Dear Parents & Parishioners,

At OHR, we strongly believe in the need for our students to start the day feeling calm, happy and ready to learn. Punctuality at the start of the school day is crucial as it reduces student anxiety and maximises their learning time. Arriving on time allows children to settle in, connect with peers, and avoid missing vital morning instructions, which boosts their confidence and academic performance.

Key reasons for being punctual include:

Maximising Learning Time: Even a few minutes of daily lateness can result in significant lost education hours over a school year.
Reduced Stress and Better Focus: Punctual students start the day calmly, while late arrivals cause disruption to the child, teacher, and their classmates.
Social Development: Morning routines often involve social interactions that help children build relationships and settle in before learning commences.
Improved Academic Results: Children who arrive on time are better prepared to engage with the curriculum, as they don't miss important instructions or daily routines.
Building Long-Term Habits: Consistent punctuality establishes positive routines that prepare students for future, professional, and personal responsibilities. It develops a mindset that reflects readiness and reliability.

We all experience the occasional lateness due to a traffic accident or simply an unexpected incident at home that disrupts the entire morning routine. But these are rare occurences. Consistent lateness, however, requires an intentional re-adjustment to the morning routine.

Ash Wednesday

Yesterday, Christians celebrated Ash Wednesday, a day of prayer and fasting, marking the beginning of Lent. It’s amazing in this day and age at how many people are drawn to services on Ash Wednesday. After all, it's not a holy day of obligation and it falls smack in the middle of the week. A priest once noted how everyone who showed up left with something, no matter their status in or outside the Church. Leaving with a smudge of black on the forehead holds deep resonance for many, many people.

Ash Wednesday marks the first day of the 40 days of Lent, a six-week period (excluding Sundays) dedicated to prayer, fasting, and reflection in preparation for the great celebration of Easter. The late Henri Nouwen described Lent as, " ... a time to re-focus and to re-enter a place of truth. It is here where we find our true identity."

Ash Wednesday is the best way to begin a season which calls us into self-examination as well as self-denial, into deeper contemplation about the mystery and grace of God's mercy, and towards more radical giving towards those most in need of comfort, sustenance, and hope. Please refer to the Education in Faith page for ways in which "we can make a difference".

Introducing our School Captains & Vice Captains

This year we have two School Captains and three Vice Captains working in the service of students and staff. Our two School Captains are Andrew J and Sophie W, while our Vice Captains comrpise Arabella B, Oliver F and Emily N.

Below, each has shared some insights about themselves and their hopes for this year.

School Captains

My name is Sophie W and I am a School Captain for Our Holy Redeemer in 2026.

I am an only child and live with my Mum, Dad and a five year old dog called Ruby. Outside of school I play basketball for the Titans Slayers and netball for the Canterbury Angels with some friends from school. I also love to draw and watch my favourite netball team, the Vixens.

I am really excited to be a School Captain and I will try my best to make Our Holy Redeemer an even better place for everyone!!

My name is Andrew J. I am a School Captain for 2026. I am a kind and generous person. I like to play cricket, footy and basketball. I also support the Richmond Tigers.

I live in a family of seven mum, dad, Harriet, Betty, Frank and Matilda our dog. I think that 2026 is going to be a great year for everyone with a great team to look over the school. I hope OHR is going to be a fun and exciting year for all ages.

Vice Captains

My name is Arabella B and I am a School Vice Captain at Our Holy Redeemer in 2026.

I live with my Mum, Christina and my Dad, Ben. Outside of school I dance for many hours a week. I also attend a weekly tutoring session at Brainworks because of my love of learning. I am currently a part of the NOVA Theatre production of The Sound of Music that I will be performing in during March. At school my favourite subjects are Math, English, Art and Performing Arts. This year I hope to improve my homework and organisation to prepare for highschool. I am very excited to be a School Vice Captain this year and feel honoured to have received this role.

My name is Oliver F, and I am one of the School Vice Captains at Our Holy Redeemer in 2026. I live in a family of eight, my Mum, Lauren, my Dad, Lawrence, my brother, Hunter, my Mum's partner, Lee, and my three dogs Murphy, Jodie and Willis.

In my free time I enjoy playing footy for the Canterbury Cobras and going to AFL to support my team the Carlton Blues. I also play basketball for the Hawthorn Titans and Camberwell Dragons. When I grow up I wish to play for the Carlton football club alongside Jagga Smith and Harry Dean. This year, I aim to make everyone in OHR feel welcomed and respected.

My name is Emily N and I am one of the School Vice Captains in 2026. I live in a family of four with my Mum, Dad and brother.

Some of my interests include art and sport. Outside of school I play for the Canterbury Angels netball team and I do it with some of my friends from school. This year I am really excited to be Vice Captain because you get to work together with Mr Dame and the other School and Vice Captains with projects for the school, and help the new preps get settled into the exciting journey of the year ahead.

