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Dear parents, friends, staff and students,
This week’s Gospel, John 15: 9-17 contains two lines that are often quoted by Christian and non-Christians alike. They give a clear message about how we are to act and about God’s love for us. The first is “Love one another as I have loved you”. This is a direction that, if applied consistently, would result in a world where harmony and care for each other would be the essence of what we do and how we act. History tells us unfortunately, that this is often not the case and so Jesus gives us another message: “A man can have no greater love than to lay down his life for his friends”. This quote is regularly used in relation to the sacrifice made by soldiers who die when defending their country or values. There is a third quote however, that I would draw your attention to. “You are my friends”. This follows directly from the previous quote whereby Jesus links His own sacrifice and death to His love for us. Whilst this is clear and direct, it is nice to take the third quote in simple isolation to help explain our relationships with Jesus Christ. “You are my friends”. Our faith focuses on the notion of Hope and how we can always be sure that God is there for us. This is a love from the heart - “You are my friends”.
I am excited to say that we are now very close to occupying our new STEM building. Our hope is to begin classes in the new rooms within the next fortnight but we will communicate the specific start times and processes over the next few days. Please be reminded however that the new plans will involve changes to bus drop off and pick up spots and some restrictions on car parking. I thank each of you in advance for your understanding as these changes are implemented.
At the start of this week, I spent three days attending a Professional Development with six Principals from the Wollongong diocese and a further 42 from around Australia. The program was focussed on governance and ethical leadership and involved a series of expert guest speakers and discussions with colleagues. It was a valuable opportunity to reflect on how we do things and why we do them in a particular way. One of the themes that continually arose was that in many of our decisions, we are weighing up a variety of factors but ensure that we follow processes and protocols to ensure outcomes of justice and fairness. Whilst there were many examples of how we do this, a common theme is that decisions are not taken lightly and often involve consultation and reflection. It became apparent that we are fortunate at Mount Carmel to have a community that cares for each other and values process. I will continue this course later this term but would like to thank the leadership team and our guest principal, Mr Wayne Marshall, who looked after the College during my days away.
Over the last few weeks, I mentioned that there would be a number of surveys over the coming months to assist in improving how we do things as a college and diocese. Thank you to the parents who participated in the CEDoW Mental Health Support Services Review last term which focussed on services provided in mental health at a diocesan level. Next week, we will email a link to the second survey; Tell Them From Me (TTFM). This survey is again split into students, parents and staff but will focus on our achievements as a College. Again, I encourage honest feedback, both positive and constructive, to assist us in evaluating our achievements and helping to develop plans for the future.
Mr Steve Lo Cascio
| Week 2 | 9 May; Year 10 Immunisation Day |
| Week 3 | 13 May; Mother's Day Breakfast and Liturgy |
| Week 4 | 24 May; Year 8 Encounter Day |
| Week 5 |
29 May; Bishops visit with Year 12; Year 11 PTS Interviews 31 May; Staff Spirituality Day |
Uniform Reminders
It has been wonderful to see our students return well in their winter uniforms. Over the last week, staff have been reminding students of uniform expectations.
Key reminders include:
- Black leather shoes are to be worn with the College uniform. Converse or sneaker-style shoes are not permitted.
- The College sports jacket is not to be worn with the College uniform.
- The College jumper should not be worn with the College sports uniform without the sports jacket on top.
- Male students must be always clean-shaven.
- Hair that is shoulder length must be tied back.
- Sports uniform is only to be worn on Tuesdays or days when a practical sports lesson is timetabled.
Mrs Christine Meharg
| SIXTH SUNDAY OF EASTER YEAR B | ||
| First Reading |
Acts of the Apostles 10:25-26. 34-35. 44-48 |
The Holy Spirit descends on Jews and Gentiles alike. |
| Second Reading | 1 John 4:7-10 | One without love does not know God. |
| Gospel | John 15:9-17 | Live on in Christ. |
New Term - New Month!
This week we move into May. Special features for May are:
The Papal Prayer Intentions for May
For the formation of religious and seminarians
We pray that religious women and men, and seminarians, grow in their own vocations through their human, pastoral, spiritual and community formation, leading them to be credible witnesses to the Gospel.
Mothers Day
The time to be grateful for mothers, grandmothers, aunties, step mums, and other important women in our lives.
This special day came about in the 1900s, when a lady named Anna Jarvis wanted to make a special day to honour mothers because she admired how much they did for their children.
