Term 4 continues with its exciting array of events and celebrations. Thank you so much for the generous support around Mission Day last week, we raised over $1700. This is so generous and greatly appreciated. 

On Friday 25th the teachers were able to meet for a teacher only day around delivery of the new curriculum. It was a good opportunity for the staff to talk through the next steps and align our current good practice with the new curriculum expectations.  
 
Tomorrow (November 1st) we have our All Saints celebration starting the day with Mass at 9am and our Saints parade (dress up as a Saint or Bible Character) just before morning tea at 10.15am.  We are also creating a remembrance wall in the foyer for our loved ones who have joined the communion of Saints. This remembrance tree will remain for all of November.

Grandparents Assembly
We will have our Grandparents Assembly tomorrow 1st November in Kiwi Class. This assembly will start at 2.15pm. We warmly invite our Grandparents to attend this assembly.

Altrusa Award
On Wednesday 23rd October I was privileged to attended the Altrusa Young Citizens Awards. These awards are presented to those young people in Year 8 who have demonstrated Courtesy, Attitude & Initiative, Sportsmanship, Community Work in & out of school and Scholastic improvement. The award is presented by the Mayor of Hamilton. Hannah Balme received this award. Congratulations Hannah you have worked hard for this recognition.

Giving Tree Term 4
The season of Advent is approaching, a time to prepare our hearts for Jesus' coming. As part of this season the school will have a Giving Tree for the St Vincent De Paul society. 
As part of the Giving Tree you may place a gift for a child or teenager that otherwise might miss out over Christmas. These gifts or food items are then given to the Vinnies to distribute to those in need. We will begin the tree in Week 4 and keep going until the end of term. Thanks for your support in this venture. 

Notes on Enrolments for 2025: Our roll has closed for 2025 and we have an extensive waitlist. If you have a younger sibling turning five in 2025 or the beginning of 2026 and you want them to be enrolled at St Pius X please come and see Maree in the office ASAP.  

Also if you know that you are moving or changing school in the new year, please come and tell us at the office as soon as you are able.  It means we can give some certainty to those who are on the waitlist for the new year and to also give your child a proper farewell. 

Pizza Tuesday will be each Tuesday.  

Ham, Cheese and Pepperoni -$2 for a slice. 
Please bring your money in a named envelope and hand it in to your class teacher on Tuesday morning.

All funds raised will be used towards camps across the school in term 4.

Your support is greatly appreciated.

The Public Health Nurses will be at school on Monday 04 November to provide dose 2 of the HPV immunisation for the Year 8 students whose parents/caregivers consented earlier in the year. If your child is absent there will be a catch up planned within 3 weeks.
If parents have any queries or changes contact the Public Health Nurse directly:
PHN Name and phone: Miriam 021 2478972
PHN Email: Miriam.esteves@waikatodhb.health.nz

After Labour Day summer uniform is expected. 
Summer uniform is 

If you do not have a hat you must stay in the shade at morning tea and lunchtime, per our school sun smart procedure. 

If you are unsure about correct uniform or there is a reason for a change in uniform please contact your child's teacher.
 

Ngā mihi nui
Erin Clayton (Principal)  

This Term Mrs. O will be starting Kapa Haka classes with the support of Koro. 

Most of the feedback we received earlier in the year indicated the support for this group and while there was some hesitation with the after school time, doing justice to the programme is hard during a lunch break. 

Kapa Haka will be on a Thursday from 2:45 - 3:45  in Tara Iti classroom every Thursday unless otherwise indicated. New members to the group are most welcome from Year 0 - Year 8.

Ngā Mihi

Mrs. O

Park safely around schools
… and avoid a parking ticket!

As of 1 October, parking fines around the country have gone up for the first time in 20 years. Previously, low fines encouraged some people to take the risk of parking illegally. The Government has increased the fines to send a message that illegal parking will not be tolerated.

One of the biggest changes is that the fine for misusing a disabled parking space has increased from $150 to $750, reflecting the seriousness of the offence and the impact it has on the disabled community.

We want to thank our school community for choosing safety over convenience by following the parking rules every day around our school. These changes won’t affect those who already do the right thing. However, we do occasionally see parents parking in unsafe areas, putting students at risk. We hope the increased fines will encourage everyone to think twice about where they park around our school.

Here’s a breakdown of some the new parking fines affecting parking around schools:

Parking offence | Fine from 1 Oct | Current fine
Overstaying not more than 30 minutes | $20 | $12
Overstaying more than 30 minutes but not more than 1 hour | $25 | $15
Park vehicle on bend | $70 | $40
Vehicle obstructs entrance or exit of driveway | $70 | $40
Park vehicle on footpath or cycle path | $70 | $40
Parked on lawn, garden or verge | $70 | $40
Park on broken yellow lines  | $100 | $60
Park vehicle on pedestrian crossing | $100 | $60
Park vehicle in special vehicle lane (bus lane or cycle lane | $100 | $60
Park vehicle without due care and consideration | $100 | $60
Park in an area reserved for disabled persons | $750 | $150

Player of the day - Patrick
Win for St Pius X 20/16

Players of the day (last week). Kaleb and Marlee-John!!

Just a few reminders for Term 4:
Absences - Please let us know via telephone, Spike website or Skoolloop if your child is going to be absent. If we don't hear from you at all, we mark your child as T for Truant. This information is part of our data that goes to the Ministry of Education.

Lost Property - If you have a missing drink bottle, umbrella etc, please check at the office. We gave a lot of these things to opportunity shops last term. All unclaimed clothing was washed and put in with our second hand clothing.

Late to School - Please, please have your child (or yourself) sign them in late. This avoids the need to send you a text asking where your child is.

If you come and take your child from school during the day, please ALWAYS sign them out at the office. Thank you.

Duffy $5.00 Summer/Christmas Book Offer.
This closes on 8th November. Please make sure the order form is NAMED and cash only!

Put Saturday 2nd of November in your diary  

The St Pius Quiz night

Where: St Pius X

When: 2 Nov
Time: 6:30pm for 7:00pm start.

What: Trivia and the opportunity to win loads of stuff!

Tickets $10 per person.
You can contact Maree in the office to book a table. You can pay by cash or eftpos on the night.

How can you help make the quiz a success?
We are currently collecting any prizes that might be suitable for raffles. We are also collecting grocery items to make up food hampers. If you have anything that could be a prize or grocery items to donate that would be most appreciated thank you.

Last week the BOT had their regular monthly meeting. Here is a short summary of the decisions they made on your behalf.

- reviewed the General Legislation Policy and discussed possible changes to bring it up date.

- reviewed the Protected Disclosure Policy.  

- Received three furniture quotes.

- discussed the Principals professional growth cycle.

-    Reviewed the Strategic plan. 

-    Received feedback on the Health Curriculum Community Consultation survey.