This Sunday marks the official beginning of Advent — a special time in our Church calendar when we prepare our hearts for the birth of Jesus. Advent is a season of hope, reflection and joy and a wonderful opportunity for our families and school community to come together in celebration.
Last week our Junior team enjoyed some fantastic Outdoor Education activities — plenty of sunshine, teamwork and learning outdoors.
Our Years 7 and 8 students are also away on camp this week. From all accounts, it has been a great chance for bonding, building confidence and creating lifelong memories.

Our Advent Giving Tree is now up and ready. This is a special community initiative to support local families as they celebrate Christmas this year.
 If you’re able, please bring along unwrapped gifts and any food, grocery, or toiletry items you can spare.
Let’s join together to help make someone’s Christmas a little brighter.

The weather has been beautiful recently, and it’s a great time to think about how we travel to and from school. If you can, please consider leaving the car a little further away and taking advantage of Park and Stride.
Every small change helps reduce congestion and builds healthy habits.
More information about our Walking School Bus can be found in the Community Notices section below.

A gentle reminder that family trips and holidays should be planned for the term breaks and the summer holidays wherever possible.
 Every day away from school is a day of important instruction and learning that students miss out on. Thank you for your support in helping our tamariki make the most of their school year.

We’re excited for our Carol Evening and Christmas Picnic on Wednesday, 11 December. Each class has been preparing a special Christmas item to share with you.
Please join us with your whānau for an evening of Christmas fun, community spirit, and wonderful performances.
Our Friends of the School will also be running a sausage sizzle on the night.

 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.

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.

 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 of their remaining time with us 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)  

 

 

We’ve teamed up with OfficeMax MySchool to make your back to school shop super easy. And if you order in December, you’ll go in the draw to WIN 1 of 5 $1000 cash prizes*.

 

Your child’s class list is already loaded. Just go to https://www.myschool.co.nz/spxcmelville. Simply add your details, check that you want everything on the list, then click and confirm - and OfficeMax MySchool will get it underway, with free delivery on orders over $70*.

 

You can pay by internet banking, credit card or debit card. Zip# is also available, so you can pay in 4 interest free payments over 6 weeks and still get your order right away. Plus, you’ll be helping our school earn school rewards* that we use to purchase much needed extra resources for our school.

 

Quotes for WINZ are available by contacting 0800 724 440 or via email enquiry@myschool.co.nz.

 

We encourage you to order early to ensure your child has all their stationery requirements ready to go in plenty of time for the start of Term 1. 

 

So go ahead and beat the back to school rush, order today with OfficeMax MySchool and give them the best start possible.

 

 

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
30th - Khaliah - Ruru

December
1st - Emma - Ruru
3rd - Zyler - Tara Iti
7th - Charlie - Piwakawaka
9th - Katherine - Takahe
13th - Rishaan - Tui
15th - Bryan - Tara Iti
17th - Anna - Tara Iti
18th - Jove - Tara Iti
19th - Adam & Maxson - Piwakawaka A
21st - Anna, Sarah & Pypa - Piwakawaka A
24th - Gianna - Kereru
26th - Willow - Kereru
28th - Erick - Ruru & Rhys - Kakapo
29th - Paxton - Kereru

The following link will take you to available school holiday programmes during December and January.

Click HERE

Below are our 2026 term dates