Dear Families,

Today we celebrated the Feast of Sts Joachim and Anne. They were Jesus’ grandparents and the parents of Mary. They had a special role to play to raise Mary to know and love God and to be faithful to him and to help Mary and Joseph raise Jesus too. Today is also a day to reflect on the great love and care our grandparents give us. We welcomed many grandparents and special friends at school today with a beautiful mass, visits to the classroom, and finishing with a wonderful morning tea. The children were extremely excited to show off their classrooms and spend some special time with their grandparents. Thank you to all the families who brought a plate of morning tea to share and a big thank you to Brooke Eddington for helping with the morning tea.

Grandparents Day Parish-School Mass Sun 28th July

Just a reminder that this Sunday 28th July at 10:00am, we will have our Grandparents Day Parish-School Mass and all are welcome. These masses are a wonderful opportunity for the school and parish communities to come together and Holy Saviour families are encouraged to attend.

Emmaus College Junior School - Family Information Evening

A reminder to families that there will be a Sausage Sizzle and presentation about the Emmaus Junior School Program next Wednesday 31st July. The evening will begin at 6pm with a BBQ, followed by an information session at approximately 6.45pm.

Please indicate via the Audiri form if you can attend and also your availability to assist with the BBQ.

Wednesday 31st July:

6.00pm - Sausage Sizzle

6.45pm - Presentation about the Junior School Program

100 Days of Prep

Next Friday 2nd August we celebrate a significant milestone in the lives of our youngest students...100 days of school! It is an incredibly rewarding achievement of reaching the century - and a credit to the teachers and parents of our Prep students who have helped them to settle into a new environment and routine. I’m sure you would all agree that they have achieved great things in their first 100 days, just imagine what they’ll be able to do at the end of Grade 6! Congratulations 2024 Preps! There will be a special assembly on Friday at 9.15am to celebrate. All are welcome.

2024 Olympics

The games of the XXXIII Olympiad officially begin tomorrow morning with the Opening Ceremony at 4am. Despite the games not opening until tomorrow, there have already been some Aussies in action with the Rugby 7s team making it through to the semi-finals and the Matildas going down 3-0 to Germany last night.

There is one athlete in particular we will be keeping a close eye on. Past Holy Saviour student, Anabelle Smith will be competing in her 4th Olympics in the Women’s Synchronised 3m Springboard Diving event which begins tomorrow (27th July) at 7pm. Anabelle has previously won an Olympic medal, taking home Bronze in the 3m Synchronised Springboard at the 2016 Rio Olympics. We will all be watching closely and cheering from our couches!

Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools - School Improvement Surveys (MACSSIS)

Throughout each year, we pause to listen to our students, families and staff to gauge how our learning community is travelling. This feedback is invaluable to our progress as effective school communities and is backed by evidence-based research and best practices. I invite you to read the following letter which outlines the process for 2024.

School Tours & Open Days

Since the announcement of the Emmaus College P-12 beginning next year, I have been swamped with school tours! Our previously organised Open Days have now finished, but we have scheduled some new dates for Term 3. Please feel free to share the following with anyone you know who wishes to enrol at Holy Saviour/Emmaus College:

Tuesday 13th Aug - 9.30am
Wednesday 14th Aug - 4pm

Roof / OHS Regulations

All approved contractors working for us on roofs or otherwise at heights above two metres must have the appropriate training and qualifications, risk assessments and equipment to control their risk. Under no circumstances can school staff or parents access roof areas or similar if a student's ball/ shoe ends up on the roof. If you need something off the roof you must report to the school office or leadership. You will have to wait a number of days before an approved contractor can access the roof.

Prep 2025 Enrolments

We have had great interest in Prep for 2025, as well as other year levels, and we’ve had a good number of enrolments come through already. If you have a child who is eligible to start Prep in 2025, please submit your enrolment at your earliest convenience. This will enable us to develop a clear picture of classing and group sizes for 2025. Enrolments for 2025 are to be made through the Emmaus portal.

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 ~ Grandparents

There’s a special kind of love that grandchildren have for their grandparents. It’s filled with respect for their wisdom and accomplishments; with gratitude for the values they’ve given us; with delight in the stories of our family that they remember and share. It’s a special kind of love that’s built on a lifetime of caring and giving. It’s the kind of love that’s felt for you, my dear grandparent, today and always.

Kind regards,

Steve Evans

Principal

Happy Birthday!