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Dear parents, friends, staff and students,
On Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, Catholics undertake fasting and abstinence. When we fast, we reduce the amount of food we eat to one meal and whatever is necessary for us to function within the day. When we abstain, we do not eat meat. The expectation for Catholics is that fast and abstinence occurs on both Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. On all other Friday’s (including those in Lent), the law of common practice of penance is that we set aside specific time to pray, carry out an act of self-denial or specifically help others. The reason for these acts is to remind us of the sacrifice that Christ made for our benefit and to ensure that our thoughts are directed toward those other than ourselves. In the act of fasting or self-denial, we are asked to stop and think about our own values and our approach to others. Just as St John the Baptist preached about the coming of God and repentance before Jesus’ public ministry, we also have the opportunity during Lent to prepare for the reflection that takes place during the sorrow and celebration of Easter.
As a sign of this sacrifice, our students have been reminded that the College canteen will not be serving meat products on Fridays during lent. Whilst this is not a specific church requirement, it is a symbol of the sacrifice and thinking of others that we specifically promote during lent and the preparation for Easter.
On Thursday I attended an online launch of the celebration of the Bicentennial of Catholic Education in Australia. Catholic Education began by Fr John Therry at Parramatta in 1820 and has grown to around 1750 Catholic schools with some 770,000 students educated by almost 100,000 staff. The impact of Catholic education over the past 200 years has been enormous and has functioned with the ongoing support of our families. As we move through this year, we hope to be involved in further celebrations and information sharing around Catholic education.
Today we held the College Swimming Carnival. This year was a competitors only event with around 70 students nominating to attend. These students were given the opportunity to trial for a position in the College swimming team that will represent Mount Carmel at the diocesan carnival. Over the last few weeks, we have had students representing us in tennis and touch football. These events give students an opportunity for excellence in sport and I thank the students, staff and parents for the work involved in organising and enabling students to participate. Successes from these various events will be published in other parts of this and following newsletters.
It appears at this stage that we will be permitted to hold our Opening College Mass in week 6 as we had hoped. With the recent easing of COVID restrictions, we can now have all the students involved, however, we unfortunately are still not allowed to invite parents. We look forward to a time when we are able to have parents joining us for these celebrations.
A reminder that next Friday (February 26), We will be holding our scheduled Staff Development Day. Once again, I thank parents in advance for your support of this important staff professional development.
Our Year 7, 2022 Information Evening will be held on Monday March 1. The specific format for this evening will be communicated to all parents through a letter in the next week. I ask anyone who may be considering enrolling children at Mount Carmel in Year 7 next year, to keep this evening free and potentially join us. The final format of this evening will obviously be determined by COVID safety considerations at the time. Please circulate this date to any friends whom you know may also be interested in enrolling.
Again a reminder that the Parents & Friends Annual General Meeting will be held on March 9. The meeting will occur on site and parents will need to sign in. At this meeting, the P&F executive for 2021 will be elected. Should anyone wish to stand for these positions, please attend on the evening. P&F meetings are scheduled for the second Tuesday of each month during school terms and are held in room I3 at the College. All are welcome and encouraged to attend.
Mr Steve Lo Cascio
Principal
This week saw the first excursions leave the College grounds since the start of the pandemic back in March of last year. It is hoped that this development is yet another significant step in our return to normality after the past 12 months. The weeks ahead also provide a number of opportunities for students to engage in a range of extra curricular activities where they will be transported to venues off site. I remind students that in such situations, masks on buses are mandatory. In recent weeks, we have tried to support students with the provision of these, however, given that a responsible timeframe has now lapsed since the health order was introduced, students are now responsible for supplying their own. I thank parents and students for their support with this.
A reminder that the Term 1 Staff Development Day will take place next Friday 26 February. This day will allow all staff at the College to focus on Pastoral Care and Wellbeing for our students. I thank the many parents and carers who are required to make alternative supervision arrangements on the day so that this worthwhile opportunity for staff can proceed.
Once again this week, I remind all parents and students about our COVID-19 processes. These include:
- Keeping your child home when they are unwell, even with very mild symptoms.
- Informing the school immediately if your child is self-isolating or undergoing testing, and informing us of the result as soon as possible.
