Dear parents, friends, staff and students,

In a newsletter toward the end of last year, I spoke of the introduction to the Gospel of St John reflecting on the original translation referring to wisdom and God being one and the same. A theme in this week’s readings is once again based on the concept of wisdom and is again in direct relationship with God. The second reading, Corinthians 2: 6-10 uses the phrase; “The hidden wisdom of God… predestined to be for our glory before the ages began”. Our Christian belief is in an eternal God that has neither start nor end and is a mystery to our minds. We can sometimes get confused and unsure because, as humans, we cannot comprehend the infinite existence of a God who loves us without limit. One of the major beauties of our faith, however, is that there are some things that we cannot understand yet accept and believe. This mystery can be an exciting opportunity to “do all you can with the means at your disposal, and calmly leave the rest to God” (St Mary McKillop). In wisdom, God will travel our journey with us.

Next Wednesday, Feb 15, we will be hosting our Meet and Greet evening for the students and parents of Year 7. This evening will begin in the students’ Pastoral Classes and move to the hall for a short information session. The main purpose of the evening is to enable our newest students to introduce their Pastoral Advisors to their parents and to show them around the main parts of the College where they spend most of their days. This is a great opportunity particularly for new parents to have a look around the College and to orient themselves for when their children might speak about their day.  Much of the evening will be an informal interaction and I look forward to meeting many of our new parents on the evening.

The Mount Carmel Opening College Mass will be held on Wednesday Feb 22. As part of our School Improvement Plans for this year we are aiming to invite as many parents to events as possible. As a result of this, all parents are welcome at this celebration. We do however, ask that you notify the College if you wish to attend so that we have sufficient seating in the hall. We will also offer refreshments afterward, however given that it is Ash Wednesday, these will be minimal.

A reminder that our P&F AGM will be held in week 5 on Tuesday 28 Feb in Room I3. The AGM is an important event where parents can vote for a leadership team that will work closely with the senior College staff. During 2022, we did not have a permanent President and this year a number of the P&F leadership will not be standing for re-election as their children have finished at the College. I encourage parents to attend the meeting and to consider taking up a leadership role. The demands are quite small, and your impact will be very important. If we have sufficient time and interest, we will also have a tour of the refurbished Mathematics building.

On Friday March 3 (Week 5), our staff will be attending our first Staff Development Day for the year where we will be working on curriculum professional development around Growth Mindsets. This is the theme for 2023 where we have asked the staff and students to include positivity into their thinking. We will ask the question “what do I need to do in order to achieve a particular goal”? A reminder that these days are pupil free as all staff will be involved in the Professional Development.

Our Year 7, 2024 information evening will be held on Wednesday March 8 (Week 6) in the College Hall. This evening is designed to give prospective students and parents an understanding of what Mount Carmel is about, what we stand for and how we work. Enrolment packages will be available on the night and students and parents will have an opportunity to look through the College and visit faculty displays. More information on this evening will follow in the next few newsletters. If you have a child in Year 6 or know someone who does, please mark this date in your diary.

Ite in Veritate

Mr Steve Lo Cascio