Term 1 Week 9 Newsletter , 2024
Welcome to Country
In the Spirit of Reconciliation, the St. Pius X school community recognizes the ongoing role of the traditional custodians of this land, the Tubba-Gah peoples of the Wiradjuri nation. It is on their ancestral lands that we continue our learning journey together.
We extend that respect to Elders, past, present and emerging. Furthermore, all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples within our school community. Acknowledging their presence and spiritual connection to Country.
In the light of faith, we work towards a more accepting and humble school environment for all.
Principal's Address
Holy Week
Holy Week is an important week in the Christian and Catholic faiths and starts the week before
Easter Sunday.Holy Weeks begins with Palm Sunday (which was yesterday). It ends with Holy
Saturday. Easter is not part of Holy Week, but rather the beginning of the Easter season of the
Liturgical year. Below is an outline of the significant days of Holy Week.
Palm Sunday recalls Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem. Palm Sunday is known as such because the
faithful receive palm fronds which they use to participate in the reenactment of Christ’s
arrival in Jerusalem with a procession. In the Gospels, Jesus entered Jerusalem riding a donkey
to the praise of the townspeople who laid palms or small branches, in front of him as a sign of
homage. This was a customary practice for people of great respect.
Holy Thursday commemorates the Last Supper, when Jesus consecrated bread and wine. In
the morning, bishops typically gather with priests from their diocese for the Chrism Mass or a
day near Holy Week that works best for the Archdiocese. The Chrism Mass for the Seattle
Archdiocese was celebrated on April 11, 2019. They bless holy oils during the Mass. The
washing of the feet takes place during the Mass of the Lord’s Supper in the evening.
Good Friday is one of the darkest days of the year for Catholics. It covers Jesus’ arrest, trial,
and crucifixion. His death and burial are also memorialized.
The events of Good Friday are commemorated in the Stations of the Cross, a 14-step devotion,
traditionally prayed during Lent and especially on Good Friday. Living Stations will be prayed at
9:30 A.M. with the students of Saint Patrick Catholic School at Saint Patrick Catholic Church.
Stations of the Cross will also be prayed at 3:00 P.M. at Saint Patrick Catholic Church & Holy
Cross Catholic Church.
Good Friday is a day of fasting within the Church. Traditionally, there is no Mass and no
celebration of the Eucharist on Good Friday. Communion comes from hosts consecrated on
Holy Thursday.
Church bells are silent. Altars are left bare. The solemn, muted atmosphere is preserved until
the Easter Vigil.
Holy Saturday remembers the day which Jesus spent in the grave resting. The Easter Vigil
takes place at the end of the day at 8:30 P.M. because the new liturgical day begins at sunset,
the vigil begins at sunset on Holy Saturday outside the church, where an Easter fire is kindled
and the Paschal candle is blessed and then lit. This Paschal candle will be used throughout the
season of Easter, remaining in the sanctuary of the church and throughout the coming year at
baptisms and funerals, reminding all that Christ is our life and light.
After the conclusion of the Liturgy of the Word, the water of the baptismal font is solemnly
blessed and any catechumens and candidates for full communion are initiated into the church.
Important Dates
Tuesday 26th March - Years 3 to 6 - Theatre Excursion
Wednesday 27th March - Waste to Art excursion
Thursday 28th March
- Mufti Day with gold coin donation to support Cambodian Fundraiser
- 12.00 noon Holy Week Liturgy - Family and Friends are welcome to attend.
-2.00pm Easter Egg Raffle
Friday 30th March - Good Friday (Public Holiday)
Monday 1st April - Easter Monday (public Holiday
Tuesday 2nd April
- 12.00 noon Easter Resurrection Liturgy - - Family and Friends are welcome to attend.
- Parent Teacher Interviews appointment times open on compass
Parent Teacher Interviews
We will be holding Parent Teacher interviews in Week 11 of this term on Monday 8th April,
Tuesday 9th April and Wednesday 10th April. Interview times will open for booking via
Compass on Tuesday 2nd April ( times may vary slightly from teacher to teacher).
Parent-teacher interviews give you a great opportunity to:
● learn more about your child’s academic, emotional and social development
● meet and get to know your child’s teachers
● help your child’s teachers understand more about your child
● make plans with the teacher about how you can both support your child
If you don’t have any particular concerns, you might wonder whether it’s worth going to parent-
teacher interviews. But going along is one way to show your child that you’re interested in their
learning and what’s happening for them at school.
It can help to take a list of questions with you to interviews so you remember what you want
to talk about. The interview time tends to pass quickly.
If you’re not sure what to talk about, here are some questions to get you started:
● What are my child’s interests and strengths?
● What does my child struggle with?
● How much homework should my child be doing every night?