- Following sickness with flu-like symptoms, ensuring your child is free of symptoms and can present a negative COVID-19 test, before they return to school.
Thank you for your ongoing understanding, support and timely communication of such issues.
David Cloran
Assistant Principal
A LENTEN INTENTION MESSAGE
- Fast from hurting words and say kind words.
- Fast from sadness and be filled with gratitude.
- Fast from anger and be filled with patience.
- Fast from pessimism and be filled with hope.
- Fast from worries and trust in God.
- Fast from complaints and contemplate simplicity.
- Fast from pressures and be prayerful.
- Fast from bitterness and fill your heart with joy.
- Fast from selfishness and be compassionate to other
- Fast from grudges and be reconciled.
- Fast from words and be silent so you can listen.
- 26 February - Staff PD day (Curriculum / Pastoral)
- 1 March – Yr 7 2022 Open Night
- 8 March – Yr 7 BEST START Periods 1-2
- 26 March – Yr 12 Academic Reports Available to parents (COMPASS)
- 31 March – Yr 12 PTS Interviews
- 1 April – 7-10 Tracking Reports Available to parents (COMPASS)
CURRICULUM MATTERS...
BEST START
Year 7 will be completing "Best Start" Testing on the 8 March. Best Start Year 7 is a literacy and numeracy assessment package for schools to use in the first five weeks of Year 7. It is designed to:
- provide teachers with consistent and up-to-date information about new students' skills and abilities in literacy and numeracy
- identify students at risk of falling behind
- help inform targeted teaching and intervention strategies
All Year 7 students will attend PC as usual and stay in PC rooms with their PC Teacher for P1-P2 to complete both tests (50 mins each). Tests are online and hence students will need a charged device.
Watch this space… for Numeracy updates
Ms Judith Tolomeo
Curriculum Coordinator
Good afternoon everyone,
Elevate Education
As outlined previously, parents of Mount Carmel Catholic College have exclusive access to Elevate Education’s Parent Webinar Series for Term 1, 2021. Elevate works with our students, delivering high impact workshops on study skills, motivation, wellbeing, and exam preparation. By tuning into their webinar series you will learn how to better support your children at home through reinforcing the skills they learn at school.
The webinars take place across term 1, with the next webinar happening on Wednesday 24th February at 6pm. Registration is essential and is free for parents of Mount Carmel Catholic College. The topic for this next seminar is Time Management.
You can register by clicking here.
The webinar is run live online from 6pm – 7pm where the presenter will share Elevate’s key research and skills, and will conduct a live Q&A so you can ask them questions directly.
Should you have questions or would like to contact Elevate directly, their details are listed below.
1300 667 945 ✉️ auscoaching@elevateeducation.com
https://au.elevateeducation.com
https://www.facebook.com/ElevateEd/
For those who might be interested in the last presentation on Motivation, which was held on Wednesday February 10, you can access a recording of that webinar on the following link, Elevate Motivation Presentation, which will be available until Wednesday February 24.
Vaping
There has been some recent exposure in the media regarding the use of e-cigarettes, or Vaping, and the concerns relating to the use, possession and supply. A search on the internet would provide a range of information, some of which actually promote the use of e-cigarettes and their associated products as being a “safe” alternative to tobacco use.
According to our Government agencies, there is little evidence to suggest that there is anything safe with the use of Vaping products, and the laws surrounding the possession and use of e-cigarettes are in line with those associated with alcohol and tobacco. As such, Mount Carmel Catholic College policy relating to e-cigarettes aligns with that of Alcohol and Tobacco, which are both prohibited substances. It is also important to remember that as per NSW Law;
- It is illegal to sell e-cigarettes and accessories to or buy these products on behalf of a person under 18 years of age. Public Health (Tobacco) Act 2008
From a wellbeing perspective, there have been numerous instances of Vaping liquids containing hazardous chemicals, with the long term effects on the health of young people yet to be determined. Cancer Council research has shown:
“ ….that e-cigarettes emit harmful substances. The National Health and Medical Research Council advises that e-cigarettes may expose users to chemicals and toxins such as formaldehyde, heavy metals, particulate matter and flavouring chemicals, at levels that have the potential to cause adverse health effects. For example, propylene glycol and glycerine found in e-cigarettes when overheated can produce dangerous levels of the carcinogens formaldehyde and acetaldehyde.” (cancer.org.au)
Should you have any concerns about the risk of exposure or use by your son or daughter to these products, the following websites provide a range of information regarding the current research and laws governing the use of e-cigarettes.
