Holy Saviour School Bulletin 

Dear Families,

What a wonderful evening we shared together yesterday at our Family Christmas Concert and Picnic. Congratulations and thank you to all the children who attended and sang and danced with such pride and enthusiasm. It was wonderful to share the experience with so many of the families within the school. 

End of Term Date & Time

The end of the 2023 school year is fast approaching, just a reminder that students finish at 1:00pm on Friday 15th December.

2024 Staffing & Class Structure

After much planning and deliberation, I am pleased to share with you the staffing list and class structure for 2024. 

2024 Fee Structure

After consultation with our School Business Manager and the School Advisory Council, I am pleased to inform families that the fees for 2024 have been finalised. Full details about these are available here. 

The following factors are taken into consideration when the family fee is being reviewed.

• Capacity to contribute – this is the amount of private income that a school is expected to generate from family fees (assessed by the government)
• Fee collection (e.g. is the school collecting fees charged to families)
• Compliance with the MACS Finance and Procedures Manual where there is a range of what the fee can increase by (minimum and maximum amounts)
• Consumer Price Index (CPI) (currently 6.0% overall, education sector is 5.2%)
• Increasing costs from suppliers

In light of the above, there will be an increase in the fee structure for next year. This is the smallest possible increase given the above-mentioned factors.

We will again offer a discount on the family school fee to families who pay upfront before Thursday 28th March. A reminder that there is a Concessional Fee Policy to provide fee remissions from school fees for families who are eligible under the policy (e.g. health care card). 

Please feel free to make an appointment to see Steve Evans in the school office if you have questions or concerns about school fees. No Catholic child will miss out on a Catholic education due to fees. Thank you

December Student Reports

Over the past few weeks teachers have been involved in writing student reports as well as analysing data gathered throughout Semester Two. At Holy Saviour we use numerous assessment tasks as well as teacher observations and records to inform our report writing. 

Next Wednesday 13th December, school reports will be emailed to families and are just one part of our reporting to parents that occurs throughout the year. We hope that these student reports are a cause for celebration of learning and that families are able to focus on the positive achievements whilst encouraging their child/children to consider their challenges as they continue their learning journey at Holy Saviour. 

Slime Fest - Slime the Teacher (or Principal!)

We have moved the Slime Fest to Monday 11th December at 2.30pm. Online fundraising has now closed, we will still take cash donations until the end of THIS week.

On the day of the event all students will be given free sunglasses and a rainbow headband to wear for the run. 

Children will need to bring:

- a plain white t-shirt 

- closed toed shoes

- towel

- change of clothes

- plastic bag for dirty clothes

Please note that children will be covered in washable, non-toxic water-based slime from head to toe.  A safety data sheet is available upon request for the Slime.  The event will take place on the oval. Parents are welcome to come along to watch. Following the run children will be able to change clothes or parents are welcome to take children home to change if they prefer.  If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact the office. 

Catholic Education Hub Information Evening - Emmaus College

Just a reminder that on Wednesday 13 December, 7pm – 8pm, there will be a Joint Parent Information Evening at Emmaus College, in the Marian Centre Theatre.  Families at St Timothy’s, Emmaus and Holy Saviour,  are invited to come along for further discussion that will bring together all three school communities for the very first time. The forum is not only an opportunity to learn more about the processes that will take place over the next few months, but also a chance for you to share your thoughts and suggestions. Your feedback will help shape the direction of the development and ensure that it aligns with the needs and preferences of our school communities. Please email me your RSVP if you are intending to come along. 

We understand this is a busy time of year so for those who may be unable to join us, you will receive more information after this session and there will continue to be further opportunities for discussion in the new year. We look forward to seeing you next week and as always, we are available at any time.

Farewell Assembly

We will farewell Toni and Lucy with a special assembly on Wednesday 13th December at 2.30pm. Families are welcome to attend this special assembly.

Dental Van Rescheduled

Australian Dental Health Victoria extends a sincere apology for their recent unexpected cancellations.  The visit has now been rescheduled to Wednesday 13th December from 9am.

Christmas Door Voting

Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas at Holy Saviour! All Staff have been busy decorating their doors for the Festive Season. There are some impressive displays and some awesome creativity!  Children have been voting on their favourite doors this week. Parents / Carers are also welcome to cast their votes!  Please have a walk through the school and have a look. The Voting slips and ballot box can be found in the office. The winning door will be announced at the Farewell Assembly on Wednesday 13th December, 2.30pm.

