Newsletter 7 – 21 May 2025

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

It has been a busy couple of weeks here at St Pius X. Below is a snapshot of some of the highlights since our last newsletter.

Commissioning Mass for Holy Communion

On Saturday night, our Year 4 students and families attended the Commissioning Mass for first Eucharist. Having already received the sacraments of Baptism and Reconciliation, our Year 4s are now preparing to receive Jesus for the first time in the form of the Eucharist. To assist our families in their children’s spiritual formation and understanding of the sacraments, our parish and school organise parent-child workshops. The workshop for our Year 4 students and parents will take place in our parish hall on Wednesday 28^th May. I invite you to keep our Year 4s and their families in your prayers during this special time in their spiritual journey.

‘Kindy.Tech.Connect’

Our Kindy class has been selected to be part of an exciting STEM project involving Curtin University. The ‘Kindy. Tech. Connect’ project is designed to assist Kindergarten educators to harness the educational potential of age-appropriate digital tools in ways that support children’s natural curiosity and learning. The project is guided by Professor Karen Murcia from Curtin University’s School of Education, who is a leading researcher in how children can use digital technology creatively and effectively. Through this initiative, Kindergarten teachers will not only receive training but will receive robotics resources that they can bring back to their classrooms. Yesterday, ten of our Kindy students attended a session at Curtin University, along with their parents, to participate in the first phase of the project.

National Simultaneous Story-Time

This morning we joined with schools all over Australia to listen to the ‘The Truck Cat’ being read aloud, online, by author Deborah Frenkel. Our students always enjoy the stories shared during National Simultaneous Story Time. They marvel at the fact that children all across our country are listening to the same story at the same time. This year, over two million people tuned in to the live streaming of ‘The Truck Cat’.

The Truck Cat is a story about cats and humans, immigration and identity, and homes lost and found. Our students will be unpacking the various elements of the story for some time, back in class and in their own time. It is such a well written book which inspires kindness and compassion, gratitude, deep reflection and appreciation for people of different cultures.

Cleanaway Incursion

Last Wednesday representatives from the City of South Perth and Cleanaway visited our Kindy – Year 1 classes. Our students learnt about sustainable waste management practices and sorted pictures of items which belong in the recycling bin and general waste bin. The highlight of the incursion was being able to sit in the Cleanaway truck. One of our Kindy students remarked at how big the truck’s tyres are and another was amazed to discover it has two steering wheels. Thank you to Cleanaway, the City of South Perth and Mrs Sanchez for organising this wonderful learning opportunity and fostering a sense of environmental stewardship among our students.

Cross Country

On Thursday afternoon, our school community gathered at James Millar Reserve for our Cross Country. We were blessed with such beautiful weather and the students put in a stellar effort running the lengthy distances. As always, our students were well behaved and encouraged one another to overcome the breathlessness and complete the course. Congratulations to our Champion Boys and Girls and Runner Up Champion Boys and Girls.

Congratulations also to Carmody who came away with the win and to all the students for challenging themselves and matching or surpassing their personal bests. Thank you to our parent volunteers and to Mr Cooper for ensuring a smooth Cross Country.

Factions:
1^st: Carmody
2^nd: Sarto
3^rd: Josephite
4^th: MacKillop

Month of May, Month of Mary

With the month of May being devoted to our blessed Mother Mary, our school has been honouring Mary through various forms of Marian prayers and reflections. On Monday morning, we gathered for the Crowning of Mary service. The crowning symbolises and acknowledges Mary’s status as Queen of Heaven and Mother of God. It serves as a reminder that Mary, who always said ‘yes’ to God, listens to all our prayers and intercedes on our behalf to her Son, Jesus Christ.

At the conclusion of our Crowning of Mary service, students who brought flowers came forward and placed them around Mary’s statue. Our crowned statue of Mary will remain outside for the remainder of the week and families are welcome to bring more flowers to Mary and pray together in front of her statue.

We were very fortunate to have two special guests attend our Crowning of Mary service. Mrs Josephine Freeman, a former teacher here at St Pius X and Mrs Agnes Weymouth, whom I worked with at my previous school, joined us and led our Year 3-6s in praying the Rosary.  It was so lovely to see our students united in faith praying reverently to our blessed Mother Mary. Thank you to Mrs Freeman and Mrs Weymouth for giving so generously of your time.

