Principal's News

Dear Parents & Parishioners,

Advent is a time of expectation and hope. “Advent” means “arrival” or “coming,” and it prompts us to pause throughout December and remember why Jesus came at Christmas. Traditions vary by country, but common ways of commemorating Jesus’ birth are through Advent calendars, wreaths, and candles. 

The word “Advent” is derived from the Latin word adventus, meaning “coming,” which is a translation of the Greek word parousia.  Most know Advent today as a time of anticipation and expectation of the birth of Christ. However, Advent began as early as the 4th and 5th centuries as a time of fasting and prayer for new Christians. The first mention of Advent occurred in the 300’s A.D at a meeting of church leaders called the Council of Saragossa. It gradually developed into a season that stretched across the month of December. Advent lasts for four Sundays leading up to Christmas. The Advent season not only symbolises the waiting for Christ's birth but also for his final return. 

The Advent wreath first appeared in Germany in 1839. A Lutheran minister working at a mission for children created a wreath out of the wheel of a cart. He placed twenty small red candles and four large white candles inside the ring. The red candles were lit on weekdays and the four white candles were lit on Sundays. 

The most common Advent candle tradition, typical of the Catholic Church, involves four candles around the wreath. A new candle is lit on each of the four Sundays before Christmas. Each candle represents something different: Hope – Faith – Joy – Peace.  Often, the first, second, and fourth candles are purple, while the third candle is rose-coloured.  Occasionally, a fifth white candle is placed in the middle of the wreath and is lit on Christmas Day to celebrate Jesus’ birth. 

Advent invites us to prepare for the commemoration of God’s coming by taking time to have a closer look inside ourselves away from the busy outside. This looking inside is not about remorse or regret, nor about listing ways life over the past year could have been different; it’s not about wishing we were better people. It’s about forward movement, getting new bearings, relying more on God for directions. It’s about a fresh start. Advent is a time to “Rejoice, let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is nigh.” St Paul Phil 4:4,5

OHR Twlight Christmas Celebration - Tomorrow

Don't forget that the OHR PFA Twlight Christmas Celebration in on tomorrow evening commencing at 5.00pm with our students singing Christmas Carols.   This promises to be a great way to get into the Advent & Christmas seasons.  We strongly encourage adults to support the children by singing along.  

Should the weather be inclement, the carols will be sung in the hall.

Food and refreshments will be on sale.  There will also be a jumping castle, balloon creations, face painting, and a visit by Santa.  The PFA encourages pre-purchase of tickets for food and activities to help minimise lengthy queues - Purchase tickets here  Please refer to the PFA News page for further details.

Feel free to brink along a picnic rug and/or camping chairs.

We encourage the children to dress up in something Christmassy!  Refer to the Education in Faith page for details, should the children choose to wear something Christmassy throughout the day on Friday.  There is a letter from the RE Leaders on how you can support the St Vinnies Christmas Appeal. 

We ask that children arrive by 4.45pm in order that the carols can commence at 5.00pm sharp.  Please allow ample time for car parking as the roads around the school will be busy.

Please note: That the Child Safe Standards mandate that alcohol cannot be consumed at school events in the presence of children.

OHR STEM Fun Day

Last week we held a STEM Fun Day as a way of beginning our transition of St Bridget's students to OHR.  All current OHR students and St Bridgets students were divided into their 2024 levels.  We held three sessions throughout the day in the OHR Hall.  We began with a Year 3/4 session, followed by 1/2's and 5/6's.  Each session lasted 90 minutes.

We engaged the Nudel Kart company to present each group with a series of STEM-based construction challenges designed to encourage creativity, social skills and well-being.  Our aim was for the students to get to know one another and have fun ... Mission Accomplished!

Reaching Out to New Families

If you would like to be a buddy family to a new family please complete a Google Form which can be accessed here.  We will then arrange to share your contact details (phone only) with that family. This will enable the new families to reach out to you should they have any questions over the summer and New Year. 

