Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome to the first full school newsletter for the 2023 school year. As we begin the Term, I am mindful of the journey of our new prep students and their families as they start their primary school learning at St Simon’s. These moments are important milestones for our students, filled with wide-ranging emotions and feelings. As we continue in these first few weeks, classroom teachers, support staff, and school leaders are attuned to this and are available to parents for a chat or reassurance. Overall our preps are beginning to settle into the routines of school life and are becoming familiar with our playgrounds and spaces.

School Newsletter in 2023

During my time at St Simon’s, there have several publishing days for the school newsletter. This year we plan to publish the newsletter on a Monday. The thinking behind this is that this timing gives enough space for those “just in time” reminders for upcoming activities happening throughout the week, as well as give pause to acknowledge and celebrate the events of the previous week. Throughout the year, I am committed to ensuring our communication addresses the needs of the school, and one of the ways I do this is through the School Advisory Council. The School Advisory Council meets throughout the year and school communication is a topic that is part of our ongoing conversation.

St Simon’s Parents’ Association

Thank you to the Parents’ Association for hosting the “welcome back” morning tea for the school community last Friday morning. It was great to see some twenty or so parents and families gathering to chat as the students returned to the school routine.

From time to time, there will be morning teas hosted throughout the year, so I encourage you to join for a short time to help connect with the members of the school community.

The Parents Sssociation will meet for the first time in 2023 on Wednesday, 15th February ay 7pm in the school staff room.

SAVE THE DATE: St Simon’s Twighlight Cinema FRIDAY 24th February, School Oval proudly hosted by Parents’ Association

Canteen 2023

We are yet to secure a volunteer\s to assist in the coordination of the Canteen service. The Canteen is much loved and appreciated by students (and families). We are seeking one or even two or three people who could work together to coordinate the canteen. The canteen has a set of established procedures and practices which make the whole operation run smoothly, including a very efficient online ordering system.

Anyone who might be interested please come and speak with Tom Wursthorn with your wonderings and questions.

Four Area Playground supervision

This week the school has put in place a change to the number of areas or zones of play we have available for students to play at recess and lunch times.

Effective this week, students will be able to play and move about in the following areas

Basketball Courts, including the Prep playground
Adventure Playgrounds (adjacent to the Oval)
Oval including the Gaga Pit and sandpit and imaginative play space.
Middle Court Yard areas, including the shaded decking near Building B

The soccer pitch and running track will be available to students during PE lessons and organised class activities. The soccer pitch will also be an alternative playspace for recess and lunch if the oval condition is not suitable for playtime activity.

These changes have been necessary as adjustments are made to a changing enrollment number and the availability of human resources to cover the safe supervision of all available playspaces within the school.

The leadership team and I will be monitoring these changes over the Term and we will make adjustments as needed to ensure a smooth and safe transition to this new way of working.

School Photos 2023

The school has engaged School Pix to provide a school photography service for students and their families. This will take place on Monday 3rd April. Ordering information will be sent home as we get closer to the date.

Operoo Student Profile updates this Week

This week families will be received email messages from Operoo inviting new families to St Simon’s to create a student profile. Please action this message at your earliest convenience.

All families will receive a message this week asking you to verify and update your children’s health information on Operoo. This tool is an important resource for the school to carry out its duty of care to the students we are responsible for.

Having up-to-date contact and health information is important because the school utilises this platform for communication about school activities, announcements and information throughout the year. If you have any questions about Operoo, how to use it or you need update the email address used to send the Operoo invite please contact the school office.

Whole School Assembly - Starting this Friday

This Friday, 10th February, at 2:30 pm, we will be commencing on-site whole school assemblies on the basketball court (weather permitting). School families are welcome to attend and would ask that you gather on the concrete steps area near the "old flag pole" to watch the assembly.

In the event of inclement weather, we will gather in the hall.

The dates for the school assembly this term are

Friday 10th February
Friday24th February
Friday 10th March
Friday 24th March

Year Level Term Letters

Each Term, your child’s level team will send out a “Term Letter” outlining the critical curriculum areas for the term, upcoming activities and experiences as well as reminders about school life for your child. Please keep an eye open for this email in your inbox this week. All Year Level Term Letters will be shared with parents by Friday 10th February.

Construction underway - Carpark Pedestrian Shelter

Over the summer break, construction works have begun for the highly anticipated Carpark pedestrian shelter. This will be a welcomed addition that will assist members of the school community who use the drive-through drop-off and pick-up area within the main car park.

The shelter is six meters by four meters in size and has a single-sloped roof to provide shelter from the sun and rain.

This will protect from the weather elements for students, families and staff during those peak times of the morning drop off and afternoon pick up. Thank you to Keith Withington, our school maintenance contractor, who has overseen the construction of this project.

Tom Wursthorn

Principal

St Simon's Parents' Association