Welcome back to what we anticipate will be another great year for the Mount Carmel Catholic College community.

At our Opening College Mass on Friday, we were blessed to have present the relics of St Therese of Lisieux and her parents St. Marie-Azélie Guérin (Zellie) Martin and St. Louis Martin. The relics are a physical connection to people that the church have declared as living lives so exceptional that they are publicly recognised as being in heaven. As I stated to the students at our opening assembly, we rarely get the opportunity to be in the physical presence of recognised saints and this may assist in focussing our thoughts and prayers toward Jesus Christ. Saints are often asked to intercede on our behalf in our conversations with Jesus. I thank the College community for their reverence during this mass and especially thank Mrs Meharg, our Religious Education Coordinator, Mr Pleitikosa (Assistant REC), Ms Dyball, Mr Follett (musical directors) and Mr Withnall (sound) for all their work in preparing for the mass and inclusion of the relics.

Whilst there was a great deal of time for rest and relaxation over the Christmas break, we also keep in mind a number of our families who have experienced loss and hardship. We had the sad news of the passing of one of our Year 10 students, Kieran Clothier in December. Many of our students and staff came together for his funeral which was a lovely celebration of a very valuable life. I am aware of a number of other families who have lost close relatives and I ask you to keep Kieran and all these families in your prayers.

At the end of 2019, we received some notable HSC results that have reinforced the excellent work that is contributed by our students and staff. With over 80% of our subjects achieving averages above the state average and more that 10% of all courses attempted achieving a band 6 (mark over 90%), our College rose in rank from number 200 in the state in 2018 to number 162 in 2019. Whilst it would be an understatement to say that we were very proud of our students, it is important to recognise the hard work that many of them and their staff had contributed over the full six years whilst at the College. I remind all students that whilst success is measured in many different ways (not just HSC results), the common factor is hard work and routine. As we start the College year, I ask all students to learn from these successes and continue the hard work and the development of routines.

In 2020, we have a number of new staff appointments. Ms Shiela Antal (English), Ms Jenny Nguyen (English), Ms Josephine Jefferies (RE/HSIE), Mrs Ingy Mikhail (SSO-Finance), Ms Belinda Brooks (Canteen) and Ms Samantha Cook (SSSO – job share), Ms Stefanie Vidovic (PDHPE) and Ms Nicola Calka (English). There will be two further staff announced in the coming weeks. I welcome all of these new staff to the Mount Carmel family and look forward to working with them into the future.

Over the coming weeks, I will be distributing summaries of the College Improvement Plan for the next few years. We will be focusing on four main areas within the three categories of Mission & Catholicity, Learning & Teaching, and People & Culture. I ask that you consider this information as it comes through as there will be opportunities for your feedback which will be very much appreciated.

We have a number of evenings coming up to which parents will be invited. On February 5, Year 11 will be having an information evening to begin their senior studies. Our first Parents and Friends’ meeting is scheduled for February 11 and our Year 7 Meet and Greet evening is on February 19. I encourage you to attend these evenings where appropriate.

Ite in Veritate

Mr Steve Lo Cascio