Dear parents, friends, staff and students,

In this Sunday’s readings, the common thread that appears is the notion that humility should be our goal in dealing with other people. We hear the parable of the guest who sits at the head of the table and is asked to move lower to be replaced by someone who sat at the back and was asked to come forward. This is not about being timid or letting others do the work. Jesus constantly tells us that our light should shine, and we should use our talents for the benefit of others. This message is about quietly but confidently going about our business without expecting accolades and praise. The line from the first reading which highlights this is:

 “Be gentle in carrying out your business”

In our dealings with others, we need to ensure we are committed with what we do but are gentle in how we do it. 

Last Sunday, I attended the Campbelltown Catholic Club Annual Mass and Luncheon. This Mass was held at Our Lady Help of Christians at Rosemeadow and was celebrated by Bishop Brian Mascord. At the luncheon, Mr Peter Hill, Director of Education in the Diocese of Wollongong, spoke about the great work that Catholic schools do in educating 20% of children throughout the country. He explained the many successes that we have achieved but was also realistic in the challenges that lay before us. These challenges include social media, vaping and mental health concerns just to name a few. We are constantly aware of these as things that can negatively impact our young men and women and are working to support them as much as we can. I thank Bishop Brian and Mr Hill for their constant support and for the staff at Mount Carmel for their tireless efforts in improving the lives of our students.

On Wednesday evening, I attended the Bishop’s Student Excellence awards. These are held annually and recognise one Year 12 student from each of our system schools who embodies the characteristics of an ‘all-rounder’. This all-rounder is not in an academic sense but in the sense of their contribution to all aspects of college and community life. The all-rounder will have a strong spiritual, academic and social justice perspective and will do this from the point of view of student voice and service. I was pleased to present to Bishop Brian, our awardee, Gabriel Garcia. Gabriel has been a Year 10 Leader, SRC member, involved in youth ministry and has regularly received awards for his academic achievement and effort. He is also one of the inaugural editors of the student Ignite magazine and has been involved in regular meetings with myself and Mr Cloran to raise issues and act as a student voice when we have been considering changes within the College. I congratulate Gabriel for his success around the College but also for receiving this prestigious award.

Next year we hope to move fully to online Compass permission notes. We have been delaying this until we were sure the system worked correctly, and we were able to properly notify parents so that you could ensure your login details were secure. This will be trialled over the next few months with the intent to go fully electronic from the start of 2023. More details will follow through newsletters. Please ensure your login details are secure and look to change these if necessary.

Ite in Veritate

Mr Steve Lo Cascio

As Mr Lo Cascio mentioned above, over the coming weeks, we will be introducing the ability for parents to give consent to College excursions and events electronically via the Compass parent portal. This transition to a paperless process should not only save on paper but assist in the approval and return of notes process. As part of this transition, I would encourage all parents to ensure the security of their Compass account so that only they are able to grant this consent. We anticipate a brief transition period where some notes will remain in paper-form, before a completely electronic process commencing by the start of next year.

 A reminder that Year 10 Immunisations will take place this coming Tuesday 30th August. Students who have not returned their immunisation card will not be able to receive this injection unless they are returned by Tuesday. Students from Years 8 or 11 who are due for a ‘catch up’ immunisation will also receive this on the day. Students are encouraged to have an appropriate breakfast on the morning of their injections before going to school. If any parent submitted their immunisation card in Term 2 and would like to withdraw their consent for any reason, notification must be made by filling in the "NSW Health - Withdrawal of Consent Form" which is available from the College office.

Finally this week, I remind everyone of our COVID-safe reporting measures for Term 3. These stipulate that whilst household close contacts who have no symptoms may continue to attend school, they must adhere to the following requirements:

• The school is notified that they are intending to return as a close household contact
• They must wear a mask indoors except when eating or exercising
• Once positive cases have completed their 7-day isolation period, they should wear a mask for an additional 3 days (for days 8 to 10)

Please note that students who test positive for COVID-19, or who are unwell or showing COVID-19 symptoms, must continue to isolate at home.

All the best for the week ahead,

TWENTY-SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR C

First Reading; Sir 3:17-20, 28-29  Be humble, find favour with God.

Second Reading; Heb 12:18-19, 22-24  We are drawn to the heavenly Jerusalem.

Gospel; Lk 14:1. 7-14  Humble yourself and be exalted.

