Dear Families,

This coming Sunday marks the beginning of Catholic Education Week across the Archdiocese of Melbourne. There are 331 Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Melbourne that educate around 114,000 students and employ more than 16,000 teachers and staff, and we will all be celebrating our distinctive Catholic identity, our achievements, and the role our school plays within our parish and local communities. The theme for this year is ‘In the light of Christ’. Catholic education seeks to provide students with a high-quality education that is inspired by the example of Jesus Christ and fosters the development of the whole person, forming individuals with more than just skills, but with the virtues to live life as transformative agents in our communities.

No School Monday 11th & Tuesday 12th March

Please note that Monday 11th March (Labour Day) and Tuesday 12th March the school will be closed for all students. Students will return to school Wednesday 13th March.

Year 4/5/6 Camp

On Wednesday morning, our Year 4/5/6 students boarded the bus with Yr 5 students from St Timothy’s and headed to Stringybark Lodge Camp in Gembrook for three days. We had absolutely amazing weather, have established some great connections with each other, and have enjoyed a wonderful couple of days together. Special thanks to Ms Michelle Congerton, Mrs Jenni Kilkenny, and Ms Jessi Wright (St Timothy’s), for joining me in giving up time with our families to make this possible for our Year 4/5/6 children. Check out the Camp highlights page further in the newsletter for photos of our fun-filled few days together!

NAPLAN

NAPLAN begins next week for our Year 3 & 5 students. The NAPLAN test schedule is detailed below, please ensure your children are at school on time.

Students are not expected to study for NAPLAN. You can support your child by reassuring them that NAPLAN is a part of their school program and reminding them to simply do their best. Some familiarisation and explanation of NAPLAN is useful to help students understand and be comfortable with the format of the tests. Teachers will ensure students are familiar with the types of questions in the tests and will provide appropriate support and guidance. ACARA does not recommend excessive preparation for NAPLAN or the use of services by coaching providers. See the types of questions and tools available in the online NAPLAN assessments at the public demonstration site.

Giant Easter Egg Hunt

Our Giant Easter Egg Hunt will be on again this year for any 3 & 4 year old children, and our Prep children. This will be held on Wednesday 27th March at 9:30am on the school oval. All of our local Kinders will be invited, but also please feel free to pass this information on to anyone you know who has children aged 3 or 4.

2024 Footy Tipping Competition

All families are invited to take part in our 2024 Holy Saviour Footy Tipping Competition. Anyone can enter, costing $20 for each participant, paid to the school office by the end of Round 8. The season commences Thursday 8th March with Sydney taking on Melbourne.

Follow the link below to get to the competition website: https://www.footytips.com.au/comps/HS_Footy_Tipsters&p=hsvs3133

Once you have filled in your details on the website, join the “HS Footy Tipsters'' competition. The password to get in should be hsvs3133

There will be prizes for 1st - 3rd (if tippers finish on equal tips, the prize will be split, eg. 1st & 2nd prize combined & split between the two), the more people involved, the bigger the prize pool.

A couple of rules, or things to note:

if you don't tip, you will get the lowest score for the round -1
if you tip all games correctly, you will get a bonus point
there may be up to 5 "Joker" rounds where scores will be doubled
the last 5 rounds will be "Blind" rounds - no one will be able to see the ladder

School Sports and Family Picnic

Our School Sports are going to look a little different this year. They are going to be held on Friday 22nd March, beginning at 4pm with some traditional flat races (varying distances) and relays followed by Kaboom Sports from 5-6:30 pm which is a wonderful active fun social event. This event will be celebrated with the students and families of St Timothy’s, and held on the St Timothy’s school site. We ask that families bring along a picnic to enjoy a very special evening together.

2024 Sacramental Program

All the dates for the 2024 Parish Sacramental Program have been set. Please add the following dates to your diaries if you are wanting your child to receive either of these sacraments. All sacraments will be celebrated at St Christopher’s in 2024.

First Reconciliation

Reflection Day: Wed 20th March, 9.00am-3.00pm

Sacrament of Reconciliation: Wed 20th March, 7pm

First Eucharist

Presentation of Candidates: Sunday 5th May, 10.30am

Family Evening: Thurs 23rd May, 7.00pm

Reflection Day: Wed 29th May, 9.00am-3.00pm

Sacrament of First Eucharist: Sunday 2nd June, 2.00pm

Sacrament of Confirmation – Celebrated again in 2025

Catholic Secondary School Enrolment Applications

Key Enrolment Dates for Year 5 Students in 2024 starting Year 7 in 2026

The key enrolment dates for students in Year 5 in 2024 who will be starting Year 7 in 2026 have been agreed after consultation with the Executive of the Principals Association of Victorian Catholic Secondary Schools (PAVCSS).

The timeline of events and dates are as follows:

Monday 29th January 2024 – Applications open for students commencing Year 7 in 2026.

Friday 16th August 2024 – Applications will close.

Friday 18th October 2024 – Offers will be posted to prospective Year 7 applicants.

Friday 8th November 2024 – Final date for parents/carers to accept an offer made by a school.

Parents of Year 5 students in 2024, please diarise these dates so you don’t miss out.

Open Days

At Holy Saviour, every day is Open Day and we welcome all new families, friends and neighbours to come along and visit the school at any time this year. We ask you to please let your friends and neighbours know about our school, the best advertising for our school is YOU! Feel free to pick up a few fliers in our office to give to neighbours with young children, Catholic or not, they are welcome to visit, or email office@hsvs.catholic.edu.au and we will send some home to you. We are looking for walkers too who would be happy to take fliers out to our community. We distribute to ALL kinders and childcare centres but it’s always good that they go into letterboxes as well.

Enrolments open for 2025

Yes, we are already taking enrolments for next year! If you have a younger child who turns 5 before 30 April 2025, please come and see Sherridan or Kerry in the office for an enrolment form. Also, if you know of anyone else in the community with a child the same age, pass on our contact details– we would love to give them a tour of our fabulous school! At Holy Saviour, every other day is Open Day!

Final Thoughts - …Schools are like jigsaw puzzles.

Each morning, staff members join together to form edge pieces that interlock to create a safe environment and give support to each other and the whole. Then they provide just the right place for each of the students to fit safely and securely.

Kind regards,

Steve Evans

Principal

International Women's Day