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Dear Parents, Teachers and Students,
Swimming Carnival
Last Friday’s Swimming Carnival was a wonderful day. Thank you to Mr Ted Dunstan for his organisation of this event; it is always a monumental task! My sincere thanks also to the parent volunteers, without whom we could not run a carnival. Thanks to Mrs Emma McEvoy for her delicious catering and to all of our teachers for their support and assistance. Congratulations to the 35 students who have progressed to the Northern Region carnival in Queanbeyan this Friday; swim well, and good luck to all!
Opening Mass
Our opening school Mass and induction of student leaders will be held at 9:45am tomorrow in the PAC. Unfortunately, due to COVID restrictions, we cannot invite families to attend our Opening Mass this year, with the exception of parents of our new student leaders.
Open Classrooms
Next Wednesday 17 February from 3:30pm to 5:30pm we will be holding Open Classrooms. This will be an opportunity for your child to show you their classroom and the work they have been doing so far this year, for you to meet your child’s teacher, if you haven’t already, and to find out about routines and information specific to their class. Open Classrooms are an informal opportunity to establish relationships with families early in the school year; they are not an occasion for individual parent-teacher meetings. Because of current COVID-19 restrictions, we must limit the number of families in each classroom at any given time. Please contact the school office on 6226 3357 to book a 15-minute time slot in your child’s classroom. Families who do not make a booking will be asked to wait if the room’s quota for that has been reached.
This year Mt Carmel School will be participating in a school-wide pilot program targeting students’ Social-Emotional Learning. SSIS-SEL (pronounced by us as sizzle: Social Skills Improvement Program—Social-Emotional Learning) is an evidence-based program in alignment with the Australian Curriculum’s Personal and Social Capabilities. Each fortnight’s SEL focus will be shared with families in the Carmeletta, to keep you informed of our progress and so that you can use the same language as us when talking with your child about their social and emotional needs. Being a pilot program, de-identified data will be collected on its effectiveness, so families will be provided with a consent form later this term. This will relate only to collection of data, not participation in the program. Mrs Miller will be having a Sizzle lesson with each class in the school one per fortnight. On the alternate week at the same time, each class will have a Music lesson with Mrs Harvey. We are very excited to have these two valuable classes throughout the school this year.
Mt Carmel Playgroup
Katrina Hodges will be running our Mt Carmel Playgroup again this year, starting next Thursday 18 February, in the Playgroup Room off the Dutton Street entrance to the Performing Arts Centre from 9-11am. Cost is $3 for the first child, then $1 for any additional children and includes morning tea. All welcome!
Kindergarten Rest Days and Assessment
A reminder to all our new Kindergarten families that Rest Days will continue on Wednesdays until Week 5. The final rest day will be on March 3, with full weeks commencing in Week 6. If you have not yet made an appointment time with your child’s teacher for the Best Start Kindergarten Assessment, please contact the school office as soon as possible – bookings are filling fast!
Shrove Tuesday
Ash Wednesday this year falls on 17 February, Week 3, marking the start of Lent, the period of preparation leading up to Easter. We will be celebrating Shrove Tuesday with a Pancake Recess. All dietary requirements will be catered for; please contact the school office if your child has any dietary needs that you are concerned may not be on our records. 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.
Uniform
A friendly reminder to all families of the importance of wearing correct school uniform, including socks, hats and jackets/jumpers. If you have any difficulties obtaining correct uniform, please feel free to contact me directly. Please also ensure that all items of uniform are clearly labelled with your child’s name.
Phones
Many families provide a mobile telephone for their child for safety reasons, especially when travelling to and from school independently. Mobile telephones are not to be used during the school day, and we ask that students leave them for safekeeping at the school office, to be collected at 3:10pm. Developments in technology have seen a variety of phone-enabled watches now available on the market; if families choose to provide one of these for their child the same policy applies: telephones are not to be used during the school day and we ask that they be left at the office for safekeeping or set to school-mode (telephone disabled) during school hours. Telephones used during school hours, including watches, will be confiscated.
GOSPEL: Mark 1:29-39
And at once on leaving the synagogue, he went with James and John straight to the house of Simon and Andrew. Now Simon's mother-in-law was in bed and feverish, and at once they told him about her. He went in to her, took her by the hand and helped her up. And the fever left her and she began to serve them. That evening, after sunset, they brought to him all who were sick and those who were possessed by devils. The whole town came crowding round the door, and he cured many who were sick with diseases of one kind or another; he also drove out many devils, but he would not allow them to speak, because they knew who he was. In the morning, long before dawn, he got up and left the house and went off to a lonely place and prayed there. Simon and his companions set out in search of him, and when they found him they said, 'Everybody is looking for you.' He answered, 'Let us go elsewhere, to the neighbouring country towns, so that I can proclaim the message there too, because that is why I came.' And he went all through Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out devils.
REFLECTION
This week in the Gospel, Jesus is ministering to the sick. The Gospel begins as Jesus leaves the synagogue. He and some of His disciples were going to Simon’s home. When Jesus arrives at Simon’s house, He is told that Simon’s mother-in-law was ill with a fever. Jesus went to her, took her hand, and helped her up. And immediately the fever left her!
As sunset was approaching, many people came to Jesus bringing their loved ones who were ill or possessed by demons. Mark writes that Jesus immediately healed those who were sick and He also drove out the demons. Very early the next morning, Jesus left and found a deserted place where He prayed. He must have needed some time to be quiet, to rest, and to be alone in prayer.