School Fees

The second instalment of school fees are due next week.  If you have signed a pre-arranged credit card payment, these will be processed on Thursday. There are a number of outstanding fees from last term; it would be greatly appreciated if these could be settled as soon as possible.

Student Code of Conduct

Yesterday, our Year 5 and 6 students collaborated to review the ‘St Pius X Student Code of Conduct’. The code of conduct is designed to outline the minimum standards of behaviour we expect from members of our student community to ensure everyone is safe and can flourish as learners. Please visit the school website to view our Student Code of Conduct.

Parent Code of Conduct

We would like to invite all parents to read through our St Pius X Parent Code of Conduct. Our parent code of conduct is designed for the purpose of ensuring the wellbeing and safety of all students in our care. Whilst many of you have sighted it on numerous occasions, it is important that we regularly review it and that all members of our parent community are familiar with it. Any feedback you may have would be welcomed during this review period. You may access the Parent Code of Conduct on our school website.

It is essential that any breaches of the code of conduct and student safety concerns are promptly reported to the school principal.

Whilst we are on the topic of student safety, I would like to take this opportunity to highlight that parents/grandparents/visitors to our school are NOT to use the student toilets or disabled toilets. If parents or grandparents need to access a toilet whilst on the school grounds, please report to the office and you will be directed to the staff toilets within the administration block.

Keeping Safe: Child Protection Program

In accordance with the Registration Standards and Quality Catholic Education, St Pius X delivers to all students a protective behaviours and sexual abuse prevention education which:

• is developed by experts in child abuse prevention;
• is age and developmental-stage appropriate;
• is culturally appropriate;
• is integrated into the curriculum and makes relevant subject matter links;
• includes e-safety education; and
• builds practical self-protective skills and strategies.

The Keeping Safe: Child Protection Curriculum (Keeping Safe) is taught at all Catholic Schools, including ours. This developmental curriculum consists of two themes:

• We all have a right to be safe
• We can help ourselves to be safe by talking to people we trust

These two themes are woven through the teaching of the four focus areas in each band:

• The Right to be Safe
• Relationships
• Recognising and Reporting Abuse
• Protective Strategies

More information can be found on the KS:CPC website: http://tiny.cc/KSCPC-ParentCarerInfo. Please contact your child’s classroom teacher if you have any questions about the curriculum

Disputes and Complaint Resolution Procedure

In addition to reviewing our Code of Conduct for students and parents, we also revisited our Disputes and Complaint Resolution Procedures. You may access the ‘St Pius X Disputes and Complaint Resolution Procedures’ on our school website and by clicking here.

Please note that the Director General of the Department of Education is responsible for ensuring that all schools observe the registration standards, including the standard about its complaints handling system.  Any student, parent or community member is entitled to contact the Director General with concerns about how the school has dealt with a complaint.  Information is available on the Department of Education website.  Whilst the Director General may consider whether the school has breached the registration standards, he does not have power to intervene in a complaint or override the school’s decision.

Wishing all our parents and families a gentle end to the week.

God bless,
Melissa Vranjes

A Harmonious Start in Music

It has been a wonderful start this year in Music, and it has been lovely getting to know the students at St Pius X. They have wholeheartedly embraced the subject, demonstrating enthusiasm, curiosity, and a passion for exploring the elements of music. Across the year levels, we have been engaging in a variety of exciting musical activities.

Keeping the Beat in Pre-Primary

In Pre-Primary, students have been learning to maintain a steady beat using movement, body percussion, and percussion instruments. They have also been introduced to two key musical elements; tempo and dynamics.

Year One’s Musical Journey

Year One students have been enthusiastically exploring beat and learning simple rhythm patterns. They are developing impressive skills in moving to the pitch of music.

Exploring Rhythm in Year Two

In Year Two, students have been exploring the exciting world of rhythm patterns through singing, moving and playing the percussion instruments. They have been developing their ability to distinguish between long and short sounds in music.

