Dear Parents & Parishioners,

When my son, Liam, was about eight years old he put to me the following question, “Dad, you’re the boss in our family, aren’t you?” A smiling and pleased dad answered, “Well, yes ... kinda”, only to be told, “Is that because mum put you in charge?” At the time this was a pretty good insight from an eight year old. However, the time of the uninvolved father has long gone; it takes a team effort for a married couple to cope with the joys and challenges of parenthood.

Studies have shown that when fathers are affectionate and helpful, their children are more likely to get on well with each other. When children have fathers who are emotionally involved, so that they acknowledge their children’s emotions and help them deal with bad emotions, they tend to have better relationships with children outside of their family and behave less aggressively.

Gottman, Katz & Hooven. How Families Communicate Emotionally.

So this Sunday we pause to recognise all the fathers and father-figures in our lives and the lives of our children.

Tomorrow, we will be holding our annual Fathers’ Day Stall in the LRC. This is a day that all the children look forward to, regardless of age.

Last Friday, the school grounds played host to our Fathers’ Day Kids & Dads Night, which was a special evening for the children and their dads. This year we welcomed back Kaboom! Kid Sports who, with the assistance of some senior students, facilitated the evening.

Thank you to the team of parents supporting both our Fathers’ Day Stall and last week's Fathers’ Day Kids & Dads Night.

Fathers' Day Stall

Please refer to the PFA News page for details of this year's Fathers' Day Stall which will be held tomorrow, Friday 4 September.

OHR Art Show

When: Official Opening Evening is on Thursday 10 September

Time: 6.30 – 7.45pm. Please assemble outside the hall by 6.25pm for launch and keynote address.

Where: Artworks will be on display in a number of key areas, including: the Hall; Year 3/4 learning area; the stairwell leading down to the junior area; and the Undercroft.

What else is on? A number of hampers can be won on the night. Raffle tickets will be on sale during the evening. $2 per ticket or 3 tickets for $5.

It’s important to note that the Art Show is a family affair, in other words, children should remain with their families at all times. Children should not be moving about the Art Show by themselves. Toileting facilities for children will be identified as separate to those available for adults. Teaching staff will be assigned a variety of roles on that night to assist with the smooth running of the Art Show and, therefore, will not be there in a supervisory capacity.

Thank you to the parents who have already volunteered their time in helping to prepare for the Art Show and for those who have kindly offered to assist next week.

Note: Any parents or relatives who are unable to make Thursday evening's special occasion, can tour the exhibition of artworks throughout the day on Friday.

MACSEYE's Spring Festival School Holiday Program

MACSEYE’s Spring Festival School Holiday Program is running from 21 September to 2 October.

Families from OHR can book the holiday program at St Luke the Evangelist Blackburn South. Details can be found on the MACSEYE page further in today's newsletter.

Tomorrow is Pajama Day!

For all the details, please go to the Student Wellbeing page.

Prep 2028 - Final Reminder

We are already receiving Prep enrolments for the 2028 school year, which is incredibly early. Consequently, we would like to ensure that we account for all of our current families who have a child commencing school in 2028. Could I kindly ask that you notify Heather as soon as possible if you are in this position?

Learning Snapshots

We held our last Learning Snapshot for this term on Tuesday morning. During this time, Nick Byrne explored how families can support mathematical thinking at home.

Links to the slideshow and handouts can be accessed on the Learning & Teaching News page.

MACSSIS

Every year, we take the time to listen to our students, families and staff to gauge how our school is travelling. This feedback is invaluable to our progress as an effective school community and is backed by evidence-based research and best practices.

A significant and formal way in which we engage and gather data is through MACSSIS, the Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools – School Improvement Surveys. Please take the time to read the attached letter.

OHR Spring Carnival - Only 7 Weeks to Go

The fete committee continue to meet on a fortnightly 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 visit the PFA News page for further information.

Details can be found on the PFA News page.

Reminder:Train2Gain OHR

Want to build up your strength with other parents in a friendly environment? Why not consider coming along to a Train2Gain OHR class? Details can be found in the PFA News.

Wishing everyone a great weekend,

Frank Dame

Learning & Teaching News

Learning Snapshot - Maths

2026 Parent Information - Term 3