Welcome to Week 6! The term is flying by and it’s been wonderful to see so much energy and participation across the school. Thank you for your continued support of our students, teachers, and community events.

 A huge thank you to everyone who supported our Raise the Roof Fete! It was a wonderful success for our extended parish community, raising over $7,500 toward the new roof.
A special thank you to the teachers, staff, and parents who helped run games and activities on the day — your energy and generosity made all the difference!

 Fingers crossed for good weather to continue this week so that all areas of the school can complete their athletics events by Friday. We were able to dodge the rain enough on Wednesday to get the school sprints done.
 A big thank you to Tracey Vanxay and Lisa Hayde for their organisation, effort and expertise. Thank you to all the staff that make the events happen. Also thank you to all the teachers for the time and effort they’ve put into preparing these events and teaching our students the skills of athletics.

 A reminder that school hours are 8.45am – 2.45pm. Every minute counts! When children arrive late or leave early, they miss valuable learning time — and over the year, this can add up to hours of lost learning.
If you have a genuine reason to pick your child up early, please communicate this clearly with your class teacher and make sure to sign out at the office.

 We have a large collection of lost property at the office. Please come and check if any of it belongs to your family. We’ll be clearing it out before the end of the month. Remember to name all items your child brings to school and if the items are second hand to clearly rename after removing the old name. A number of the items we currently have in the office have the names of past students on them.

Thank you to all the families who came along to the Walking School Bus meeting with Hamilton Council on Tuesday. It was wonderful to see such a great turnout and to hear from many others who couldn’t make it but are still interested.

We now have a strong expression of interest and are looking to set up a Walking School Bus for our school. For families who travel a longer distance, a park and stride option may also be available — allowing you to park a little further away and walk part of the journey together.

The sense of community, connection, and friendship that comes with the Walking School Bus is something special — not only for the students, but for parents as well. We’ll keep you updated as plans take shape and share how you can get involved.

 Our Advent Giving Tree begins this week. This annual tradition supports our local Vinnies as they collect food and Christmas gifts for families in need.
Please visit the tree and leave unwrapped gifts or non-perishable food items underneath. Your kindness helps make Christmas brighter for others in our community.

St Pius X School is joining the Wednesday Challenge — a fun way to help ease congestion around our school gates and do something great for our planet! 🌏 

Each Wednesday, we’re encouraging our tamariki to get to and from school by any means other than a single-family car. That could mean:
🚶‍♀️ Walking
🚴‍♂️ Biking
🛴 Scootering
🚗 Carpooling with friends 

Our classes are competing against one another, and our school is also competing with five other Hamilton schools to see who can make the biggest difference! 

🏆 Champion classes will be announced at each assembly, and there’ll be spot prizes for those taking part. 

Let’s get moving, have some fun, and show Hamilton how St Pius X steps up for our environment and community! 💚 

#WednesdayChallenge #ActiveTravel #StPiusX #HamiltonSchools #WalkBikeScootCarpool #TeamStPius

For the month of October our school won a pizza shout for one class as the school that made the biggest difference in how we got to school over the month. Takahē won this shout as the class with the highest percentage across the month. Well done Takahē and St Pius X for making such a big difference.

The Government is asking all schools to help improve student attendance.
 This term we will send emails to families where attendance has dropped.

✅ We understand winter sickness is common and sometimes we send students home.
 ✅ Even so, once a child is enrolled, they must be at school every day if they are well enough.

Being at school every day helps children:

Thank you for helping us support your child’s learning.

🌞 Summer Uniform from includes:

Black, brown, or blue sandals (no socks) – no Crocs please

Short-sleeve school shirt

Grey shorts (boys) or school tunic/skort (girls)

No leggings or stockings to be worn under the summer uniform

School hat – compulsory for Term 4

Years 0–6: school bucket hat (covers ears and back of neck)

Years 7–8: may wear the school cap

👒 No Hat, No Play
During Term 4, students must wear their school hat during outdoor play and activities, or remain in the shade.

