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Dear Parents, Teachers and Students,
Parent Teacher Interviews and Reports
Reports and Parent-Teacher Interviews are a vital way to provide parents with specific information about their child’s achievement and progress. In response to the changed learning circumstances in Term 1 and Term 2, the timeline for and processes of reporting for Semester 1 have been modified. Parent-Teacher Interviews will be held in Week 8 and reports will be sent home on the last day of term.
Parent-Teacher Interviews will be held on Monday 15 June, 3:30pm to 5:30pm, Tuesday 16 June, 3:30pm to 5:30pm and Wednesday 17 June, 3:30pm to 6:30pm.
Interviews will be 15 minutes duration and, to maintain appropriate social-distancing, will be held in classrooms. All family members attending will be required to sanitise their hands when entering the classroom. No-one who is unwell or exhibiting symptoms of respiratory illness should attend an interview; we will be happy to reschedule if this is the case.
Interviews will, as usual, be an opportunity to discuss the individual achievements and progress of students and set learning goals for further development. In recognition of the significant efforts of many families to support their child’s remote learning, prior to reports being finalised interviews will also, if appropriate, be an opportunity to provide teachers with valuable insights into your child’s successes, challenges and overall engagement with learning from home.
Bookings will be open from 8am on Tuesday 9 June, Week 7, via SZapp and the school website. You will not be provided with any login details from the school; each family will need to create their own account using a valid email address. Alternatively, parents can contact the school office to make a booking.
The Semester 1 Report covers work completed in both Term 1 and Term 2. Student achievement will be reported as an A-E grade for Year 1 to Year 6 in the three core areas of Religious Education, English and Mathematics (Kindergarten students do not receive A-E grades; their achievement is reported using a three-point scale of Competent, Developing and Experiencing Difficulty). Other subjects and strands may receive a grade if the teacher has sufficient evidence of learning, otherwise ‘Not assessed’ will be displayed. This is in recognition that, although learning throughout the semester has been rigorous, the circumstances of schooling mean that in some subjects or strands it may not be possible to make an overall judgement about a student’s achievement against specific curriculum outcomes.
A new section ‘Engagement with Learning’ has been developed to replace the ‘Personal and Social Capabilities’. The new statements are based on the Australian Curriculum: General Capabilities and target four key areas of learning engagement: Thinking, Communication, Responsibility and Collaboration. The inclusion of the ‘Engagement with Learning’ statements means that the General Comment section of the report is not required; the statements give detailed information on your child’s approach to learning.
ThinkUKnow
ThinkUKnow is a national program aimed at providing parents, carers, teachers and students information, resources and advice about how to stay safe online. Over the coming three days, 3-5 June, The Australian Federal Police will be hosting a series of live ThinkUKnow cyber-safety presentations via Facebook. Click here to join the event: https://www.facebook.com/ThinkUKnowAustralia/
And speaking of cyber-safety, a couple of instances have been brought to my attention recently that make it worth a reminder to all of the importance of monitoring your child’s use of technology. Whilst each family will make their own decisions about their child’s access to social media, the mainstream social media platforms in Australia – Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok, Snapchat – all have a minimum age of 13 in their terms and conditions; these must never be used by students at school nor have any content captured at school posted to them. Social media platforms are not the only apps that can cause concern. Chat and message functions, whether individual or group, can often expose children to inappropriate language and content. Your child's access and use of these services should also be regularly checked.
McAuley House
Under the House Spirit spotlight this week is McAuley House, winner of the House Spirit Cup two weeks in a row! McAuley House is named for Catherine McAuley, who founded the Sisters of Mercy in 1831 in Dublin, Ireland. Mount Carmel Yass was set up by the Sisters of Mercy in 1876. Within fifty years of the founding of the Sisters of Mercy, Catherine McAuley's order had reached the far corners of the globe. She is remembered for her compassion towards others and her astute organisational skills. The McAuley House Colour, Green, reminds us that Catherine McAuley was born on the Emerald Isle, and that our founding sisters came from Ireland. Our Mount Carmel Story owes its origins to the Missionary spirit of the Irish Catholic clergy.
Queen’s Birthday Long Weekend
And finally, I hope that everyone has a restful mid-term break for the upcoming Queen’s Birthday Long Weekend and that all who are on the roads travel safely.
May God’s peace be in your families,
GOSPEL: John 20:19-23
In the evening of that same day, the first day of the week, the doors were closed in the room where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews. Jesus came and stood among them. He said to them, 'Peace be with you,' and, after saying this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples were filled with joy at seeing the Lord, and he said to them again, 'Peace be with you. 'As the Father sent me, so am I sending you.' After saying this he breathed on them and said: Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone's sins, they are forgiven; if you retain anyone's sins, they are retained.
