Holy Saviour School 

Principal's Message 

Dear Families,

 

At the beginning of this week, I enjoyed three days networking with Principals and other school and system leaders from across the country at the first session of the Leading with Integrity for Excellence program in Brisbane. It was a very full three days, but great to hear stories and share experiences with leaders in education across the country. There was a great deal of learning, problem solving, and goal-setting throughout the week. I look forward to the next session early in Term 3.

Vale Fr Eric Hodgens

I received news this week that the founding Parish Priest of Holy Saviour, Fr Eric Hodgens, passed away peacefully. Fr Hodgens was Parish Priest at Holy Saviour for 20 years and was integral in building the strong sense of community and strong laity involvement which is still evident today.  Our Hodgens House (Red) is named after Fr Hodgens. His funeral will be celebrated here at Holy Saviour on Tuesday 7th June.

Staffing Changes

I wish to inform families that one of our Office Administrators, Mrs Tarnia Hiosan, will be finishing her time with us next week. Tarnia’s final day at Holy Saviour will be Wednesday 1st June. Tarnia joined the Holy Saviour team in November last year and brought with her a tremendous amount of energy and passion, not only to the office, but to the school itself. I take this opportunity to wish Tarnia all the very best for what the future holds and thank her for everything she has shared with us in her short time at Holy Saviour. Mrs Sherridan Leeson will be returning from Parental Leave on Monday 6th June, and will be working in the office on Mondays and Tuesdays.

Principal Cuppa & Chat

I attempted to launch these last year, and we managed to get one away before lockdowns and restrictions for parents came into place.  Our aim is to introduce these again in 2022, now that parents are allowed back in the school. These will be an informal way for parents to catch up with school leadership over a cup of tea and coffee to discuss Holy Saviour. There will be no agendas or minutes, and (almost!) any topic is open for discussion. The only protocol of the meetings is that you cannot denigrate any child, any family or member of staff. The hope is that these forums will be a great way for parents to understand the thinking behind school decisions, programs and protocols. The first of these Principal Cuppa & Chats will be on Tuesday 7th June @ 9:00am immediately after drop-off, please put this date in your diary.

Little Learners Sessions

This week we held our third Little Learnerssession for 2022. The theme this week was Dance and Drama. Our next session will be next Tuesday afternoon with a focus on Maths fun. The program will run over two more weeks in Term 2 and will provide opportunities for all 3 year old and 4 year old Kinder children and their parents to experience school life at Holy Saviour. Each session will run for 40 minutes and focus on a different subject area each week. Please feel free to pass the attached flyer onto any parents of 3 & 4 year old children.

Bunnings BBQ - Change of Date

We have needed to change the date for our Bunnings BBQ. The new date is Saturday 6th August, please change this date in your diaries. To make this day a success we are calling on our parent community to volunteer their time for 2-hour shifts. If you can spare some time to help us raise funds for our students, please indicate through this updated form.

School Tours and 2023 Enrolments 

 We ask that any parents who have a younger child who turns 5 before 30 April 2023, and are wishing to enrol them into Prep at Holy Saviour for 2023, to please submit an enrolment form to the school office by Friday 27th May. This will assist with our planning and organisation for next year. You can access the forms via this link, or you may collect an enrolment pack from the school office. Once complete, it can be given in or emailed to office@hsvs.catholic.edu.au.  

2022 Flyers

We are looking for walkers who would be happy to take our flyers out to our community. We distribute to ALL kinders and childcare centres but it’s always good that they go into letterboxes as well. Feel free to pick up a few fliers in our office to give to neighbours with young children, Catholic or not, they are welcome to visit. Or email Tarnia, Kerry or myself and we will send some home to you. Thank you to the parents who have already taken a pile to deliver.

Catholic Secondary School Enrolment Applications

I take this opportunity to remind parents of children in grade 5, that you must have your Catholic Secondary College application for Year 7, 2024 submitted directly to the college of your choice. It is essential that you have your application submitted by the due date. The following dates will be used by catholic secondary schools for Year 5 students in 2021 who will be enrolling in Year 7 for 2024. These are:

  • 28 January 2022 – Applications will open for Year 5 students commencing Year 7 in 2024.
  • 19 August 2022 – Applications will close.
  • 21 October 2022 – Offers will be posted to prospective Year 7 applicants.
  • 11 November 2022 – Final date for parents/carers to accept an offer made by a school.

Final Thoughts ~ National Reconciliation Week

National Reconciliation Week — held every year from 27 May to 3 June — is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia.

 

What’s the significance of 27th May and 3rd June?

  • 27th May marks the anniversary of the 1967 referendum when Australians voted to remove clauses in the Australian Constitution that discriminated against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
  • 3rd June marks the historic 1992 Mabo decision in which the High Court of Australia recognised native title — the recognition that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ rights over their lands did survive British colonisation.

The National Reconciliation Week 2022 theme, “Be Brave. Make Change.” is a challenge to all Australians— individuals, families, communities, organisations and government—to Be Brave and tackle the unfinished business of reconciliation so we can Make Change for the benefit of all Australians.

 

Lord, open up our hearts so that we may hear the message you teach of a world in which the wrongs of the past are recognised - a world in which a reconciled people walk and talk together sharing stories; a world in which all burn with the desire to have your peace and justice reign. We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen

 

Kind regards,

 

Steve Evans

Principal