Exploring Time Signatures in Year Three and Four

In Year Three and Four, students have been focusing on making music in 4/4 and 3/4 time. They have spent time exploring these time signatures through movement, singing and playing and have made a positive progress in composing their own rhythm patterns.

A big thank you to the wonderful students of St Pius X for making me feel so welcome and for sharing in the joy of music. Your enthusiasm and passion make every lesson special, and I can’t wait to continue making great music together throughout the year!

Mrs Perry
Music Teacher

Maths:

This term, Year Four students have been busy exploring a range of strategies to solve addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division problems. They’ve been developing their understanding of inverse operations, unknown quantities, commutative multiplication, doubling and halving, and short multiplication.

Building on these foundations, students are now beginning to tackle two-digit by two-digit multiplication and will soon be introduced to the bus-stop method for division. These strategies are helping them approach more complex problems — such as long multiplication and short division — with growing confidence.

A highlight of their maths lessons has been using Seesaw and Keynote. Students have thoroughly enjoyed recording their working out, explaining their thinking, and demonstrating their solutions — it’s as if they’ve become the teacher!

In a couple of weeks, students will move on from this focus and begin exploring angles, area, and perimeter as part of their next learning unit.

Writing:

This term, Writing has been meaningfully integrated with HASS, Technologies, and Art through the shared theme of “War on Waste”, focusing on the importance of recycling and sustainable living. Students have been developing their informative writing skills by exploring a range of structural and language features. These include Tier 2 and Tier 3 vocabulary, descriptive and technical nouns, precise adjectives, and powerful verbs to help craft clear and engaging texts.

Currently, students are still familiarising themselves with the final language features. Soon, they will begin peer writing activities to build confidence before starting their own independent research and information report on one of the following topics:

• Being Water Wise
• Reusing, Recycling and Reducing Plastic Use
• Caring for the Environment and Animal Habitat Top of FormBottom of Form

Digital Technology:

In Digital Technology, students have been exploring the significance of sustainability and the importance of recycling materials responsibly. They’ve investigated the environmental impacts of various materials, with a particular focus on plastic waste from toys.

To address this issue, students have been challenged to upcycle a toy for their Pre-Primary buddies, using only recycled and sustainable materials. Guided by the design thinking model, they will begin by learning about their buddies’ favourite toys and identifying how plastic pollution can be transformed into a real-world problem to solve. They are now moving into the design and ideation phase and will soon begin prototyping their toy creations!

Visual Art:

In Visual Art, students have continued to explore the theme of sustainability. Inspired by artist Megan Coyle, they’ve been analysing the key elements in her collage work — including colour, line, pattern, shape, contrast, and the mood her art evokes. Students have been tasked with drawing a landscape of their choice, which they will then bring to life using a collage technique with recycled newspapers and magazines — just like Coyle, who is known for her striking, eco-conscious artwork.

Religion:

In Religion, students have been exploring the powerful role of the Holy Spirit through their study of the Sacrament of Confirmation. They have looked at the lives of Saint Paul and Saint Peter, learning how both were strengthened by the Holy Spirit in their missions.

Looking ahead, our Year Four students are beginning a more personal faith journey as they reflect on the meaning of the Sacrament of Holy Communion, which they will be making in Week 8.

Miss Sinclair
Year 4 Teacher

Protective Behaviour Parent Workshop

The City of South Perth and Manning Primary School invites parents and carers to a free community safety workshop delivered by the WA Child Protection Society.
The purpose of this workshop is to provide parents and carers with a sound knowledge of content, themes, concepts, and strategies for the Protective Behaviours Program.Increase your knowledge and skills to help your child identify unsafe situations and arm them with the tools to seek appropriate assistance or protect themselves.This workshop will also incorporate important information for parents and carers around the benefits of providing age-appropriate sex education to their children.

 Manning Primary School – Library Room

60/80 Ley Street, Manning

10 June 2025

6:30pm to 8:30pm

Light refreshments will be provided.

Please note this is an Adult Only Workshop.

Children are not permitted at this workshop due to the nature of the content.

 Free event, booking required.

Tickets: Protective Behaviour Parent Workshop