This Sunday is Palm Sunday and formally begins the Easter Week events. In the readings on Sunday, we hear the story of Jesus being welcomed into Jerusalem with a crowd laying palms before the King as He entered the Holy City. Within 5 days, they would turn against Him and this leads to His crucifixion on Good Friday. Each of the Gospels on Sunday (regardless of which year - A, B or C) follows the Passion of Jesus through the celebration of the Last Supper, His agony in the Garden, His torture and eventual crucifixion and concludes with the death and burial of Jesus. It is not until Easter Sunday that we even hear or consider the resurrection. This week is the pivotal moment in the Christian tradition and is the most important time for Catholics. Our reflection, sorrow and eventual celebration follows the normal ebb and flow of our lives and gives us time to reflect on our own experiences, behaviours and decisions. In the coming week, it would be opportune to reflect on when we have experienced excitement and exhilaration but also when we have been sad and mournful. Equally, it gives us the opportunity to consider when we have contributed to each of these times for others. Are we happy to be part of the crowd in the good times (such as Palm Sunday) but equally silent during the bad (Good Friday)? In all cases however, we are a people of hope where there will always be a new beginning and the resurrection of Easter Sunday. The true strength of our faith, however, is knowing that we have a loving God who is willing to sacrifice all for us.

This week the College ran a series of Harmony Week events. These ranged from music played over our speaker systems at recess and lunch to a whole school picnic on Friday afternoon where students were encouraged to bring food from their own cultural background and share it with their friends. This picnic took place during the student’s Pastoral Assembly period which was moved from lesson 1 to lesson 5. This enabled an extended lunch where the students could stop and take some calm time to share with others and experience a range of cultures. The students entered this with a great attitude and were rewarded with a unique experience. Thank you to the staff who organised and facilitated this especially Miss Toogood, Miss Nguyen and Ms Abra and our SRC leaders who ran the day.

On Wednesday of this week our College Captains attended a zoom with Bishop Brian and school leaders from other secondary schools within the diocese. This gave them the opportunity to share their thoughts and experiences of the start of Year 12 following the leadership retreat that they attended last year.

In the evening, we hosted the Marist Super Connect, which is a gathering of students from Marist schools across Sydney. This was the first time we hosted, and it was attended by around 100 students from six schools. The event was fun and engaging and the students rated it very highly. I would encourage students to take the opportunity to participate in this when it happens again later this year.

A few hours after this started, the English staff held a Parent Literacy evening for Year 7 parents in the English block. Over 70 parents attended, and the 9 English staff and support officers ensured a meaningful discussion occurred around the work that Year 7 classes are completing. Parents were able to borrow the novels that the students are reading so they can read along and discuss the books with their children. This is a part of the program that Mount Carmel won the award from the Council of Catholic School Parents (CCSP) last year. It is a wonderful initiative and I thank Mrs Murphy and the English staff for the opportunity and their commitment.

A reminder that we are now accepting enrolment applications for Year 7, 2025. Applicants are encouraged to ensure all documentation is included with the application prior to it being lodged. The due date for applications is 2pm on April 12 (the last day of term 1).