Year 7 Camp

A wonderful experience this week for our Year 7 students spending time at Teen Ranch and our College participating in the Year 7 Camp Program. At Teen Ranch activities such as rock climbing, abseiling, archery and the giant swing were conducted, as were some evening games and marshmallow toasting. At school, the students discovered more about self, healthy friendships and working together as a community. This initiative allows valuable time for staff and students to develop relationships and to build on some of the key ingredients of what it means to be part of a Respectful, Responsible and Safe Mount Carmel community. The experiences of the past few days will be an important reference point for the ongoing growth and development of the individual and the year group’s learning and wellbeing over the coming years.

Thank you to Mr Rees, Miss Heath and their team of staff for giving up their time to organise the camp and supervise the Year 7 students over the past three days. A special thanks to Mr McDonald and Ms Morley from CEDoW who worked closely with the students during the two days of school-based activities.

Student Reflection of Year 7 Camp

This week Year 7 students attended an overnight camp at Teen Ranch in Cobbitty. This was an amazing experience for all of Year 7 as it was a 1st camp for some people, but for most of us, it was our 2nd or 3rd camp. Everyone faced their fears and had a go, especially on the giant swing. Nearly everyone in my group participated and tried their best in all of the activities they did. One of the most popular activities was the giant swing, even though it was pretty scary, almost everyone mostly went on for the thrill of it. It was a fun activity and a memorable moment. Some of the teachers also participated in the activities with some friendly, yet serious competition taking place.

Another unforgettable memory was the campfire. It was another big highlight of the trip, everyone got the chance to roast a marshmallow over the fire and listen to performances by the staff and other students. I believe this is a must when you are on a camping trip. Every part of the day was very exciting and super memorable. The activities were all very fun and everyone had an amazing time doing them.

Everyone disliked that we could not bring our phones, but it was fun without having a phone to worry about and not bringing one, made camp way better. Besides that the meals were good, mum's food was always better, but it was pretty good. No one at school can stop talking about camp and all of the memories that they made, everyone had at least two good memories to share with someone on the bus home and have a good laugh on the way back.

On behalf of Year 7 I would like to thank all the staff at Teen Ranch and our teacher for all their work in facilitating the camp.

By Matilda Tirant

 Harmony Week Celebrations

This week our College community celebrated Harmony Week. Many activities and opportunities were provided for the students to recognise our cultural diversity, to feel a sense of inclusiveness and belonging, and respect the richness of cultures that makes Mount Carmel Catholic College. In speaking to the students there were a number of highlights in the week including the lunchtime concert and the Harmony Week picnic. Unfortunately, the rain forced the Year 7 & 10 picnic to be an indoors event, but it was wonderful to see the students gathered in friendship circles sharing stories and cultural cuisines.

Interim Reports & a Growth Mindset

As we come towards the end of the first term of learning, Interim Reports for Years 7-11 and Semester One Reports for Year 12 will be distributed by the end of the term. These reports will reflect each student’s contribution and application to learning, as well as their academic performance over the first part of the year.

The summative feedback that students are given in these reports, and the formative feedback that occurs within classrooms and on individual assessment tasks, is important for their ongoing learning and integral in the development of a Growth Mindset, a concept that is fundamental to improving learning and other aspects of our life.  

We ask students to reflect on their report and acknowledge and celebrate their achievements. Also, look at areas for growth and development. What have they not achieved YET, and what goals can they set for Term 2.

Elevate Education

Elevate Education's next free webinar will be taking place on Wednesday 29th March, focusing on Memory. Elevate Education works with our students, delivering high impact workshops on study skills, motivation, wellbeing, and exam preparation. By tuning into their webinar series you will learn how you can help better support your children at home through reinforcing the skills they learn at school.

Please use this link to register for free

The event will be covering the following on the night:

	How memory actually works (and how it has nothing to do with brain capacity)
	The most effective environments to assist in memorisation
	3 techniques you can implement overnight to improve revision