Dear Families,

Our Year 6 students will be receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation this coming Sunday. We congratulate our students and the children of the Parish and their families who have engaged in thorough preparation for this stage in their Sacramental journey. We pray that these children will grow and develop in their faith and continue to deepen their relationship with God.

At this time I always recall St. Ignatius of Antioch’s powerful words: “I wish not merely to be called Christian, but also to be Christian.” Each one of us has an opportunity to be active in Parish life and to act, do and speak what we believe.

Everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled. Luke 14:1, 7–14

This coming Sunday's Gospel challenges us to imagine what the Kingdom of God is like and who is invited to enter it. Jesus talks about doing good deeds for others and expecting nothing in return. He teaches us that it is our duty as his followers to take care of the needs of others and to do so without expecting repayment.

Our challenge:

Jesus is calling us to be less selfish and more loving and to reach out to others, especially those who cannot possibly repay the kindness.

Do we place restrictions on who is welcomed and who we reach out to?
Do we act in ways to gain some kind of advantage later?

Loving Father,

Help us to serve as Jesus served,

with humility and love,

and to give generously

without counting the cost.

We ask this prayer in Jesus’ name.

Amen.

Hats On

We can begin to feel that Spring is in the air, with slightly brighter mornings and longer evenings. As usual, in line with out SunSmart Policy we ask all students and staff to get out their hats and begin wearing them again from Monday September 1st.

MACSSIS Family Survey

Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools – School Improvement Surveys (MACSSIS) are conducted annually for Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Melbourne. This year’s MACSSIS window is from Monday 1 September to Friday 19 September 2025. We are asking all families to complete the MACSSIS survey to help us continue to improve our school. Each family will receive a link and an individual code that they can use to complete the survey. More information will be sent via an nForma notification next week.

Bunnings BBQ - Saturday 30th August

Don't miss the Bunnings BBQ at Notting Hill Bunnings on Saturday August 30th. Sign up to help via school interviews (code: SSGAY) or pop in for a delicious sausage or two.

A huge thank you to the Parent Association team who have helped make the day possible by organising the event and to those who have volunteered to help out on the day.

Father's Day 7th September 2025

“My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person: he believed in me.” Jim Valvano

On Sunday, 7th September we honour fathers, grandfathers, step-fathers and all men who are a father figure in our lives. May this coming Father’s Day be an opportunity to celebrate with our fathers in person or in our hearts and to remember with love those who have passed away. We keep in our prayers those fathers who are suffering at the moment.

Priests have dedicated their lives to God and to caring for the members of their Church. As our spiritual fathers, they are part of our family. We ask God to bless them on Father’s Day. We pray for them, especially Fr. Raju and Archbishop Peter Comensoli.

Father's Day Stall and Breakfast

We warmly invite families to join us for our Father's Day Breakfast on Friday 5th September from 7:30-8:55am. Please continue to return the RSVP forms and let us know if you are able to help. We look forward to a wonderful celebration. More forms are available at the Office.

Our Father's Day Stall will be held on Wednesday 3rd September. There will be lots of gifts available starting at just $1. Please remember to send along a bag.

Book Week

We will celebrate Book Week with a dress up day on Thursday 11th September. Come as a Book Character or a character connected to this year's theme - Book An Adventure!

We'll start the day with our parade then explore some of the shortlisted books and complete some activities to compliment these books and theme.

Swimming

A huge thank you to all the parent helpers who assisted with the swimming program and helped make it such a successful event.

Opportunity - Mother's Who Pray Group

Oakleigh Parishes would like to invite members of both schools' communities to the opportunity of joining a Mothers Who Pray for Their Children group. The group will meet in the room behind the COHR church. Organisers of the group will be attending the weekend Masses of both Sacred Heart Church and COHR Church on the 13th and 14th of September.

If you would like more information, please contact Irna Kostic (0416 197 622) on behalf of the Parish Council Committee.

Principal's Conference

I had a wonderful experience at the principal conference in Cairns last week. The week provided an opportunity for me to develop connections with the principals in the South Eastern Network and undertake engaging professional learning.

We spent the first few days of the conference undertaking a rainforest retreat at Seville Mercy Centre. The retreat was a time of spiritual reflection as we looked at our place in the universe and how we are called to look after our world. We were lucky enough to spend a day exploring Cairns with an Aboriginal guide who shared his connection to the land and the importance of our locations to his community.

"Living our vocation to be protectors of God's handiwork is essential to a life of virtue; it is not an optional or a secondary aspect of our Christian experience."

Laudato Si, Pope Francis

We then attended the Australian Catholic Education Conference where we listened to a range of educational speakers with topics including looking at a synodal vision for Catholic education, signs of hope for Catholic education, the science of learning, sustaining hope - personal and collaborative approaches to school leader health and wellbeing, improving scores on accountability measures, how we can do better and everyone counts: responsive, engaging education for all to name just a few.

We experienced a very special Eucharistic celebration with mass led by Most Reverend Bishop Joseph Caddy AM, Bishop of Cairns. There were over 1000 students from Catholic school in Cairns in attendance and the atmosphere was anchored in hope.

We had one day to enjoy the sights of Cairns, so we went on the train to Kuranda and came down the mountain in the sky rail. It was an amazing experience being in the oldest rainforest in the world and it really tied into the beginning of our week, as it helped us feel the gravity of our role in keeping our natural wonders here for future generations to enjoy.

Reminders

Confirmation is on Sunday 31st August at 3pm in the COHR church.
Open Day Thursday 4th September! Tell all your friends and family looking for a great school to book in for a tour. https://www.cohroakeast.catholic.edu.au/enrolment-information/book-a-tour/
Book Week Dress Up Day - Thursday 11th September!

MACS RISK Commitment Statement