughes for taking the reigns as Principal in my absence and to all our staff for ensuring everything ran smoothly. The last five weeks of Term 3 were filled with a number of exciting events and celebrations, all of which were enjoyed by our students and community.

Welcome 

We have two new families joining our school community this term. We warmly welcome Keely and Xian’s family to St Pius X and hope you will find your time and experience here rewarding and enjoyable.

Congratulations 

Congratulations to Miss Clare Thomson who got married over the school holidays. The challenge for us now is to remember to call you ‘Mrs Keightley’.  We wish Clare and her husband Jordan every blessing as they start this new chapter of their lives together.

Year 4 Assembly

Congratulations to our Year 4s for kicking us off with the first Assembly item for the term. As usual, you captivated the audience with your polished, animated, and incredibly informative performance. Although I was not able to be present to see you shine, I have it on good authority that you cleverly imparted the knowledge you acquired in History of the story of Christopher Columbus, Neil Armstrong and Ernest Shackleton to your fellow peers, staff and parents. I am looking forward to watching the video footage when Mrs Poggioli returns on Thursday. Thank you to Mrs Pitt and Mrs Poggioli for preparing the script and coaching the students during the rehearsals.

Thank you to the ‘Manning Men’s Shed’ for supporting our Fathering Project by making the wooden car kits that were used for our recent ‘Dads and Kids’ event. It was a privilege to have Mr Mike Smith attend our Assembly on Friday to accept a small token of appreciation for their support.

Edu-Dance

It’s that time of year again – our students have commenced their Edu-Dance lessons in preparation for our School Concert. The energy and excitement emanating from the undercover area as the students learn their choreography is palpable and an absolute joy to witness. I couldn’t help but join in with a few of the moves, however, the transition from a squat pose to a fast-paced jog on the spot and swing of the legs proved a little too much for me on a Tuesday morning.

Reconciliation

May we keep our Year 3 students who are preparing to receive the Sacrament Reconciliation in our thoughts and prayers. On Saturday evening they stood before our Parish community and made a commitment to follow God by living as Jesus taught. As we know, each of us play a pivotal role in helping our children to learn to make good choices, build and maintain positive relationships, and forgive others just as God forgives us when we slip up. This Thursday evening, together with their parents, our Year 3 students will be attending and participating in the Reconciliation Parent-Child Workshop. This workshop will compliment what the students are learning in class and forms an important part of their preparation.

Carnivals

This Friday a number of our Year 3-6 students will be partaking in the Inter-school Athletics Carnival at Len Shearer Oval. The students have been busy preparing for the big day by attending athletics training before school on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. I commend our inter-school team for committing to the training sessions and I know they will do our school community proud by doing their best and displaying our SEARCH values in word and action.

As our Swimming Carnival, which is traditionally conducted in Term 1, needed to be cancelled due to COVID we will have both our School and Inter-school Swimming Carnival later this term. Mrs Matthews certainly has her work cut out for her in the coming weeks – we are thankful for the behind the scenes work that Mrs Matthews does in preparation for our carnivals.

Swimming Lessons 2023

In response to the overwhelmingly positive survey data earlier this year, we have re-booked Swimming Lessons at AquaLife in Victoria Park for Term 1 2023, Weeks 3-4 for our Year 3-6 students. Keep an eye out for the forms that will be coming home this week. These will need to be completed and returned to school by 9^th December.

Wishing you all a gentle week ahead filled with countless opportunities to be fully present with loved ones, delighting in their gifts, talents, accomplishments in the face of challenges, and uniqueness. Remember to also give thanks for and savour these simple but incredibly special moments throughout your days; they will sustain you, ground you and bring you and others immense joy.

God Bless,

Melissa Vranjes
Principal