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Dear parents, friends, staff and students,
The recurrent theme in this week’s readings and responses is around the idea of sustenance and the things that bring life. In the first reading (Exodus 16: 2-4, 12-15) and the Gospel (John 6: 24 -35), there is a reference to the bread that came from heaven for the Israelites to eat whilst they wandered through the desert. The people were complaining that they had been abandoned and were hungry and God responded by giving them bread. In the first reading, this came in the form of manna from heaven and was food that settled on the land. In the Gospel, this food was in the form of Jesus who came from heaven to bring life to those who took Him in. The comparison to us in these times of remote learning is in the form of isolation that potentially drains our life-giving connections. We have every right to be concerned and look for support, but we again can be assured that as Christians we are not alone in the journey. In recent weeks, I have spoken to many of our teachers and support officers who have been contacting families to encourage and offer support. Our efforts are obviously limited but provide a vital link to members of our community. This link is based on the teachings of Jesus that love of neighbour is essential to everything we do. I encourage parents to make contact with your child’s pastoral advisor, teacher or year coordinator to let them know how things are going. We will continue to make contact where we can.
As you would now be aware, we have been informed that remote learning will continue for our Year 7 – 11 students until at least the end of August. Year 12 students will be returning on Monday August 16 with their Trial HSC exams beginning on Wednesday August 18. We have decided to give our Year 12s the opportunity to meet with their teachers on the Monday and Tuesday so that they can meet face to face and ask questions regarding their subjects and issues or content that may be concerning them. This will also enable teachers to give last minute advice and direction. The decision was made to continue with their Trial exams as the experience they gain from these and opportunities for feedback and improvement is invaluable in their preparation for the HSC. More information for Year 12 will be distributed over the next week.
Our Year 7 – 11 students remain high in our thoughts at this time. I thank the staff who are working tirelessly in difficult circumstances trying to ensure students continue the learning relevant to their subject. I have asked staff to inform parents if they feel your child is not engaging in remote learning. I recognise that you know your child well and that you will support them in the necessary learning. If you feel that your child is struggling with the workload, please email their teacher to let them know. It is difficult for the staff to judge how well students are working when they are not present, and the students may not appear to be submitting work or participating in lessons. Please know that our goal is to support the students in achieving their best and that our aim is to work in tandem with you on this.
As always, a very big thank you to the staff, students and parents for your flexibility and ongoing support during remote learning.
Ite in VeritateMr Steve Lo Cascio
Principal
With the extension of this period of remote learning, we as a College are taking the opportunity to reflect on the past three weeks of remote learning as a means of improving this unique method of delivery in the weeks ahead. To that end, I would strongly encourage parents to continue offering feedback to the College with regards to how your sons and daughters are progressing at this time. Our staff are making very conscious efforts to not only cater for each student's academic needs, but are also prioritising their pastoral wellbeing. In order to ensure that we are doing this effectively, we encourage feedback on what may be working well, in addition to input regarding how remote learning can be improved. This feedback can be directed towards individual teachers, KLA (subject) Coordinators, Year Coordinators or via the front office. Similar feedback is being sought from students by a formal fortnightly surveying process. I sincerely thank the parents and students who have provided such valuable feedback to date.
Finally, another reminder that despite the overwhelming majority of students now working remotely for the time being, I would ask families to please continue following our COVID recording procedures, which include:
- 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 attending the College site for any reason.
All the best for the week ahead.
David Cloran
Assistant Principal
EIGHTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR B
First Reading Ex 16:2-4, 12-15 Manna from heaven
Second Reading Eph 4:17, 20-24 Lay aside your former way of life
Gospel Jn 6:24 - 35 Jesus is the bread of life.
Two thoughts about this week's Gospel reading
Living the Gospel – The Body of Christ
Christ is present in the Eucharist in many forms: in the people gathered; in the celebrating priest; in the Word proclaimed; and in the consecrated bread and wine – the Body and Blood of Christ.
In relation to receiving Christ through the reception of communion, St Augustine wrote, ‘Be what you see, and receive what you are.’ We not only receive the Body of Christ through Eucharist, we are called to be the Body of Christ because of what we have received; and we receive the Body of Christ because we are already part of the Body of Christ.
