Dear Parents & Parishioners,

As each year passes, the church appears increasingly full on Grandparents and Special Friends' Day — perhaps a reflection of our growing student population. Last Friday, the church, classrooms and hall were filled to capacity, creating a wonderful atmosphere and a joyful buzz throughout the entire school.

Every year the students look so forward to this day as, undoubtedly, do our special visitors.

As families and communities continue to grow and change, we recognise that many students are supported not only by grandparents, but also by special friends and significant adults who care for them. Celebrating these relationships helps children feel valued and connected, while strengthening the partnership between school, family, and community.

The staff extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who attended last Friday’s celebration of Grandparents and Special Friends'. We hope that the Mass, classroom visits, and morning tea in the hall represented a small token of appreciation for all that you do to support and care for our students. Your presence helped make the day so special, and we are grateful for the love, encouragement, and guidance you provide in the lives of our children.

A special thank you also goes to our dedicated parent volunteers who generously gave their time to set up the hall, display the students’ artwork, serve morning tea, and tidy the space at the end of the morning. Your support, care, and willingness to help contributed greatly to the success of the day and was deeply appreciated by our whole school community.

Child Safe Standards

As part of MACS '11 Months 11 Standards' campaign, this month w focus on Child Safe Standard 5: Equity is upheld and diverse needs respected in policy and practice. Make sure you visit the Child Safe Standards page in this newsletter to keep abreast of the Standards.

Australia's Best Teachers

At OHR, I believe we are blessed with the best teachers in the Eastern suburbs, if not in all of Melbourne.

At the heart of each MACS’ school are teachers who create vibrant centres of learning – nurturing their students to grow academically, socially, emotionally and spiritually.

The Australia's Best Teachers campaign recognises exceptional educators in our school communities. An expert judging panel will shortlist nominations for recognition as one of Australia’s Top 50 Best Teachers, to be announced in The Herald-Sun and nationally in NewsCorp publications in July.

Do you know a teacher at OHR who brings something extraordinary to their classroom and community?

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.

Basketball

Congratulations to Dan C (5/6KM) whose basketball team, Hawthorn Magic U12.1, will be competing in the National Junior Classic over the King's Birthday long weekend at the State Basketball Centre. It is an invite only tournament that features 16 of the top teams in Australia.

Let's get behind Dan and the others in the team!

Working Bee

Wow, once again a good number of families turned up for last Sunday's Working Bee. While rain threatened to dampen proceedings, we only received some light drizzle prior to concluding with a good bout of sunshine.

We managed to clean up the garden beds along Mont Albert Road, mulched the sensory garden near the cubby houses, mulched the aboriginal rock garden, whipper snipped the borders of the property, blew the pathways near the school entrance and church garden, returned a heap of sand to the sandpit, and blew a tonne of leaves onto Mont Albert Road and York Street.

As is customary, we concluded the morning with a Sausage Sizzle. Thanks to Brodie for his masterful curation and barbequing of snags. And, a huge vote of thanks to Laura for coordinating the Working Bee.

MACSEYE

As Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS) prepares OHR's transition of OSHC providers, from Camp Australia to MACSEYE, we know that families are likely to have questions during this period of change. MACSEYE will be hosting online information sessions where families can meet the team, learn more about MACSEYE OSHC, and ask any questions you may have.

Note, that anyone intending to use MACSEYE OSHC will have to undertake a totally new registration process as you will be engaging with a totally new provider. Former registrations with Camp Australia will cease on the last day of this term.

MACSEYE have arranged two online sessions. The first was held on Tuesday evening, with second to be held on:

• Wednesday 10 June, 6.30pm – 7.00pm

The sessions will also be recorded and shared with you, so families unable to attend can access the information.

Details can be accessed in the below flyer.

MACSEYE: How to Enrol

To enrol and book your OSHC sessions, visit the dedicated MACSEYE OSHC webpage: www.macseye.vic.edu.au/oshc/oshc-locations/our-holy-redeemer-oshc-surrey-hills/ This web page contains all the key information needed to get started, including:

Session times•
Fees
Enrolment information
Enrolment form link

We encourage all families to complete their enrolment as early as possible, even if you are still thinking about when you might need care. That way you can book as soon as you are ready.

More information

For more information, you can also refer to the Service Flyer and MACSEYE brochure, both of which can be found on the MACSEYE page.

Contact MACSEYE

If you need support with enrolment or have any questions, the Customer Service Teamis available to assist, Monday to Friday between 9am – 5pm (AEST):1300 501 029 enrolments@macseye.vic.edu.au

School Closure Day

Our next school closure day for staff professional learning will take place tomorrow Friday 5 June. The staffs from our three parish schools will gather together on this day where the focus will be on Staff Faith Formation.

Wishing everyone a great long weekend,

Frank Dame