Our Lady of Fatima
Our Lady of Fátima is the title given to the Virgin Mary as she appeared before three shepherd children near the village of Fátima, Portugal, in 1917. She identified herself to them as the Lady of the Rosary.
Our Lady Help of Christians
The feast day to Mary Help of Christians has been celebrated in Australia since 1844 but the history to this day dates back to the start of the 1800’s.
The infant church in Australia had a special reason for turning to Mary. No priests were sent to the colony in its early days and Mass was not allowed except for one brief year until 1820. It was largely the Rosary in those early days that kept the faith alive.
Catholic Australia remained faithful to Mary and was the first nation to choose her under the title Help of Christians, as principal Patroness.
St Mary’s Cathedral was dedicated in her honour by the Irish pioneer priest, Fr John Therry, who arrived in Sydney in 1820 and assumed responsibility for the planning and initial construction of the Cathedral.
When Australia became the first country to have Mary Help of Christians as Patroness, it became the first country to have a mother-cathedral under the same title.
Happy Easter!
"Optimise" means to make the best or most effective use of a situation or resource.
Term 2 is a critical time in the learning cycle for all students. For students in Years 7-10 it is the opportune time to optimise their learning and continue to implement the strategies they have developed in Term 1 to assist them in working towards their learning goals. Both Yr 11 and 12 cohorts move past the halfway point of their academic year. So it is critical that they maintain positive learning behaviours to ensure that they achieve outcomes that reflect both their effort and ability. Students are encouraged to optimise the resources available to them, whether that be their teachers, studying collaboratively or taking extra opportunities for learning outside of class time.
YEAR 11 Parent/Teacher/Student Interviews - Wednesday 29 May
Year 11 Parents and Guardians are encouraged to book interviews with your child’s teachers to discuss their progress and determine strategies to prepare for the second half of their preliminary HSC year. Interviews are being held on Wednesday 29 May between 4pm and 8pm in the Champagnat Centre.
Bookings will open via Compass on Wednesday 8th May. A guide on how to make a booking can be seen here. If you are experiencing any issues with logging into Compass or making any appointments, please contact Mrs Rina Domingo via an email to domingor01@dow.catholic.edu.au.
Year 11 Half Yearly Academic Reports will be available via Compass on Friday 24 May.
2024 HSC Written Examination Timetable
The 2024 HSC Timetable is now available via the NESA website. Year 12 students can also view their personalised timetable via their Students Online account.
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TERM 2 |
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| Week 2 |
Year 10 07/05/2024: 10 Visual Arts (100 & 200 hr) 09/05/2024: 10 Food Tech (100hr) Year 9 Year 9 Food Tech - See Assessment notification for specific dates |
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| Week 3 |
Year 12 14/05/2024: 12 English Ext 2 15/05/2024: 12 Studies in Catholic Thought 15/05/2024: 12 Studies of Religion 1 Year 10 13/05/2024: 10 Visual Arts (100 & 200 hr) 17/05/2024: 10 Food Technology (200hr) 17/05/2024: 10 Science Year 8 Year 8 Visual Arts - See Assessment notification for specific dates |
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| Week 4 |
Year 11 24/05/2024: 11 Work Studies (1 unit) Year 10 23/05/2024: 10 IT: Timber (200hr) 24/05/2024: 10 Design & Technology (200hr) Year 9 Year 9 IT: Timber - See Assessment notification for specific dates Year 9 History - See Assessment notification for specific dates Year 7 Year 7 History - See Assessment notification for specific dates Year 7 Catholic Studies - See Assessment notification for specific dates
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Leader of Learning - Curriculum Pedagogy & Leader of Learning - Curriculum Administration
Welcome to Term 2. Our Pastoral team and Year Coordinators have prepared and organised a range of activities and initiatives for this term to continue to promote positive wellbeing and care for each student. This started today with various Year group meetings during our Pastoral period.
| Year 7 | Respectful Relationships Presentation by Mrs Marks CEDoW Education Officer |
| Year 8 | Strategies to Support Academic Growth, Year 8 Pastoral Matters. |
| Year 9 |
Mentality Monsters! How students can successfully apply the grade theme in order to meet Year 9 goals for Term 2 - Academic growth. |
| Year 10 |
NESA Information, Subject Selection, Term 2 Goals and Pastoral Presentation |
| Year 11 | Reflection on Reports, Assessment Periods - How to manage stress; Preliminary Examination Discussion; and Pastoral matters |
| Year 12 | Pathways & UAC, HSC Special Provisions, Year 12 Pastoral matters. |
Uniform Reminders Term 2
In term 2 and 3, students are required to wear the Winter Academic Uniform. This includes wearing the College blazer to and from school each day. Students are reminded to take the required measures to make sure they adhere to the expectations of the uniform and grooming policies. These policies can be found in the student diary on pages 17 -19.