Mr Simon Huntly
Pastoral Care and Wellbeing Coordinator
What is Literacy?
Literacy is essentially a capacity for making meaning. It involves the ability to read, view, speak, listen to, and write for different purposes in a range of situations. Students become literate as they develop the knowledge and the skills to use and interpret language confidently and competently.
Literacy is fundamental to a student’s ability to learn at school and to engage productively in society. It is not a subject in its own right. Instead, it is central to all learning areas.
Although the foundations for literacy can be said to be primarily developed in the early years of schooling, literacy is explicitly taught, emphasised and developed throughout Kindergarten through to Year 12.
In the secondary years, students need to develop and demonstrate increasingly sophisticated literacy capabilities. The teaching and the learning of literacy are integral to the teaching and learning of subject knowledge and skills. In addition, each subject has its own literacy requirements which students need to master if they are to maximise their achievement in that subject.
Parents are a vital component of the literacy learning process. Parent engagement in learning is known to lead to improved outcomes for students of all ages. The role of parents and other adult caregivers is therefore crucial. Connecting learning at home and learning at school in the form of a literacy partnership is an exciting initiative at Mount Carmel. The Mount Carmel Home-School Literacy Partnership is a commitment to joint action in which parents and teachers work together to improve student learning outcomes.
As part of this literacy partnership, the college is committed to the following:
- engaging with parents and families to explore ways to support learning at home
- providing development and training opportunities that bring teachers and parents together in order to enhance partnership capacity
- providing resources and opportunities to support and facilitate home-based learning
- proactively communicating and discussing students’ progress with parents
- integrating family engagement into curriculum planning
Parental engagement strategies which lead to positive student learning outcomes include:
- having high aspirations for your children
- the privileging of books and reading for pleasure
- shared reading experiences
- participation in parent workshops and literacy conversations
- establishing reasonable screen time boundaries
- having rich and regular parent-child conversations
- communicating to your children the value of education
- positive parent-teacher relationships
- active engagement in the college community
As the Literacy Instructional Coach, I will be communicating with parents and caregivers regularly throughout the year. I encourage you to contact me if there are any questions or concerns regarding literacy and learning.
Mrs Clare Murphy
English Coordinator and Literacy Instructional Coach
College Swimming Carnival
Today we held our competitive swimming carnival at The Gordon Fetterplace Aquatic Centre (Bradbury). A summary of the day and age champions will be announced in next week's newsletter - watch this space.
Spectators
A reminder to parents that sporting events are currently spectator free including Diocesan events.
Sport Buses
A reminder to all students to continue bringing their mask for sport buses. We have had a few gyms remind students also that they need to be bringing a sweat towel (Year 10 and 11 groups).
|
Group |
Meeting Location at 12:40PM |
|
Recreational groups |
Basketball courts |
|
MISA groups |
Meet outside the sports office |
Communication regarding sport
Students are reminded to continue checking the Compass dashboard for key information relating to sport during 2021. Key information will also be communicated to parents via the College Newsletter and notes sent home. Information will also be provided to staff who will communicate key messages with students during Pastoral Care in the morning.
