The above quote comes from the second letter of St Paul to the Thessalonians and was part of the second reading last Sunday. As with many of the letters of St Paul, he gives us a message of hope but at the same time challenges us to consider how we live our lives and provides guidance for improvement. This quote asks us to reflect on what we do and say and asks God to help us to improve our ways. What we do may often be pure in our hearts but as imperfect humans, our words and actions do not always mirror this. This reading again reassures us in the knowledge that we may not be perfect, but with God’s help, we might be better than we currently are.

I was proud to attend the annual Bishop’s Excellence Awards held last Wednesday evening in Wollongong. Each year, our secondary schools are asked to nominate a student from the departing Year 12 class who we feel represents the best of our community by what they say and do. The award winner from Mount Carmel was Britney Manns and her citation was read out in front of Bishop Brian Mascord and the Director of Schools, Mr Peter Turner. Through her time at Mount Carmel, Britney has shown the values and attributes that we hope will be present in each of our graduating students. I congratulate Britney on being recognised for this prestigious award.

On Thursday evening, our Year 12 students celebrated their final event at Mount Carmel with their farewell formal. This event occurred at the Campbelltown Catholic Club and each of our students represented themselves, their families and the College with pride and excitement. It was a testament to this year group and the community at Mount Carmel that over 50 staff were in attendance on the night to celebrate with the students. I congratulate these students on the completion of their secondary studies and wish them all the best as they take the next step in their lives.

We were informed earlier this week that two of our departing Year 12 students (Joshua Arentz and Riley Brayshaw) have been nominated for consideration in ‘Shape’, which is an exhibition of the best projects across the state in Design and Technology and Industrial Technology subjects. We also had one student (Abigail Chiwawaya) nominated for consideration for inclusion in Art Express which is the best submissions in the area of Visual Arts. Both of these nominations in themselves are an extremely important honour and we are very proud of these student’s achievements. We will keep the community informed of other nominations or awards that may arise as a result of this year’s HSC.

On Tuesday evening the P&F had their final meeting for the year which involved a small Christmas celebration. At this event, the P&F formally presented a cheque to the College as their support for projects during 2019. This money has been donated over the year for things such as a College Counsellor, literacy resources, laser cutter, student outdoor seating and shade area, immersion and sporting team financial support and supports around P&F events. Without this, many of the events would be difficult to run and our facilities would not be as enjoyable for the students to use. I thank the P&F for their support over 2019 and especially to the P&F executive for their hard work and dedication.

As we move toward the end of the year, our finance office is looking to finalise the budgets and invoices for 2019. I would ask that any parents who have outstanding school fees, look to complete their payments over the next few weeks so that we can ensure our commitments are met before the end of the year. As always, if there are any difficulties meeting these fees, I ask that you contact our finance office and arrange a discussion with the College. Thank you again for your ongoing support.