Dear Parents and Carers,

The weeks are flying by and we are already in Week 8 of the term. It has been lovely to see the Preps settle in this term and become an integral part of our school community so quickly. We had a great number of parents and friends attend our prep open classrooms yesterday to see the morning routines in the prep space.

I have been impressed with the number of students who have stepped up and shown leadership this term, whether it be volunteering to pick up rubbish at lunch time, helping each other on the playground, reporting issues that they see around the school or working hard in class to share their learning. Their leadership is helping to create a great school culture and I am very excited about the year ahead.

The Parable of the fig tree. Luke 13:1-9

He told this parable: ‘A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came looking for fruit on it but found none. He said to the man who looked after the vineyard, “Look here, for three years now I have been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and finding none. Cut it down: why should it be taking up the ground?” “Sir,” the man replied “leave it one more year and give me time to dig round it and manure it: it may bear fruit next year; if not, then you can cut it down.”’

Lent is a time when we make a real effort to change to be more like Jesus. The parable of the fig tree (Luke 13:1-9) gives us great hope. Just like the gardener in the parable, God gives us time to grow and an opportunity to change our lives. God is a patient, caring and forgiving Father who always gives us opportunities to turn back to him, to grow, or to change.

In next Sunday’s Gospel we are given an even clearer picture of the kind of love and mercy that God shows to us in the parable of The Prodigal Son (Luke 15:1-3, 11-32).

Loving Father,

So many times we turn away from you

and you always welcome us back.

Your mercy and love gives us confidence.

Thank you for the invitation to

share, fast and pray

so that you can form a new heart within us.

Your powerful compassion for our weaknesses

leads us to ask for forgiveness

and await with great hope

the Easter joy you share with us.

Amen.

Our challenge:

This week let us reflect on how we show God’s love to others in word and action.

Are we taking full advantage of this Lenten journey - this chance to be a more loving, caring person to all those around us?

Harmony Day – Friday, March 21st

At COHR we recognise the beauty of our cultural diversity and by celebrating our uniqueness we bring harmony and respect to our community. Tomorrow we invite students to wear casual clothes with a touch of orange, the colour of harmony to highlight Harmony Day. We will have free orange/yellow zooper doopers at the end of lunch. We invite families to contribute a gold coin donation to raise money for Caritas.

Reconciliation

On Tuesday students received the Sacrament of Reconciliation celebrated by Fr. Raju and Fr Devaraj. When we receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation we are admitting our faults and seeking forgiveness for our wrongdoings. Through God’s grace we restore our relationship with him and our Church community. This is an important stage in a child’s faith journey, understanding that God‘s love is unconditional and he always ready to forgive us when we turn back to him.

Closure Days for 2025

Every school has a number of closure days throughout the school year to allow staff time for professional learning and time in lieu.

On Friday 4th April we will have a school closure day to focus on the following areas of professional learning for staff:

Curriculum Entitlement - How can we effectively cover the curriculum in each level and ensure that students learn the topics required at the right time?
Wellbeing - How can we ensure we have a positive learning environment for all?
Religious Education - How do the parables in the Gospel of Luke lead us to a world of hope in 2025?

Our school closure days will be as follows for the remainder of the year:

School Closure Days
TERM 1
Friday 4th April
TERM 2
Tuesday 10th June Monday 23rd June
TERM 3
Friday 8th August
TERM 4 Monday 3rd November
Monday 1st December

Please note that school will finish for students for the year on Tuesday 16th December at 3:20pm. The will be no school for students on Wednesday 17th, Thursday 18th or Friday 19th December.

The school will also be closed on the following Public Holidays:

Easter Monday - Monday 21st April
ANZAC Day - Friday 25th April
King's Birthday - Monday 9th June
Melbourne Cup Day - Tuesday 4th November

Prep 2026 - Siblings

We had a fantastic Open Day yesterday with many families coming through for a tour. If you have a child who will be in Prep for 2026 we ask you to complete an enrolment application as soon as possible so we can confirm the enrolment and plan our numbers for next year. Please see the office staff for the enrolment forms.

Colouring Competition

Congratulations to Abi from 5/6G and Noah from Prep on winning the colouring/drawing competition to highlight World Wildlife Day on the 3rd March.

The competition was an initiative launched and judged by Alyssa and Eli our Learning Leaders.

Ride to School Day - Friday 28th March

Ride to School Day will take place on Friday 28th March. We invite families to ride to their bike to school. We will have designated spaces to store the bikes during the day.

Benefits of Catholic Schools

There has been new research conducted using the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey data that found people who attended Catholic schools are likely to see lifelong benefits in employment status, general health and life satisfaction. The research found that on average, there are both personal and community benefits of Catholic schooling.

People who attended Catholic schools are on average more likely to be employed, and to earn higher wages, than government school attendees. The average wage difference ranges between four per cent to 11 per cent. In addition, Catholic school attendees are more likely to work in an industry or sector that directly benefits the public and were more likely to donate to charity. The report also found that Catholic school attendance had a positive average impact on personal health and life satisfaction scores.

The research was undertaken by a team in the Centre for International Research on Education Systems (CIRES) at Victoria University and commissioned by VCEA.

These findings are statistically significant and include adjustments to the data to isolate the impact of attendance at a Catholic school from other individual and family characteristics and influences.

This research is evidence that educating the whole person supports the development of well-rounded individuals who will succeed and be happy and confident in the world during and after their schooling, whatever path they choose through life.

Reminders

Our last Open Day for Term 1 will be held on Tuesday April 1st. Please invite your family and friends with pre school aged children or children in other years looking to move schools to attend.
We have a school closure Day on Friday 4th April. Term 1 will end for students on Thursday 3rd April at 3:20pm.
Term 2 begins on Tuesday April 22nd, after the Easter Monday holiday.
The ANZAC Day holiday falls on Friday April 25th in the first week of Term 2.

Have a lovely week ahead,

Aimee Gale

Principal

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