Dear Families,

We have certainly been in the Christmas spirit at COHR. The Christmas Carols last week were amazing and so well led by our Performing Arts teacher Millie Hutchings. We are so blessed to have you inspiring our students with song, dance and so much more! I couldn't help but take a snap of the 'paparazzi', who were obviously enjoying the show as much as the performers.

The Christmas tree in the foyer still has some of the decorations for the Mini Vinnies Christmas Appeal, please feel free to take one and return it next week. All gifts we are sure, will be gladly received by the St Vincent de Paul Society.

Tonight and tomorrow at Assembly we farewell our Year 6 Graduates. Tonight is sure to be a wonderful celebration, thank you so much to Anna, Sonia and Debbie for coordinating all the decorations and catering. A special congratulations to the students who will receive an added award tonight, for their outstanding contributions to the COHR Community.

I would like to take this opportunity to welcome Rebecca Taylor to COHR in 2026. Rebecca will be our STEM teacher and will also run some learning enhancement programs. She comes with a wealth of experience in teaching STEM and we look forward to all that she will bring to COHR.

Over this term, the Year 5 students have been a part of our Leadership Program. A part of this is to vote for our School Leaders for the next year. Year 5 & Year 4 students and staff vote. I am very happy to announce that our 2026 Student Leadership Team will be...

Abby & Oliver - School Captains
Rachel - Faith and Social Justice Captain
Alyssa - Learning Captain with Philip & Liana as Learning Leaders
Olivia - Wellbeing Captain with Ari, Lina & Simonetta as Wellbeing Team Leaders
Chloe - Green House Captain with Alex as Green House Leader
Jayden - Red House Captain with Lauren & Theodore as Red House Leaders
Miles - Gold House Captain with India as Gold House Leader
Zoe - Blue House Captain with Karla as Blue House Leader

We wish them all the best, they are sure to do an amazing job.

Please see below for some important information regarding 2026 start of the school year and Concessional fees.

2026 Year 1-6 Assessments

As per previous years, we will invite our Year 1-6 students to come in to school for initial assessments for Literacy and Numeracy. These assessments assist your child's class teacher to attain a clear picture of your child's learning needs in Literacy and Numeracy.

The Year 1-6 Assessments will take place on Wednesday 28th January 2026 and Thursday 29th January 2026. Families will receive further information about this in the report pack, in particular, how to book a time slot for one of these days using the School Interviews website (code f922w).

All students will be required for 30 minutes. School uniform is not required for the assessments.

2026 Preps will start their school journey on Wednesday & Thursday 28th/29th January @ 8.55am - 1.00pm

School will then commence for all year levels on Friday 30th January 2026 @ 8:55am - 3:20pm.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact our school office on 9569 8966.

2026 Concessional fees

The MACS Concessional Fee Policy is currently being reviewed. However, we can confirm that, consistent with the concessional fees included in the budget templates, these fees will increase for 2026 as shown in the table below.

	One Child	Two children	Three Children
Rates for 2025	$780.00	$1,196.00	$1,560.00
Rates for 2026	$810.00	$1,240.00	$1,620.00
Weekly amount	$15.58	$23.85	$31.15
Per Term amount	$202.50	$310.00	$405.00

Thank You

The end of a school year is a good time to reflect on our many achievements and to prepare ourselves for the important work to come. As we await the coming birth of Christ, let us remember that 2025 has also given us much to celebrate. Students are continuing to grow and flourish because of the great learning that has taken place through the year as well as the strong partnership between home and school.

We began the year welcoming Aimee, our new principal and we may even see her return before the end of the year. She is looking forward to a positive year in 2026 and wishes you all a Merry Christmas with your families and an enjoyable break over the holidays.

There have been many highlights in 2025 through special days, moments and learning opportunities. All these times make any year memorable and it is what drives us all to make Christ Our Holy Redeemer the great school it is. Without the support of parents, staff and students working together we cannot do our best. I am happy to say that this combination has again been a highlight of 2025.

Thank you to all family members who have contributed to Christ Our Holy Redeemer throughout the year. Your assistance and support around the school has been greatly appreciated. I thank you all for giving of your time and talent to make a difference to our community. My sincere thanks on behalf of the staff and the children who benefit from your ongoing commitment and generous contribution to our school. I would particularly like to thank and acknowledge those families who have their youngest child in Year 6 and will be moving on in 2026.

A special thank you to Jess and Alicia, who have led our Parent Association this year. It is a mighty task and we are very grateful.

I am also very grateful to the wonderful staff here at COHR who continue to support and implement the programs on offer. They are certainly a dedicated team and have contributed to another successful year of learning.

May the peace of Christ be with your family as together you celebrate His coming.

May a kind word, a reassuring touch and a warm smile be yours every day of your life.

For my part, a huge thank you for the beautiful gift I received last Friday at the special assembly (a quilt kit!) and for the many other gifts families have shared with me. Your kind words and cards have truly touched my heart and I am very grateful that I will be forever a part of the COHR Community.

Thank you.

So with this my last newsletter,

Take care

Remember to pause and

Merry Christmas

Jo Cowan

Deputy Principal

Christmas Timetable

Christmas Timetable from the Oakleigh Parishes