Dear Parents and Guardians

Our school community is in full swing at the moment with end of year activities, preparation for graduation and celebrations of sacraments.

Outdoor Education Days

Last week was the final of the Outdoor Education Days that each year level participated in over three weeks. Each level had a dedicated day involving team building, problem solving and exercise on the giant inflatable equipment. The feedback from the students after each experience has been overwhelmingly positive, with many saying it has been the highlight of the term. We are glad that this final school term has brought some joy, happiness and excitement for the students.

Sacraments of First Holy Communion and Confirmation

With the change in State government restrictions recently, this has meant that the celebration of the sacraments of Holy Communion and Confirmation have been able to proceed under modified arrangements. The Parish and school staff have put together and implemented a plan in a short space of time that seeks to provide the opportunity for eligible students in Years 4 and 6 to receive their appropriate sacrament. Last Saturday afternoon the first of seven First Holy Communion masses was celebrated along with Confirmation masses on Tuesday 1st and Thursday 3rd December. Thank you to the families and staff involved for the support you have given the students at this time.

Parents’ Association and Subway Days

There are a couple of staple highlight moments for students when it comes to school life. In my experience, one of them is food service days! A huge thank you to St Simon’s Parents’ Association for organising the recent Subway days for lunch. These days have created a positive atmosphere and perhaps a sign that we will eventually get back to “normal” school life as we continue in the wake of the COVID19 pandemic response.

Thank you Rita and Anna who worked with the PA and Subway staff to ensure that over 150 orders each time were delivered to the correct classrooms.

Road Safety Community Announcement

A reminder to all members of the St Simon’s Community that the practice of carrying out a U Turn when parked on the school side of Taylors Lane (Cars facing south) is illegal! In Victoria it is unlawful for drivers to make U turns across a single solid road line marking. (Click here for more details from Vicroads)

Recently I have had a number of concerned members of the community bring this behaviour to my attention and I am worried that the community and children’s safety is compromised when this type of behaviour occurs. Thank you for your support in this matter.

Sun Smart!

As the weather starts to warm up it is timely to revisit our SunSmart Policy. All students need to wear a hat at school for outside activity and come to school with sunscreen applied on exposed parts of the body. If your child has a skin sensitivity to sunscreen then please send an appropriate sunscreen product. The school has a supply of sunscreen within each class level, office and first aid areas.

A Final Word

Next week will be the last newsletter for this year. I hope the different newsletter format adopted this year has made it easier for you to find and process all the information related to life at St Simon the Apostle Primary School.

Parenting Ideas