Principal's News
Dear Parents & Parishioners,
He came to earth humbly,
endured pain and suffering,
and deeply understands our struggles.
Easter is a celebration of Jesus' victory over death
and the new life he offers to all who believe.
As a young child, Easter was always a fun time filled with family gatherings, days out with friends, attending the mass at the local church, and Easter egg hunts. But as I have become older, I’ve come to appreciate the spiritual significance behind the holiday more and more. It’s a reminder that even in our darkest moments there’s always a glimmer of hope, a chance for a fresh start. The disciples, as they watched Jesus on the cross, would have felt that all was lost, that it was all over. Yet the reality of Easter is the truth that from that dark moment came the most powerful new beginning for us all! Hope invaded earth, in the middle of darkness.
Easter reminds us that we can shed our old habits and embrace new beginnings. It’s a time to let go of past mistakes and move forward with a renewed sense of purpose and direction. In many ways, Jesus hit the reset button for each of us; the old order of things passed away and the new has come – the resurrection of Jesus is the ultimate victory!
Catholic Education Week
School banners, big smiles and soaring pride filled St Patrick's Cathedral, on 20 March, as thousands of MACS primary and secondary schools poured into the city to wrap up Catholic Education Week 2026.
Along with MACS teachers and principals, Archbishop Peter A. Comensoli led this celebration of connection and the shared spirit of Catholic education with the annual Mass of St Patrick for Schools.
A delegation of senior students from OHR represented our school at this annual celebration.
2026 House Sports Day & School Cross Country
To conclude the term we have our annual House Sports Day today. The students and parents always look forward to this event. The address is Hagenauer Reserve , 530 Elgar Rd Box Hill North.
Our School Cross Country will be held during the second week of Term 2 on Tuesday, 28 April. Further details can be found on the PE News page.
Holy Week & Easter Schedule - Our lady of Pentecost
Our Holy Redeemer ANZAC Day Commemoration
We are commemorating ANZAC Day at OHR on Friday 24 April at 9.00am. Our ANZAC Day commemoration will form part of the whole school mass marking the commencement of Term 2. All are welcome, including grandparents and other family members.
Surrey Hills ANZAC Day Dawn Service
The Mont Albert and Surrey Hills Rotary Club & Surrey Hills Neighbourhood Centre are pleased to announce that the 2026 ANZAC Day Dawn Service will take place in Surrey Gardens at 5.40am arrival for a 6am start on 25 April.
Our Holy Redeemer is one of four schools invited to send students to participate in the service. Our School Captains will read during the service, while our three Vice Captains will lay a wreath on behalf of the school.
All families are invited to attend the service.
Address: Surrey Gardens, 88 – 90 Union Rd Surrey Hills
Learning & Teaching at OHR
Make sure you head to the Learning & Teaching News page, for some important updates from our leadership team. In the article 'Strengthening number sense at home', there are some helpful resources and videos to strengthen parent understanding of mathematical terminology and current teaching practices.
Thank you
On behalf of the staff and students, I would like to thank the OHR Parents & Friends, and all parents for that matter, for the invaluable contribution of $25,000. This dontation has enabled the recent purchase and installation of two new shade umbrellas, along with 30 new Chromebooks for student use and an additional Chromebook charging trolley.
Science Talent Search
For details of this year's Science Talent Search, head to Mrs Axon's article on the Science and STEM page.
Winter Uniform
The first few weeks of Term 2 can offer temperamental weather with a mixture of warmer and cooler days. Therefore, the children are allowed to wear either summer or winter uniform for the first fortnight. Commencing Tuesday 5 May, however, all children are required to be dressed in full winter uniform.
Note: the students are required to wear their hats until the end of April.
End of Term 1
Following today's House Sports Carnival, the students will return to school where they will be dismissed at the earlier time of 1.00pm.
School Closure Days
We will have two school closure days for staff professional learning during Term 2. Therefore, there will be no school closure days during Term 3. The dates of the two school closure days are:
Monday 4 May
Friday 5 June (leading into the King's Birthday long weekend)
Easter Blessings ...
On behalf of the entire OHR staff, I wish every member of our community an Easter filled with love, joy and hope. May you be renewed and strengthened in the promise of Easter.
We look forward to welcoming everyone back for an exciting Term 2.
Best wishes
Frank