✨ Jewellery and Grooming
To maintain a neat and consistent look across the school:

Earrings: small, simple studs only

Neckwear: a simple cross or item of cultural significance may be worn around the neck under the uniform

No bangles, bracelets, or other jewellery

Hair ties and headbands should be simple and plain. If hair reaches the shoulders it should be tied up.

No painted nails

 As we look ahead to the end of the school year, we know some families are making big decisions about the future — including moving overseas or transitioning to a different primary school in 2026. Life brings new opportunities, and while we will miss those who move on, we completely understand and support your whānau’s journey. 

A big thank you to the families who have already let us know their plans — we really appreciate your communication and forward planning. 

If your family is planning a move, we kindly ask that you let us know as soon as your plans are confirmed. This helps us prepare well for the year ahead and support your tamariki with a positive and smooth transition. 

We also currently have over 100 families on our waitlist hoping to join the St Pius X community in 2026. Confirmed information allows us to offer certainty to those families as well. 

Rest assured, we will continue to see your children out with all the love, care, and attention they deserve. 

Thank you for your understanding and partnership.

We have a few great lunch options available during the week:

🥙 Tuesdays & Wednesdays – Kebab Stop
You can now order lunches from the Kebab Stop on Urlich Ave. Orders can be placed directly at orders.kebabstop.co.nz and will be delivered to the school office in time for lunch. This is a convenient option for families, and a great way to support a local business!
🍔 Friday – Tommo’s Lunches
Our regular Tommo’s lunch orders will continue on Fridays as usual.

Ngā mihi nui
Erin Clayton (Principal)  

Chele had 4 games to play and won 3 out of the 4 games. She came 2nd place in the Year 6 girls' group. Well done, St Pius X is so proud of you!

If your child is going to be away from school, it’s really important that you let the school office know. This helps us keep everyone safe and ensures we’re keeping accurate attendance records.

You can let us know in one of these easy ways:

📞 Call the school on 07 843 6554 and press #1 to leave a message
🌐 Fill out the absence form on our website: Click here
📱 Use the Skool Loop app to quickly report the absence

If we don’t hear from you, we are required to mark your child as truant – which means they were away without a reason from a parent or caregiver.

Thanks for helping us keep track of our tamariki and making sure everyone is safe and accounted for!

We have already accumulated quite a lot of jackets, water-bottles, lunch boxes, even a school bag. These items are unnamed.  If they haven't been claimed by the 22nd November, we will donate or re-use these items elsewhere in the school.

Kia ora whānau,

At St Pius X School, fundraising helps us give your children the best learning experience possible. The money raised goes towards extra resources like sports gear, classroom supplies, technology, school trips, and fun events for our tamariki.

In New Zealand, schools receive some money from the government, but not everything is covered. Fundraising helps us provide more opportunities and support for our learners.

We know that many families are new to how schools work in New Zealand. Please know that every little bit of support—whether it’s time, donations, or helping at events—makes a big difference.

Thank you for being part of our school community!

Ngā mihi nui,
 St Pius X Friends of the School

November
1st - Gerard - Ruru
2nd - Ezekiel - Piwakawaka A
3rd - Edward - Kereru & Zephaniah - Kakapo
4th Adria - Kakapo
6th - Milan - Tui
7th - Julia - Ruru
8th - Eli & Zac - Tara Iti
10th - Jasmine - Piwakawaka B
11th - Hunter - Takahae & Miggy - Piwakawaka A
15th - Jiona - Tui & Matthew - Tara Iti
18th - rhys - Tui
19th - Jerrold - Ruru & Kaleb - Kakapo
20th - Linda - Hoiho
22nd - Sariah - Tui
23rd - Spencer - Takahe
24th - Carmen - Takahe, Carmen - Piwakawaka A & Maxene - Tara Iti
25th - Jewel - kereru
26th - evanna - Kereru & Raphael - Takahe
30th - Khaliah - Ruru