From the Principal 

Dear Parents and Carers,

We had an overwhelmingly positive response from the community to our Grandparents Day celebration last Wednesday, celebrating the feast day of St Anne and St Joachim.  Thank you to all the families who were able to attend the liturgy and classroom visit opportunities.

We continue receiving warm and affirming feedback from grandparents and families through phone calls, emails and letters.  Thank you to the Year 1 level, teachers and Hedy Carvalho for leading the liturgy and to the Parents Association for providing hospitality for visitors to our school.

An energised group of parents and staff gathered for DJ Bingo in the school hall last Friday evening.  It was a great event on a cold winter’s night to come together to enjoy some music, prize-winning and each other’s company.  Thank you to the Parents Association for hosting the night, whilst raising funds for our school playground project efforts.

Headlice IMPORTANT

Over recent months, we have been aware of several cases of head lice in year-level cohorts across the school.  When there is a notification of a chance of headlice,  the School will inform all families in the year level of the identified case.  Advice from Vic Health regarding managing headlice, including treatment and cleaning, can be found here. 

Thank you to the families who have been so vigilant in monitoring head lice activity with their family units.  

I strongly encourage all families to build or continue their strong monitoring stance of head lice and report cases to the School office as soon as possible.  Instructions regarding the treatment can be found here.  

As a whole school response, all students are required to take their school hats home to have a thorough cleaning and wash.  All students with shoulder-length hair are reminded to ensure that it is tied back.

I have contacted Knox City Council regarding headlice inspection services for schools to which I was informed this is not a service provided to schools.  Through the School Advisory Council, I am open to exploring ways to establish a parent-school headlice inspection program that would be available to all students after receiving explicit parent consent. 

In the meantime, please keep monitoring your child\ren’s hair for head lice activity, and respond appropriately.

Year 5 Camp

Our Year Five students are attending school camp this week from Wednesday to Friday at Alexandra Adventure Resort, Alexandra.  The camp program seeks to provide a different learning environment outside the classroom where students can build their interpersonal skills and challenge themselves to take risks in a supported and safe environment.  We are grateful for the St Simon’s staff who spend time away from their families and loved ones to make this camp possible for the students.

In the coming weeks, we look forward to sharing all the excitement and experiences the year five students have with you.

100 Days of Prep

This Friday, we will celebrate a very special day in the school calendar: The 100th school for our prep students.  This day will be filled with activities that acknowledge the number 100 and the learning achievements of our prep students.  We will gather for a liturgy in the Church for the 100 days of Prep, with all families warmly invited to join us.

St Simon’s Art Show 2023  - Save the Date Wednesday 18-22nd October 

Opening Night Celebration

Wednesday 18th October

God bless,

Tom Wursthorn

Principal