Dear Parents, Teachers and Students,

Welcome BBQ and Open Classrooms
Last Thursday’s Welcome BBQ and Open Classroom evening were a tremendous success, and it was wonderful to have so many families in attendance.

My sincere thanks to all the teaching staff for making our school such a welcoming place for families in our community, and for the commitment outside of normal working hours that such an evening requires.

Special thanks, also, to the parent volunteers who helped with the set-up and pack-up and kept the BBQ ticking over all evening –  Stuart Leahy, Matt and Amber Maher, and Emma McEvoy; also to the ex-Mt Carmel Trinity students – Grace, Louis and Millie – who helped with service.


Swimming Carnival
It was a lovely day at the pool yesterday for our Primary Swimming Carnival, and the students all showed wonderful House and School spirit. My sincere thanks to the many parents, grandparents and friends of Mt Carmel who assisted with various jobs throughout the day – we cannot run a carnival without your help! Particular thanks and congratulations to Mr Ted Dunstan for such a successful event, and to all the teaching staff for the many jobs done in preparation for the carnival and on the day itself. Next Thursday, 23 February, the Northern Region Swimming Carnival will be held at the Yass Memorial Swimming Pool. Congratulations to all the swimmers who were selected to represent Mt Carmel at this event. If your child was selected, they should have received a note with information about the Northern Region Carnival yesterday afternoon. Please email edward.dunstan@cg.catholic.edu.au if you require further information.

Shrove Tuesday Pancake Breakfast
Next Wednesday marks the start of Lent, the period of preparation leading up to Easter, and we will be holding our traditional Pancake Breakfast on Shrove Tuesday. Pancakes will be served from 7:30am in the school kitchen classroom; all are welcome and dietary needs will be catered for. A big thanks, in advance, to the teachers and SRC members who come in early to cook and serve. On Ash Wednesday, 6JR will be leading a prayer service in the PAC at 9am; parents are welcome to attend. During Lent, our school canteen will not be serving meat on Fridays; fish cocktails and fish burgers will be available to order on Fridays instead.


Trinity Catholic College Information Evening
Next Wednesday evening, 22 February, 5:30pm at the Yass Golf Club, there will be an information evening for families considering enrolment for their child into Year 7 in 2024. Please register your attendance at this event by clicking the following link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfiCHmLD3fNNdILFX2xV19i1maDvXes3I4DVfKbAeLMwM0ORA/viewform.



Book fair and Grandparents’ Morning Tea
A reminder that next Friday 24 February, Mt Carmel School will be holding the Scholastic Book Fair and Grandparents' Morning Tea. Look for further details in the Library News section of the Carmeletta.

A Polite Reminder
It has been noticed that some of the parent conversations outside classrooms after school occasionally involve the use of, what I will euphemistically call, colourful language. I respectfully remind all parents that we need to be mindful of what is modelled to children and that the use of respectful language is a very important part of keeping our school safe, inclusive and welcoming to all. 

May God’s peace be in your families, 

Religious Education in the Classroom
Welcome to Week 3! Helen Bramanathan, Religious Education & Faith Formation Officer, Catholic Education, Archdiocese of Canberra & Goulburn, visited Mt Carmel School to conduct Christian Meditation workshops for K-6 students and staff. It was a great opportunity to deepen our knowledge and understanding of Christian Meditation across the school. Christian Meditation is contemplative prayer, it is an opportunity to move from our mind to our heart to connect with God. 

Scientific research shows that practising meditation offers many potential benefits to children.These include clinical improvements in mental and physical health as well as strengthening emotional and behavioural regulation, stress management and concentration. While effect sizes vary, particularly for interventions offered universally in schools, there is now consistent evidence across studies that meditation in schools... 

IMPROVES
Attention Cognitive
Function
Mindfulness

and

REDUCES
Depression
Stress
Anxiety

(Centre for Children and Young People, 2020)

Love One Another
“This is my commandment,that you love one another as I have loved you” John 15:12

Teachers and students have been exploring our school theme and creating amazing pieces of artwork. Next time you visit the school’s front office, have a look at students’ great artwork reflecting our school theme.

Prayer and Reflection

Let us be still and ask the Holy Spirit to be with us.

Dear Father,
Be with us as we pray.
Open our ears to hear your Word in the Gospel.
Unite us in faith, hope and love as we pray together.
Send your Holy Spirit to inspire and sustain us in our mission.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

I invite you to participate in a 3 minute prayer reflecting on a Scripture passage. https://www.loyolapress.com/3-minute-retreats-daily-online-prayer/ 

Parish Mass
Click on this link for further details http://staug-yass.org.au/wp/sacraments/. 