If Jesus came into our town our city, would we approach Him and ask Him to heal us? What is the healing we would hope for? Would it be a physical illness or a spiritual need? Would we ask Jesus to heal and restore someone we love? Would we ask Jesus to heal our world and cleanse us of our need to control or hurt one another? Today I invite you to reflect on the healing that you desire for yourself and for our world. God will hear our prayer. We may not get an immediate response but need to trust that God is at work. God will respond. How patient will we be? (Sr Kristine Anne Harpenau)
SHROVE TUESDAY
On Tuesday we will be celebrating Shrove Tuesday with a pancake recess and our annual Pancake Race after recess. Due to Covid-19 Restrictions it will be an in-school celebration this year with photos of the event to be shared with all families via our Facebook page and in next weeks newsletter.
So why do Catholics celebrate Shrove Tuesday? In Australia and Britain the day preceding Ash Wednesday is popularly known as Shrove Tuesday. It is also frequently called Pancake Tuesday or Fat Tuesday.
But it is the name “Shrove” that shows its religious origins. Shrove is the past tense of the English verb “Shrive” which means to obtain absolution for one’s sins by way of confession and by doing penance.
With Shrove Tuesday taking place before the start of Lent on Ash Wednesday, it was the day when Christians were encouraged to go to confession in preparation for the penitential season that would end 40 days and 40 nights later with Easter Sunday.
Dating back to 1000 AD, over the years Shrove Tuesday not only became a day for Confession but a time for Catholics to feast on eggs, sugar and dairy which are traditionally restricted during the Lenten fast.
Not only was Shrove Tuesday a last chance to gorge on such foods but it was also a way to use them up before the fast began.
(https://www.catholicweekly.com.au/shrove-tuesday/)
WHAT DOES A PRIEST DO?
Today Stage One met with Father Peter My to find out what it is that a priest does. Father explained that he was called to his vocation as he wanted to serve the community and could think of no better way of doing so, than celebrating God's love with everyone. His primary role is to provide pastoral guidance for us all and does this by celebrating mass, his involvement throughout the school, his work with the sick and elderly, his work with prisoners and he is also responsible for looking after the entire Vietnamese community in the Canberra-Goulburn Diocese. When he is not working, Father Peter spends time with his mother in Sydney and catching up with his five brothers and four sisters. What an inspiration Father Peter is!
God Bless,
Warren Ziebowski
Religious Education Coordinator
Mt Carmel Swimming Carnival
A big thank you to all those people who helped to make the swimming carnival a success. Special thanks must go to:
- Mrs Glover - who gave up a considerable amount of her time during the week and on the day to show me the ropes.
- Mrs Allan and Donna Wullaert - who corrected all my mistakes on Meet Manager and kept immaculate records of all events.
- Mr Green - who performed CPR on my computer and managed to revive it for long enough to run the carnival.
We are currently waiting for a delivery of medallions to be presented to our successful swimming champions. When they have arrived we will schedule a time for an assembly to present them along with ribbons and announce the winning house. Parents and guardians will be notified via the newsletter and SZapp.
Photos from the swimming carnival will be in next weeks newsletter.
Northern Regions Swimming Carnival
Good luck to the 35 participants representing Mt Carmel at the Northern Regions carnival in Queanbeyan on Friday. Mrs Allen will be present at the carnival to help people get to the events they have been registered for. Participants have been given information about the carnival, please read it carefully, particularly information relating to Covid regulations. If you have not already, please return permission slips to Mr Dunstan as soon as possible.
Trials for Year 5 and 6 students
AFL (Combined Canberra Goulburn/Wollongong Boys trials) – Tuesday 16 March (Wollongong)
Soccer – Friday 12 March (Lyneham, ACT)
Cricket - Friday 19th March (Gundagai)
Please check the C & G sport website and the Facebook page for information about upcoming events including winter trials for netball, rugby league, hockey and touch football.
Ted Dunstan
Sports Coordinator
The focus in Sizzle for the next 2 lessons will be on Personal Strengths. Personal strengths help us to learn new things, to be fair and get along with others, to help us stay in control of our emotions and behaviour and to cope with challenges. We will identify what personal strengths are and how we use them every day, explore building strengths through cooperative games and investigate how different strengths help people to learn and thrive.
We had lots of fun this week building strengths through cooperative games using balloons.
Just a reminder that due to COVID restrictions we will be having the Scholastic Book Fair but in a different way. Unfortunately, the Grandparents’ Morning Tea will have to be cancelled and maybe, if everything improves, we could have it later on in the year.
Book Fair
The books are arriving at Mt Carmel next Monday, 15th February. The students will get to see them during their library lessons. They will be given a wish list for you to view and speak together about the book/books they would like to purchase. If you are happy with their choice, just fill in the bank details of the wish list or send in cash in an envelope. We will then give the students the books they have purchased. If you would like to visit the Book Fair with your child/children, you will need to book a time to visit the library.
The times available to visit the library are outlined below.
Week 3
Tuesday 16 and Thursday 18 February - 3.30pm- 5pm
Week 4
Monday 22, Tuesday 23 and Thursday 25 February - 3.30pm - 5pm
Friday 26 February - 9am - 3pm
If you would like to book a time to visit the library, please call the office on 6226 3357. Parents will also have to sign in before entering the library.
Regards,
Evelyn Turner
Teacher/librarian
This term, Fish Bites and Fish Burgers will be available on Fridays only, as these items will replace Meat Pies and Sausage Rolls during Lent. Lent will run from Wednesday 17 February to Saturday 3 April.
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.
The St Augustine's Youth Group for Year 5-6 strudents is commencing today, Wednesday 10th February. The group will be run from 3.30pm-5.00pm each fornight during the school term. Clare Barry will be running the group each week and students can meet Clare outside the PAC after school and walk around to the Hartigan Centre together.
Due to COVID regulations, it is requested at all students who will be attending to contact Clare to RSVP and for catering purposes. If any students or parents have any questions, please contact Clare on 0418840650.