Newsletter 2 – 26th February 2025

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

As many of you would already know, this year is a Jubilee year. In 1300, Pope Boniface VIII called the first Jubilee, also known as a ‘Holy Year’ since it is a time in which God’s holiness transforms us. The frequency of Holy Years has changed over time. At first, they were celebrated every 100 years. In 1343 Pope Clement VI reduced the gap between Jubilees to every 50 years, and in 1470 Pope Paul II made it every 25 years.

The 2025 Jubilee is centred on the theme “Pilgrims of Hope.” Pope Francis encourages us to ‘fan the flame of hope that has been given us, and help everyone to gain new strength and certainty by looking to the future with an open spirit, a trusting heart and far-sighted vision’. During the Jubilee Year, the Pope invites every one of us to embark on a pilgrimage of hope, to spread hope to all those who anxiously seek it. By making pilgrimages, prayerful visits to specific churches, or by practicing works of mercy during the Holy Year, Catholics have the opportunity to gain plenary indulgences. A plenary indulgence is a grace granted by the Catholic Church, through the merits of Jesus Christ, to remove the temporal punishment due to sin. A plenary indulgence cleanses the soul as if the person had just been baptized. For those of us who are not able to go to Rome and directly participate in the Jubilee, there are many things we can do from home to be Pilgrims of Hope.

Swimming Lessons

The students swimming stamina and stroke precision has improved in this second week block of lessons. To build upon the momentum gained, parents are encouraged to enrol their children in weekly swimming lessons after school. This will assist students to continue to develop their proficiency in the various strokes and increase their endurance and confidence in the water. Students who do not participate in swimming lessons year round, generally do not tend to retain their skill level, stamina or confidence.

Swimming Carnival

This Tuesday, students from Years 3-6 will be participating in the St Pius X Swimming Carnival which will be held at Aqualife in Victoria Park. Our Year 6 Sports Captains are busily teaching students chants, building excitement levels across the school. Mr Cooper has also reported record level parental support which is absolutely amazing. Our swimming carnival is set to be a brilliant day for all.

Coffee Van

On Tuesday 4th March, the morning of our Swimming Carnival, we will have a coffee van set up outside the office, near the basketball courts. Parents are welcome to buy themselves a coffee and hang back and have a chat before heading off to the pools or to work.

School Disco

Thanks to our dedicated P&F, our students will be able to enjoy a wonderful night of dancing and singing next Friday night, 7th March. Keep an eye out for communication from our P&F regarding tickets and further details.

School Fees 2025

If you would like the school to automatically process your fees on the due dates, please complete the Credit Card Authorisation form and return it to the office by the end of this week..

If you are having difficulties making payment, please make an appointment to speak with the Principal.

We have a Setting and Collection of Fees policy on our website for your information.

AFL Indigenous All Stars visit St Pius X

On Friday 14^th February, our school was treated to a visit from three members of the Indigenous All Stars team. Liam Ryan (Eagles), Lawson Humphries (Geelong) and Jade Gresham (Essendon) addressed our Yr 1-6 classes; they shared their personal stories along with some fun facts and answered questions from the students. It was such a privilege to have them join us for the morning. It was especially exciting for those students who received a football signed by the three gentleman. A big thank you to the West Australian Football Commission for arranging the visit.

Wishing all our families a gentle end to the week. In the spirit of the Jubilee, may we all strive to be pilgrims of hope in our daily lives.

Melissa Vranjes
Principal

In Pre-Kindy, we have been getting used to our routines and singing lots of nursery rhymes. We have sung Five Little Ducks, Old McDonald, Mary Had a Little Lamb, Hop Little Bunnies, and Wheels on the Bus, just to name a few. Each song enhances our oral language skills and builds upon our vocabulary. We have enjoyed each session, creating items inspired by the songs we’ve learnt, such as making ponds, a colourful sheep, and bunny ears.

In the afternoons, we explore music and have already played with egg shakers, danced with scarves, and tapped with tapping sticks. Our music exploration helps us distinguish sounds and movements, experimenting with loud and soft or fast and slow.

The Pre-Kindy environment offers a stepping stone in building trusting relationships with our school and the teachers within it. It provides our littlest students at St Pius X with the opportunity to explore in a safe space away from home.

Mrs Lucia Miller
Pre-Kindy Teacher

PERMANENT PART TIME EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY- Parish Secretary, Manning Catholic Parish

The Catholic Parish of Manning has a vacancy for a permanent part time Parish Secretary, 12 hours per week (days negotiable).

Applicants must have proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel and Outlook, the ability to upload Parish Website content, strong organisational and time management skills, attention to detail, accuracy in data entry, and excellent verbal and written skills. Familiarity with MYOB accounting software would be highly advantageous.

An understanding of parish life and support of the ethos and values of the Catholic Church is expected.  Applications close 5 March 2025.

A job description is available on request. Please submit your application via email to

Fr. Anthony Vu at – tung.vu@perthcatholic.org.au (mailto:tung.vu@perthcatholic.org.au)

It’s been a busy start to the year at St Pius, and we’re thrilled to see so many exciting events lined up for our school community.

First up, we’re looking forward to our School Disco next Friday night—get your dancing shoes ready! It’s going to be a fun-filled evening for the children, and we can’t wait to see everyone there. Please refer to the flyer for all the details.

Mark your calendars for the Parents’ Social Event coming up on April 4th. More information will be shared shortly, so keep an eye out from your class representatives.

We are also excited to be hosting a stall at the Manning Laneway Festival on March 8th! We’ll be looking for volunteers, so if you’re interested in helping out, be sure to keep an eye out for more communication about how you can get involved. Plus, it’s a great opportunity for the children to get involved too—stay tuned as we’ll be asking for some young volunteers to help man the stand.

And that’s not all! The Manning Rippers will be hosting a Running Race for Year 5 and Year 6 students at 3pm on March 8th as well. We’d love to see St Pius X represented, so if your child is interested (girls and boys divisions), keep an eye out for further information from the class reps.

Kim
P & F President

What is Saver Plus?  Eligibility applies
Saver Plus is a program for people on lower incomes. It’s about bolstering their financial skills, so they can develop (and keep) good savings habits.
Since 2003, Saver Plus has supported more than 62,000 people to start saving.
It’s helped overcome the barriers around education expenses. And it’s helped set them up for a brighter future.

 What are the eligible savings goals?
Eligible savings goals are education related products or services that:​
​Assisting primary / secondary / Tertiary student’s education:

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