Dear Parents and Carers,

As we come to the end of busy Term 3 I would like thank our St Simon’s School community for all the different ways you have supported our work throughout this Term.

Here are some ways parents and carers support the school:

Parents helpers on excursions or Maths on the Move.
Classroom parent helpers
Uniform Shop helpers
Canteen helpers
Interschool Sports coach or assistant coach\helper
Parent Association member
Volunteer for food service days
School Advisory Council member
Assist the St Simon’s Fete
Bookclub

And this is just a snapshot of the many ways parents can be part of their family’s learning community. On behalf of the St Simon’s staff, I would like to thank and appreciate the people who have engaged with one or more of the above activities.

Uniform shop announcement Spartan School Wear

After an amazing group of dedicated parent volunteers over many years, the St Simon’s Uniform Shop will be transitioning to a third-party provider. I am proud to announce that Spartan School World will supply and service the school uniform needs of St Simon’s from mid Term 4.

This transition offers lots of new benefits to parents and families including access to a retail outlet in nearby Noble Park and a comprehensive online ordering system.

Lots of work is happening behind the scenes to ensure a smooth transition to our new supplier and more information will be shared the first week back of Term 4 about the details of this partnership.

Pedestrian Safety in entering our school.

This is a reminder for all families to use the defined pedestrian travel paths when coming to and from the school grounds. Gate 2 Entry is a restricted entry point to the school for vehicles between 8:20am-3:30pm, however care must be taken by all VEHICLES and walkers when coming and going.

As families, we need to embed good habits for students to stay on the footpaths within the school grounds and so I seek you support into doing so.

Swimming Program Prep Year 1 & Year 3

We are in the final stages of the swimming program for prep, year 1 and year 3 students. A big thank you to the teachers and learning support staff who have supported and guided the students throughout the swimming program.

Parent Teacher Conversations - Term 3

Thank you to parents and carers for your participation in the recent Parent Teacher Student Conversations. This time around we had made a change to the format about how parents received feedback about their child learning by explicitly including the student as one part of the conversation. Following these meetings, myself and members of the leadership team have received positive feedback from parents about the way the meetings were conducted. We recognise that there may be times when parents want to speak with their child’s teacher\s directly without their child present, and so we remain open to the need for this when it arises.

If you have any further feedback positive or constructive please contact me via email. principal@ssrowville.catholic.edu.au

Combined Catholic Parishes and Schools Raffle

Thank you to all the families who have supported our Parents Association fundraising efforts by purchasing tickets in the Combined Catholic Parishes and Schools Raffle.

The school holiday period is great time to circulate the raffle tickets amongst family, friends and colleagues. When we return to Term 4 you will see increased reminders to return all raffle tickets sold or unsold in readiness for draw later in the Term.

Thank you again for your support.

School Advisory Council Meeting August Debrief

The School Advisory Council met on Wednesday 30th August and at this meeting, we discussed matters related Child Safety, the commissioning of the new designated pick up and prop off area in the carpark, the likely increase of School Fees for 2024, the upcoming St Simon’s Fete and St Simon’s Art show, and finally the change in the operation of the Uniform Shop for 2024.

Expressions of interest are open for any parent or carer who might like to be considered to join the school advisory council. If you are interested please contact me for an information pack and discernment pack by email principal@ssrowville.catholic.edu.au

Finally, I hope the school holiday is a time of rest and relaxation for you and your family. The holiday break comes at the right time for our students to have some downtime before heading into Term 4, the final part of the school year.

St Simon's Art Show