A very warm welcome back to St Pius X for Term two. It was lovely to see everyone again and to get started for another exciting 10 weeks ahead. Our learning here at St Pius X for term 2 focuses on Culture and collective identity and we will celebrate our learning around Matariki for this. For RE our focus is on Prayer and God. Please talk with your tamariki around what it is they have explored that day and bring the learning to life with your own stories of culture, community and your personal relationship with God. We also look forward to some events this term including book week next week,  cross country and  a disco this term.
 

Safe speed around schools
You will have seen the new signs outside the school on the road reminding everyone that the Speed limit around all schools is 30km. These limits are for everyone's safety and are a great initiative from the Hamilton City Council. Please watch out for our children as you are entering the carpark and driving along Pine ave.  We are also beginning discussion around getting a safe crossing outside our school. For this we will need community help as the council have identified the Church carpark and school drive as a serious risk in constructing a safe crossing. With this in mind remember to keep the marked pathways clear of both cars and groups of people. Walk all bikes and scooters down the drive and in the carpark and watch out for others when parking and reversing. Together we can keep everyone safe.
 

 

Book Week
Next week, Week 2  will be book week. We will be celebrating books and a love of reading all week. As part of the celebration on Thursday there will be a book character day. Everyone will dress up as their favourite book character for a parade. We will also share our favourite book in our house teams on Tuesday and have a visit from a local children's author Wednesday. Another activity in Book week is the St Pius X book exchange. The Friends of the School will collect quality pre-loved books every morning Monday-Thursday, no colouring, sticker or pre-school books please. They will then run a book exchange Friday Lunchtime where the school community is able to look through the donated books and take home a quality pre-loved treasure. Thanks in advance for the work and organisation around this Friends of the school.
 

Bikes and Scooters on the Drive
It is wonderful to see more people scootering or riding to school. Just a gentle reminder, before and after school, please make sure to walk your bike in the carpark and on the drive. We have a number of people using the same space at the same time and by walking your bike or scooter you help everyone stay safe at this busy time. Thanks.
 
Ngā mihi nui 
Erin Clayton

Incentive Day Fun Term 1

 

Next week is Book week for St Pius X. During the week Monday to Thursday the Friends of the school will collect quality, pre-loved books, so have a hunt around home for any books that you might have. No colouring books/sticker or pre-school books please. On Friday Lunchtime is the book swap which the Friends of the School will run, letting everyone have an opportunity to discover their next favourite book.

We are still in the season of Easter and this coming Sunday May 5 – has been designated by the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference and the New Zealand Lutheran Church as the “Festival of New Life”, an occasion meant to signal hope and confidence in the move towards Christian unity.

It is an initiative of the Lutheran-Roman Catholic Dialogue, highlighting baptism and its significance for Christian unity.

“We have all been baptised in Christ, and realising this provides a starting point for the seeds of unity to take root," says Fr James Lyons of Wellington, on behalf of the Dialogue.

In October 2021, the Catholic and Lutheran churches in Aotearoa New Zealand approved a statement recognising the unity of each other’s baptisms. See: https://www.catholic.org.nz/news/media-releases/lutheran-catholic-baptisms

The Festival of New Life initiative affirms the shared belief “in one baptism for the forgiveness of sins as confessed in the Nicene Creed.” It is an invitation for parishes on the Sixth Sunday of Easter – the Sunday preceding the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity – to focus on baptism as the seedbed from which Christians can develop a deeper appreciation of one another on their journey to wholeness.

Take sometime this week to share your stories of Baptism as a family.