Key points inlcude:
College blazer worn to and from school each day
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Male |
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Additional
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If a student is cold, they must wear the Mount Carmel College Blazer, with the Mount Carmel vest or pullover under the blazer. Any NON COLLEGE clothing MUST not be worn to school and will be confiscated.
Reminders relating to behaviour, learning, uniform and wellbeing often need to be explicitly addressed as a means of ensuring we are meeting the high expectations, building strong routines, and continually encouraging accountability, responsibilities, positive relationships and safety for all our students.
The top 5 issues facing teens today: a doctor’s perspective
Check out the excellent article in Maggie Dent’s blog on parenting
When parenting gets hard! Webinar
As parents, we’re all doing our best with what we have in our efforts to raise our kids to be good humans. But every child is different, as is every family, and so often we can feel ill-equipped to handle the really challenging moments of parenting.
What do you do when your child is anxious, or you struggle to get them to school? Or if their lack of confidence is getting in the way of their happiness? Or aggression is a problem and sibling rivalry is out of control?Or you think they might need professional support, but you don’t know where to turn? In fact, data shows that only about 35% of parents feel prepared to identify when their child really needs help.
Dr Billy Garvey is a developmental paediatrician with over 20 years’ experience working with families. In clinic he gets to meet families and help use the evidence to guide them through their difficult times. As it becomes even more difficult to see specialists, Billy spends more time sharing what he has learnt with the community. That’s why he is joining Maggie Dent for this online masterclass.
Join Maggie Dent and Dr Billy Garvey live on Thursday, 13th June, 8pm AEST.
Cost is $35.00
Thank you for your ongoing support of the College and your children.
Mrs Theresa Moore Miss Rebecca Toogood
Acting Pastoral Care & Wellbeing Coordinator
The talented American writer Paul Auster passed away this week, aged 77 years. Joyce Carol Oates, another contemporary American writer, described Auster as ‘a thoroughly warm, witty, sympathetic, laughter-loving individual, with insatiable intellectual curiosity and a gift for friendship; at the same time, he was a monumental literary presence, somewhat intimidating for the zeal with which he immersed himself in his writing, near-overwhelming in the abundance of his creative energies’. According to the Irish writer, Colum McCann, Auster was ‘quite extraordinary’. He had the ability to ‘think concretely, and sympathetically, about the world within, in order to also acknowledge the wider world around us.’
I have taught Paul Auster’s 1982 memoir, The Invention of Solitude, to many Year 12 English students over the years. This powerful text, written after the sudden death of Auster’s father, had a profound effect on students and teachers alike. In this rich and heartfelt account of memory and loss, Auster privileges the redeeming power of love, and the necessary struggle with the ‘magic’ of language. The writing of his life enabled Auster to reconnect with his father whom he described as ‘impenetrable’. Auster writes, ‘I had lost my father. But at the same time, I had also found him.’ The text closes with the following words: ‘It was. It will never be again. Remember’.
Auster felt that we must understand the lives beyond our own. And this happens, he suggested, within the labyrinthian nature of storytelling. The beauty of quality literature is that it is enduring. It remains well after death. Auster’s gift to us is that we will have his words still speaking to us down through the years.
Clare Murphy
English Coordinator and Literacy Instructional Coach
Term 2 has kicked off with a flurry of diocesan events, setting the stage for an action-packed start. Despite the rain's persistent attempts to disrupt our schedule, we have managed to press on with some events, such as the Girls Open Diocesan Football Championships and MISA trials held on Tuesday. Looking ahead, we have an exciting lineup of events, including Wollongong Diocesan competitions, Bill Turner Cup and Trophy matches, and the commencement of MISA round one in week 2. Stay tuned for updates, particularly regarding weather-related changes, which will be communicated via email and compass.