Managing Big Feelings Parent Webinar

As a follow up to our Starting School presentation with Carley McGauran in 2024, we present the Managing Big Feelings webinar. This webinar is primarily targetted at parents/carers with children in Prep (Foundation) though to Year 2. This session is not to be confused with Raising Kids in a Digital World which is scheduled to be held later in March.

The Managing Big Feelings session is desgined to support parents/carers to show up in the most helpful way when your children experience big feelings. The goal is for parents and carers to feel more informed and empowered.

Managing Big Feelings

Presenter: Carley McGauran

Date: Tuesday 3 March

Time: 7.30pm (60 min)

Here is the link for parents to register: https://bit.ly/bigfeelings2026

Once parents register, you will be emailed a link to the webinar, reminder emails and a link to the replay. Therefore, we recommend that even if you are unable to attend the live webinar, you still register ensuring access to the replay.

Emails

As a school community, we recognise that email is an environmentally friendly way of communicating that can save time when used effectively. We acknowledge that email is very convenient for parents who are working and find it difficult to catch up with school staff during regular work hours. Having said that, our school community values both face-to-face and telephone conversations, and understands that these forms of communication are preferred in many situations. While communication via email is valued, the increasing volume and response expectations necessitate the development of some common practices. The primary responsibility of all teachers is to teach, and dealing with electronic communication, unless urgent, must take second place.

We respectfully request that only non-vital messages are sent by this medium. For example, do not use email to inform a teacher that your child is to walk home that afternoon, as the teacher may not see the message in time. Remember that given work demands, teachers may not get to read emails until late in the day.

Please don’t seek to discuss in detail your child’s academic progress, learning expectations or behavioural issues via email. These are best addressed over the phone or in person.

Emails that are intended for the office staff should be sent directly to the school’s email address, that being: ohradmin@ohrsurreyhills.catholic.edu.au

Remember to respect staff personal time, including evenings, weekends and holidays. In accordance with 'The Right to Diconnect' legislation, emails should be scheduled within work hours.

It is the responsibility of every parent to keep the school administration up-to-date with current email addresses.

Thank you for your support and understanding.

Team Teach - Repeated

For over 25 years, Team Teach has been a pioneer in behaviour support training across Education, Healthcare and all Social Services. Team Teach is an accredited, positive behaviour support training program designed to equip individuals and teams to deal with challenging situations and behaviours utilising the latest research about the psychology of behaviour support and biomechanics.

MACS has partnered with Team Teach to provide staff teams with a toolkit of holistic strategies on de-escalation and crisis intervention, both verbal and non-verbal, for supporting and reducing instances of disruptive and distressed behaviours, whilst reducing occupational violence.

The OHR staff will undertake a full day workshop, facilitated by Team Teach, on Monday 23 February. This is our first school closure day for the year.

Camps, Sports & Excursions Fund (CSEF)

If any families hold a current Health Care Card and are eligible for CSEF, please see Heather in the school office to obtain the necessary paperwork for completion.

Prep - 2 Parent Gathering

Thank you to Neil and Renee Shepherd who will be hosting tomorrow evening's Parent Gathering for those with children in the Junior School (Prep - Yr.2). The weather forecast is for a beautiful evening.

Term 1 School Closure Day for Staff Professional Leanring

Each term, one day is a designated as a school closure day for staff professional learning. The date set aside as a school closure day in Term 1, 2026, is Monday 23 February.

Easter Colouring Competition - Repeated

Once again, Our Holy Redeemer students are invited by the office of Jess Wilson MP to participate in the Easter Colouring Competition. Please see Jess' invitation below:

Dear Frank

I am once again delighted to invite Our Holy Redeemer Primary School to participate in the 2026 Easter Colouring Competition for primary school students in the Kew electorate.

Easter is an important date in the Christian calendar and is also a time widely celebrated by children, many of whom enjoy a chocolate treat on Easter Sunday.

Please find enclosed copies of the Easter colouring competition for distribution to students. Students who wish to participate are invited to colour in the Easter picture for their chance to win an Easter prize. The competition is open to primary school students who live in or attend a primary school in the Kew electorate (students do not need to reside in the electorate).

One winner and one runner-up will be selected from each participating school, with entries judged by me prior to Easter.

Students are asked to submit their completed entries to the school office by Friday 13 March 2026. My office will arrange collection from schools commencing Monday 16 March 2026.

An afternoon tea will be held at my office for the winning students, where certificates and prizes will be presented. Further details will be confirmed closer to the date.

I hope Our Holy Redeemer Primary School will be able to participate in the 2026 Easter Colouring Competition.

Yours sincerely

Jess Wilson MP

Member for Kew

Wishing everyone a great weekend,

Frank

School Community

Tennis Hot Shots 2026