Mrs Christine Meharg

Year 12 have recently completed their Trial HSC examinations. Three sections from three separate English papers caught my attention. Each focused on the power of literature to tell the truth, reveal possibilities, and trigger reflection. The English Extension 1 examination included an interesting extract from the Irish writer Colum McCann. In his nonfiction text Letters to a Young Writer, McCann states, ‘language is a great weapon’ that is ‘capable of dealing with truth’. The accompanying epigraph from Zadie Smith urges writers to ‘Tell the truth through whichever veil comes to hand – but tell it.’ A question from the English Advanced examination asked students to write an essay on the poetry of T.S. Eliot after considering the following statement, ‘The storyteller is the truth teller. Writing has the power to show what can be otherwise, what it is that the hard, domineering eye cannot see.’ And finally, the English Standard paper asked students to compose an essay on the poetic works of Robert Gray in conjunction with the statement, ‘The power of literature is to hold a mirror up to the audience and reflect important concerns that need to be examined.’

The thread running through these examination questions reminded me once again of Salman Rushdie’s memoir Joseph Anton – a book I referred to in my Literacy Links article three weeks ago. I was shocked to hear that Rushdie was brutally attacked at a literary event a week later. The importance of storytelling and its association with truth-telling, further validates Rushdie’s assertion that we are storytelling animals, the only creatures on earth who tell themselves stories to understand what kind of creatures they are.

The following extract from Rushdie’s memoir quite chillingly talks about the power of good literature to endure – long after their composers have gone. ‘The poet Ovid was exiled by Caesar Augustus to a hellhole on the Black Sea called Tomis. He spent the rest of his days begging to be allowed to return to Rome, but permission was never granted. So Ovid’s life was blighted; but the poetry of Ovid outlasted the Roman Empire. The poet Mandelstam died in one of Stalin’s labour camps, but the poetry of Mandelstam outlived the Soviet Union. The poet Lorca was killed by the Falangist thugs of Spain’s Generalissimo Franco, but the poetry of Lorca outlived Franco’s tyrannical regime. Art was strong, artists less so.’ This last comment most certainly reverberates with significance given the violent act which nearly claimed the author’s life.

I am still reading Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children, a book  which took him five years to write. As I engage with his  storytelling, I am reminded that some stories draw us back into the past, while others project us into the future. Some take us to places far away, while others take us on journeys to the interior landscape of the mind. Some illuminate the day, while others take us into the darkness of the human condition. Ultimately, the best storytellers raise profoundly important questions in the minds of reflective people.

Mrs Clare Murphy

English Coordinator & Literacy Instructional Coach

Investigating Science Excursion Bicentennial Park

On Thursday 25 August, Year 11 Biology and Investigating Science students travelled to Bicentennial Park Field Studies Centre at Sydney Olympic Park.

Students  completed mandatory fieldwork for the Year 11 Biology topic ‘Ecosystem Dynamics’ and Investigating Science ‘Working Scientifically skills’. The first-hand investigations that the students were engaged in, covered many of the mandatory fieldwork activities listed in the syllabus for these areas. 

Students :

• applied real world problem solving and critical thinking
• explored validity and reliability in investigations (and science)
• utilised several sampling techniques
• learnt about specific ecosystems and niches
• learnt about local Aboriginal Science

Congrations to all students on representing our College with distinction and for applying themselves to their learning.

Mr Gregory Mackney (Year 11 Biology teacher)

Mount Carmel P&F Clothing Pool sells pre-owned College uniforms at less than half the cost of new uniforms. 

You can bring your child's uniforms to the shop when they no longer fit or you no longer need them (Uniforms must be clean and in good condition. Blazers must be dry cleaned). The Second-hand Uniform shop will sell the uniforms on your behalf, and after they sell the P & F Committee will transfer the money to your nominated bank account.  The P&F will keep 10% of all sales.  You are also able to donate the uniforms and then the P&F will benefit from 100% of the sales.  

The uniform shop is open from 2.30-4pm on the days listed below. Usually the first Monday of each month.  The shop will next be open on Monday 5 September 2022. The shop is run by parent volunteers to raise money for the P&F Committee and to help families of the school with low-cost uniforms. 

If any parent wishes to volunteer in the Second-hand Uniform Shop please contact the school office.

Term 4 2022

Monday 7 November

Monday 5 December

Cash only - no EFTPOS facilities