Principal's News

Dear Parents & Parishioners,

The Importance of Being Active

For children and young people, being active every day has many social, emotional, intellectual and health benefits, including:

• a chance to have fun with friends and family

• reduced antisocial behaviour

• stronger cooperation and teamwork skills

• better self-esteem and confidence

• lower anxiety and stress

• better concentration

• healthy growth and development

• strong muscles and bones

• improved fitness, including coordination and movement skills

• lower risk of disease

• lower risk of unhealthy weight gain.

All children and young people should get the right mix of physical activity, inactivity and sleep in each 24-hour period.

Moderate to vigorous physical activity

The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing recommend children and young people do at least 60 minutes each day of moderate to vigorous physical activity that makes the heart beat faster. More is better.

It doesn’t have to be a full 60 minutes at once – several shorter sessions through the day work too.

At least three days per week, children and young people should incorporate vigorous activities and activities that strengthen muscle and bone in the 60 minutes.

These activities don’t have to be organised or formal, and can include:

• football

• basketball

• netball

• bike riding

• scooter riding

• swimming

• dancing.

Light physical activity

Children and young people should also do several hours of various light physical activities each day. These can include:

• walking to school

• walking the dog

• going to the park with friends

• helping around the house

• playing handball.

Limiting time sitting

Limiting the time spent sitting or lying down (sedentary behaviour) – especially in front of screens – helps children grow and develop good habits for life.

Long periods of sitting can lessen the benefits of being physically active.  So, it’s important to break these up as often as possible.

Co-Principals for a Half Day

Andrew (Andy) and Francis (Frank) J proved to be consumate Co-Principals on Monday. They began the day in good form by addressing the community during the weekly assembly.  During this time they also assisted Mr Byrne and myself in presenting various awards, which are detailed in the Learning & Teaching News.  Following the assembly, both young men engaged in a number of tasks ranging from fitting new padlocks to the York Street Gates through to preparing flyers for the local kindergartens promoting the OHR Twlight Christmas Carols.  Both young men conducted a visit to every classroom from Prep through to Year 4, where they observed and discussed the learning.  

It is safe to say that our school was 'in good hands' on Monday.

Student Absences

Whilst ensuring student attendance at school is the legal obligation of parents, supporting students to attend school each day is the shared responsibility of all parents, students, the school, and the wider community. 

School attendance is important as it maximises life opportunities for children and young people by providing them with education and support networks. Positive engagement with schooling enhances academic and wellbeing outcomes for children and young people.

All MACS schools must document their school-based procedures for monitoring and recording attendance. To meet legislated requirements and discharge a school’s duty of care, school staff must record student attendance twice per day in primary schools. Attendance must be recorded, including the reason given for each absence. All schools must maintain attendance records, identify, and follow up unexplained absences and develop procedures to support and maintain student attendance.

I encourage you to read the attached Attendance Policy for MACS Schools.

Family Welcome Mass

All OHR families are invited to the weekly parish mass in the OHR Church this Sunday 16 November at 10.30am.  This is a special family-lead mass for our current Prep, Year 1 & 2 families and all 2026 Prep families.

At the conclusion of the mass there will be hospitality.

PFA OHR Colour Run ... It's on Tomorrow!

Well, the big day is almost here!  Thank you to all the parents who have volunteered to help out tomorrow to ensure the afternoon event is a real success. 

If you are helping out, please plan to arrive no later than 1.45pm.  The OHR Colour Run is scheduled to commence at 2.10pm. 

Tomorrow, the students are able to wear their sports uniform to school but in place of their sports top they can wear their white T-shirt for the entire day.    Each child will also need to bring their clearly named drink bottle. Consider carefully how you will transport your child home, as they will be covered in colour!

Please note that the Barton Street Car Park will not be able to be used for drive-through following school on Friday, as the area will still be in the process of being packed up.  So, communicate your pick up area to your child/ren clearly.

