Dear parents, friends, staff and students,

In this week’s gospel (Luke 13: 1-9), Jesus tells the parable of the man who planted a fig tree in his vineyard and after three years of it bearing no fruit, the owner told the gardener to cut it down. The gardener asked for one last chance for it. He said “leave it one more year and give me time to dig round it and manure it: it may bear fruit next year; if not then you can cut it down”.

When we read this, we might take the perspective of the owner or the gardener. If we are the owner, we recognise that once planting the tree, there is a responsibility of those we invest in, the tree, to give something back for that investment. For the gardener, there is a recognition that things need to be nurtured and cared for but once this has occurred, there again should be some return for that effort. In our daily lives and dealing with others, we should understand that like the tree, we do not have an automatic right to take without giving back. Whether we are the owner who planted the tree, the gardener who nurtures it, or the tree itself that bears fruit, our responsibility to give back to others is fundamental to our place in the world.

This week, our Year 7 students attended the first overnight camp that has occurred at Mount Carmel for two years. This signals the start of a return to some of the events and activities that we have missed during COVID. From all accounts, the students had a wonderful time and have grown individually and as a group. I thank the students who gave of themselves to attend but also to the staff who gave up time with their own families to enable this to happen. The experiences that occur at these events cannot be taken for granted and nor should the efforts of the staff who make them possible. Thank you particularly to Ms Toogood for her organisation and care for these students whilst they were away.

As stated last week, next Wednesday and Thursday, we will be hosting a number of visitors who are coming onsite to conduct our 5 yearly Cyclic Review. The review is an opportunity for the College to test our assumptions regarding what we do and how we do it and enables us to access outside experts to help find areas that might become our focus for improvement. Thank you to the parents who volunteered to meet with the panel and to share with them your experiences of the College. The findings of this panel will contribute to the development of our next School Improvement Plan which begins at the end of this year.

As we move into week 7 of the term, I remind any parents who are considering enrolment for year 7 for 2023 that we are now accepting these applications. As previously stated, the completed enrolment forms are due to be returned by 2pm on Friday April 8 (the last day of Term 1). If you are aware of anyone else who is considering lodging an application at Mount Carmel, please let them know of this date.

Ite in Veritate

Mr Steve Lo Cascio

Principal