Historical Context – Bread
For thousands of years, bread has been a staple part of the human diet in many cultures. It is no accident that the image of Jesus as bread makes such a significant appearance in the gospel of John.
For the Jews, like other Ancient Near Eastern cultures, bread was a vital mainstay of their diet. In the Bible, the word ‘bread’ often simply means all food – it was that important! For many, regular access to bread did equate to life. Bread also played a crucial role in religious practices, especially the Passover meal.
We have been given an incredible opportunity to be a little like St Mary Mackillop and St Marcellin Champagnat, to reach out and help others.
In these days of uncertainty and isolation, we share the anxiety of the two disciples as they travel along the 7 miles from Jerusalem to Emmaus.
In their darkest moments along their journey, Jesus reaches out and connects with them where they are at that time.
After spending quality time with him they recognise him, the next day they return to Jerusalem filled with his spirit.
Let us join each other as a community on the road to Emmaus.
Let us reach out and connect (In a COVID safe way……) as Jesus did with the disciples to raise the spirits of ourselves and each other.
Over the next week, reach out to your family and older relatives in a Covid safe way.
Perhaps it's making a phone call, making a cup of coffee, taking out the bin, sending a card, or email.
It will make a world of difference to them, as well as you and your family.
Mary was born in Victoria to Scottish immigrants. She was the eldest of eight children and spent her early years working to support her family. At the age of 24 she dedicated her life to God and took on the name “Mary of the Cross”.
Along with Fr Julian Tenison-Woods, Mary opened a school in a disused stable in Penola, South Australia. Her vision was to provide education for underprivileged children. Many other women came to join her there, and Mary and Julian founded Australia’s first religious order: the Sisters of St Joseph.
Mary and the Sisters were committed to serving the poor – to going to where the need was and living amongst those in need. This took Mary all over Australia to many rural areas.
Mary faced fierce opposition throughout her life, which at one point culminated in her being excommunicated. In the face of trial, Mary was a model of forgiveness, insisting no ill be spoken of those who wronged her, while also remaining resolute in her convictions.
Mary was remarkable as a strong female leader in 19th century Australia. Education in this country is what it is today thanks to her dedication and determination.
Mrs Christine Meharg
REC Coordinator
Remote Learning
Teachers are continuing to work diligently to create and deliver engaging and meaningful learning experiences for students while we are in this current period of remote learning. Students are expected to be participating in the learning activities set out by their teachers as best they can. Just as they would in a face to face lesson, students are encouraged to ask their teachers if they have questions or are unsure about the requirements for a lesson. As we continue with remote learning, students are reminded that following their regular timetable is a helpful strategy to aid in them being organised each day.
NESA COVID Advice
The advice from NESA is frequently updated on their website: https://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/portal/nesa/covid-19/coronavirus-advice
Year 11 2022 Subject Selection
Students have finalised their preferences. Year 11 2022 Subject Choices will be distributed to Year 10 students on 3rd September.
STAGE 5 2022 Elective Selections
Year 8 and 9 can now access KLA videos about the electives on offer in 2022. These are available on the Subject Selection google classrooms. Students are encouraged to watch the video with their parents/caregiver to ensure that they are informed about their options.
Ms Chardy Miller
Acting Curriculum Coordinator
Good afternoon everyone,
As we head into an extended period of remote learning, the past three weeks have provided an opportunity for students, staff and families to reflect on the challenges that confront each of us and to establish strategies and routines that work best during this unique time.
Part of this reflection has been the contribution from students with their responses to the pastoral and wellbeing surveys. The information provided to pastoral advisors, year coordinators and the college leadership team is valuable in ensuring that the learning and wellbeing needs of students are being addressed appropriately.
On an individual and daily basis, students are encouraged to check-in on their own learning and wellbeing. Earlier in the year I made reference to the SEEEDSS plan for managing wellbeing and learning. By increasing their own awareness of the key components of this plan, students are able to monitor their own behaviours to ensure that they are maintaining a balanced approach to their learning and wellbeing. For more information regarding this initiative, refer to pages 26-30 of the student diary.
