Think U Know? - Online Safety Parent Night - TONIGHT!

SAVE THE DATE: WEDNESDAY 13th AUGUST 7pm

No need to RSVP - Just come!

Each family that attends the night receives a ticket to enter a raffle for a fantastic door prize!

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

In the last couple of weeks, we have celebrated 100 days of school for our preps and competed in the Australian Mathematics Competition.

In the coming week, we look forward to inviting our Year Two families to Family Faith night, which is closely linked with the Sacramental Program of the Parish, supported by the School. All Year Two families are warmly invited to come to one of the two session times on offer.

Book Week 2025 is just around the corner, and we look forward to celebrating all things literary during this time, including the 2025 Book Week Parade!

An important Reminder: Supervision of Children after school.

All parents and families are reminded that it's your responsibility to supervise your children upon picking them up after the dismissal bell.

School families who wish to gather for some community time after school are encouraged to head over to Arcadia Reserve Playground.

School staff provide supervision at the drive-thru carpark pick up location and the driveway crossing at Gate 3 until 3:30pm.

Any uncollected students are taken to the office, where parents will be contacted.

I encourage all families to please familiarise yourselves with the Car Park School Drop Off and Pick up Protocol (see below).

The safety and well-being of all visitors to our parish and school site is a collective responsibility for parents, families, school staff and parishioners. Thank you for being so cooperative.

Car Park: School Drop Off and Pick up

As we begin the school year, it's an excellent opportunity to share a reminder about the school supervision times. Child safety is the highest priority of any school and these arrangements are in place to support this.

Morning

The school gates and grounds are open for student arrival at 8:20am and this is when staff supervision commences. Any student arriving before 8:20am must be checked into the Before School Care program or be accompanied by a supervising adult.

The classroom doors open at 8:30am with the first bell ringing at 8:40am, followed by a second bell at 8:45am to commence learning time. The external gates to the school are closed between 8:45-8:50pm. From 8:50, any parents or carers remaining on the school site are required to exit through the school office doors.

If your child arrives at school after 8:50am, a responsible person must sign in the student at the school office with a late pass.

Afternoon

The pedestrian gates for school dismissal are unlocked at approximately 3:05pm which allows parents and carers to enter the school grounds to wait for the 3:15pm dismissal bell.

Supervision of the dismissal time commences from 3:15 pm until 3:30pm. Any students who have not been picked up by this time will be taken to the school office. Parents and carers will be contacted.

If you are collecting your child early from school you must sign out via the school office.

Car Park Safety and Protocols

Parking is only permitted in the designated spaces. Parents are welcome to park in the upper car park on the side closest to the school oval (East side of the carpark). Parking spaces on the Taylors Lane side (West side of carpark) and all spaces in the lower car park (Gate 2) are for staff vehicles.
No School family pick up or drop off traffic through GATE 2
Disabled\Wheelchair parking is available in the Gate 4 carpark at the of the carpark on the left-hand (East side) side. LOOK FOR THE BIG BLUE SIGN
The speed limit within the car park is walking pace - 5 km/h
Children, especially young children, often react without thinking and so accidents can occur in the safest environments. Everyone’s co-operation is essential.
Due to the high level of vehicles at drop off and pick up times we encourage parents to park in surrounding streets and walk into the school property. Not only will this ease congestion but offers children an opportunity for some incidental exercise and a relaxed time to talk about their day.

Combined Parishes Raffle 2025 - Supporting our Parish

St Simon's Parish is part of the Combined Catholic Parishes Raffle 2025 with some wonderful prizes up for grabs:

The raffle is a major fundraising event for St Simon’s Parish, and as a parish school community, we invite you to support where you can.

In the past, St Simon's school has distributed raffle books to each family to sell, but this year we are doing things a little differently, and we hope that you can get behind us to support our wonderful Parish community.

Every $2 ticket sold, $1.50 goes directly to St Simon’s Parish to support the community works of the Parish.

There are several ways to do so:

Come by the school office and purchase a raffle ticket or two - tickets are $2 each
Collect a book of 10 raffle tickets to sell.

Please note, if you are purchasing a ticket at the office or taking a book of raffle tickets to sell, it is CASH ONLY and the tickets (sold or unsold) are due back by 22nd August 2025.

MACSSIS - School Improvement Surveys

As a school, we continually review and reflect on the effectiveness of our learning and teaching approaches, as well as our engagement with the community and students. As a catholic school, we participate in the annual feedback survey called the MACSSIS School Improvement Survey.

I would like to strongly encourage all families to participate in the surveys and to click here for more information. Please keep an eye open in your inbox for an invitation to participate.

Parent Information Census non-government school

To find out more about the annual census activity which provides information for funding of non government schools, click here.

Pilgrimage: Saints of Italy - Prayer Requests

Later this term, I will be undertaking a special pilgrimage to sacred sites in Italy as part of a two-week pilgrimage with my principal colleagues from the Outer East Region. This trip provides a profound opportunity for spiritual reflection, renewal of faith and personal growth. As part of the pilgrimage, I would like to extend an invitation to you:

If you or someone you love is in need of prayer—whether for healing, strength, guidance, or peace— I would be honoured to carry your intentions and bring your prayers to these sacred places on your behalf.

To participate, simply write your prayer or intention on a piece of paper, place it in a sealed envelope, and drop it off at either the school office or the parish office.

A dedicated box will be available shortly in both locations.

All collected prayers will be respectfully taken with us to holy sites in Italy where they will be left in churches and sacred spaces for prayer and intercession. Prayer boxes will be available from Monday, 18th August, through to the end of Friday 5th September. One prayer box will be kept in the church for our Parishioners, whilst another will be in our front office at school. They will be labelled so that you may leave your confidential prayer in the box.

As this is a Jubilee Year, it feels significant to bring our community’s prayers to these places of grace and healing. We hope this act of spiritual connection offers you a sense of calm, hope and renewed faith. Jesus reminds us in the Gospel of Matthew: "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you." (Matthew 7:7)

I will be taking leave for the pilgrimage from Monday, 1st September, through til the end of Term Three. During this time, the school will be led by Monica Rayner as Acting Principal and Philomena Solari as Acting Deputy Principal.

I look forward to sharing with the St Simon's community some of the insights and reflections I have from this pilgrimage experience.

School Fees

We thank the many families who have kept up to date with their financial obligations regarding school fees.

Families experiencing difficulty paying school fees should contact the office to make an appointment with the principal to discuss the matter.

St Simon’s Staff and Contact Details

A complete staff list including roles and positions for 2025 is available through the newsletter each week by going to Staff Contacts and the General Information section

with Facebook and Instagram channels to see some of the latest activities within our St Simon’s community.