As we come to the end of the term, this will be our final newsletter before the holidays. It has been a full and rewarding term and we thank you for your continued support of our school community.

This week, we also take time to farewell a very special member of our staff, Mrs Vanxay. Mrs Vanxay has been a valued part of our school for 23 years, generously sharing her gifts and talents with our tamariki and wider community. Her care, dedication and commitment have made a lasting impact and she will be greatly missed.

We wish Mrs Vanxay all the very best as she begins her new adventures—and who knows, we may still see her from time to time as a reliever!

Mrs Vanxay’s Farewell Liturgy will be held in the Church at 10:15am on Thursday 2nd April. All are warmly welcome to join us as we give thanks and celebrate her contribution.

Next week, we enter into the sacred time of Holy Week, an important part of our Catholic calendar.

We will be holding daily liturgies in the Church at 2:20pm throughout the week. This is a special opportunity for our students and community to come together in prayer and reflection as we walk alongside Jesus on His Holy Week journey.

All whānau are warmly invited to attend and share in this meaningful time with us.

A heartfelt thank you to our Friends of the School for their incredible work in organising our recent Cultural Evening.

It was a wonderful opportunity to come together and celebrate the rich and unique cultures that make up our school. The evening was filled with connection, joy, and a true sense of belonging.

We are very grateful for the time, effort, and care given by all those involved in planning and running this special event. Your dedication helped create a memorable experience for our tamariki and whānau.

As Moving March comes to an end, we would like to say a big thank you to all our whānau for supporting students to come to school in different ways—whether that be walking, scootering, biking, or other creative options. It has been wonderful to see such enthusiasm and positive energy around active travel.

As we continue to navigate the challenges of rising fuel costs, this may be a great opportunity to keep exploring some of these options. Ideas such as park and stride or carpooling can help make journeys more manageable while also supporting our tamariki to stay active and connected with their community.
Thank you again for your ongoing support.

We kindly ask all whānau to take a moment to check that your contact details held at the school office are current and accurate.

Recently, we have come across a number of phone numbers that are no longer working and some outdated home addresses. We completely understand that life can be busy—especially around times of moving or change—but having up-to-date information is essential.

Accurate contact details ensure that we can reach you quickly in the case of an emergency, or if we need to contact you about your child during the school day.

If you are unsure or need to make any updates, please get in touch with the school office at your convenience.

Thank you for your support with this important matter.

For all of Term 1, we will compete against other Hamilton schools every Wednesday to see how many students can:

🚶 Walk

🚲 Bike

🛴 Scooter

🚗 Carpool

Each Wednesday, we will also run this as an internal school challenge, with classes competing against one another. We look forward to seeing which class shows the most participation and school spirit!
Let’s work together to make Wednesdays count!

We are now in the season of Lent, a special time in the Church year when we prepare our hearts for Easter.
During Lent, we focus on three key practices:
🙏 Prayer – Growing closer to God
🍞 Fasting – Making sacrifices and practising self-discipline
❤️ Almsgiving – Giving to others in need
This year, we are placing a special focus on almsgiving through our support of the Vinnie's Food Bank Drive. This is a wonderful opportunity for our students to put their faith into action by helping families in our wider community who may be struggling.
Every donation, big or small, makes a difference.

Amen.

We are pleased to let our community know that our school policies are available online through SchoolDocs.

SchoolDocs provides access to our school’s policies and procedures, ensuring they are up to date and aligned with current legislation and best practice. We encourage families to review our publicly available policies at any time.

Each term, selected policies will be placed under review. We value community voice and welcome your feedback. If you would like to comment on a policy under review, please follow the prompts on the SchoolDocs website to submit your feedback.

To access SchoolDocs, please visit:

🌐 https://stpius.schooldocs.co.nz
Username: stpius
Password: pineave

If you have any questions about our policies, please feel free to contact the school office.