Round 1 MISA Results
|
Sport |
Division |
Gender |
Versing |
Score |
Result |
MVP |
|
Indoor Cricket |
Years 7-9 |
Female |
SBCC |
90 - 48 |
Win |
Rhianna Gascoine |
|
Softball |
Years 7-9 |
Male |
SBCC |
4 - 5 |
Loss |
Harry Peeters & Joshua Dennis |
|
Volleyball |
Years 7-9 |
Female |
SBCC |
3 - 0 |
Win |
Lereit Faasoa |
|
Male |
SBCC |
3 - 0 |
Win |
Edrees Kasmani |
||
|
Hockey |
Years 7-9 |
Female |
SBCC |
0 - 2 |
Loss |
Beth Martin |
|
Basketball |
Years 10-12 |
Female |
SBCC |
47 - 2 |
Win |
Charmaine Marquinez |
|
Male |
SBCC |
72 - 24 |
Win |
Paul Bentham |
||
|
Oz Tag |
Years 10-12 |
Female |
SBCC |
5 - 0 |
Win |
Jade Constance |
|
Male |
SBCC |
10 - 2 |
Win |
Tristyn Ball |
Round 2 MISA Draw
|
Sport |
Division |
Gender |
Versing |
Meeting Time |
Meeting Location |
Location |
|
Indoor Cricket |
Years 7-9 |
Female |
Magdalene Catholic College |
12:40PM |
Outside the sports office |
National Indoor Sports, Campbelltown |
|
Softball |
Years 7-9 |
Male |
Magdalene Catholic College |
12:40PM |
Outside the sports office |
Cowpasture Reserve |
|
Volleyball |
Years 7-9 |
Female & Male |
Magdalene Catholic College |
1:05PM |
Champagnat Centre |
Mount Carmel Catholic College |
|
Hockey |
Years 7-9 |
Female |
Magdalene Catholic College |
12:40PM |
Outside the sports office |
Macarthur Hockey Complex Narellan |
|
Basketball |
Years 10-12 |
Female & Male |
Magdalene Catholic College |
12:40PM |
Outside the sports office |
Minto Basketball Stadium Minto, |
|
Oz Tag |
Years 10-12 |
Female & Male |
Magdalene Catholic College |
12:40PM |
Outside the sports office |
Victoria Park, Minto |
|
2021 Diocesan Tennis Carnival – Thursday, 18 February Beaton Park Tennis Centre |
Congratulations to both our girls’ and boys’ tennis teams for representing Mount Carmel at this year’s Diocesan Tennis Carnival.
Paige, Rose, Esha and Lauryna played consistent tennis in the earlier rounds. They displayed confidence, a strong positive attitude and focus throughout their singles and doubles matches but unfortunately, they were unsuccessful against a solid St Mary’s team.
The boys showed incredible skill, athletic ability and competitive spirit, winning convincingly against Corpus Christi and St John’s. Toby, Dominik, Harrison and Jorge played brilliant tennis, dropping only two sets to get to the final. The boys were off to a great start in the final, with Toby and Dominik winning their doubles match 6-2 and Toby winning his singles match 6-4 in difficult conditions. The boys fought right to the very end but went down against a strong Edmund Rice team. A remarkable performance from all the boys, but a special mention to our number one seed, Toby Curry who was undefeated during the whole competition.
It was a fantastic day of tennis with all the students playing their very best, supporting each other and showing amazing sportsmanship throughout the day. Congratulations again to both teams and for being outstanding representatives of the College.
Coaches: Ms Hills and Mr Mackney
|
2021 Diocesan Boys Touch Football Carnival – Monday 15 February Thomas Dalton Park |
On Monday 15 February three teams travelled to Thomas Dalton Park to compete in the Diocesan Boys Touch Football event. There was a high level of energy and excitement upon arriving at the event largely as this marked the first Diocesan event for many months. Below are reports of the day from the respective coaches of each team.
U13’s Coach: Mr Kawa
The team consisted of Tayte Ball, Jeremiah Leota-Brown, Dean Rogers, Zane Rogers, Barukh Semaia, Koby Walters, Hudson Warren, Isaac Khamlu, Rhys Channer, Zac Baydoun and Joshua Manson.
The Under 13’s team showed true spirit and excitement throughout the competition with a 5th place finish overall. The first match proved to be a challenge as the team got used to playing with each other, suffering a loss to local rivals John Therry. Following the match, the team quickly identified points of weakness and were determined to improve. This improvement was evident throughout the day as the team quickly took control of the next match coming away with a victory. Overall, the team performed well under pressure, experimenting with different plays and tactics throughout the day to come away with a share of wins, draws and losses.
U15’s Coach: Mrs Jones
The team consisted of Brody Taateo, Jerome Taateo, Calvin Beltran, Zephaniah Leota, Preston Gallant, William Montgomery, Braxton O’Donoghue, Aidan Rojas, Nathan Williams and Joel Skipper.
The U15s team were strong competitors on the day finishing 5th overall. Competition was tough with a lot of the Wollongong schools, who generally play touch compared to OzTag. Competing against the Macarthur schools, the U15s team were dominant, winning against all Macarthur teams. As the day progressed, the boys worked well together and started to link up try scoring opportunities embedding some set plays and strategies throughout game play. We thank Madelin Kelman who was our referee on the day. We look forward to improving our overall placing in next year's carnival.
