Dear Parents & Parishioners,

Children’s Book Week 2026 invites us to celebrate the theme “A Symphony of Stories” – a wonderful reminder that, just like music, stories have the power to move us, inspire us and bring us together.

At OHR, we celebrate the joy, imagination and wonder that books bring to our lives. Every story has its own voice, rhythm and character, and each one offers us an opportunity to explore new worlds, discover different perspectives and see life through the eyes of others.

Throughout Book Week, our students will have the opportunity to celebrate their favourite books and characters, share stories with one another and experience the simple joy of getting lost in a good book.

The 2026 Book of the Year Awards Shortlist can be accessed here:

We commence Children's Book Week with a special assembly on Monday morning, where the students have the opportunity to dress as their favourite character. This is a wonderful celebration and parents are warmly invited to attend.

To preview other events that are occuring during the week, head to the Learning & Teaching News page.

Rotary Club Primary Schools Speech Competition

The Rotary Club of Mont Albert & Surrey Hills held its 21st Annual Primary Schools Speech Competition on Tuesday evening. Each of the participating schools were able to enter two finalists. Representing Our Holy Redeemer were Andrew J and Charlie C. Charlie delivered a speech advocating how 'Lyrics in a song can impact us', while Andrew spoke on the topic, 'The best machine ever'. Their speeches were incredibly clever, humerous and engaging. Both represented their families and OHR proudly.

Other schools participating on the night included Chatham Primary School, Mont Albert Primary School, Roberts McCubbin Primary School, Wattle Park Primary School, Surrey Hills Primary School, Box Hill North Primary School and Our Lady's Primary School. A total of 16 students represented their schools.

National Science Week

We are currently in the midst of National Science Week. Mrs Axon put on a lovely Science-themed morning tea for the staff. Throughout the week, our Science classes were filled with a range of engaging experiments. Mrs Axon has also been inviting students to the Science area during lunchtimes to engage in a variety of challenges. We have so many young budding scientists at OHR.

Be sure to check out the Science and STEM page for further details.

Prep 2028

We are already receiving Prep enrolments for the 2028 school year, which is incredibly early. Consequently, we would like to ensure that we account for all of our current families who have a child commencing school in 2028. Could I kindly ask that you notify Heather as soon as possible if you are in this position?

Dads' & Kids' Night

The PFA are organising a special Dads' & Kids' Night in the lead-up to Fathers' Day. The event will be held a week prior to the Fathers' Day weekend, and is scheduled for next Friday 28 August: 5.00 - 6.45pm. Kaboom Sports have been engaged to run the night. This is always a popular and well-attended evening in the lead-up to Fathers' Day. Details can be found on the PFA News page further in this newsletter.

Reminder:Train2Gain OHR

Want to build up your strength with other parents in a friendly environment? Why not consider coming along to a Train2Gain OHR class? Details can be found in the PFA News.

MACSSIS

Every year, we take the time to listen to our students, families and staff to gauge how our school is travelling. This feedback is invaluable to our progress as an effective school community and is backed by evidence-based research and best practices.

A significant and formal way in which we engage and gather data is through MACSSIS, the Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools – School Improvement Surveys. Please take the time to read the attached letter.

OHR Art Show - Only 3 Weeks to Go!

The OHR Art Show returns in just three weeks! This is a great evening showcasing the talents of all OHR artists. The students are so proud of what they have produced. We invite all families to attend this special evening, as this is truly a family affair.

Date: Thursday 10 September

Time: 6.30pm

Venue: OHR Hall

Make sure that you head to the 2026 OHR Art Show page where Mrs Hansen has included lots of details on how you can be involved.

Halloween Colouring Competition

The office of Jess Wilson MP has invited Our Holy Redeemer to take part in the 2026 Halloween Colouring Competition for primary school students across the Kew electorate.

Students are invited to colour in the attached Halloween picture for their chance to win a prize. The competition is open to all students attending a primary school in the Kew electorate.

Key details:

Entries due at the school office: Thursday, 8 October 2026
Entries collected from the OHR office: Friday, 9 October 2026
Prizes: One winner and one runner-up from each participating school, with all winners and runners-up also invited to a special afternoon tea at Jess Wilson's office.

Learning Snapshots

As part of our Family Engagement focus this year, we are implementing Learning Snapshots which will take place regularly between 8:45 - 9am (at dropoff) or 3:00 - 3:15pm (at pickup), commencing this term. The Learning Snapshots are designed to best support you when working and guiding your child at home with their learning. Each session runs for only 15 minutes, thereby making them accessible for busy parents (and grandparents).

Today, Lisa Canty will present a snapshot of how oral language is the foundation of reading, writing and learning, including suggestions of ways you can support at home. 3.00pm in the Library.

Topic	Date	Time
	Remaining Sessions
Talking about Talk	Thursday, 20 August	3.00pm
Maths	Tuesday, 1 September	8.45am

Save the Date: OHR School Fete

Remember to save the date of Saturday 24 October in your calendar. This is the date of the OHR School Fete, branded as the OHR Spring Carnival School Fete.

Our organsing committe has been meeting regularly to plan for this exciting event.

Details can be found on the PFA News page.

Child Safety - Driver Behaviour & Etiquette

We would like to remind everyone of the importance of driver behaviour and etiquette, and parking safety in the streets surrounding our school, particularly in relation to Barton and York Streets. The safety of our students, families, and neighbours is our top priority. Thank you to those families who have always exercised careful and considerate driver behaviour towards others, and those who are responding to the call for greater caution and thoughtful behaviour.

I reiterate the importance of following the points below, as our streets will never be safe for our students, pedestrians and neighbours until we have 100% take up of this initiative.

Driver Safety:

Slow down and be alert when driving near the school. Children may dart out unexpectedly, so it's critical to drive at or below the posted speed limit of 40 kph. We encourage you to drive the length of both streets at 40kph
Get into the habit of driving south down Barton Street, i.e. from Whitehorse Rd to Mont Albert Rd
Please do not travel north along Barton Street and attempt a U-turn into the school carpark as this is unsafe, illegal and creates traffic gridlock
Similarly when exiting the Barton Street carpark, turn left towards Mont Albert Road, thereby avoiding another U-turn. We have encouraged this safe practice for many years
Be extra cautious during morning drop-offs and afternoon pick-up times when there is more traffic and activity around the school
Walk with your children as they cross the street; please don't call them to run across the street to you.

Parking Safety:

Use designated drop-off and pick up zones only. Do not double park nor stop in the middle of the road to let students out.
Strictly observe the posted parking limits outside the school during drop off and pick up times: 10 mins in Barton Street and 2 mins in York Street. 10 minutes means no longer than 10 minutes. And definitely do not park in the no standing zones.
Park only in authorised spaces. Do not block neighbour's driveways, nor park in non-parking zones.
Avoid U-turns as these streets are narrow and particularly busy at these times.
Consider parking further away and walking with your child if the area surrounding the school is crowded. This can be a safer option. For example, it can often be congested for the 20 minute period around afternoon pick up, so consider parking north of the school along Barton Street, where there are usually plenty of spaces, and walking down to pick up your children. A little exercise won't hurt. We know that many families have already adopted this practice when parking in both Barton and York Streets.

By working together, we can ensure that our school community is safe and accessible for everyone. This is a residential area and, as such, it is fundamentally important that we also respect our school's neighbours.

Please share these reminders with any family members or caregivers who may be responsible for driving to and from school.

Thank you for your cooperation and support.

Wishing everyone a great weekend,

Frank Dame

School News

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