● What can I do at home to help my child with schoolwork?
● What can you tell me about my child’s behaviour in class?
● How is my child getting along with other students?
● What support services are available for my child at this school?
If you don’t get through everything you want to discuss, you might need to arrange another
meeting with your child’s teacher. If your child is present during the interview, you might
want to request a separate meeting without your child to discuss any concerns.
Staffing Update
Mrs Carr, our Kindergarten teacher has decided to take extended leave until the end of the
Year. We are fortunate that Mrs Hart will be taking Kindergarten until the end of the term. This
will provide us with time to recruit a quality teacher to teach Kindergarten until the end of the
year. I will inform the school community of our new Kindergarten teacher in the coming weeks.
Katrina Isbester
School Principal
Assistant Principal's Address
School Cross Country
Congratulations to McAuley who won the annual cross country. McAuley continued their
domination of the school cross country event, winning ten of the last 11!
The teams’ events: McAuley won the nine years and under (Henry Simpson, Jackson
Simpson and Brock Ellis), 10 Years champion house was McAuley (Amity Penman,Phoebe
Heckendorf and Nate Howard), 11 years champs were Moore (James Howard, Stella Lavelle
and Almirah Read) and the 12 years champion team was Quinn (James Peek, Lexie Ethridge
Violet Dunstan).
The individual champions were: Brock Ellis, Frankie Lavelle, Amity Penman, Hayden
Clark, James Howard, Elizabeth Gordon, Abe Morley and Amelia Job.
The runner’s up and third place getters were: Henry Simpson, Jackson Simpson, Evie
Davidson, Estelle Wise, Timmy Peek, Nate Howard, Phoebe Heckendorf, Hope Anderson,
Harry Rouse, Camden Fieldsend, Stella Lavelle, Ali Edwards, Digby Elliott, James Peek,
Lexie Ethridge and Violet Dunstan.
Thanks to all staff who sat in the hot sun in the middle of an oval for well over an hour
supervising the runners. Thanks also to those parents who were able to attend and show
support.
The top four in each age group received a note today with all the details re Diocesan Cross
Country in Coolah on the 7th of May. Please let me know if your child will not be attending
as soon as possible so a replacement can be arranged.
Greg Cant
Assistant Principal
RE News
Easter
Easter is the pinnacle of our faith and the most important
date on the liturgical calendar - The resurrection of Jesus
Christ. As we enter Holy Week, we need to remember
that Easter is about new life, an opportunity to start again,
to make a connection with God through Jesus’ example,
to be kind and respectful to all.
Palm Sunday
Yesterday, we celebrated Palm Sunday, the day Jesus was welcomed into Jerusalem. This is also a reminder for us to welcome Jesus into our hearts and be willing to follow his teachings. Our Year 6 children, who are making their Confirmation, participated in the Palm Procession during mass yesterday. This mass was also a Confirmation enrolment mass, which marks the beginning of their Confirmation journey.
Class Mass
Our final class mass was last Thursday. Year 2, 3 & 4 were very reverent and responded
beautifully during mass. Thank you Fr. Nam for another beautiful Mass shared with our
children and for helping us build a stronger understanding of the parts of the mass.
World Down Syndrome Day
We celebrated World Down Syndrome Day last Thursday by wearing crazy socks. What a
beautiful way to celebrate Riley, a treasured member of our school community, and to build
awareness of inclusion and support for all.
Project Compassion - Lent
Project Compassion boxes are due back at school by Holy Thursday, 28th March. The children are encouraged to do small jobs to earn some money to help someone in need throughout Lent. For more details follow the link…Project Compassion
Mufti Day Fundraiser
St Pius X will have a Mufti Day (wear play clothes to school) for a gold coin donation on Holy
Thursday, 28th March. All money raised will go towards the St John’s College Cambodian
Immersion Experience, where the Year 11 students will assist with the building of three
dwellings to house local families in Cambodia. Our donation will help build these dwellings
and support a community that faces numerous challenges regarding education, healthcare
and basic amenities.
Term 1 Dates to Remember
Merit Awards
Kindergarten
Riley, Oakley, Pippa, Serenity-J, Milo, Venus
Year 1
Ollie,Tyler,Harry,Jesse,Aidan,Kha thy
Year 2
Matilda, Kailey, Gerry, Jonathan
Year 3
Brock,Estelle,Riley,Jadzia,Gabriel,Clara
Year 4
Dustyn,Chelsea,Nate,Max,Jethram,Charlie,Phoebe,Darci,Grace,Kingsley
Year 5
Claudia,Harlow,Parker
Year 6
Molly,Digby,Samuel
HAPPY BIRTHDAY !
Jayley
Mason
Oliver
Chelsea
Mia