Principal's News
Dear Parents & Parishioners,
Holy Week & Easter
Holy Week is the final week of Lent, a period of reflection and preparation for Easter, focusing on the events leading up to Jesus' crucifixion, including Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and culminating in the celebration of Easter Sunday.
Here's a more detailed explanation of each day:
Palm Sunday:
Commemorates Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, where he was greeted by crowds waving palm branches.
Holy Thursday:
Marks the Last Supper, where Jesus shared a meal with his disciples and instituted the Eucharist (communion).
Good Friday:
Commemorates Jesus' suffering and death on the cross, a day of sorrow, penance, and fasting.
Holy Saturday:
Commemorates Jesus' suffering and death on the cross, a day of sorrow, penance, and fasting.
Easter Sunday:
Celebrates Jesus' resurrection on the third day after his crucifxion
We are all trying to make sense of life. One way for us to understand our lives is to look at them through the great experiences that happen during Holy Week.
What defines those sorts of days? Good Friday, for example, is a day of suffering and sacrifice. There are some days you get to the end of, and you feel like that's the kind of day you've had. What's Holy Saturday? It's a day of darkness, doubt, anxiety, confusion, and a day where faith is tested. What’s Easter Sunday? It’s a day of new life. Perhaps there's a birth of a child in the family, and we see it as a miracle, a gift from God.
We're trying to make sense of our lives, and God is constantly trying to help us make sense of them. These great moments in the life of the Church and the life of Jesus provide powerful lenses through which we can see our lives in a new way, expanding our understanding of ourselves and others.
Senior School Passion Plays
Thank you to our Year 5 & 6 students who presented today's Passion Plays which commemorated the events of Holy Week. Every class, along with the assembled parents (and grandparents), followed the journey of Christ's betrayal and suffering by witnessing the scenes enacted by our senior students. A great deal of learning went into the preparation of this year's Passion Plays, which centered on the Gospel of St Luke. We are grateful to the senior students who worked so hard to prepare every scene.
Please refer to 'RE Learning in 5/6CM', which can be found in the Education in Faith page, to find out more.
Easter Colouring Competition
Congratulations to Chloe O-L (6CM), Sia K (5DG) and Isaac A (1MH) who were the three winners from OHR in the Easter Colouring Competition organised by the office of Jess Wilson MP. Chloe was the overall winner, while Sia and Isaac were the runners up. The three winners were invited to attend an Award Presentation and afternoon tea last Monday afternoon where they received their prizes from Jess Wilson.
Digital Technolgies Leader
In last week's Newsletter, I announced that following 52 years of dedication to Catholic Education, with the last 17 years spent at OHR, Mrs Josephine Harrison will be retiring at the end of the current school term.
Following a lifetime of dedication to Catholic education, Mrs Harrison - our Digital Technologies Leader - has finally decided to finish her time as an inspirational and knowledgeable educator, and amazing colleague.
We thank her for the enormous contribution she has made to OHR and wish her well for the future in which she plans to continue travelling.
Mrs Penny Hansen will take on the role of Digital Technologies Leader from the commencement of Term 2. Penny has had prior experience in this role and will add this to her repertoire of commitments including those of classroom teacher and Mathematics Leader.
2025 House Sports Day & School Cross Country
To conclude the term we have our annual House Sports Day tomorrow, Friday 4 April. The students and parents always look forward to this event. For details, head to the PE News page where you can also find a link to the Order of Events.
Our School Cross Country will be held during the second week of Term 2 on Tuesday, 29 April. Further details can also be found on the PE News page.
Holy Week & Easter Schedule
In the lead up to Holy Week and Easter, please refer to the Education & Faith News page for the parish schedule of dates, times and locations.
Winter Uniform
The first few weeks of Term 2 can offer temperamental weather with a mixture of warmer and cooler days. Therefore, the children are allowed to wear either summer or winter uniform for the first fortnight. Commencing Monday 5 May, however, all children are required to be dressed in full winter uniform.
Note: the students are required to wear their hats until the end of April.
End of Term 1
Following the House Sports Carnival, the students will return to school where they will be dismissed at the earlier time of 1.00pm.
Don't forget that Amelia, Kate and Zoe will be running a Bake Sale to conclude the term. All donations will be donated to Caritas Australia.
Open Mornings
Our next Open Morning will be held at 9:00am on Thursday 1 May, which happens to occur in the second week of Term 2.
If you know of anyone considering a school for their child, please encourage them to come along to our next Open Morning or, alternatively, arrange a personal school tour. Our parents are our greatest advocates. Research clearly shows that word of mouth is the strongest form of marketing.
It would be gratefully appreciated that all existing school families who have a child commencing school in 2026 complete an enrolment form and submit it to Heather.
If you are available to assist by meeting and greeting prospective new families at the end of the school tours, your help would be greatly appreciated. You would be required to be avaialble in the hall foyer between 10.00 and 10.30am. Please notify be by email if you can help out.
Our Holy Redeemer ANZAC Day Commemoration
We are commemorating ANZAC Day at OHR on Thursday 24th April at 2.30pm. All are welcome, including grandparents and other family members. We are looking for some volunteers to assist with wreath making and participating on the day. Please see the Learning & Teaching News for more information.
Surrey Hills ANZAC DAY Dawn Service
The Mont Albert and Surrey Hills Rotary Club & Surrey Hills Neighbourhood Centre are pleased to announce that the 2025 ANZAC Day Dawn Service will take place in Surrey Gardens at 5.45am arrival for a 6am start on 25 April.
Our Holy Redeemer is one of three school invited to send students to participate in the service. Our School Captains will read during the service, while our three Vice Captains will lay a wreath on behalf of the school.
All families are invited to attend the service.
Address: Surrey Gardens, 88 – 90 Union Rd Surrey Hills
And Finally ...
On behalf of the entire OHR staff, I wish every member of our community a Happy Easter filled with hope and optimism. After all, Easter is a time for new beginnings.
We look forward to welcoming everyone back for an exciting Term 2.
Best wishes,
Frank Dame