Dear Parents, Teachers and Students, 


Vinnies CEO Sleepout and Beanie Day
Tomorrow is the big night, when I will be joining a team of Catholic Principals from our Archdiocese in support of the Vinnies CEO Sleepout. We will be sleeping rough at the Museum of Australian Democracy, at Old Parliament House, to help raise funds and awareness for the vital work Vinnies does in our region supporting individuals and families experiencing, or at risk of experiencing, homelessness. Whether because of cost of living pressures, the experience of domestic and family violence, mental health concerns, addiction, or any number of other causes, the problem of homelessness is a terrible one; and although it is less visible in regional areas than in the metropolitan centres, families in our own community will be relying on Vinnies this winter for support.

Catholic Social Teaching articulates – among other things – the innate and inalienable dignity of every single person, our moral obligation to care for the vulnerable and marginalised, and that to stand in solidarity with our neighbour is more than an act of charity, it is a fundamental act of justice. My personal goal is to raise $4000 for this important cause this year. If you are in a position to help, please consider going to https://www.ceosleepout.org.au/fundraisers/michaelgreen/act to make a donation.

Students have been asked to wear a Beanie to school tomorrow, in solidarity with my sleep-out, and bring a gold coin donation, which will go directly to our local Vinnies Conference to support the vital works they perform in our immediate community.

Semester 1 Reports and Open Classrooms
Teachers are busy preparing Semester 1 Reports, which will be published to families on Thursday of Week 10. We will be holding Open Classrooms between 3:30pm and 5:30pm next Wednesday 25 June (Week 9), so your child can show you through their classroom and share some of the work they have been doing this semester and provide some important context and insights into their report.

To help parents in understanding their child’s report, I’d like to share some information about what the grades represent, because there can be misunderstandings.

The common grade scales (A-E), which appear on our Year 1 to Year 6 reports, summarise the standard or quality of achievement associated with different grades or levels. The scales describe the knowledge, understanding and skills that students working at each grade typically demonstrate:

A – The student has an extensive knowledge and understanding of the content and can readily apply this knowledge. In addition, the student has achieved a very high level of competence in the processes and skills and can apply these skills to new situations.

B – The student has a thorough knowledge and understanding of the content and a high level of competence in the processes and skills. In addition, the student is able to apply this knowledge and these skills to most situations.

C – The student has a sound knowledge and understanding of the main areas of content and has achieved an adequate level of competence in the processes and skills.

D – The student has a basic knowledge and understanding of the content and has achieved a limited level of competence in the processes and skills.

E – The student has an elementary knowledge and understanding in few areas of the content and has achieved very limited competence in some of the processes and skills.

Grades are not allocated on individual test scores or assessment pieces, but are on-balance professional judgements based on the ‘Big Picture’ of each student’s work across the semester, including observations, ongoing anecdotal records, and other contextual information known by the teacher. An important part of this judgement is dialogue that occurs between teachers across Year and Stage levels, to enhance the level of consistency in our student reporting. Teachers are not limited to set numbers of each grade within their class and the full range of grades can be used at any point in time in relation to what has been taught. Therefore it’s possible for every student in a class to receive a grade of A for any given subject (or an E, for that matter), as long as they each demonstrated skills and understandings that met the appropriate criteria, as described above.

It is a common misconception that a B or an A means that a student is working a year (or two) above their year level, or the opposite for a D or an E; this is NOT the case. So a Year 3 student who achieves a D grade in Mathematics, for example, is not deemed to be working at a Year 2 level of achievement; rather, they have been assessed as demonstrating a basic knowledge and understanding of the Year 3 content covered in that semester.

Likewise, it is also not the case that a change from, for example, a B to a C from one semester to the next means that a student is going backwards in their learning, because they are not assessed on the same content from one semester to the next.

As always, whatever your child’s report looks like, take the opportunity to take time with your child to sit and talk about the learning they have undertaken so far this year. Celebrate their successes and help them work out strategies for the areas that may need further development. And although we are not holding formal parent-teacher interviews at this time, as they were held at the start of the term, please remember that parents are always welcome to make an appointment to speak with their child’s teacher whenever there is a need to discuss issues around learning, wellbeing, or any other aspect of school life.


2025 Non Government Schools Census Collection Data
On behalf of the Australian Government Department of Education, I would like to advise all staff, parents and guardians that the department will collect certain information about Mt Carmel School, its staff and student body as part of the 2025 Non-government schools census collection which will occur in August. Please refer to the attached document for further information.


Term Dates
The last day of attendance for students this term will be Thursday 3 July, and students return for Term 3 on Tuesday 22 July. The Friday of Week 10 and Monday of Week 1 will be staff professional development and administration days.
I will be taking a period of leave spanning Week 10 of Term 2 through Week 1 of Term 3; Mrs Jan Harvey will be Acting Principal in my absence. I trust that everyone in the Mt Carmel School community will have a restful and enjoyable mid-year break. Travel safely, if you are going away, stay warm, and I look forward to seeing everyone when I return in Week 2.

Michael Green
Principal