From the Principal

Well, that was a close call!

After the sudden snap lockdown it was welcome news to know the children were able to return today. Thank you again for your cooperation over the past 3 days. It was greatly appreciated. As a community let us continue to maintain our Covid safe practices to maintain the health and safety of all;

Wash hands regularly through the day
Maintain a social distance of 1.5m
Where social distancing is not practical then face masks must be worn
Stay at home if you feel sick

Yesterday, being Ash Wednesday, marked the beginning of a seasonal change within the Church: LENT. It is one of those times when the Church gives us the opportunity to address the important elements in our life in a practical way. Within the context of the Lenten season, we need to be reflective and to ensure that in choosing ‘to do something’ this Lent, we choose wisely. We need to make a positive effect on the people with whom we live and work each day.

As a school community the children will gather on Friday, in prayer to begin our Lenten journey. They will also be involved in raising money for Caritas, preparing Holy Week prayer stations for the school and focussing on God's call to us during the seasons of Lent and Easter in their classes.

Parent Teacher Chats

Thank you to those parents who took up the opportunity to meet with classroom teachers for the parent/teacher Google Meet chats. The teachers find these meetings most valuable in better understanding the social, emotional and learning needs from the parents perspective. If you were unable to make a time please know you would be welcome to make a time with your child's classroom teacher at a mutually convenient time.

CSEF payment arrangements for 2021

The Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF) program for 2021is now open for processing. The fund helps ensure that all eligible students are able to participate in school trips and sporting activities.

The annual CSEF amount per student will be:

$125 for primary school students

$225 for secondary school students.

How to Apply

Contact the school office to obtain a CSEF application form or download from www.education.vic.gov.au/csef

For more information about the CSEF visit www.education.vic.gov.au/csef

School Fees

School fee statements for 2021 were sent home last week. You may note that the format for this statement is different to previous statements. This is due to our new administration software package. Please note that there is no option for a BPAY payment to be made (even though it appears to be an option on the statement).

A reminder that fees can be paid up; upfront, weekly, fortnightly or each term.

If you are having difficulty in meeting school fee repayments I would ask that you contact me to discuss payment options and/or fee support.

School Hats

A reminder that children are required to have their school hats for recess, lunchtimes and PE. Please, please ensure hats are clearly named.

Icy Poles

Tomorrow icy-poles will be on sale at lunch time for $1.

Flexischools

If you are having trouble receiving Flexischools communications you may need to update your child's class. Please find instructions on how to update this.

Classroom Cuisine

Classroom cuisine will again provide our lunch order service on every day except Tuesday.

All orders need to be placed online before 8.30am

School has no access to this service and will not to able to place late orders. For information or to order, please visit https://classroomcuisine

School Photos

School photos will be taken next Friday 26th February. All students are asked to wear their correct summer uniform to school on this day. Children who have sport are asked to bring their runners and/or their sports uniform to change into once they have had their photos taken. There will be no Friday morning assembly on this day.

Labelling of school clothes

After 4 weeks at school we have already commenced a collection of lost property. This can be found in a basket in the reception area. Parents are reminded that all school clothing items should be clearly labelled with the child’s name or family name. We would ask that you check your child’s clothes regularly to ensure you have your own clothing items. If you find that you have another child’s hat, jumper etc, it would be appreciated if these could be returned to the school office.

Mobile Phones

Presently a small number of children are bringing mobile phones to school. We do realise that some students require a mobile for the purposes of communicating with their family after school. It is important to note that the school does not encourage students bringing mobile phones to school, nor does the school accept responsibility for lost or damaged student mobile phones. However, if mobile phones are brought to school, they must be handed into the school office on arrival and must be collected by the student at the end of the day.

Community News

I would like to draw your attention to this week's Community News page. It lists a number of events and opportunities including;

A 'Body Confident Children and Teens' webinar.
Achievements of some of our past students
Local sporting opportunities, and
A Father/Son Camp

CHADSTONE LOVES LOCAL

From the 6th to 28th March Chadstone Shopping Centre is holding the 'Chadstone Loves Local' program. By shopping at selected stores and taking your receipts to the Concierge Desk, you will receive tokens that can be credited to COHR. At the end of the program, the school with the most votes will be awarded with the relevant prize. If you'd like more information : https://www.chadstone.com.au/chadstone-loves-local/school-portal-information

As we journey through Lent

let us keep Christ at the heart of all our

words and actions.

Let us focus our lives more clearly on the way of

Christ and living the Christian life.

Take care and keep safe everyone!

Principal's Message

Inspired by the Spirit, we are a strong community, leading and supporting learners in a safe and inclusive environment.

Issue 2 · 18 Feb 2021

In this issue