Holy Saviour School 

Principal's Message

Dear Families,

 

This time next week, it will be Good Friday and Term 1 will have already come to an end. Thank you all for your commitment to our Holy Saviour school community: for the strengthening connections and friendships that are alive in our community, and for your support and trust of our staff as they work to assist every student to be the best version of themselves they can be.

Early Finish

Do not forget we have an early finish on Thursday 28th March at 1pm, this is the end of term 1. Term 2 begins on Monday 15th April.

Sacrament of Reconciliation

On Wednesday night we celebrated the Sacrament of Reconciliation with the children from St Christopher’s. It is a very exciting time as this is the first sacrament received since the children were baptised. We wish to congratulate the following children who received the Sacrament of Reconciliation last night: Sebastian Castro, Xavier Cheng, Benjamin Eddington, and Cameron Rogers.

School Tours & Open Days

Since the announcement of the Emmaus College P-12 beginning next year, I have been swamped with school tours! Next term, we will hold a series of Open Days and an Open evening to welcome any prospective families to our school. A flyer with more information and enrolment processes will be available shortly, in the meantime, please feel free to share the following with anyone you know who wishes to enrol at Holy Saviour/Emmaus College.

  • Tuesday 16th April (Tour at 9.30, then again at 2.30)
  • Tuesday 30th April (Tour at 9.30, then again at 2.30)
  • Wednesday 1st May (Info session at 7pm, followed by a tour)
  • Thursday 16th May (Tour at 9.30, then again at 2.30)

Catholic Education Multi-Enterprise Agreement - Time In Lieu

Last year, the Victorian Independent Education Union members, following the State Government Schools Agreement, voted in favour of a new EBA for school staff. The main changes include the requirement to provide Time in Lieu (TIL) to staff for any extracurricular event they attend outside of their normal teaching hours (7.6 hours per day). This involves events such as sacramental meetings, Parent/Teacher Interviews, Twilight Sports, Information Evening Meetings and School Camps. As you can imagine, some staff will easily accumulate one week's worth of Time in Lieu and others will accumulate a few days.

To cause as little disruption to families as possible, Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS) has advised a couple of dates schools can use to acquit TIL, one of these being Friday 26th April, directly following the ANZAC Day public holiday. As such, the school will be closed on Thursday 25th April and Friday 26th April (Week 2, Term 2). There will be no staff onsite either of these days, please organise alternative arrangements for your children.

NAPLAN

A huge congratulations to all our Year 3 & 5 students who have completed the NAPLAN testing across these past two weeks. We are all very proud of how you have approached NAPLAN with open minds and a great deal of positivity. Congratulations everyone. 

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 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 Eucharist

Presentation of Candidates: Sunday 5th May, 10.30am

Family Evening: Thursday 23rd May, 7.00pm

Reflection Day: Wednesday 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.

Final Thoughts - … Staying the Course

Staying the course is a phrase that refers to maintaining a focus on a particular goal or objective, despite any challenges or setbacks that may arise. It involves perseverance, determination, and discipline, which can be critical factors in achieving success in any area of life. One of the most obvious benefits of staying on the course is that it allows you to achieve your goals more effectively. Committing to a particular objective makes you more likely to put in the effort required to progress toward it. This can be especially important if you’re working towards a long-term goal requiring sustained effort over time. By staying the course, you can build momentum and create positive momentum that can help to propel you forward. Another advantage of staying the course is that it helps you to develop resilience and mental toughness. When working towards a goal, you’ll inevitably encounter obstacles and setbacks. Staying in the course means you don’t let these challenges derail you; instead, you use them as opportunities to learn and grow.

 

To all the families who have “Stayed the Course” with us, I wish to express my sincere gratitude to each and every one of you. 

 

Kind regards,

 

Steve Evans

Principal