Last weekend on Sunday 26th November, we celebrated with 41 young people in our parish Church, as they made the important sacrament of initiation - First Holy Communion. We celebrated this with special significance for our school and parish community as many of our students will take the next step in their Catholic faith initiation. This celebration of receiving the Sacrament of the Eucharist for the very first time, brings many blessings to our community. It is also a sign of great hope that our 2000+year faith continues to be handed down from one generation to the next.

It is a great privilege to witness the love and support parents provide to their children daily, through the day-to-day life of our school.  This will be reinforced as parents proudly presented their child for the sacrament of Holy Communion on the weekend. At Baptism, many of the children would have been babies and would have been carried by their parents. Now a few years later, they can walk independently towards their next sacramental milestone. As parents, each time a child takes another step in their faith journey we are certainly proud, but we are also challenged to remember the enormous responsibility of our role as the first educators of the faith.

Just as we have a responsibility to nourish our children’s bodies through a healthy diet, so we must also nourish their faith by providing opportunities to practice the rituals and actions in the context of our parish community on a regular basis.

When Jesus celebrated his last supper with his disciples, he asked them to “Do this in memory of me.” Regularly celebrating Mass within a community of faith and being nourished spiritually by the Eucharist is certainly the source and summit of our faith. But what else did Jesus mean when He said, “Do this in memory of me?” Each weekend, we commit ourselves to remembering the ultimate sacrifice that Jesus made for us.

Jesus gave the gift of Himself, and we share in the gift of His body and blood through receiving the Eucharist. We continue to pray for the children who received the sacrament of Holy Communion over the weekend. We also pray for all children, that they may have the opportunity to continue to grow in their faith supported by their families, the parish and school community. We thank those members of our school and parish communities who have helped to prepare the students for this important next step on their journey of faith.

We particularly thank Mrs Samantha McGarrity, the Sacramental Coordinator for Our Lady Help of Christians Parish, who has supported the children in the preparation for this sacrament. We also are grateful to Mrs Megan Marshall, our Religious Education Coordinator and Miss Ainsley Northey who have facilitated the sacramental workshops for the students with support from the parish sacramental team.

May God bless each of the candidates in a special way as they received Jesus for the first time.

PRINCIPAL

STUDENTS NOT RETURNING TO OLHC IN 2025

If parents are aware that their child/ren will not be returning to Our Lady Help of Christians in 2025, we request that this information be provided to the school office as soon as possible.

This information will assist us with accommodating both new applications and students who are currently on our waiting list.

If your child/ren will not be returning to the OLHC school community in 2025, please complete the following form or contact the school office.

NEW FAMILIES - PAYMENT OF SCHOOL FEES BY INSTALMENT

School Fees are invoiced as an annual account, due for payment in full 30 days after invoicing. However, many families select to pay their school fees by regular instalments and as a new family to our school, we would like to offer you this option. If you wish to take up this offer, please complete a Request to Pay by Instalment Form which is available on the school’s website or from the school’s administration office.

On completion of the request, either email it to instalments@dow.catholic.edu.au or submit at the school office. Following receipt of the request, instalments will be generated on your school fee account during the process of invoicing 2025 school fees. Your school fee statements are emailed to you and they will provide a list of scheduled payments and their due date.

IMPORTANT: Please note that if you currently have a child or children at another school in the Diocese and you are paying by instalments at this location, you will not need to complete another Request to Pay by Instalment. The instalment request carries over from school to school with the same frequency of payment e.g. Weekly, fortnightly, etc.

EXISTING FAMILIES IN OUR SCHOOL WITH INSTALMENTS

If you are currently paying by instalments there is no need to complete another Request to Pay by Instalment as your request carries over from year to year unless you wish to amend the frequency of your payments e.g. Weekly to Fortnightly

EXISTING FAMILIES IN OUR SCHOOL WITHOUT INSTALMENTS

If you would like to pay school fees by instalments in 2025 and have previously not taken up this option for payment, please complete a Request to Pay by Instalment Form which is available on the school’s website or from the school’s administration office. On completion of the request either email it to instalments@dow.catholic.edu.au or submit at the school office. Following receipt of the request, instalments will be generated on your school fee account during the process of invoicing 2025 school fees. Your school fee statement will provide a list of scheduled payments and their due date depending on the frequency you have chosen e.g. Fortnightly, Monthly, etc.

IMPORTANT: Please note that if you currently have a child or children at another school in the Diocese and you are paying by instalments at this location, you will not need to complete another Request to Pay by Instalment. The instalment request carries over from school to school with the same frequency of payment e.g. Weekly, fortnightly, etc.