With the beginning of 2026 all schools in New Zealand have been asked to have an attendance response plan based on the government STAR attendance structure. This plan is found on our Website in the Board document area. It outlines the steps of intervention and response. Please be aware that across the term students may have up to 5 days of absence without activating intervention. However even when an absence is explained, communication and action will still be triggered at 5, 10 and 15 days away from school.

Being at school every day and on time helps your child learn and do well.
Why this matters
• Away 1 day each week = 10 days missed in one term
• Late 15 minutes every day = almost 2 days of learning missed
School times
🕣 Start: 8.45am
🕝 Finish: 2.45pm

Please make sure your child arrives on time and stays for the full school day.
You are welcome to wait at school for the 2.45pm bell. This is a nice time to talk with other parents.
⚠️ Please do not pick up children before 2.45pm unless there is a special reason (for example, a doctor’s appointment).
If your child leaves early, please sign them out at the office.

Attendance is important
The Government takes attendance very seriously. The school must follow up when children are often away or late. To promote attendance St Pius X School has signed up for the Show up and Shine campaign with Ninja Valley. This campaign rewards the school for increased attendance by giving classes the opportunity to win a session at Ninja valley by having the fewest absences in the school. Come on St Pius X you can do it!!

✈️ Holidays
Please plan overseas travel in school holidays.
Taking one week before or after the holidays, with no other absences in the term, means your child does not need attendance support, although any holiday during term time is highly discouraged.
Thank you for helping your child be at school every day.
Every day counts.

At St Pius X, we value and celebrate the many languages and cultures within our school community. We recognise that some of our students, and their families, are learning English as an additional language, and we are here to support this journey.

The ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) programme provides extra support for students who are developing their English. This can include help with speaking and listening, understanding new vocabulary, reading, and writing, so that students can feel confident and successful in their learning.

This support is funded for a limited time and is based on Ministry of Education guidelines, so it is not available to all students who speak another language at home. Because of this, the group of students receiving ESOL support at our school changes over time as children gain confidence and new learners arrive.

We are always happy to talk with you. If you have any questions, or would like to better understand how ESOL support works, please feel very welcome to come and see me.

Ngā mihi nui,
Erin Clayton

On the 23rd of March, St Pius sent 19 children from years 4-6 to the Interschool's Swimming event at Hamilton West School. Our little school did incredibly well, with lots of children making it into finals. Everybody gave it their all, and I am so proud. We got a special shout out at the beginning of the day for having the biggest turn out that St Pius has ever had.

Here are the placings that these children received:

Year 4's:
Harley- 3rd in 1 length backstroke

Year 5's:
Pia: 3rd in 1 length freestyle 
Ava: 3rd in 1 length breaststroke
Franco: 3rd in 2 lengths breaststroke

Year 6's 
Emery: 3rd in 1 length freestyle and 3rd in 2 lengths backstroke
Joanna: 3rd 1 length breaststroke
Marlee: 3rd in 2 lengths freestyle and 3rd in 2 lengths backstroke
Noah: 2nd in 2 lengths breaststroke

A big thank you to anybody who helped with transport to and from Interschools and anybody who stayed with us throughout the day.

--
Tyla Burge

......will be on Friday 8th May at 2:10pm. In the Church.

Kia ora e te whaanau,

An Invitation to our Open Days - Group Tours

Attending an Open Day is an opportunity to meet new whaanau interested in joining our school
community in 2027.

Dates: Wednesday 1st April and Thursday 23rd April
Time: 9.00am - 10.00am              10.30am - 11.30am
12.00pm - 1.00pm                           2.00pm - 3.00pm

Staff and students will show you a variety of our learning spaces and share why we believe Sacred Heart Girls’ College is the best choice for your daughter’s next step in education. Your visit will begin in the School Hall and will be approximately one hour.

