Our community again saw a number of activities conducted that epitomise the concept of holistic education and supports our vision of being a “Christ-centred community that provides opportunities for excellence”. These events included:

• Year 11 Youth Ministry Leaders Diocesan cluster day at the Emmaus Centre in Campbelltown on Monday
• Year 12 Investigating Science excursion to the ANSTO Research facility at Lucas Heights on Thursday
• Competitors only Swimming Carnival at Bradbury Pool today
• Whole school evacuation drill on Tuesday
• College Opening School Mass on Wednesday

Many thanks to the staff who organised and supervised each of these activities and to all students involved for the manner in which they supported and cooperated with each of the initiatives.

Throughout this week Rapid Antigen Test kits were made available to all students. As students have the option to take a kit, there are still a number available to be distributed. Should any families require additional kits in the future, please ask your son or daughter to contact student services or a member of the Front Office staff to acquire one.

Year 7 immunisations are being conducted on Monday. This is the first year that consent forms will be available online through the Service NSW Application. Could Year 7 parents please refer to the Compass notification sent out earlier this week to register and provide consent for your son or daughter to receive their immunisation on Monday.

Mr Simon Huntly

LENT: We commenced Lent on Ash Wednesday - The Church moves into a purple phase of the liturgical year.

Worn during the Advent and Lent seasons, purple reflects sorrow and suffering. 

Sorrow to mark the suffering of Jesus Christ and for a period of 40 days in the desert (Lent). 

The colour also came to symbolize wealth, power, and royalty because in antiquity purple dye was very expensive - reserved for very special occasions and people.

March - The Season of Giving

There is a rhythm to life.

The Genesis promise of Yahweh - Yah means breathing in and Weh means breathing out, is brought to life in the way our Church celebrates the seasons of the year...

and in the way, we move through out our days.

As a Catholic school, we invite our school community to walk in a prayerful lenten rhythm. The natural candescence of our day includes all the bells and classes and adjusted schedules of any school: however, we also build in moments of pause, moments of prayer, and moments to notice the breathing in and breathing out of God's Spirit.

Mrs Christine Meharg

During the week I had the wonderful opportunity of teaching a Year 11 English Standard class. After looking at the module they were currently studying, I decided to read aloud a short story written by the American writer Flannery O’Connor. The narrative was called ‘A Good Man is Hard to Find’ – a catchy title which sets up certain expectations in the reader before a word has been read. Each student was given a copy of the text and asked to follow along with the teacher.

Being very familiar with this story after having read it a number of times, I was able to subtly observe the students and note their level of interest and engagement. To my delight they were all engrossed in this fascinating narrative – a narrative marked by superb craftmanship, black humour and grotesque characters. The story’s confronting ending left the students in stunned silence.

The following class discussion focused on the two main characters who were terribly flawed and broken human beings. We all agreed that our sympathies for each character had been manipulated cleverly by the writer – one minute we were annoyed or even disgusted at their behaviour and the next minute we felt pity and wanted their good. We also noted how the writer was able to draw us into the world of the text with powerful descriptive imagery and lively and spirited dialogue. We experienced fear, revulsion, and sorrow at different times throughout the narrative while at the same time laughing at some of the very humorous details and comments. We were very conscious of our mind anticipating what was going to happen next while at the same time going back and revisiting information we had been given earlier in the narrative. In thinking about our thinking, we recognised the very active role of the reader in the reading process.

This lesson affirmed my very strong belief in the power of storytelling. Flannery O’Connor – writing this story in 1953 – took these Year 11 students to a different place and time and allowed them to explore some of life’s fundamental questions. On a technical level, the students began the process of reading like writers and, hopefully, the next step will see them writing like readers.

Clare Murphy

English Coordination and Literacy Instructional Coach

In the speech he delivered at the high achiever’s assembly, Gabriel Garcia (College Dux of 2022) talked about how his passion for the subjects he undertook in his senior years of school drove his academic success. He illustrated to students the importance of the Marist pillar of ‘love of work’ - even the stress and rigours of the HSC is manageable if you have a passion for the topics you undertake. Gabriel’s passion for HSIE was evident in his speech and reflected in his outstanding ATAR and state ranking. In his HSC, Gabriel undertook a large range of HSIE subjects: Ancient History, Modern History, Extension History, as well as Business Studies and Legal Studies in year 11.

In HSIE, we aim to help all students find that same passion that Gabriel and many other Mt Carmel alumni hold for the humanities. It is not hard to see why students are drawn to the humanities; they provide insight into the past, understanding of our present and even some clues about the future. These subjects provide real world skills and knowledge to help our students venture into life beyond school, equipped to deal with life’s challenges.

Here are some glimpses of the passion some of our current students are developing for HSIE:

Yr 7 Timelines

Year 7 students worked on creating timelines of some of the major events in history. Selection of works completed by Juliana Musumeci,  Eliana D'Coutho and Adam Mariniak.

Yr 12 Ancient History Excursion

Year 12 Ancient History students had the privilege of attending Macquarie University where they participated in lectures, workshops and a visit to the University Museum. This day developed students' knowledge of Pompeii, Herculaneum and archaeology associated with the HSC Ancient History course. Special thanks to Mrs Poulton who organised the excursion, and Mr Barbera who also attended the day. Please see a summary of the day written by Ancient History student Jessica Littlewood.

On Wednesday the 15th of February, the Year 12 Ancient History class attended an excursion at Macquarie University where we partook in valuable workshops and lectures relevant to our HSC course. On arrival, we broke off into groups to experience the life of an archaeologist. We dug for small gems, examined coins, artefacts and bones, reassembled pottery, and deciphered inscriptions. This was an incredibly insightful look into the work of an archaeologist.

Following this, we received a helpful lecture on UNESCO and the preservation of Pompeii. The presenter discussed both the natural and human impacts on the site and the steps taken to rehabilitate, conserve and preserve the sites of Pompeii and Herculaneum. The last part of our excursion was a visit to the University Museum. Inside were artefacts from First Nations people, the World Wars and ancient civilisations like Egypt, Rome, Greece and Cyprus. All of this was exceptionally useful and enjoyable for the Ancient History class as we enter our Year 12 studies, and I would like to thank Ms Poulton and Mr Barbera for organising this day.

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 Clothing Pool is open from 2.30-4pm on the first Monday of each month.  The shop will next be open on Monday 7 March 2023. 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.

Cash only - no EFTPOS facilities

Australian Marist Solidarity (AMS) is a key Marist ministry throughout this region. The educational needs in many of our closest neighbouring countries are acute and growing. Below is an invitation to be part of this community of change-makers in making a contribution to ensure that the dream of eduction becomes a reality for our young neighbours. Donations are tax deductible.