From the Principal 

Dear Parents and Carers,

We are looking forward to students and staff returning to school tomorrow as we continue to practice COVID safe measures so that we can learn, live and work whilst managing the risks of a pandemic.

Thank you to parents and carers for your ongoing support of the school as we made the quick transition to offsite learning this week.  As a staff, we will be looking at ways to streamline any future transitions to a “snap lockdown” should the need arise.

Ash Wednesday

Today is Ash Wednesday and marks the beginning of the Season of Lent.

The forty-day Season of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and concludes on Holy Thursday evening with the Celebration of the Mass of the Lord’s Supper.

Lent is primarily the Church’s time of preparation for the Easter mystery. We remember and celebrate the crucified and risen Christ who sends the Holy Spirit. Lent is the penitential season of the Church – the time for purifying our lives from sin by prayer, fasting and almsgiving. The colour of Lent is violet, the colour associated with humility. Lent is traditionally the season of preparation for Baptism. In the early Church it was the period when candidates for Christian Initiation fasted and prayed more intensely before their baptism at the Easter Vigil.

The 5 day “snap lockdown” has resulted in the rescheduling Ash Wednesday liturgies in the Parish and School.  Please visit the parish website for the latest information.  As School returns, we will look for opportunities to have Ash Wednesday liturgies for remainder of this and into next week. 

Library Refurbishment Update

This Term, works have begun to refurbish our school library and two adjacent learning spaces.  This work has been in the planning for many many months and it is exciting to see the progress being made.  When completed, we will have freshly painted carpeted library and classrooms with updated storage solutions throughout.   It is expected to take all of Term 1 to complete followed by a transition period to move our library resources from storage into the updated space.

During the time of the refurbishment works temporary fencing has been erected within the school site to ensure safety for students and staff.  There will be some minor disruptions to outdoor play spaces during the works but this will be kept to a minimum.

In Term 3 during Book Week we would like to celebrate an official reopening of the library with the school community, noting that student access to the library should be possible from the middle of Term 2.

Before the refurbishment

New basketball\netball poles and line markings

Thanks to the generous support of the St Simon’s Parents’ Association, the school has been able to upgrade four basketball\netball pole systems.  This has been a welcomed improvement to the school’s outdoor play facilities.  

Over the summer break new line markings in the carpark and sporting courts have been carried out.  Students have already started to take advantage of the new line markings making it much easier to play downball and 4 square!  Thank you to the PA for donating $10000 towards the cost of these upgrades!

God bless

Tom Wursthorn

Principal