The past week has been another eventful one which has allowed us to showcase some of the wonderful opportunities that are present within our Community. Yesterday we celebrated our Commencement Mass with Father Shane and a number of special guests including Mrs Cathy Clark (Director of Mission) and student representatives from St. Gregory’s College, Br Robert Aitken (Marist Brothers) from The Hermitage in Mittagong, Mr Michael Neylan (Marist Mission and Life Formation Team), Mr Daniel Delmage (Head of CEDoW Continuous Catholic School Improvement, Secondary Improvement, Learning and Wellbeing) and a number of family members. I would like to thank all staff and students involved in the Mass yesterday, and to Father Shane for presiding over what was a wonderful community event.

The Gospel reading from Matthew 16  focused on Jesus challenging Peter to “build his church upon the rock”, much like Mr Lo Cascio’s theme for 2024 of “Get off the couch and into the game”. In my address to our community, I reinforced the point that the links between yesterday’s Gospel and our theme for 2024 are not independent of one another, but also intertwined with similar ideas from Bishop Brian’s Mandate to be Bearers of Christ’s Love and also our own annual improvement goals of building Community, Striving for Excellence and to live out our College motto “Ite in Veritate” (To walk in truth). Although these may appear somewhat complex, in simple terms each one of these are a call to arms, asking each one of us to be the best version of ourselves and to do what we can to make the lives of those around us more positive in nature. Last night at the Bishop’s welcome dinner for new staff across the diocese, Bishop Brian reiterated a similar message to those in attendance, and it is reassuring to know that at Mount Carmel we are well and truly on the same page as the leader of our Diocese.

Today we conducted our competitor’s only Swimming Carnival. I trust that all participants made the most of their opportunity for excellence and I thank all staff and students for their preparation, support and involvement in the day.

Now that we are well and truly entrenched in our new year, the next couple of weeks also involve a range of significant calendar events. A reminder that next Friday, March 1, is a pupil free day as staff will be involved in Professional Development. Please note that there is a timetable swap between Wednesday (Day 3) and Friday (Day 5) next week to compensate for the loss of Fridays throughout the course of the year.  On Tuesday night, February 27, the Parents and Friends will be holding their Annual and General Meeting, which is where office bearers for 2024 are appointed. I would like to extend an invitation to all parents and friends of the College, new and old, to attend. The P&F is an important part of our community and is integral in the consultation and support of many initiatives that occur with the aim of improving the faith, learning and wellbeing outcomes of our students. The meeting will be held in room I3, commencing at 7pm. The following week, on Wednesday March 6, we will be conducting our Information night for Year 7 2025. This will commence at 6.15pm with tours of the College, followed by a presentation by the College Leadership team at 7pm. All interested families are warmly invited to attend as we commence the process of enrollment for next year.

Finally, I would like to thank everyone for their ongoing support, particularly in Mr Lo Cascio’s and Mrs Meharg’s absence over the past 2 weeks and welcome them both back after an exciting couple of weeks at the Los Angeles Religious Education Conference (yet another example of our links to our global Catholic community).

OPAL Card Reminder

Please ensure that students tap on and off their respective buses. The start of the year often sees some significant pressures on various routes due to sudden enrolment increases. The use of the cards provides valuable information to the provider, Transit Systems and Transport NSW to determine the demand, and ultimately, supply of buses on the routes that service our College.

Mr Simon Huntly