Principal's Message

Dear Families,

Spring has sprung, and with it comes the barrage of wind and pollen! I have certainly felt the effects of hay fever this week and have made an extra effort to dose up of the hay fever medication just to get through. The winds last weekend and throughout the week have caused a little damage to some of the trees and have torn one of our shade sails. Despite this, we’ve still managed to get out and enjoy the weather the week has had to offer, including our 4s, 5s, & 6s attending the District Athletics today. We congratulate all involved and will share our results in the Update next week.

Whole School Excursion

We are all getting very excited for our whole school excursion to Australian Sports Museum next Friday 13th September. If you haven’t done so already, please check the Operoo form for all details and to grant permission for your child to attend. Thank you to all parents who have expressed interest in attending, at the present time, we have been able to cover our adult-to-student ratio with the available school staff on Friday. Please note, the school office will be closed next Friday as Kerry will also be attending, the school phones will be diverted and still answered should you need to contact us.

Holy Saviour Art Show

It’s back for 2024! The Holy Saviour Visual Art Show will be showcased on the afternoon and evening of Tuesday 22nd October. Please add this date to your diaries. The children are very excited to be able to showcase all their amazing creativity from the year featuring a variety of artwork, including drawings, paintings, sculptures, and mixed media projects. We hope you can all make the time to come and celebrate your children’s accomplishments.

Holy Saviour Production - Turn Back Time

Also back for 2024 is our school production! Come and join us on a trip down memory lane as we celebrate 50 years of Holy Saviour Parish (& 47 years of our school!). This year, our production will be held on Thursday 5th December at the Emmaus College Performing Arts Centre. We are very excited to be able to present a production this year. The main roles have been cast, and all the students have begun rehearsals. All students will be involved in the production again this year, so please make sure you can make it!

Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools - School Improvement Surveys (MACSSIS)

Thank you to the families who have already completed the Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools - School Improvement Surveys. It has taken them, on average, only 20 minutes to complete the survey! These anonymous surveys provide extremely valuable feedback on many aspects of our Holy Saviour educational environment. Staff, students and parents' feedback help paint a complete picture of the current climate and consequently help set goals for our future School Improvement Plans. The data collected will be used as part of our four yearly review next year. Emails were sent to families at the beginning of this week with your unique login information, if you have lost it, please let me know and I will send it through to you again.

School Tours & Open Days

Since the announcement of the Emmaus College P-12 beginning next year, I have been swamped with school tours! Our previously organised Open Days have now finished, but we have scheduled some new dates for Term 3. Please feel free to share the following date with anyone you know who wishes to enrol at Holy Saviour/Emmaus College:  Wednesday 4 Sept - 4pm

Prep 2025 Enrolments

We have had great interest in Prep for 2025, as well as other year levels, and we’ve had a good number of enrolments come through already. If you have a child who is eligible to start Prep in 2025, please submit your enrolment at your earliest convenience. This will enable us to develop a clear picture of classing and group sizes for 2025. Enrolments for 2025 are to be made through the Emmaus portal. 

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:

Monday 29th January 2024 – Applications open for students commencing Year 7 in 2026.

Friday 16th August 2024 – Applications will close.

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

Friday 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.

Final Thoughts   ~ Unplugging Childhood

No child needs to have access to all of the apps on a smartphone and they don't need to be using any form of social media before the age of 14. By this age, they are usually ready to deal with the barrage of information, influencers and media, associated with these apps.

Dr Justin Coulson suggests that smart parents give children a dumb phone, a phone that can only make phone calls or send text messages. For more tips on how to deal with managing your child's use of devices, please read this article and follow his podcast or blog. https://happyfamilies.com.au/articles/unplugging-parenthood 

Kind regards,

Steve Evans

Principal