Dear Families,

We have had a busy two weeks since the last school newsletter. Our Parent Information Sessions were a great way for families to hear about school events and structures, the Beginning of School Mass helped us celebrate what it means to be a Catholic School, our Open Days were an opportunity to share our fantastic school with the wider community and the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program started with great success and enthusiasm.

Storm Damage Update

I am excited to share that we have moved forward with MACS and the contractors in regards to getting the storm damage from last year repaired. We will begin the roof repairs to the hall and above the library in the coming weeks and the other damage will be repaired once the roof is fixed.

Love your enemy

Luke 6:27-38

The Beatitudes was the focus of the Gospel last week where Jesus set out a new order in which positions are reversed. This Sunday we are faced with one of the most challenging of the commandments and is likely to be the most difficult to keep – to love your enemies and do good to those who hate you.

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘I say this to you who are listening: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who treat you badly. To the man who slaps you on one cheek, present the other cheek too; to the man who takes your cloak from you, do not refuse your tunic. Give to everyone who asks you, and do not ask for your property back from the man who robs you. Treat others as you would like them to treat you. If you love those who love you, what thanks can you expect? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what thanks can you expect? For even sinners do that much. And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what thanks can you expect? Even sinners lend to sinners to get back the same amount. Instead love your enemies and do good, and lend without any hope of return. You will have a great reward, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.

Be compassionate as your Father is compassionate. Do not judge, and you will not be judged yourselves; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned yourselves; grant pardon, and you will be pardoned. Give, and there will be gifts for you: a full measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be poured into your lap; because the amount you measure out is the amount you will be given back. (Luke 6:27-38)

Jesus faced misunderstanding, rejection, betrayal and lies from those he loved, especially his friends, and yet he gave us a wonderful example by his capacity to love and willingness to forgive.

Our Challenge:

This Gospel challenges every aspect of human nature and in order for us to be able to live this message we must let go of our bitterness, hatred and revenge and cultivate qualities of selflessness, compassion, generosity and forgiveness.

What part of the Gospel do you find most challenging?
Do other people make poor choices sometimes, just like we might?
How might we respond if someone makes a poor choice and says sorry?
Reflect on an experience of being hurt, criticised, misjudged or wronged in some way. How did you feel and how did your feelings affect your response to the situation?
Reflect on how we can do as God asks. Create harmony at home, at school, at work and cultivate an environment of welcome and forgiveness.
Pray the Lord’s Prayer and pray for those who treat us badly, show compassion towards one another and forgive those who have hurt us.

“Through our hands, our work, our steps, our voices, and our love, may we be instruments of peace.”

Mary Davis

Parent Teacher Chats

Thank you for attendance at the Parent Teacher Chats this week. These interviews provided the opportunity for you to meet your child’s teacher and provide information to them that is unique to your child that may assist in his or her learning.

These meetings are beneficial because it gives your child a really positive message that we are working together in a supportive and harmonious manner and it fosters respectful relationships between home and school. If you have concerns throughout the year please contact your child’s teacher to discuss these as they arise.

SWIMMING TRIALS

Congratulations to all the students who competed in the swimming trials this morning.

Gisele, Dante, Serena, Ari, David, William, Lina, Jasper, Matteo,

Allegra, Imogen and Camila.

Camila deserves a special mention as there was a problem with the timer and she had to do an extra swim to get a time.

We wish Imogen, Jasper, Camila, Gisele and Lina well as they advance to the Division on March 5th.

Parent Association

We held our Parent Association AGM for 2025 on Wednesday evening. We discussed the successes of last year, what’s to come this year and potential roles available for parents who are keen to volunteer. We have lots of exciting things planned for 2025. Make sure you keep checking the Parent Association page of the newsletter for updates on events and fundraisers throughout the year. We are still seeking volunteers to assist with events throughout the year, so if you have even a small amount of time to give contact Jess, Ali or the school office to discuss how you can help.

Shrove Tuesday

Shrove Tuesday is on March 4th this year, and we are excited to be celebrating again with pancakes for the whole school. We are looking for parents who are able to help out on the day to set up, cook and serve pancakes. A Flexischools invite will follow soon.

Hot Dog Day

A reminder that we have Hot Dog Day on Tuesday 25th February. Students can get a donut and a hot dog. Extra hot dogs can also be ordered. Payment is due tomorrow, Friday 21st February to ensure we can have the correct numbers ordered. You can order on the flyer that was sent home or on Flexischools.

Kinder Visits and Open Days

We are excited to be once again connecting with our local Kinders this term. We will be visiting Guardian Childcare and Education Oakleigh East on Monday to read to the children. They will also be visiting us later in the term. These connections are important as we continue to build a presence in the community. You can find information about Guardian's Stay and Play Open Sessions on the Community News page of this newsletter.

We had our second open day of the year today. It was great to see a number of new families tour the school and hear their positive feedback that we are a warm and welcoming place.

If you have a space to share our open day flyer please contact the office and we can give you a printed poster or an electronic copy. Don't forget to share the dates with family or friends who have preschool aged children. We are now taking enrolments for 2026 and 2027.

Term 1 Open Days:

Wednesday 19th March and Tuesday 1st April.

Term 2 Open Days:

Tuesday 13th May, Wednesday 11th June and Thursday 26th June.

Celebrating Our Past Students

It was an honour to be invited to our local secondary schools to celebrate the past students from Christ Our Holy Redeemer who have demonstrated excellence in their schooling.

Mrs Cowan attended the Salesian's celebration on February 7th where students from Year 7-12 were celebrated and the exceptional VCE results of Stefan Ianno, James McLaughlin, Anthony Saraullo and Joseph Casuscelli were recognised and Christian Bernardo who was the VCE Vocational Major Dux.

I attended Mazenod's celebration on Tuesday 17th February where the high achievers from Year 11 and 12 were recognised. Congratulations to Christian Grano and Nicolas Atkins on their VCE results of over 98.

If you know of any other past students from COHR who have excelled in VCE please let us know so we can recognise them too.

NAPLAN 2025

The 2025 National Assessment Program—Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) tests will be administered to students in Years 3, and 5 from Wednesday 12 March to Monday 24 March 2025. It is important that holidays and events are not organised during this time to enable students to be at school to undertake the testing.

NAPLAN is a national assessment for students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9, that is undertaken yearly in March. NAPLAN is made up to tests in four domains:

Reading
Writing
Language Conventions (Spelling, Grammar and Punctuation)
Numeracy

NAPLAN tests provide point-in-time information regarding student progress in literacy and numeracy and are intended to complement teacher judgement and the wide range of formal and informal assessment programs that are already used in schools. NAPLAN is not about passing or failing, but about assessing learning progress.

The official results from these NAPLAN assessments will be forwarded to you as soon as they come to hand. These results are important documents and are often used when enrolling in secondary schools. Please ensure you keep them in a safe place and have access to them if you need them.

Reminders

Monday, March 10th is a Public Holiday for Labour Day. There will be NO SCHOOL on this day.
Next Wednesday (26th Feb) is the last Prep assessment day. Preps will begin full time from the week beginning Monday March 3rd.
Ash Wednesday mass will be celebrated at 10:15am on Wednesday 5th March in the COHR church. All are welcome to attend.

All the best for a great week ahead.

Aimee Gale

Principal

Community News

Eastern Tennis Academy

Australian Youth Choir

The Combined Societies of Mary

Guardian Oakleigh East

Employment Opportunity

International Sports Camps Newsletter Autumn 2025