Registration: Visit our website: https://shgcham.school.nz/
Look for ‘OPEN DAY 2026’ on the front page, where you can register, choosing the time for your visit. If you have any questions please contact our Enrolment Coordinator, Lisa McKenzie by email: hearts@shgcham.school.nz or phone: 07 856 7874 ext 2801.

Enrol With Us:
Enrolment Applications may be completed online from Monday 9th March, 2026.
Visit our website to find all the information you require about enrolment, this includes:
● Enrolment Policy
● Preference Criteria
● Enrolment Application

We welcome applications from families seeking a Catholic Education for their child. Ensure you read our Enrolment Policy which sets out the criteria used to prioritise applications for enrolment.

Please note that places are limited. We have a maximum roll which is currently full. In 2027 we will allocate
approximately 200 Year 9 places; this may change depending on the retention and transition of current students.
Preference applicants who currently attend one of our Catholic Primary Schools listed in our Enrolment Policy, will be considered first, then applicants that show a connection to the Catholic Church (refer Preference criteria). Non-preference applications will only be considered if there are places available, once preference places have been allocated.

Please complete the Enrolment Application when you have the required documentation, from 9th March. Remember to contact your local parish to organise a Preference Card. There will also be the opportunity to complete the Enrolment
Application at the end of your tour. If so, please bring an appropriate form of your child’s identification (copy of birth
certificate or passport) and the Preference Card (signed by the Parish Priest or their delegate).

Applications for 2027 Enrolment close Friday 3rd July, 2026. You will be contacted after this date to advise if your enrolment application has been accepted, placed on a waiting list or declined.

If you have any questions about the enrolment process, please contact Lisa. We look forward to welcoming you to our Kura.

Mauri ora,

Catherine Gunn
Principal/Tumuaki

and this from our Australian School Secretary - for those thinking of moving across the ditch....

Looking for your next great adventure? We are thrilled to announce that our brand-new Book Swap Shelf is officially open for business! Located right next to the Principal’s Office, this little library is here to ensure no student ever runs out of stories.

The rules are simple: Bring a book, take a book. If you have a story at home that you’ve finished and want to share, drop it off on the shelf. In exchange, feel free to browse the collection and pick out something "new to you" to take home. It’s a great way to keep our community reading and give pre-loved books a second life.

You won't be able to miss it! The shelf itself is a total work of art. The talented students in Kereru Class spent the last week "lovingly bedoodling" the entire unit. It’s covered in vibrant drawings, intricate patterns, and plenty of character, making it the most stylish spot in the hallway.

So, dig through your bookshelves tonight and bring in a donation tomorrow. Let’s get trading!

Click on the following link to see what School Holiday Programmes are happening in the Waikato: 
https://www.stpius.school.nz/1/file_sets/20-school-holiday-programmes

What’s happening on your Board of Trustees

Last week the BOT had their regular monthly meeting. Here is a short summary of the decisions they made on your behalf.
- received the final budget for 2026.
- Received a building up date from the principal.
- reviewed proposed meeting dates.
- reviewed the 2026 board assurances.
- reviewed the 2026 policy review schedule.
- received and voted quotes to replace ITC equipment.

March
29th - Jiya - Kakapo
30th - Te Ori - Tara Iti
31st - Johan - Kea

April
3rd - Liv - Kea
6th - Ryan - Ruru
8th - Ameya - Takahe
10th - Catherina - Kea
12th - Ryan - Tui
12th - Ethan - Piwakawaka
13th - Astrid - Ruru
15th - Pia - Kea
17th - Aemilia - Tara Iti
18th - Paulo - Piwakawaka
22nd - Andrea - Tara Iti
22nd - Liam - Ruru
26th -Marcel - Kereru
26th - Sasha - Kakapo
26th - Luna - Ruru
28th - Izabel - Kakapo
28th - Oliver - Piwakawaka
28th - Adriel - Kea
29th - Jon - Kea
29th - Niharika - Piwakawaka
30th - Suzie - Kakapo