Principal's News
Dear Parents & Parishioners,
Welcome to Term 4
A number of parents have commented on how quickly the year has flown by. It's hard to believe that we are now into the students' Fourth Term of the school year.
As usual there is lots to look forward to this term. We have the 2027 transition program, excursions, House Debating, the school swimming program, OHR Community Christmas Carols, and Year 6 Graduation, just to name a few. Excitedly, it is now a little over two weeks until our OHR Spring Carnival School Fete.
Cyber Security Action Month
October is Cyber Security Action Month, a global initiative dedicated to promoting safer online behaviours and improving cyber resilience.
This year’s theme ‘Take a second. Stay secure.’ is a reminder of how the small choices we make every day – at work, at home, and in our communities – play an important role in keeping us secure online.
The following webinar will prove helpful to parents:
'Understanding and using parental controls to help protect your child online': Wednesday 22 October 2026, 12.30pm
Parental controls can be a useful addition to the strategies you use to help protect your child online.
This 45-minute webinar covers:
what social pressures they may be experiencing online
how they can build digital resilience and critical reasoning
how to talk to your young person about what they see and do online
practical strategies for promoting positive peer interactions and help seeking behaviours.
Planning for the Growth of our School: Part 2
In the final newsletter of Term Three I wrote that in 2027 OHR will grow by an additonal class, resulting in a total of 10 classes across our school.
To accommodate the expansion of our school in the coming years, OHR has engaged ROAM Architects to prepare a new school Master Plan. Within the scope of the Master Plan, ROAM will undertake planning for an immediate small works project to create an additional learning space in readiness for the 2027 school year. In effect, the Leadership Planning Room and Literacy Intervention Room will be combined and expanded to host a new Science/STEM facility adjacent to the Library. The current Science & STEM room will, therefore, become the additional classroom we require. The Literacy Intervention program will operate out of the re-configured Teacher Resource Room.
Plans for the new Science/STEM facility will be finalised within the next week. We will then embark on a tender process for a commercial builder.
2027 Class Structures
The staff of OHR give careful consideration to the class structures of the following school year with the knowledge that year level compositions are not fixed and will vary with the advent of every new school year. Factors that shape class structures include, but are not limited to:
Student enrolment numbers across each year level
Student learning needs
Social and emotional needs of individual students and cohorts
Gender balance within classes where appropriate
Academic and learning profiles
Continuity of teacher–student relationships and opportunities for students to experience different teachers
Behavioural and wellbeing considerations; and
Equity and inclusion, ensuring classes are structured to support all students
After detailed consultation and deliberation by the teaching staff and Leadership Team of OHR, we have firmly agreed upon the following class structures for the 2027 school year:
| Prep | 2 classes |
|---|---|
| Year 1 | 2 classes |
| Year 2 | 1 class |
| Year 2/3 | 1 class |
| Year 3/4 | 1 class |
| Year 4 | 1 class |
| Year 5/6 | 2 classes |
Community Conversation
You are warmly invited to attend a Community Conversation at 2.40pm on Monday 26 October. The Community Conversation will be held in the LRC (Library).
During the Community Conversation, we would like to receive feedback on family engagment initiatives offered by the school, while also capturing input for potential future family engagement through both Learning Snapshots and Information Evenings.
Our aim is to partner with, and support parents in, their children's learning journey.
The Community Conversation is designed to conclude at dismissal time.
Working Bee - Getting the School Grounds ready for our Fete
Our final Working Bee for the year is fast approaching and will be held on the morning of Sunday 18 October between 8.30am and 10.30am. The Working Bee will be coordinated by Laura Hilet. This Working Bee is an essential means of maintaining aesthetic school grounds that afford a safe and welcoming environment for our children, parents and visitors - especially with the Fete being the following Saturday.
This Working Bee provides a great opportunity to connect with other families, and the children always have a great time helping out and playing with one another.
For task planning and catering purposes, please indicate your attendance by emailing Laura: lauradinicol@gmail.com
What to bring:
Battery or petrol powered trimmers
Battery or petrol powered blowers
Gardening gloves
Wheel barrows
Shovels
Gardening rakes
Deepest Sympathy
The staff would like to express their deepest condolences to Tim D on the recent passing of his father, Paul. Paul, was grandfather to Ollie (5/6CM) and Ruby (1/2GK).
OHR Swimming Program
Please refer to the P.E. News page for details about this year's Swimming Program which will commence in November.
Child Safe Standard 9
During the month of October, Catholic schools cast a potlight on Child Safe Standard 9 - "Physical and online environments promote safety and wellbeing while minimising the opportunity for children and young people to be harmed."
Detials can be found on the Child Safe Standards page.
Year 7, 2029 – key enrolment dates
Please note the following timeline:
Applications for students starting Year 7 in 2029 will open on Wednesday 27 January 2027 and close on Friday 13 August 2027.
Secondary school principals must exchange their full list of applications, including parish of residence, with neighbouring colleges by Friday 27 August 2027.
Secondary school principals must subsequently exchange their full list of proposed offers and non-offers with neighbouring colleges by Friday 10 September 2027.
Offers will be posted to 2029 prospective Year 7 applicants on Friday 15 October 2027. Parents/carers will be required to accept an offer by Friday 5 November 2027.
Your ideas can help shape the PFA's fundraising priorities!
Go to the PFA News page to learn how your ideas can help shape the PFA's fundraising priorities.
Summer Uniform
Students have the option of wearing either their summer or winter uniform during the first two weeks of Term Four, but not a combination of the two. We also ask that the students wear black leather school shoes on the days they are not wearing their sports uniform.
OHR Spring Carnival - Only 2 Weeks to Go
The fete committee continue to meet on a regular basis to plan for this year's school fete. This is a HUGE event for our school and to ensure that it is a success the fete committee will require everyone's support.
Make sure that you monitor the class WhatsApp coms to stay up to date.
Child Safe Standard 9
Term 4 School Closure Days
- Melbourne Cup Weekend - Monday 2 & Tuesday 3 November
- 2027 Planning Day - Monday 30 November
Wishing everyone a great weekend,
Frank Dame