History:
St. Simon the Apostle School, Rowville was established in 1982, with an initial enrolment of 92 pupils and a staff of six, the second school established by the Parish of St. Jude’s, Scoresby. Rev. Father Les Tomlinson was appointed the first Parish Priest in 1988 when the Parish of St. Simon the Apostle was formed. By 1989 the school population had reached 500, while the catchment area had become one of the fastest growing residential areas of Melbourne. The Parish Church was completed and officially opened by Archbishop Sir Frank Little on 13th November, 1993. The students participated in a fund raising effort to contribute to the cost of the Baptismal Font. At the same time, the School Motto “Jesus Calls - Come Follow Me” was created. At the beginning of 1997, four streams of Preps commenced their schooling at St. Simon’s, thus bringing the enrolment to 674 students, with a total of 22 classrooms. In the years 1982 to 1997 St. Simon the Apostle School has been in a constant state of rapid change and growth.
Description:
St. Simon’s is situated in attractive surroundings on 2.5 hectares of land at the corner of Wellington Road and Taylors Lane. The Parish Church, Hall, House and Presbytery are located within the same property. It is situated approximately 28 kilometres east of Melbourne, in a rapidly growing residential area, surrounded by several industrial estates. The school is organised along traditional lines. In 1997 there are three streams at each level with a composite 3/4 and a fourth stream at Prep. Different organisational structures may operate at times due to student needs, or special programs. Of the 674 children 350 are girls and 324 boys, from 454 families. Parental involvement is an important feature of the school. Programs such as Religious Education, English, Mathematics, Perceptual Motor Program, Library, Inter-School Sports plus various Art activities are supported by parent input. There is also a very active Parent Association providing opportunities for both social contact and fund-raising. A Grade Level Representative Group meets twice per term to discuss and make recommendations regarding issues relating to the School Development Plan.
Features:
St. Simon’s has had a long tradition dating back to 1986 of involvement in the Integration Program which supports children with severe disabilities within the mainstream setting. This has led in 1996 to participation in an Interaction Program with students from Monash Special Development School which takes place on a weekly basis. The student population is drawn from a very diverse range of cultural backgrounds. In all, a total of 27 different nationalities are represented. While approximately one third of the students are from language backgrounds other than English. In 1995 a .4 allocation for an English Second Language program was granted by the Catholic Education Office and increased to .5 in 1997. The co-operation and enthusiasm of the Staff and Parent Community working together, within the context of our Catholic faith and tradition, promotes an environment which fosters a love of learning and is supportive of individual needs.