School Closure Day - Wednesday 30th November

Dear Families,

Happy New Year! The beginning of Advent marks the beginning of a new liturgical year in the Church. This Sunday is the first Sunday of Advent and it’s time to start lighting the first purple candle on the Advent Wreath, the candle of hope. It is called the “Prophet’s Candle” and symbolises the prophets of the Old Testament, especially Isaiah, who waited in hope for the Messiah’s arrival. I invite all families to take some time over the weekend to celebrate this sacred time of Advent. Create your own Advent Wreath and think about all the things in your life that you hope for, and take time to share your faith together.

Staffing Changes in 2023

Planning for 2023 continues at a fast pace, but I am pleased to announce that I am very close to finalising staffing across the school. The staffing list & class structure for 2023 will be shared with the community in the coming weeks, however, there are a couple of staffing announcements I wish to share with you now.

After eighteen years of service at Holy Saviour, we will be saying farewell to Mrs Rose Wray-McCann this year. Rose has decided that now is the right time to take a step back and spend more time with her family and explore new challenges! Rose has been a wonderful support to all staff, children and families over the past 18 years, and her passion for performing arts is contagious, especially around production time, if the number of students and staff singing in the corridors is anything to go by! We are extremely grateful for Rose’s contribution to Holy Saviour over the past eighteen years and we wish her all the very best in her future endeavours.

We also thank and farewell Mrs Kathy Cauley who, after thirteen years of service at Holy Saviour, has also decided that more time with her family and grandchildren is needed. Kathy has been a valuable asset to our staff over the past thirteen years, being a huge support to staff, children and families. On behalf of our community I would like to thank Kathy for her passion and dedication over the past 13 years, and wish her every happiness for the future.

Our Chinese teacher, Catherine Teng, has announced she will be leaving Holy Saviour at the conclusion of the year. Catherine joined the team at Holy Saviour at the beginning of 2022 and has brought with her a tremendous amount of energy and passion, not only to the Languages program, but to the school itself. I take this opportunity to wish Catherine all the very best for what the future holds and thank her for everything she has shared with us in her short time at Holy Saviour.

Ms Toni Edwards will be taking Long Service Leave for the 2023 school year. Toni will be using this time to support her many great nieces and nephews, especially the twins and triplets who have recently been born.

We will farewell Jenny, Rose, Kathy and Catherine with a special assembly on Wednesday 14th December at 2.15pm. Families are welcome to attend this special assembly.

2023 Fee Structure

After consultation with our School Business Manager and the School Advisory Council, I am pleased to inform families that the fees for 2023 have been finalised. Full details about these are available here.

We will again offer a discount on the family school fee to families who pay upfront before Thursday 6th April. 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.

Holy Saviour Family Christmas Picnic

Save the date! On Thursday 8th December from 5:30pm-7:30pm, we will be celebrating the year with our first Holy Saviour Family Christmas Picnic. Children will be performing Christmas songs, the tennis club and coaches will complete the tennis program from this year, with a BBQ provided by the tennis club, and it’s a great opportunity to celebrate the end of the school year together. As with all school organised events, and in line with the Child Safe Standards, this will be a dry event. Weather permitting, this will be outside, so please bring along your chairs and/or picnic blankets. We look forward to celebrating the end of year with you.

Victorian State Election Voting Centre - BBQ & Cake Stall

Holy Saviour has been selected as a voting centre for the upcoming State Election this Saturday 26th November. The School Advisory Council will be running a BBQ throughout the day. Be sure to come down and vote at our site, grab a "Democracy Sausage" and a cake or two while you're here! A very special thank you to all the volunteers who are helping with our BBQ and cake stall.

Tirsha Misso (Liam 3/4EW & Josh 6T) has also kindly offered to run a cake stall. She will be providing cakes from her business, Pretty Sweet. Thank you to the families who have already offered to help Tirsha on the day, and to all families who have so generously contribute baked goods. Additional Cake donations can be handed in at the multipurpose hall on Saturday morning from 8am. Please remember to list all ingredients and to follow the health and safety guidelines on the instruction sheet provided. Additional cake plates and labels can be collected from the office. As always, thank you for your support!

Bunnings BBQ - Saturday 3rd December

We have been fortunate enough to be granted a second fundraising opportunity at Vermont South Bunnings on Saturday 3rd December. As well as being an iconic Aussie tradition, the sausage sizzle will enable the school to raise important funds, every cent of which goes to purchasing assets that are used by our students each day in their schooling. To make this day a success we are calling on our parent community to volunteer their time for 2-hour shifts. Thank you to those families who have already put their name down to assist. We still have a few spots to fill, particularly during the 10am-12pm and 12pm-2pm time slots. If you can spare some time to help us raise funds for our students, please indicate through this form.

School Tours and 2023 Enrolments

We ask that any parents who have a younger child who turns 5 before 30 April 2023, and are wishing to enrol them into Prep at Holy Saviour for 2023, to please submit an enrolment form to the school office by Friday 27th May. This will assist with our planning and organisation for next year. You can access the forms via this link, or you may collect an enrolment pack from the school office. Once complete, it can be given in or emailed to office@hsvs.catholic.edu.au.

Billboards, Posters, Flyers!

We have some promotional posters & flyers that we’d love distributed in the community and displayed in a prominent position. We distribute to ALL kinders and childcare centres but it’s always good that they go into letterboxes as well. Feel free to pick up a few fliers in our office to give to neighbours with young children, Catholic or not, they are welcome to visit. Or email office@hsvs.catholic.edu.au and we will send some home to you. Thank you to the parents who have already taken a pile to deliver.

Catholic Secondary School Enrolment Applications 2024 & 2025

Key Enrolment Dates for Year 5 Students in 2023 starting Year 7 in 2025

The key enrolment dates for students in Year 5 in 2023 who will be starting Year 7 in 2025 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:

27th January 2023 – Applications will open for Year 5 students commencing Year 7 in 2025.

18th August 2023 – Applications will close.

20th October 2023 – Offers will be posted to prospective Year 7 applicants.

10th November 2023 – Final date for parents/carers to accept an offer made by a school.

Parents of Year 5 students in 2023, please diarise these dates so you don’t miss out.

Final Thoughts ~ Look After Yourselves!

A number of students and staff, including myself, have been struck down with Covid over the past two weeks. At this busy time of year, we are all pushing ourselves harder & harder in order to get everything done so that we can enjoy our Christmas break. I want to say a big thank you to all our students, staff, parents and carers for your continued resilience and support throughout this year. I know this year, like the past two, has had its challenges, but we have also had the opportunity to experience many wonderful things together, especially this term. There is still a lot happening at school in these last 3 weeks that we would love for everyone to be involved in. Let’s continue remaining vigilant with all covid-safe practices so that we can see out the year in good health.

Kind regards,

Steve Evans

Principal

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Victorian Catholic Education