Elevate Education
Elevate Education is continuing to provide parents of Mount Carmel Catholic College exclusive access to their Parent Webinar Series for Term 3, 2021. Next week’s webinar is on the topic of Technology and Devices, and how parents can navigate the complexities of managing their children's use (especially in lockdown).
You can register by clicking here.
The webinar is run live online from 7pm – 8pm (AEST) on Wednesday August 4 where the presenter will share Elevate’s research findings 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.
Phone 1300 667 945
CatholicCare Counselling
As the effects of the increased restrictions on the local LGA’s become more significant, CatholicCare Counselling has provided a NSW Government resource titled Low Cost and Free Meals Directory. This resource provides details of local organisations that provide assistance for those individuals and families who may be experiencing financial difficulty during this time.
As usual, thank you very much for your ongoing support. Should you require any assistance with your son or daughter’s learning or wellbeing, please do not hesitate to contact the College or the appropriate Classroom Teacher, Pastoral Advisor or Year Coordinator.
Mr Simon Huntly
Pastoral Care and Wellbeing Coordinator
Donald Graves, one of the great international leaders in writing research and pedagogy, summed up the importance of ‘putting pen to paper’ when he stated, ‘Writing is extolled, worried over, cited as a national priority, but seldom practised. The problem with writing is not poor spelling, punctuation, grammar and handwriting. The problem with writing is no writing.’
Writing has been a particular focus at Mount Carmel over the past five years with college leadership, KLA coordinators, and the different curriculum departments acutely aware of the very important role writing has for thinking and making sense of experience. We know that when we write, we write our way into meaning, discovering ideas and generating insights that would otherwise remain unrealised. We also know that every act of writing is therefore potentially an act of creation. The establishment of a community of teacher-writers and student-writers is an important part of the Mount Carmel literacy landscape.
The Mount Carmel Writing Club has adapted to the COVID-19 restrictions and has continued online in place of the peaceful and contemplative atmosphere of the Carmelite Retreat Centre. Last Thursday afternoon at 3.30pm, teachers picked up their pens and began to write. The prompt that I responded to for my journal writing was a quote from William Faulkner, an author studied in the HSC English Extension 1 course: ‘Memory believes before knowing remembers.’ The knowledge that other teachers were sitting down at this particular time in solidarity and composing a piece of writing, was heartening. A positive sense of community and collegiality was evident. I have asked staff to share their insights about writing, their approach to teaching writing in the classroom, and even their own compositions over the next few weeks as part of my Literacy Links segment in the College Newsletter.
Today I will leave you with another student response to the COVID-19 lockdown – this time, a student from Year 11.
During the pandemic I have found myself feeling a deep sense of loss for things that I have never known. I would describe it as a sudden realisation of possibilities. In the last lockdown it was easy to push the thought away, but I suppose now, there is a sense of urgency about it as I feel that I am at a decisive point in my life. To think that there are endless avenues that my life could pan out is a daunting and distressing realisation. Suddenly, even the little things seem so indomitably important, and I look back on my own life up to this point and realise that every choice I have ever made has led me here, to this point in time, to this moment of being. I do not think it’s a sense of discontent, but rather coming to terms with the fact that I can only live one life. I must resign myself to the fact that I will inevitably not see everything, feel everything, or understand everything. It is easy to say that one must live in the moment, but I think we must realise that living in the moment does not come without its costs. I don’t think that living in the moment should cost us our desire to want, as lack and desire are deeply embedded within the human psyche. We must explore desire in a way that does not endanger our sense of contentment, which I do not think many people even achieve in their own lives. This then begs the question: To what extent is wanting allowable? When does it become damaging? Is it reasonable to want things that we cannot have?
