Dear Parents & Parishioners,

Welcome to a new school term! I hope everyone is feeling refreshed and energised for the promising term ahead.

During a school assembly, late last term, I spoke to the students about Nelson Mandela, former anti-apartheid activist and president of South Africa. He was the country's first black head of state and the first elected in a fully representative democratic election.

While holidaying in Bright last week, I came upon Nelson Mandela's inaugural speech which he delivered in 1994. Mandela's inaugural speech was important because it celebrated the birth of a democratic South Africa, encouraged national unity and healing, and set a vision for a country based on equality, freedom, and reconciliation.

The following is an excerpt from that speech:

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.

Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.

We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous,

talented and fabulous?

Actually, who are you Not to be?

You are a child of God.

Your playing small doesn't serve the world.

There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that

other people won't feel insecure around you.

We were born to make manifest the glory of God that

is within us.

It is not just in some of us: it's in everyone.

And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously

give other people permission to do the same.

As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence

automatically liberates others.

*

Triple Zero Hero

On Tuesday Millie M (5/6KM) was presented with a Triple Zero Hero Award. The Award was presented to her by the Honourable Vicki Ward, Minister for Emergency Services, at a ceremony hosted at Melbourne Museum. She was nominated for calling Triple Zero in September last year.

The CEO of Triple Zero Victoria spoke, and the event was attended by the Chief Commissioners of the Victoria Police, Ambulance Victoria, Fire Rescue Victoria and other senior emergency services leadership. The family were met on arrival by Eden Stone, the call taker Millie spoke to at Triple Zero Victoria, where they had the opportunity to listen to a recording of the call. The media were also present and Millie was interviewed by Channels 7 and 9.

To put this award in perspective, Triple Zero Victoria receives nearly 3.1 million calls for assistance annually. This translates to about 8,500 calls per day, or roughly one call every 10 seconds. Out of these calls, 20 young people were nominated for a Triple Zero Hero award.

Millie's parents, Peter and Amanda, are so proud of their daughter, as I know we were upon hearing the news.

NAIDOC Week

National NAIDOC Week celebrations are held across Australia in the first week of July each year (Sunday to Sunday), to celebrate and recognise the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. NAIDOC Week is an opportunity for all Australians to learn about First Nations cultures and histories and participate in celebrations of the oldest, continuous living cultures on earth.

The poster on the right-hand side was selected from submissions across the country. Paralpi by Zaachariaha Fielding has been chosen as the official poster for National NAIDOC Week 2026. To learn more, click here.

The students have been learning about NAIDOC Week in class this week.

Parent-Teacher Conversations

As communicated by Mr Nick Byrne on Monday, Parent-Teacher conversations will take place on Wednesday 22 July (3.30pm - 4.30pm) and Thursday 23 July (1.30pm - 4.30pm). Students will be dismissed from school at 1.00pm next Thursday. MACSEYE will be operating the After Care program from 1.00pm.

The Parent-Teacher Conversations provide the opportunity to discuss your child's progress throughout Semester 1. Goals will also be set for Semester 2.

Note, bookings close this Monday 20 July at 4.00pm.

OHR Art Show

The OHR Art Show is on again this year. So, make sure you add the evening of Thursday 10 September to your calendar now. This evening is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the incredible artwork of our students. You will be truly amazed!

Make sure that you head to the 2026 OHR Art Show page where there are further details and a competiton for the children to enter.

Holiday Maintenance

During the recent school holidays, a number of tasks were undertaken to ensure the school remains well maintained and meets OH&S compliance. These included:

Twice yearly turf maintenance
Painting of classrooms: 3/4DG and 2/3CP
Painting of various sections of the Undercroft
Repainting of wooden cladding above Undercroft entry
Pruning of all hedges and bushes along Barton St carpark, and along Mont Albert Rd

Learning Snapshots

As part of our Family Engagement focus this year, we are implementing Learning Snapshots which will take place regularly between 8:45 - 9am (at dropoff) or 3:00 - 3:15pm (at pickup), commencing this term. The Learning Snapshots are designed to best support you when working and guiding your child at home with their learning. Each session runs for only 15 minutes, thereby making them accessible for busy parents.

Our first Learning Snapshot will be held this coming Tuesday afternoon at 3.00pm. The session will be held in the LRC (Library).

Topic	Date	Time
Reading	Tuesday, 21 July	3.00pm
Growth Mindset	Thursday, 6 August	8.45am
Maths	Thursday, 20 August	3.00pm
Talking with your child about talk	Tuesday, 1 September	8.45am

Save the Date: OHR School Fete

Remember to save the date of Saturday 24 October in your calendar. This is the date of the OHR School Fete, branded as the OHR Spring Carnival.

Our organsing committe has been meeting regularly on a fortnightly basis.

Living and Growing Program

Parents with children in Years 3 - 6, should head to the Student Wellbeing page for details of the Living and Growing Program that will be held this term. Details of the Online Information Evening for Parents can be found on this page.

Australian Mathematics Competition

Details of this year's Australian Mathematics Competition can be found on the Learning & Teaching News page.

ICAS Competition 2026

For parents of students in Years 2-6, please refer to the Learning & Teaching News page for information about the ICAS Competitions in 2026 and how to enrol.

Wishing everyone a great weekend,

Frank Dame

Science and STEM