Open’s Coach: Ms Bowen
The team consisted of Nathaniel Calvelo, Tristyn Ball, DeAngelo Finau, Bryce Ball, Jack Goncalves, Matthew Galvin, Blake Waugh, Samuel Sisounon, Justin Gilbang, Finlay Wade and Luke Prebble (injury).
The Open’s team were strong competitors on the day finishing 4th overall. The team faced a tough 6-0 loss in the opening round against Edmund Rice. Following a debrief of the game and agreeing on effective strategies to implement in the following round the boys came back with 3 wins, 3 losses and a draw. Students showed tenacity and grit throughout the day with a clear team effort in attack, creative playmaking and persistently hasling their opponents in defense. Congratulations on an excellent effort boys.
At the Diocesan Event a number of selectors observe match play to select a team of talented players who will represent the Wollongong Diocese and the NSW Combined Catholic College event. Gaining selection into this team as either a player or a shadow is a tremendous achievement.
Three students in the Open’s team were recognised on the day for their skill and performance.
These students include:
- Matthew Galvin
- Nathaniel Calvelo (shadow)
- Jack Goncalves (shadow)
Congratulations to these students and we wish Matthew the best of luck as he prepares for the NSWCCC tournament.
We also had three female students attend the day as referees. Thank you to Jade Constance, Madelin Kelman and Grace Keomoungkhoun for providing their support on the day.
NSWCCC Sport Registrations 2021 for pathway sports opened on 1 February.
|
For instructions on how to register go to - https://csnsw.sport/help/help-guide-for-parents
Term One Individual Nominations Sport Registrations
- Cricket – 19s Boys - 9 & 10 February – Close 3 February
- Cricket - 15 Years Girls - 15 February – Close 10 February
- Softball – Boys & Girls - 22 February – Close 12 February
- Tennis - Boys & Girls - 1 March – Close 22 February
- Cricket – U16 Boys – 1 March – Close 18 February
- Baseball – Boys – 3 March – Close 26 February
- Golf – Boys & Girls – 8 March – Close 25 February
- Volleyball – Boys & Girls – 10 March - Close 5 March
- Water Polo – Boys & Girls – 15 March – Close 11 March
- Hockey – Open Boys & Girls, 16s Girls – 22 March – Close 15 March
- Diving – Boys & Girls – 29 March – Close 19 March
Swimming and Touch Football registrations are through the Diocesan/Association pathways.
For further information visit https://csnsw.sport/
2021 College Carnival Dates
|
What |
When |
|
|
College Swimming Carnival |
Friday 19 February (Term 1, Week 4) |
Competitors only |
|
College Cross Country |
Thursday 1 April (Term 1, Week 10) |
All students |
|
College Athletics Carnival |
Friday 21 May (Term 2, Week 5) |
All students |
Representative Pathways
- MISA Website https://www.misaonline.org.au/
- Diocesan Sport News - Updates and news on Wollongong Diocese sport events and trials can be viewed at https://www.dow.catholic.edu.au/sport/diocesan-sport-news/?ref=quicklinks
- NSWCCC/CSNSW Sport News - Higher level MacKillop and CCC trials and events status can be monitored at https://csnsw.sport/news
- SCHOOL SPORT AUSTRALIA SPORT NEWS
More School Sport Australia information can be found at
http://www.schoolsportaustralia.edu.au/
Diocesan Update
Students are NOT to register for the teams listed below as they need to be selected in the Wollongong Diocesan team prior to any registration. Sports where Diocesan teams are selected and students DO NOT register until they are officially selected in the Diocesan team include:
- 15's Touch (B&G)
- Opens Touch (B&G
- 15's Rugby League
- Open's Rugby League
- Open Football (B&G
- Swimming
- Cross Country
- Athletics
Miss Sarah Bowen
(Acting College Sport Coordinator - bowens01@dow.catholic.edu.au)
The Second Hand Uniform Shop is open on the following days.
Term 1 2021
- Monday 1 March - 2.30pm - 4pm
- Monday 29 March 2.30pm - 4pm