Enjoy your week!
Eva Karakotas
Religious Education Coordinator

Love One Another

“This is my commandment,that you love one another as I have loved you” John 15:12

Gecko Sports
This term, grades 4 - 6 will be participating in softball clinics run by Gecko Sports. The clinics will run from week 2 - 5 every Thursday. To accommodate this, Sports days for Years 4 - 6 from weeks 2 -5 will be Tuesdays and Thursdays. From Week 6 onwards, sports days will revert to the normal Tuesdays and Fridays. If that makes no sense, below is a table that might clear things up for you:

Swimming Carnival
A massive thank you to all the staff and parent volunteers who helped out yesterday and contributed to the overall success of the carnival. We saw high levels of participation across all events and it was great to see the support and encouragement the kids offered each other throughout the day. The house Captains and house members did a great job of maintaining house spirit during the carnival, resulting in a very tight race for house bonus points. Ribbons and information about the Northern Region Carnival were distributed on the day. Age Champions and overall house winners will be announced and presented next week. Photos in next weeks newsletter. 


Northern Region Swimming Carnival
Mt Carmel is again hosting the Northern Region swimming carnival this year at Yass pool on 23rd February. Information, for those students who qualified, was distributed at our carnival yesterday. If your child didn’t get a note and you think they should have, please let me know. If your child received a note but is unable to attend the carnival, please let me know so another student can take their place. 


Meninga/Daley Legends Day North Canberra 2023 
The NRL are holding their annual Meninga/Daley Legends Day this year. The details are below

• Date: Tuesday 28th February 2023
• Location:  NSWRL HQ (2 Eade Street, Bruce) 
• Time: Teachers Meeting – 9.30am; First Games Kick Off – 10.00am; Day Concludes – 2.10pm

There will be 3/4 and 5/6 Male and Female competitions. If you wish to participate, please fill out the Google form using the attached link. Our participation in this event will be dependent on numbers and parental assistance.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1m3ZfbrIvFE8gOYjZ7Uy6yDyrS1cP0ZBcLGW0rHEdPh8/edit


Ted Dunstan
Sports Coordinator

Congratulations to the recipients of last week's Coordinator Awards. Awards are handed out at morning lines each Thursday.

It has been a busy and fun Friday in KAA. We made playdough shapes & animals, listened to our guest performer, Mr Green, sing 'All Things Bright & Beautiful', and we also enjoyed our Sport lesson with our Year 6 buddies!

4SS have enjoyed refreshing their multiplication facts by playing Multiplication Squares this week.

Thank you
Thank you to the Hodges family for their donation of books to the library.


The books have arrived!
Excitement is building around the school with the arrival of the books for the Scholastic Book Fair. Students will have the opportunity to browse the collection and make a Wish List in their library lesson.

Scholastic Book Fair and Grandparents and Older Friends Morning Tea

When: Friday 24 February

Where:  Lacey Library

Book Fair: 9.00am - 3.45pm

Morning Tea: 10.00am - 11.30 am

Selling Afternoons:

Monday 20 February   3.30 - 4.00pm
Tuesday 21 February   3.30 - 4.00pm

On Friday 24 February we will hold a Scholastic Book Fair in the Lacey Library. The students will be able to purchase books from the great range which Scholastic have provided. The more books sold, the more free books can be bought for the Lacey Library!

Parents, you are most welcome to visit the Book Fair on Friday with your children. If you can’t make it, we will visit the classrooms and collect any students who want to make a purchase and take them to the Book Fair. Alternatively, If you are unable to attend the Book Fair and you would like to purchase the book/s your children have chosen on their Book Fair Wish List you may do so online, using the steps outlined below.

There will be two selling afternoons, where you can purchase the books or place an order before the actual Book Fair.  This year you will be able to visit the Lacey Library on Monday 20 February and Tuesday 21 February from 3.30-4.00pm, to browse, purchase, or order books. Any orders will be sent off by email and returned to the school as soon as possible.

We would like students to invite their grandparents and older friends to the Book Fair and to have morning tea at Mt Carmel. If you can provide food for our morning tea that would be fantastic. Please drop off any morning tea donations to the front office on Friday morning. Remember to label any reusable containers with your name so they can be returned to you promptly.

We ask that any visitors to the library on the selling afternoons or those attending the Book Fair sign in to the school via the Front Office. Library monitors will be in the Front Office to assist you on the Friday and collect students from classrooms.

Please find attached an invitation which you may like to give to grandparents or older friends. We look forward to seeing you at the Book Fair!

Kind regards,
Natalie Broers
Teacher Librarian

Dear _______________________________________

You are invited to the Scholastic Book Fair and Grandparents and Older Friends Morning Tea at Mt Carmel School.

When: Friday 24 February

Where:  Lacey Library

Book Fair: 9.00am - 3.45pm

Morning Tea: 10.00am - 11.30 am

From _______________________________________

Have you ever thought about playing guitar?
Spaces are now avalable for 2023. Fill in the below form and drop back to the office to secure your place with Den.

Has your child ever thought about learning piano?
Margaret Hanson teaches lessons from the school Monday to Friday during school terms.
Please contact Margaret on 0407 285 420 if you have any questions or would like to secure a space for your child this year.