REFLECTION
This Gospel begins by describing how Jesus’ disciples had locked themselves in a room. They were afraid of the Jews. Imagine this scene! Here are eleven grown men locked in a fairly small room, fearful of what might happen to them. So much for Jesus’ “brave disciples.”
Then Jesus quietly appears in their midst. Did they rub their eyes wondering if something was wrong with their eyesight? Did they think they were going crazy when they saw Jesus? Did they immediately recognize that this apparition was Jesus, their beloved friend and teacher?
Jesus quietly and simply said to his beloved friends and disciples: “Peace be with you.” I suspect that the primary emotion the disciples experienced when they saw this apparition was not “peace.” Rather, I assume that they felt shock, fear, disbelief, astonishment and perhaps hope. Did they ask themselves: How could this be? Is this real? Is Jesus truly here with us?
Then Jesus showed his beloved friends his hands and his side. Did Jesus do this so they would know and believe that Jesus truly was in their midst? I suspect that the disciples needed some proof that this apparition truly was Jesus, their teacher and friend. Yet as they began to absorb the fact that Jesus truly was with them once again, they rejoiced. They were awed and amazed!
Jesus once again said to his disciples: “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” Did the disciples experience peace envelop them when Jesus spoke these simple yet powerful words? Jesus then breathed on them and said: “Receive the Holy Spirit! Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained!”
Take a moment and hear Jesus say to you: “Peace be with you (your name)! Then quietly breathe in Jesus’ gift of peace for 3-4 minutes! Allow Jesus’ peace to envelop you, to fill you! (Do it, don’t just read the sentence and move on!)
What was your experience? Do you feel Jesus’ peace within you? Do you feel less stressed or worried? Jesus gives us the gift of peace every day! However, we have to consciously accept and absorb His peace! If we do this every day, we may find that we are more peaceful, relaxed and joyful! (Sr Kristine Anne Harpenau)
MASS SERVICES
Mass services at St Augustine's Church have recommenced. The following information has been provided by the Presbytery.
This weekend we begin a new phase of gathering after lockdown and we will return to our normal timetable. There will be Mass on Saturday morning at 9am, especially for older parishioners. A Vigil Mass will be held at 6pm and Sunday morning at 10:15am, both held in St. Augustine’s. Until we are permitted 100 at gatherings, this week will be for those with surnames A-M and the following weekend, N-Z. Those distributing Holy Communion will need to sanitise hands before and after distribution. Collection baskets will be handled only by those collecting. There will be no need to put your names down for weekday, Wednesday 5:30pm, Thursday 7:30pm and Friday 12noon. Mass at Gunning will be at the usual time, 8:30am Sunday.
NATIONAL RECONCILIATION WEEK
On Monday our school commenced the celebration of National Reconciliation Week with a special prayer service prepared by our Aboriginal Contact Teacher, Mrs Sheree Shoring. It was a wonderful time to reflect on the achievements Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples have made, and yet a timely reminder of the work we still need to do for a fair and equitable future. The theme for National Reconciliation Week in 2020 is In This Together!
ORDINARY TIME
Now that Easter has concluded, we return to Ordinary Time in the Liturgical Calendar.
Ordinary Time is called "ordinary" not because it is common but simply because the weeks of Ordinary Time are numbered. The Latin word ordinalis, which refers to numbers in a series, stems from the Latin word ordo, from which we get the English word order. Thus, the numbered weeks of Ordinary Time, in fact, represent the ordered life of the Church—the period in which we live our lives neither in feasting (as in the Christmas and Easter seasons) or in more severe penance (as in Advent and Lent), but in watchfulness and expectation of the Second Coming of Christ.
Thus for Catholics, Ordinary Time is the part of the year in which Christ, the Lamb of God, walks among us and transforms our lives. There's nothing "ordinary" about that! https://www.learnreligions.com/ordinary-time-in-the-catholic-church-542442
God Bless,
Warren Ziebowski
Religious Education Coordinator
If you are experiencing problems and can not place your child/rens order prior to 9am on Thursday or Friday mornings, please call the office and place your order with Carol or Emma. A note can be sent home and payment made via the 'Money Owed to Canteen' tab within Qkr.
The Mt Carmel School Uniform Shop is open each Tuesday afternoon between 2.30pm– 4.00pm during school terms.
Ordering Options - Uniform orders can be placed online via Qkr! or by order form, which can be collected and paid for from the front office.
All Qkr! orders placed before 2pm each Tuesday will be bundled up and sent home with your child on Wednesday afternoon.
Please note that if the incorrect size/item is ordered or the size selected does not fit correctly, please return the item along with a note regarding changes required and the correct size/item can be sent home.