Dear parents, friends, staff and students,

This Sunday begins the season of Advent. This is the opportunity for us to prepare for the celebration of the birth of Christ which is now only 3 ½ weeks away. The Gospel (Mark 13:33-37) makes a number of statements calling us to stay awake because we do not know when the master is coming. In modern times, this is somewhat counter-cultural as much of what we see in the media and in shops has removed the message of Jesus’ coming, from the notion of Christmas. Many shops will intentionally replace the name of Christ with an X. Mark’s gospel, reminds us clearly that we must be intentional and deliberate in remembering and preparing for Jesus all the time but in our particularly busy season in December, it is important to be reminded of this and celebrate fully and with joy and hope.

On Wednesday evening we held our Year 7, 2024 Orientation Evening followed by the student day today. Both of these events are designed to provide a solid foundation for the newest members of our community. The orientation evening enabled the students to see those who would be important in their journey for next year. The day today, assisted them to meet people who may become lifelong friends. Welcome to these new students and congratulations on becoming members of the Mount Carmel Catholic College family. Thank you to the staff who gave of their time and experience to make our HSC class of 2029 feel welcomed and part of the Mount Carmel family.

It has just been announced that Mount Carmel Catholic College has been named as the Champion School in MISA for 2023. This is the second year in a row and follows on from the divisional changes two years ago where schools received greater points for participating in the hardest divisions. We are very proud of the achievements of our students and staff and congratulate the whole community on this success. This is evidence that we continue to provide opportunities for excellence for our students across a range of areas. 

Some of you would have visited the uniform shops at the front of the College underneath the administration block. Over the years, this space has been used as a storage space, a school gym and now as shops. The front foyer of this space is now dedicated to some of the history of the College. The intention is for our new students to visit this space as part of their orientation but also to give parents an opportunity to see who we are when you attend to purchase uniforms. Please feel free to visit this space and for ex-students, to see if you can find your own image.