Dear parents, friends, staff and students,

Welcome to the final newsletter for 2022.

When we celebrate Mass at Christmas this year, there are three different gospel readings, each used at a different Mass. The vigil Mass is from Matthew and lists the genealogy of Jesus. The midnight Mass is from Luke and recounts the events around the birth of Jesus. The dawn Mass is from John and, as is the nature of his gospels, is more theological in its approach, beginning with the phrase; “In the beginning was the Word: the Word was with God and the Word was God”. Whilst most of us will only hear one of these gospels on Christmas Day, when we read them in conjunction, we get a clear picture of Jesus being an anointed one, descended from royalty but who was born into the hustle and bustle of daily life. You may recall a previous newsletter where I explained that the original translation of St John’s gospel used ‘Sophos’ instead of ‘Word’ and ‘Sophos’ translates to ‘Wisdom’, so Jesus was one who carries the wisdom of the ages. Over the past few newsletters, I have reflected on what it means to prepare for the birth of Jesus. We are now at a point where His arrival is imminent, and we can now seriously contemplate what He means to us.

Yesterday morning we received the Higher School Certificate results for the 2022 HSC cohort, and I emailed a letter to all parents outlining some of the successes in these results. Whilst we are extremely proud of the headline achievements, there were also many students who did not attain a band 6 or high ATAR but who achieved things they did not ever expect. This reflects the effort they contributed and the support they received from staff, family, and friends. The power of positive thinking is essential, and we are always encouraged not to say; “I can’t do it” but “what do I need to be able to do it”. Congratulations to all our HSC class of 2022 on your efforts and results.

In the same vein, today we celebrated our end of year Mass and Awards ceremony for our Year 7 – 10 students. Thank you to all the staff who contributed to these and a huge congratulations to the students who were recognised for a specific achievement or contribution. I hope that you are able to use this as a strong platform from which to launch next year.

At the start of next year, we will have our new canteen operators begin at the College. Later in this newsletter, there will be links to their website and instructions on how you will be able to place recess and lunch orders online. This is a large change from the current arrangements, and I hope will provide more variety and convenience for parents and students. I take this opportunity to formally thank Mrs Roberts and all the parents who have assisted in the canteen at various stages over the past 35 years. Your support of the College and our students has been exceptional and now you have certainly earned a rest.

On Tuesday, we farewell a number of our staff who are retiring or moving to new opportunities in 2023. A huge thank you and good luck to: Ms. Roxanne Lillis, Mr. Mick Quinn, Mr. Chris Powell, Mr. Joel Duval, Ms. Madeleine Maulguet, Ms. Jackie Burnett, Ms. Bree Jones, Ms. Olivia Hope, Mr. Sean McEvoy, Ms. Faughn Dyball, Ms. Madalena Davila and Mr. William Taylor. We have been blessed to have you as a part of our community and you will carry Mount Carmel with you into your future endeavours.

We also temporarily farewell three staff who will be taking some leave from Mount Carmel. Ms Denise Tyra will be on leave for term 1 and Ms Tara Pontin and Mr David Cloran have been seconded to other positions within our diocese for 12 months. They go with our support and good wishes and we look forward to their return.

Next week, Monday morning (Dec 19) will be parent/teacher/student zooms for those who wish to participate, followed by staff PD. The College office will close at Midday on Tuesday Dec 20 and reopen on Jan 24.

As this is the last newsletter, I would like to take the opportunity to thank all in our community. To the staff who work tirelessly for the benefit of the students, your efforts and skills are essential to providing a positive learning environment that is more than just a school. To our students who cooperate and look for opportunities for growth and improvement, thank you. To our parents, your support and sharing of the values so important to both you and the College is fundamentally necessary for success. Thanks to all members of the Mount Carmel family.

Finally, I wish all our families a holy and happy Christmas break where we can welcome the joy and excitement of the birth of Jesus Christ. I hope that you each have a relaxing break from routine and are able to build a new energy and passion leading in to 2023.

Ite in Veritate

Mr Steve Lo Cascio