Semester 2 Student Reports and 2024 Classes

At Our Holy Redeemer, formal written reports are provided to families at the end of each school semester.  The written report is one of a number of approaches provided by the teaching staff to communicate your child’s progress.  Seesaw, for example, complements the feedback process by providing families with an immediate and personalised window into your child’s school day.

Our formal written reports are designed to be parent-friendly, with a focus on the actual skills, progression, and approach to learning. 

The five-point scale found in our written reports is reflected below: 

I would sincerely like to acknowledge the thought, time and effort the teachers have put into composing the Semester 2 2023 student reports, which will be live on the nForma Parent Portal next Thursday 7 December.  Further instructions for accessing the reports will be emailed in the days prior by Mrs Josephine Harrison. 

Class Lists will also be emailed this Wednesday, 7 December, detailing your child’s 2024 class and their teacher(s).  The staff have been working on developing 2024 class lists over the past month, adhering to the criteria articulated in the OHR Formation of Classes Policy.  The staff initially began work on this process in their levels before eventually bringing the lists to the entire teaching staff for final consultation.

May I remind everyone that the decisions made by the staff are governed by the rationale in our policy which states, 

“At OHR we believe that learning is influenced by a diverse range of factors. The professional knowledge, judgement and discretion of all teachers is critical to the placement of students. The class allocation process should follow protocols which address the balance of social, emotional and academic needs of each child.”

Twilight Working Bee: Repeated

On Wednesday 6 December there will be a special Twilight Working Bee between 5.00 and 6.00pm.  The purpose of this event is to relocate classroom tables, chairs and storage units.  For OH&S reasons I do not want students, nor teachers, moving the items of furniture up and down stairs.  It would be great to have as many hands on deck for the one hour period to enable the furniture from four classrooms to be efficiently relocated.

We undertook a similar project two years ago and, as a result of so many parent helpers, managed to complete all tasks within 40 minutes. 

If you are able to help out for the full hour or part thereof, please indicate your attendance by emailing either of our two Working Bee Coordinators:

The Last Hurrah at OHR

The evening of Thursday 7 December offers the opportunity for parents to come together to farewell the parents of those children who will be leaving the school community at the end of this year.  This is a special night on the school calendar.  The evening will be held in the hall foyer and commence at 7.00pm.

On behalf of Fr Brendan, the staff and parents at OHR, I would like to thank all the families who will be leaving and have contributed to the life of our school.  A number of our families, following a long association with OHR, have their last child in Year 6, while others have their last child in other year levels  We will miss all our beautiful families and wish them nothing but the very best for the future.

Click on the button to view the invitation:

Please note that this is an event for adults.  Drinks will be provided.  You are welcome to bring a plate to share.

2024 Parent Gatherings

Recently we invited families to open up their homes to host one of next year's Parent Gatherings, which are traditionally held during Term One.  Thank you to the following families for quickly responding to the invitation to host one of the evenings.

• Prep - Yr 2 Parent Evening: 23 February 2024 at the Lewis' home
• Yrs 3&4 Parent Evening: 1 March at __________________
• Yrs 5 & 6 Parent Evening: 15 March 2024 at the Love's home 

We now only require one family to open up their home to host the Yrs 3 & 4 Parent Evening on 1 March 2024.

Last Day of School Tuck Shop

The last day of the school tuck shop for this year will be next Wednesday, 6 December. The tuck shop will not operate during the last week of the term.

Thank you to all the parents who have assisted with the tuck shop throughout 2023.

Commencement of the 2024 School Year

The following dates will assist families in planning for the commencement of the new school year:

• School Staff Resume – Monday 29 January 2024
• Students in Years 1 to 6 resume – 8.40am on Tuesday 30 January 2024
• Students in Foundation (Prep) attend Individual Testing Interviews – Tuesday 30 and Wednesday 31 January 2024
• All Foundation students commence school – 8.40am on Thursday 1 February 2024

Wishing everyone a great weekend,

Frank