Principal's News
Dear Parents & Parishioners,
Tomorrow evening, a number of our Year 6 students will join with students from Our Lady's Primary School where they will receive the Sacrament of Confirmation. The students have been learning about what it means to be a confirmed Catholic for many months. Their journey culminted in a Confirmation Reflection day held last Friday.
So what is Confirmation?
Confirmation is as simple as the Holy Spirit, who is God, increasing our faith so that we have the certainty that He’s with us during our life journey, for which He also gives us hope for the life thereafter. During this Sacrament, the Holy Spirit strengthens our ability to love Him and others more deeply. The Holy Spirit gives us seven gifts to help us do that. Those seven gifts are nurtured in each one of us to help us grow in wisdom, understanding, courage, respect and knowledge.
Want to know more about Confirmation? This webpage breaks the Sacrament down into everday language.
Fr Tony Kerin will confirm the candidates during the mass to be held at Our Lady's Church tomorrow evening at 6.00pm.
We pray for the following students who have prepared for the sacrament:
Thomas B, Nicholas D, James G, Hugo H, Betty J, James N, Ava S, Ted S, Art T, Poppy T and Alicia W
We also acknowledge their peers who have supported them on their journey:
Luca C, Lily G, Jot K, Lianna K and Matisse M
On the 15 September Lars R will be confirmed.
First Eucharist
Congratulations to Arabella B (3/4JW) on receiving Jesus for the first time last Saturday evening as she celebrated the Sacrament of First Eucharist.
Kew Future Leaders Speech Competition
Congratulations to Betty J (5/6MM) on winning the Kew Future Leaders Speech Competition held at Parlaiment House earlier this week. We are all so proud of Betty!
The following email was sent to the school yesterday by Jess Wilson MP:
Dear Katie & Cara,
Thank you once again for participating in the inaugural Kew Future Leaders Speech Competition. I really enjoyed visiting our local schools and hearing the wonderful speeches in the first round of the competition.
As you know, the final was held on 2 September with all school winners delivering their three-minute speech in the Legislative Assembly Chamber in the Parliament of Victoria. I am thrilled to have provided the opportunity for students to deliver their speeches in the chamber where I sit and advocate for issues that are important to our local community.
I am sorry that I was unable to attend the final – the arrival of our little boy, Patrick James, into the world was a little earlier than we expected! I thank John Pesutto for stepping in at the last minute as a judge alongside former school principals, Anne Feehan and Patricia Cowling.
I hear that the speeches were outstanding, and the judging was very, very close – so I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you, the students who participated in the first round and the overall competition primary school winner BETTY J for your participation. I will be writing to Betty directly to congratulate her on her outstanding achievement.
It means a lot to me that your students’ voices are heard, and I will continue to provide opportunities for students to reach out to me at any time to discuss matters of interest to them.
Once again please pass on my thanks to your team who have enabled the inaugural Kew Future Leaders Speech Competition to be such a big success.
Yours sincerely,
Jess
Dads & Kids' Night with Kaboom Sports
We had an incredible number of dads and children turn up for Friday night's sports night with Kaboom! Despite the event being punctuated with a small shower, everyone pressed on with the actvities, resulting in a fun evening. The night concluded with pizza and drinks. Thanks to the team of mums who looked after the voracious appetites. If we learned anything, it's that the majority of kids like margherita pizzas :)
When: Official Opening Evening is next Thursday 12 September
Time: 7.00 – 8.15pm. Please assemble in the hall by 6.50pm for launch and keynote address.
Where: Artworks will be on display in a number of key areas, including: the Hall; Performing Arts Room; Year 3/4 learning area; and stairwell leading down to the junior area.
What else is on? A number of hampers can be won on the night. Raffle tickets will be on sale during the evening. $2 per ticket or 3 tickets for $5. We encouarge you to bring along gold coins or small denominations of paper notes to purchase the raffle tickets.
It’s important to note that the Art Show is a family affair, in other words, children should remain with their families at all times. Children should not be moving about the Art Show by themselves. Toileting facilities for children will be identified as separate to those available for adults. Teaching staff will be assigned a variety of roles on that night to assist with the smooth running of the Art Show and, therefore, will not be there in a supervisory capacity.
Jaden's a Star!
Jaden (1/2GC) competed in last Thursday's Primary Open Zonal Chess Tournament at Lilydale Primary School. Jaden was awarded the Star of the Tournament Trophy, as he came first place having won all his games. His overall points placed him at the 'top of the table'. Congratulations Jaden!
Fathers' Day Stall
Thank you to Amy Roman for organising this year's Fathers' Day Stall. She was supported by a team of dedicated helpers (mums) who guided and supported the students as they purchased their special gift(s) for Dad.
Monday's Assembly
Due to the fact that some staff will commence the initial set up of the Art Show in the hall this Monday, the Assembly will be held in the Church.
Planning for 2025
We are currently in the process of finalising the student numbers in each level for the 2025 school year. If your child will not be returning to OHR next year, would you mind putting this in writing and sending this communication in an email to both Heather and myself? It would be appreciated if you could let us know by no later than Friday 13 September.
Of course, parents with students currently in Year 6 do not need to write to us.
MACSSIS
A significant and formal way in which we engage and gather data is through MACSSIS, the Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools – School Improvement Surveys.
MACSSIS is a set of surveys that have been built specifically for Catholic schools in Melbourne by the Learning Services team at MACS, in partnership with researchers at Learning First and in wide consultation with principals in our schools.
Families , students (Years 4 -6) and staff are invited to complete the surveys.
I ask that you take the time to read the Letter of Informed Consent. Note: Access to the survey will be provided from this Tuesday.
OHR Spring Carnival - Only 7 Weeks to Go
The fete committee continue to meet on a fortnightly basis to plan for this year's school fete. This is a HUGE event for our school and to ensure that it is a success the fete committee will require everyone's support.
Make sure that you visit the PFA News page for further information. Also check out our list of invaluable sponsors listed on the first page of this newsletter.
A link to the fete website can be found on the homepage of our school website.
Wishing everyone a great weekend,
Frank Dame