Principal's Message

From the Principal

Dear Parents and Carers,

What a great way to end the term with Wellbeing Week. After all the hard work that has been put into this term and particularly given our current global climate, it is time to remind ourselves of the importance of caring for our own wellbeing; mentally, emotionally, spiritually and physically.

This week the children have been involved in a variety of activities with a strong focus on looking after our own wellbeing as well as the wellbeing of others. A special thanks to Emily Faella, our Wellbeing Leader, who has planned and prepared a number of activities to support the teachers and children through the week.  

With only one day to go until the end of the Term 2 I am sure everyone is looking forward to the holiday break. I would like to congratulate the children for all the hard work they have put into their learning this term. There have been some terrific units of work covered and excellent outcomes achieved. I would like to thank our dedicated staff who have worked hard to provide the best possible learning environment for their students. Term Two is always a busy term for teachers as they complete assessments and prepare reports.

In this newsletter you will find more detailed information from our teacher leaders on;

• Reports and parent/teacher interviews
• Wellbeing Week, and
• Italian Day

New Date for 5/6 Camp

We have been fortunate to be offered another camp date for our 5/6 Level. We are now booked in to attend Camp Rumbug from 25th - 27th October.

2021 School Closures Days

While it may seem that we have had a few school closure days due to the lockdowns, our school is yet to have any school closure days for the purpose of professional learning for staff.

The following dates have now been secured for Terms 3 and 4 this year;

Friday 6th August - Staff Faith Formation - COHR Charism

Friday 17th September - Restorative Practices

Monday November 1st - Assessment and Reporting

Friday 26th November - 2022 Planning

School will be closed on these days. 

School Advisory Committee

Under the new school governance model MACS (Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools) is supporting schools to revisit their School Board operating guidelines. The School Advisory Committee (formerly known as the School Education Board) met last night to shape and contextualize the MACS guidelines for our school here at COHR.

Last night we also shared the School Improvement Plan for 2021-2024, following our school review last year. As a recommendation I will share this plan with the community early next term.

Staff News

At the conclusion of this term Mrs Maria Falla will be finishing up at COHR. Maria, who is currently working part-time, has taken up a full-time position at Oakleigh Grammar as an Intervention Teacher. Maria has been a wonderful asset to our school working as our Reading Recovery teacher and has shared a wealth of knowledge with our staff on early intervention in literacy. We will certainly miss Maria and the expertise she brought to our school and we wish her much success and happiness for the future.

School Fees

We currently have a large sum of outstanding school fees yet to be paid. Payment of these fees would be greatly appreciated as soon as practically possible. We appreciate that some families are either direct debiting on a regular basis or making payments each term and we thank you for making these regular payments.

If you are having difficulty paying fees or would like to arrange a payment plan I invite you to make contact with me to discuss possible payment options. I would much prefer to hear from families than to have to follow up families who have made no contact with the school at all.

2022 Prep Enrolments

Enrolments for Prep 2022 are now being accepted. If you have a child commencing school next year and you are yet to submit an enrolment form we would ask that you do so as soon as possible.

More shade - more plants

I would be interested to know if we have any parents who are horticulturalists, have connections to a nursery or plant wholesaler or who are keen gardeners. If you are interested in helping out I would be happy to hear from you.

End of Term

A reminder that school concludes at 2:30pm tomorrow afternoon. School resumes in Term 3 on Monday 12th July.

Enjoy the time with your family over the coming school holidays.

When we return we look forward to seeing and using our newly resurfaced courtyard area.

Take care everyone

Brendan Welsford

Principal

Tips for a Joyful Life

Gratitude

Gratitude is the superfood of the soul. It has been noted as an important tool in resisting depressive thinking and can have an immediate positive impact on our mood. Gratitude fosters the habit of counting our blessings, of noticing the many, often over-looked, goods in our life, thus helping us to be more optimistic and resilient in the face of challenges.