Dear parents, friends, staff and students,

The Gospel in this Sunday’s Mass (Mark 9:2-10) is the story of the Transfiguration of Jesus in front of a small number of His disciples. The Gospel tells us that Jesus was transformed and his ‘garments became gleaming’. He was then joined by Elijah and Moses (both very important figures in the Old Testament) and a voice came from the cloud stating; “This is my beloved son. Listen to Him”. The power and authority of Jesus is proclaimed and is revealed to those close to Him. Whilst this is the focus of our thoughts on the weekend, as always, it is important for it to be read in conjunction with the earlier readings. The first reading (Genesis 22:1-2, 9-13) tells us of Abraham who went to sacrifice his son Isaac to God. When we read this, it is easy to question why God would want a man to sacrifice his only son. In the context of the times, however, this story changes when we realise that the God revealed he was not asking Abraham to sacrifice Isaac but was stopping him. In some ways in the Old Testament, this was an early change to the relationship between human and God toward a recognition that this was a a merciful and caring God. Combining the two readings gives us a clear picture that the God we place our faith in as Christians has complete authority and cares for us completely.  

This coming Friday we will be holding our Opening College Mass. This is late in the term but as with many things, we postponed the original date in the hope that we could come together as a community. Whilst we are very happy that we can bring the students and staff together for this important celebration, we are still unfortunately not allowed to have parents attend. We will be badging our Year 10 College leaders and will supply photos of these to parents following the Mass.

Thank you to parents for your support of the College Staff Development Day today. I realise these days may be an imposition on parents who need to rearrange their routines, it is essential that staff are given opportunities to come together for professional development aimed at improving outcomes for the students. Today was focused on diversity for the individual student. This is more than looking at how students learn but focusing more on who our students are and how their individual context will affect their academic, spiritual, sporting and relationship development. This fits in with our College Improvement priorities for 2021, two of which are focused on diversity and providing a safe and supportive environment.

Earlier this week a letter was emailed out to all parents regarding our Year 7, 2022 Information Evening. This will be held on Monday March 1 beginning at 7pm. Anyone considering enrolment will be given an opportunity to hear a presentation from the College Leadership Team and visit faculty displays around the College. As we are limited to 400 people within the confines of the hall, this presentation will begin at whatever point this number is reached and any extra people will be offered the opportunity to visit the displays. Following the conclusion of the presentation, a second will be offered if required. For this year, parents of current siblings are able to collect an enrolment package from the front office. Completed packages will be due back to the College on the last day of this term (April 1). Please pass on this information to anyone who may be considering enrolling children at Mount Carmel for Year 7 next year. As is current practice, visitors will be required to register upon arrival and you are advised not to attend should you be showing any COVID symptoms.

Again a reminder that the Parents & Friends Annual General Meeting will be held on March 9. The meeting will occur on site and parents will need to sign in. At this meeting, the P&F executive for 2021 will be elected. P&F meetings are scheduled for the second Tuesday of each month during school terms and are held in room I3 at the College. All are welcome and encouraged to attend.

Mr Steve Lo Cascio