Year 6 Big Day Out

On Monday, we were lucky enough to take all our Year 6 students on their Big Day Out for 2023! It was a wonderful day celebrating the end of Primary School together with some fun activities throughout the day including FlipOut, lunch at Guzman Y Gomez, 10-pin bowling and laser tag! A great day was had by all, and the weather was very kind to us too!

St Vincent de Paul Christmas Appeal 

Thank you to all the families who have so generously donated food for the St Vincent De Paul Christmas Appeal to support families in need this Christmas.  All donated food will help St Vincent de Paul make some great Christmas Hampers and make a difference to families in need. Donations will still be accepted until Friday 15th December. Thank you for your generosity.

Library Books

All library books are now due and reminders have been sent home. Please remember to return all books by next Friday 15th December. If you are unsure of which books might be overdue please contact the library or classroom teacher.

Bakers Delight Christmas Fundraiser 

Just a reminder that all orders for the Bakers Delight Christmas Fundraiser must be in by Monday 11th December, 3pm.  

There are delicious Fruit Mince Tarts, Lemon Tarts, Christmas Cakes, Christmas Tree Cakes and Small Cakes for the festive season.  For every six-pack of Christmas Tarts or cakes you order, Bakers Delight Vermont South will give $2.00 to the school.

Simply place your order via CDFpay by Monday 11th December, 3pm and your order will be delivered to the school ready for collection on Thursday 14th December. 

Grade 6 Graduation Ceremony & Party 

The Grade 6 Graduation ceremony is on Tuesday 12th December, 6pm. 

The grade 6 Graduation party will be held on Thursday 14th December.  As this is a parent-run event a committee has been formed to plan and arrange the party.Please email Denise if you have any questions.

Holy Saviour Parish Children's Christmas Mass 

The Children's Christmas Mass will be taking place at 6pm on Christmas Eve. Please email Belinda (binndy20@gmail.com) if you will be attending mass on Christmas Eve and would like your child to be involved in this year’s celebration. We request that all children participating meet at 5.15pm on Sunday 24th December in the church foyer to prepare.

Enrolments open for 2024/ 2025

Enrolments for 2024/2025 are currently open! If you have a younger child who turns 5 before 30 April 2023/2024, please come and see Sherridan or Kerry in the office for an enrolment form. Also, if you know of anyone else in the community with a child the same age, pass on our contact details– we would love to give them a tour of our fabulous school! At Holy Saviour, every other day is Open Day!

Google & Facebook Reviews

As we all know, word of mouth is the most important tool for sharing the successes of our school in our local community.  We invite our community to leave a review of Holy Saviour on our Facebook page and on Google. Thank you to the generous families who have already left a review in this space.🙏

Google Review: https://g.page/r/Ceo4uN0EZbnuEAg/review 

Facebook Review: https://www.facebook.com/HolySaviourPS/reviews 

Holy Saviour Mums WhatsApp Group

The "Holy Saviour Mums" WhatsApp group is a parent initiative designed to share information and communicate with one another. If you would like to join the group and stay in the loop please contact Denise Konstantinou (0414 990 344) and she will add you to the group. You don't have to be a mum to join...Dads are welcome too!

Second Hand Uniforms

Second hand uniforms are currently set up in the office's boardroom. If anyone is interested in purchasing a second hand uniform, please either come in and speak with either Sherridan or Kerry or email the office with your request and sizing requirements and we will check to see if the item is available. If it is, we will notify you. All we charge for second hand uniforms is a gold coin donation.  Please note however that not all sizes and items will be in stock.

Catholic Secondary School Enrolment Applications

Key Enrolment Dates for Year 5 Students in 2024 starting Year 7 in 2026

The key enrolment dates for students in Year 5 in 2024 who will be starting Year 7 in 2026 have been agreed after consultation with the Executive of the Principals Association of Victorian Catholic Secondary Schools (PAVCSS).

The timeline of events and dates are as follows:

29th January 2024 – Applications will open for Year 5 students commencing Year 7 in 2025.

16th August 2024 – Applications will close.

18th October 2024 – Offers will be posted to prospective Year 7 applicants.

8th November 2024 – Final date for parents/carers to accept an offer made by a school.

Parents of Year 5 students in 2024, please diarise these dates so you don’t miss out.

Kind regards

Mr Steve Evans

Principal