We would like to begin our newsletter with a big thank you for our First 'DIY Dad' project. Thank you to Hamish Hodgson and the crew for giving up a Sunday to make sure that Pukeko have a great bag bay area. The next 2 jobs are to tackle a roof section on Mr Bibin's shed and to replace some of the deck boards outside the buildings. There is a small leak in the roof that is damaging some of the stored equipment and the deck is a tripping hazard. If you have the skills and the time we would love to hear from you.  

Friends of the School 
Our amazing Friends of the School have a new facebook page and are using it to share upcoming events and organisation. This is a private page, however as a member of the St Pius X family, you will be allowed on by admin. Please follow the link. 
The Friends of the School are also organising the annual Cultural showcase and Talent show. Notice and details further in the newsletter. 
 

Sacramental Programme
The Sacramental programme through the Parish begins soon. The enrolment form link is below (please copy and paste if the link doesn't work). Enrolment closes on the 3rd March. Students must have turned 8 by March 5th to be part of this years programme. Click HERE 

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1t_kpovM1iys9XCznSWC6MEgtC6ldLsbjGK2_VGv58r8/edit?ts=67a7b42f

Parking
Our school roll is growing bigger and there is simply not enough parking space at the Church for everyone at 2.45pm. There is however plenty of on street parking in walkable distance to school to pick your child up at the end of the day. If you are physically able, please park on the surrounding streets and walk to school. 
The car park is a one way system where you must travel around the full carpark to exit, please follow this rule to keep traffic flowing. 
Also if you are needing to cross the road please move off the school driveway and to the grass verge to do so. These simple actions will help keep everyone safe and it means we can get away from school on time. If we continue to have problems at pick up times we will have to look for alternative solutions to ensure everyone's safety.

Ngā mihi nui
Erin Clayton (Principal) 

Last week the BOT had their regular monthly meeting. Here is a short summary of the decisions they made on your behalf.
- Appointed Brendon Muir to be our presiding member.
- Reviewed the code of conduct.  
- Signed off the annual Accrual report. 
- Discussed the Privacy Statement.
- Reviewed the Strategic plan and Annual Action plan. 
- Gave approval for planning for the senior school camp to go ahead. 

News from the Friends of the School

Come and celebrate the family traditions, talents and cultural influences that make our school community so special
The St. Pius X Cultural Showcase is a much-loved annual event - an evening to share food together and watch performances.  Your family is invited to bring a food dish to share and/or sign up to provide entertainment. Everyone is welcome to perform an item, not just the children.

Here is how you can participate:

COME ALONG! Everyone is welcome to attend - experience what others are sharing and get to know the St Pius X School community better.  We encourage parents and children to come in cultural or traditional dress.

SHARED PICNIC: Bring your favourite dish to share with others – food which is culturally or traditionally significant to your family.  Bring your dish ready to serve and leave it at the self-service table. There will be a sweet and savoury section. 

PERFORMERS WANTED: Contribute to the entertainment schedule with a performance – dance, song, poetry, musical instruments, martial art demo, drama skit, magic show.  Individual or group!  There are no limits to the types of family-friendly entertainment we’d love to see!  5-minute slots are available.     

BRING A COIN: Encourage the performers by putting a coin into the hat after each performance and help raise money for the school.

RAFFLES ON THE DAY: We will be fundraising with a number of raffles on the day. If you have anything to bring along please see the Office.

  IF YOUR STUDENT/FAMILY WOULD LIKE TO PERFORM…

Complete this form and return to the school office.  Friends of the School will then be in touch with further details.

Please register your interest for a performance slot by Friday 21 March at the latest.

Name of performers 

Parent’s Name:

Name of and type of item:

Culture represented (if applicable):

We have a little visitor at the office. This is LouLou introducing herself!


A Note on Attendance
One of the things we are continuing to focus on in 2025 is student attendance.  You will hear us talking about this with you, with our students and it remains a strong subject of conversation in the staff room.   

If a student misses one day of school every two weeks, they miss more than a whole year of school by 16 years of age. As a parent or caregiver, you, alongside our school, play a key role in building strong habits of regular school attendance.

All students are legally required to attend school every day and it is a shared responsibility to make sure students attend and engage in learning from when they first start school. 

You must let the school know if your child is going to be absent or intends to be absent for a portion of the school term for whatever reason, like a tangi or medical procedure.  Family holidays or taking time off for extracurricular activities (not organised by school) are not acceptable reasons for being absent.

Knowing if your child is well enough to go to school can be tricky. If you are unsure, get in touch with us and let’s work together to support your learner.

If you're struggling at home with getting your child to school, talk to us. 

If you are finding it hard to get your child to school, please talk with us so we can work together. Our school is committed to supporting your child to attend school. 

Our school continues to build a culture that fosters attendance every day by having:

If you have any attendance queries and issues, please contact us so we can work together.