Dear Parents and Carers

School News

I am thrilled to extend a warm welcome to all our families as we embark on the exciting journey of the 2024 school year. A special greeting goes out to our Prep families who are beginning their remarkable adventure with us. It is truly an honor to serve as your new Principal and join this vibrant community.

In my initial days here at OLHC, I've had the pleasure of discovering the exceptional features that set our school apart. It is my belief that sometimes, as a close-knit school community, we may overlook the incredible resources and opportunities at our disposal until someone offers a fresh perspective. Allow me to highlight some of the aspects that have left a significant impression on me in my first days at our school, aspects that were not readily accessible at my previous schools.

Digital Technology

OLHC students are fortunate enough to have incredible access to digital resources. Our school’s commitment to embracing the digital age is evident with 1 to 1 Chromebooks for students in years 3-6 and iPads for our youngest learners in Prep to Year 2 is impressive.

Abundance of play areas

OLHC has so many play areas that are available to our students and cater for the variety of learners that we have at our school. The following are areas that are available for our children to play in:

Prep playground

Sand pit and mud kitchen
Soft court outside Junior building

Junior adventure playground

Senior adventure playground

Imagination garden

2 x synthetic turf areas for and

2x hard courts for active play and ball games

Counselling Services

What a tremendous blessing it is for our school to have the privilege of accessing the expertise of a qualified counsellor, Kathy Toomey, one day a week. For a school of our size to avail itself of such a valuable resource is yet another example of OLHC punching above its weight.

Dedicated Specialist Classrooms

Having designated spaces for Italian, STEM, PE, and Performing Arts underscores OLHC dedication to providing a comprehensive education that extends beyond the confines of traditional classrooms. In my prior experiences, specialist classes, like Italian, were often conducted within the student's regular classroom, making OLHC’s dedicated spaces a distinctive and progressive feature.

Vegetable Garden

The presence of seven raised garden beds contributes an additional dimension of richness to our school environment, offering students a unique opportunity to connect with nature and acquire valuable life skills. Having previously been part of a larger school that only had four garden beds, I am particularly enthusiastic about the potential of this resource

Catholic Church

At my previous school, the parish church was situated approximately 4 kilometers away. This geographical distance presented several challenges, especially concerning Sacramental preparation and fostering a sense of connection among students to the parish community. What a joy it is to have a church which is walking distance from our school.

Community Centre

It brings me great delight to have at our disposal a spacious Community Centre equipped with a modern kitchen, enabling us to host functions and social gatherings. It's worth noting that not all schools have available to them such well-resourced community spaces for various events and gatherings.

Dynamic leadership team

Presently, four out of the five members of our leadership team have either completed or are in the process of completing their Master's of Education within the last five years. Notably, this learning journey integrates cutting-edge practices in education leadership. In contrast to other leadership teams I have been a part of at other schools, it is noteworthy that such a high percentage of our team is actively dedicated to enhancing their individual leadership capacities, with the ultimate goal of improving student outcomes.

In conclusion, I am genuinely excited about the possibilities that lie ahead for OLHC. I look forward to working collaboratively with our school community to build on the strong foundation that already exists and to create an even more vibrant and enriching educational experience for all our students.

Warm regards,

Rudy Vail

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Links

Absentee Notice, please email school@olhceltham.catholic.edu.au
COVID Safe Plan
Enrolment Form Link
Please click here for link to Asthma plan and/or Anaphylaxis plan and allergy form.
CDFpay link
Lunch Orders My Mum and I
Bicycle Paths
Parish Bulletin/Parish Website

OSHClub contact - 0432 212 815 ourladyhelpofchristians@oshclub.com.au

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