From the Principal 

Dear Parents and Carers,

Save the date! Saturday 18th March - 

Exclusive Twilight Zoo Experience for St Simon’s Families! 

Together with parishioners of St Simon’s and the parish and schools communities of St Jude’s, all school families are invited to an exclusive Twilight Zoo Experience.

ZOO PARTY 2023! 

We are very excited to announce that we will be hosting a Zoo Party at 

Melbourne Zoo 

18th March 2023

5:30-9:30pm. 

Come for the whole time or just part of the time.  

We will have exclusive use of the zoo for our party! Each family group will only pay $10 (for the whole family) to secure your tickets. That is $10 per family group - parents and children, including your under 5s and over 12s.  That is a great saving on a regular zoo visit!

Family members outside your immediate family can also come, so save the date with grandparents and cousins!  They also just need to pay $10 for their family group.

Ticket Booking payment via CDF Pay in the coming weeks.

We will distribute tickets closer to the event.

Here is a glimpse of the fun to be had: 

• Animal Viewing until 7pm
• Face painting from 5.30pm – 7.30pm
• DJ Entertainment on the lawn from 7:00pm
• 3 Scheduled Keeper talks
• Unlimited CarouselRides 5.30pm - 8.30pm

School Drop Off and Pick Up Routines

Student safety and supervision are held with the highest priority at St Simon’s School, and to deliver this, several processes must be followed when bringing students to and from school.

Morning Drop off

The school is open to students from 8:20 am with the supervision of students commencing from this time. The gate at Wellington Road, the main double gate and the carpark shelter gate will be open for families to use.

Students are to wait in the middle courtyard until 8:30 am when classroom doors are open.  The first morning bell rings at 8:40 am, and this signals all students to be in classrooms ready to start lessons at 8:45 am, when a second bell rings.  

Supervision of the carpark and Gate 3 Driveway ceases at 8:45 am.  

Any students arriving after 8:45 am must be accompanied by an adult or responsible person, where they will need to sign in for a late arrival.

At 8:45 am the Wellington Road Pedestrian Gate, the main double gate and the pedestrian gate near the newly constructed carpark shelter will be closed. All arrivals to the school from this point are to come through the school office.

Families on the school grounds after 8:45 am must exit via the school office.  If you have a pram or require flat access, please speak to a member of staff to arrange an alternative exit.

Afternoon Pick up

The normal school dismissal time is 3:15 pm.  The gate at Wellington Road, the main double gate and the carpark shelter gate will be opened by school staff just before the dismissal bell.  School staff will supervise the Gate 3 Driveway crossing and the carpark shelter pick-up zone in the car park.  All families and students should keep to the pedestrian footpaths on the school grounds and avoid walking through the Gate 2 driveway area.  Several disabled car parks can be used during this time, meaning Gate 2 is not exclusively for pedestrian traffic.

After-school supervision concludes 3:35 pm.  Any students who remain at school will be taken to the school office, and parents will be contacted.  

If the school is unable to make contact with parents, students may be checked into the onsite after-school program (Beyond Edu Care) at the expense of the parents.

Carpark procedures and Safety

Parking and traffic flow will always be a challenge for our school simply because we have lots of people coming together at the same time.  However, if everyone is considerate, difficulties can be minimised.  Please oblige by observing these rules:

• Children, especially young children, often react without thinking and so accidents can occur in the safest environments. Everyone’s co-operation is essential.

• Parking is only permitted in the designated spaces.  Parents are welcome to park in the upper car park (entering via Gate 4) on the side closest to the school oval (East side of the carpark).  Parking spaces on the Taylors' Lane side (West side) and all spaces in the lower car park are required for staff vehicles and disabled parking.

• The speed limit within the car park is a walking pace - 5 km/h

• 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 it also offers the children an opportunity for some incidental exercise and a relaxed time to talk about their day.  The Wellington Road pedestrian gate is open at either end of the school day and available for families.

• No pedestrian or car access for school families or related business through Gate 1.  Gate 1 is for use by Parish staff and parishioners with mobility considerations.  There are disabled car parking spaces available through Gate 2 and Gate 4 entries.

• No double parking on Taylor's Lanes outside the school grounds to drop off or pick students.

Staffing structure for 2023

Now that we are settled into the 2023 school year, below is the staffing structure for St Simon’s.  It is a privilege to work with these dedicated people to ensure the care and education for the students and families of St Simon’s School.

COVID RAT Kits Available 

The school has a supply of COVID RAT kits available at the school office.  Please come and collect from the school office during office hours between 8:20am-4:00pm

Save the Date: Parent-Teacher Meetings Term 1

Parent Teacher meetings will be held on Monday, 3rd April and Wednesday, 5th April.

Appointment times will be held between 2:30pm to 5:00pm on both days.

Further information regarding early student dismissal, students supervision until 3:15 pm, the booking process and meeting types (face-to-face and online) will be shared with families closer to the date.

Tom Wursthorn

Principal