It has been another positive and productive week here at St Pius X. Our classrooms continue to be busy places of learning and it has been wonderful to see students engaging with their learning and supporting one another. A particular highlight has been the Kids on Bikes programme that we have hosted here at school with the support of Hamilton City council. 
 
As we move further into the term, we are grateful for the continued partnership we share with our families. When school and home work together, our children thrive.
 
 

As we journey through the season of Lent, we are reminded that this is a time for reflection, kindness and growing closer to God.
Loving God,
 
During this season of Lent,
help us to grow in kindness, patience and generosity.
 
Teach us to care for those around us,
to show forgiveness,
and to walk in the footsteps of Jesus.
 
May our words and actions reflect your love
in our school, our homes and our community.
 
Amen.
 

 
A reminder that Goal Setting Interviews will take place this Thursday, 12 March.

These meetings are an important opportunity for students, parents and teachers to come together to discuss learning goals and how we can best support each child’s progress this year.

Please note the arrangements for the day:

• School will close for instruction at 2:00pm
• Limited supervision will be available until 2:45pm
 
We look forward to seeing families at these important conversations about learning.
 
 

 
Friday 20 March

We are excited to be holding our Cultural Celebration Evening on Friday 20 March.
 
Our theme this year is:
 

 
This special evening is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the many cultures that make up our school community.
 
There is still time to sign up if your family would like to share a cultural dance, song, or talent. Remember, this is a family event, so the whole family is welcome to participate.

🍜 We will also have food stalls run by our amazing community volunteers, so please remember to bring cash.
 
We look forward to a vibrant evening celebrating the cultures and traditions that enrich our community.
 
 

 
It has been fantastic to see so many students taking part in Moving March and travelling to school in active ways.

We have loved seeing the photos coming in for the council’s weekly photo competition. Each week there are prizes to be won!

Some of the prizes already given out in the first two weeks have included:

🎟 Zoo vouchers
🏊 Council swimming pool passes
🛒 A $50 Pack’nSave voucher

Keep those photos coming and continue supporting this great initiative promoting healthy, active travel to school.

 
A big thank you and congratulations to three families in our community who have done an outstanding job selling raffle tickets for the Church Raise the Roof Campaign:

⭐ Martin Family
⭐ West Family
⭐ Leafa Family

A special mention goes to the Martin family, who sold over 90 raffle tickets — an incredible effort!

Congratulations to these families for winning the Grocery Hampers from the Parish in recognition of their efforts.

Your support helps strengthen our parish and school community.


Thank you again for your continued support of St Pius X School.
 

 
To celebrate St Patrick’s Day, students are invited to take part in a Green Mufti Day on Tuesday 17 March.

Students can come dressed in their best green outfit and are asked to bring a gold coin donation for Caritas. This is a wonderful way for our school community to celebrate while also supporting others.

We will start the morning with a Green Parade and Jump Jam, so students will have the opportunity to show off their green outfits and begin the day with some fun and energy.

We look forward to seeing lots of green around the school!

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.

 
As we continue through the summer term, we would like to remind families of our summer uniform expectations:

👕 Short-sleeve school polo
👖 School skort or school shorts
🩴 Sandals (please note: Crocs are not part of the school uniform)

🧢 Sun hats
 

☀️ Wearing the correct uniform helps promote pride in our school and keeps students comfortable and sun-safe during the warmer months. Thank you for your support in maintaining our uniform standards.

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.

 
We are pleased to share that our First Holy Communion and Confirmation programme will take place in the second half of the year.

The programme will begin on 9th August, following the 9:00am Mass, and will conclude with the Rite of First Holy Communion and Confirmation on 15th November.
 
This is a very special milestone in the faith journey of our students and their families. We look forward to walking alongside those preparing to receive these sacraments.
 
📖 Please watch out for further details and registration information later in the year.

Ngā mihi nui,
Erin Clayton

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

Gridiron Greatness: Te Kuiti Flag Tournament Recap

On Sunday the 1st March, the fields in Te Kuiti were buzzing with energy as some of the region’s best young athletes gathered for a high-speed Flag Football showdown. Our very own students took to the turf, representing their clubs in a series of hard-fought matches against the Hamilton Hawks, the Taranaki Kraken and the Pacific Coast Sharks from Papamoa.

It was a fantastic day of sport, showcasing not just speed and agility, but incredible sportsmanship and team spirit from all our players.

Junior Standouts

We are incredibly proud of our students who competed across two age divisions. They faced tough competition from traveling teams but held their own with some impressive flag pulls and strategic plays.

A huge shout-out to our U10s representatives who showed massive heart on the field:

Adelajh-Hope

Wesley-James

Pia

The U10s games were fast-paced, with our trio showing great coordination and hustle against the opposition.

Coached by John Searancke and Katarina Honey Koroheke

In the U12s bracket, the intensity stepped up a notch:

Marlee-John

Marlee-John put in a stellar performance.

Why Flag Football?

For those new to the sport, Flag Football is a non-contact version of American Football where "tackles" are made by pulling a flag off the opponent's belt. It’s all about strategy, quick hands and teamwork—skills that our students displayed in spades this past weekend!

......will be on Friday 8th May at 2:10pm. Place to be confirmed.

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!

Below are our 2026 term dates

February
27th - Ashel - Ruru

March
1st - Luke  - Ruru
3rd - Ryan - Takahe
4th - Aimy - Kakapo
5th - Joshua - Ruru
5th - Evan - Tara Iti
10th - Ethel - Kea
14th - Adriana - Ruru
19th - Samantha - Tara Iti
19th - Angela - Tui
21st - Johan - Hoiho
24th - Angela - Ruru
25th - Kyra - Ruru
29th - Jiya - Kakapo
30th - Te Ori - Tara Iti
31st - Johan - Kea