I have also found myself rethinking my relationships with others. This idea that each random person on the face of the earth lives a life as complex and convoluted as my own. It is bewildering to think that seven billion people share the same desires, needs, hopes, and aspirations. We are desensitised to this fact because see people every day, and suddenly being completely isolated from others is both a necessity and a reality. I look back at my own life and think about the things that seem so insignificant to me and how they would change people’s perceptions of me. I also find myself revisiting the different “selves” I seem to have constructed to frame the way I am seen. This has given me new insight into what has authentically and intrinsically been a part of my identity, and what has been fabricated and illustrated for the purpose of image. We all create various “versions” of ourselves for the various circumstances and experiences we find ourselves in. It seems to be second nature to us, engrained in our sense of survival. Is there any merit in seeking to live as one “self”? How would this work in a society like ours? I think that the main thing I have taken away is the idea that each person lives their own life. How amazing it would be to share in those stories and represent them for others.
Human nature is cruel in that we insatiably seek the things we cannot have. Perhaps it is more a question of whether or not we can reasonably expect ourselves to conform to rationality especially in the modern world. We are expected to think nimbly but not necessarily deeply or emotionally. I think that being away from things that become so engrained into routine is a chance to catch a breath and sit in company with your soul. But it has also offered me the opportunity to reflect on the things that could have been. I think looking to the future is beneficial here as it categorises our experiences into terms we can understand. The future feels like a certainty, but we never really know. I suppose this is another thing I’ve found difficult to grasp.
Among all these things, the most potent loss is the loss of this future. As a young person I feel that our society is losing sight of what matters. I think that many people my age still expect that when they become adults they will live in a world as prosperous and stable as it was years ago, when their own parents came of age. We inherit a dying world, one of economic strife, social upheaval and most crucially, widespread apathy and dissociation. Who would have thought that a global pandemic would be ravaging the world? I feel as if we are on the closing pages, the final tethers of a world battered by political divisions, bigotry, and that general sense of unease that we all seem to feel. For generations that have come and gone, the future has been ripe with possibility and opportunity. But for us it seems as if we know that it will get much worse before it gets better.
Gabriel Garcia
Mrs Clare Murphy
English Coordinator and Literacy Instructional Coach
Tuesday Recreational Sport
During remote learning, students are to ensure that they access the Sport Memo that is posted to Compass each Tuesday morning. This will include a range of physical activity options that will be important in supporting student wellbeing during this time.
Please be advised of the following postponement and cancellation of upcoming sporting events. We understand that this news will bring significant disappointment to many students and empathise with this. Decisions have been based on the current restrictions around COVID-19 and the priority of keeping our students and staff safe.
Diocesan Sport - Postponed and Cancelled Events
The following sport event/s have been cancelled:
- NSWCPS Golf Tournament
- NSW All Schools U16 Boys & Girls Hockey Tri Series
In line with the Premier’s announcement regarding COVID-19 restrictions and the time constraints relating to the effective organisation of events we wish to advise the following events have been cancelled:
- NSWCCC Boys Hockey Championships (Week 4)
- NSWCCC Netball Championships (Week 5)
- NSW All Schools Touch Football Quad Series on Monday 6 September to Wednesday 8 September at Mudgee
- NSW All Schools Netball Tri-Series on Thursday 9 September at Sydney Olympic Park
Due to the extended lockdown and the ever changing COVID-19 situation further events will continue to be monitored and updates will be provided via the College Newsletter.
NSWCCC Sport Registrations
A reminder that students and their parents are responsible for monitoring the closing dates of NSWCCC Sport Registrations. Information regarding upcoming events can be accessed via https://csnsw.sport/events
NSWCCC is a pathway suitable for students playing a representative level of their sport outside of school. For instructions on how to register go to - https://csnsw.sport/help/help-guide-for-parents
NSWCCC Sport Registrations 2021:
- Individual Registrations for the following sports to attend a NSWCCC Selection - AFL, Baseball, Basketball, Cricket, Diving, Golf, Hockey, Netball, Rugby, Softball, Tennis, Triathlon, Volleyball, Water Polo
- Registrations for the following sports is through a Diocesan/Association Selection - Athletics, Cross Country, Football, Swimming, Touch, Rugby League
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/
Ms Sarah Bowen
Acting College Sport Coordinator
bowens01@dow.catholic.edu.au
Due to the current COVID situation, the second hand uniform shop will not be open until further notice.