Cross Country Carnival Recap
We extend our heartfelt thanks to all students who participated in the exhilarating Cross Country Carnival on April 12. Your dedication and sportsmanship made the event a resounding success! Congratulations to Howard House for their outstanding performance and teamwork, leading them to victory. Whether students ran, cheered, or volunteered, students' contribution was invaluable in creating a memorable day. Thank you to the staff and student volunteers for their hard work in making the carnival possible. Let's carry forward the spirit of sportsmanship and camaraderie in all our future endeavours. A tally of the results can be found below:
| Age Group | Male | Female |
| 12 |
Kristo Keri |
Chelsea Evans |
| 13 |
George Vatuvei |
Tahlia-Rose Quinn |
| 14 |
Petar Spyropoulos |
Janet Le |
| 15 |
Jayden Kurniawan |
Veronique Ferriere |
| 16 |
Ethan Littlewood |
Zoe Bruce |
| 17 |
Riley Keith |
Leisl Hopoate |
| 18 |
Joshua Dennis |
Jemma Riordan |
Girls Opens Football Champions
The Mount Carmel Opens Girls Football team travelled to Wollongong to compete in the Diocesan Carnival. The team played extremely well, battling through a number of games and injuries. The girls displayed great teamwork and discipline coming 2nd in Pool B. From here the girls played the Semi Final against Corpus Christi and unfortunately lost a very close game 3-2. The girls then played in the Play Off game for 3rd and 4th and unfortunately were again beaten by Holy Spirit. Congratulations on coming 4th in the Diocesan Carnival, the girls will now represent our school in a knockout competition later in the term.
by Miss Sophie Heath
6 May: Diocesan Cross Country Championships
7 May: Bill Turner Trophy Boys
8 May: Bill Turner Trophy Girls
9 May: Diocesan Football Championships
13 May: Boys Opens Football Championships
(postphoned to backup date)
14 June: Diocesan Netball Championships
17 June: College Athletics Carnival
As always, students are encouraged to sign up and trial for representative teams. Below you will find registration links for both our DIO and NSWCCC events. If you require any further information please visit the Diocese of Wollongong sports here.
Representative Pathways
| MISA Website | https:/wwwwmisaonlineeorgg.au/ |
| Diocesan Sport News | Updates and news on Wollongong Diocese sport events and trials can be viewed here |
| NSW CCC/CSNSW Sport News | Higher level CCC trials and events status can be monitored here. |
| School Sport Australia Sport News | More School Sport Australia information can be found here |
SWSLHD School Vacination Program
Thursday 9 May 2024
Reminder for school vacinations for Year 10, 2024 is being conducted on Thursday 9 May 2024. Consent is required through Service NSW electronically and a list will be provided on the day. Please visit this link to provide electronic consent if not already completed. It is recommended all students requring a vaccination to please be in sports uniform.
MCCC Mother's Day Breakfast
Please see the attached invitation for the Mother's Day breakfast, Monday 13 May 2024.
Campbelltown - Koshigaya Sister Cities
Students Invited to apply for the trip to Japan
In the upcoming September holiday break, Campbelltown will select 15 students aged between 14 and 18 to travel to Koshigaya, Japan for a life changing experience. Last year 5 students from Mount Carmel Catholic College were selected to attend. If any students aged 14 - 18 know are interested in applying for the upcoming trip to Japan from 29 September to 12 October, please see information below.
To be eligible to apply, students must:
- Live in the Campbelltown City Council local government area.
- Be aged 14 to 18 and still at school at the time the delegation departs Sydney.
Students don’t need to be learning Japanese to apply for and go on the trip. We look for students with a desire to travel to experience a new culture, who have an interest in Japan and a desire to be a great ambassador for Campbelltown.
The information and application form can be found at the Student Delegation to Japan 2024 link at www.cksca.org.au
Applications to join the trip close on 22 May 2024.
Mount Carmel School Bus Routes
Transit Systems (formerly Interline) school bus route timetable is available via this link. Contact phone number is 8118 7102. Please be advised that Bus Route for Willowdale is currently missing from this updated document.
Enrolments 2024 Onwards
The CEDoW has transitioned to a new online enrolment platform, called Funnel, removing the use of all paper forms. Please take note, particularly for sibling applications. The online application form is accessible from the College website.
Social Media – Facebook & Instagram
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Coming soon! Watch this space!
Rainer School Wear
Winter uniforms orders now available. Please click here.