2026 Class Structures

In 2026, we will be offering nine classes at OHR comprising:

2 x Prep

2 x Yr 1/2

1 x Yr 2/3

2 x Yr 3/4

2 x Yr 5/6

Staffing arrangments will be finalised in the next fortnight.  At that time a fully detailed list will be communicated through the newsletter.

Formation of Classes

The teaching staff have begun the process of developing class placements for the 2025 school year.  The construction of class lists is a process that requires teaching staff to give consideration to a great variety of factors in an effort to create a social, emotional, behavioural and academic balance within any given class, as detailed in the Rationale of our Formation of Classes Policy:

“At OHR we believe that learning is influenced by a diverse range of factors. The professional knowledge, judgement and discretion of all teachers is critical to the placement of students. The class allocation process should follow protocols which address the balance of social, emotional and academic needs of each child.” 

A copy of the Formation of Classes Policy is attached below for your reference.  Please take the time to read through the Policy carefully, as it clearly articulates a range of considerations that need to be factored when placing every individual child into a class.  The Policy informs the decisions of staff as we collaboratively construct class lists during the current time.

Calling for PFA Nominations - 2026

Being a member of the PFA is a wonderful opportunity to be involved in your child’s school community, as well as play a part in initiatives that support the education and welfare of the children of OHR.  

Please jump to the PFA News page for further details.

2026 Parent Gatherings

As has become an OHR tradition, we invite families to open up their homes to host one of three parent gatherings that are spaced throughout Term One on Friday evenings.  These are warm and low key social events.  All Parent Gatherings were  well-attended earlier this year. 

We have currently set aside three dates for 2026:

If interested in hosting one of these evenings, please let either Heather or myself know.

OHR Twilight Christmas Celebration

Don't forget that the OHR Twilight Christmas Celebration will be held next Friday, 21 December, commencing at 5.00pm with our students singing Christmas Carols.   Food and refreshments will be available. There will also be ice cream, face painting,  and a visit by Santa.  Refer to the PFA news, further in today's Newsletter, for details. The PFA encourages pre-purchase of tickets for food and activities to help minimise lengthy queues.

We encourage the children to dress up in something Christmassy!

We also ask that children arrive by 4.45pm in order that the carols can commence at 5.00pm sharp.  Please allow ample time for car parking as the roads around the school will be busy.

Keeping our kids safe online: A partnership with families

You may have heard about upcoming government changes in the law regarding social media accounts for children under the age of 16, which will take effect on 10 December 2025.

We are committed to understanding these new changes and working with you to ensure our students have a safe and positive digital life.

Why are these changes happening?

The new rules are all about protecting our under-16s. Many social media platforms have inbuilt design features that can:

• encourage too much screen time (like non-stop notifications or content that disappears)

• expose children to upsetting, inappropriate or difficult content through their feeds

Experts have linked these features to problems for young people, including increased stress, less sleep, and trouble concentrating.

What is the goal?

These changes give us all a chance to help our children by:

• learning about the positive aspects of being online and the things they need to be careful of

• building their digital, social, and emotional skills so they can navigate the online world confidently and safely

• knowing where to seek help if they see or experience anything that worries them.

While social media platforms have the main responsibility to enforce the age restriction, we all play a part in teaching our children to be safe online.

The best strategies are:

• Clear communication – talking openly with your child about their online activities

• Effective teaching – helping them understand online safety rules

• Positive modelling – showing what responsible and kind online behaviour looks like

• Mindful timing – holding off purchasing your child a smart phone. 

Quick facts about the upcoming changes

We will continue to update you as more guidance is provided. In the meantime, we encourage every family to subscribe to the eSafety Commissioner alerts so you can remain informed about the legislation change and ongoing digital trends.

Let’s work together to help our children become safe, skilled and responsible digital citizens, who can navigate the online world with confidence and care.

Next School Closure Day

• 2026 Planning Day - Monday 1st December

Wishing everyone a great weekend,

Frank