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Welcome Back
I would like to extend a very warm welcome back for Term 3 to all students, families and staff. I trust that the two-week break provided an opportunity to refresh and unwind, and that all are now ready to take on the challenges of a new term. It’s been lovely catching up with students on the playground and hearing about their holiday break. On our Staff PL Day Monday, Mt Carmel teachers gathered with staff from Ss Peter and Paul’s Goulburn, St Joseph’s Goulburn and St Bede’s Braidwood for a wonderful day with teacher and musician Andrew Chinn, exploring music for prayer, liturgy and scripture.
Lost Property
On the last day of school last term, two Razor scooters and two matching helmets—one pink, one blue—were left in the bike cage. They were moved into the office for safekeeping and are waiting to be claimed. Also a pair of black and pink Converse glasses have been handed to the office.
NAIDOC Mass
NAIDOC Week celebrates the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and is a great opportunity for all Australians to learn more about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. This year’s theme for NAIDOC Week is, ‘Voice. Treaty. Truth. Let's work together for a shared future’. On Friday Mr Ziebowski and I, along with our Aboriginal students and selected student leaders, will travel to Canberra to attend the NAIDOC Mass at St Christopher’s Cathedral.
100 Days of Kindergarten
Next Monday 29 July marks a special day for some of our students—100 days of Kindergarten! KJG and KNB will mark the day with a fun exploration of the number 100.
Mt Carmel Day
The feast day of Our Lady of Mt Carmel is on 16 July, but as this occurred during the school holidays we will be celebrating the Feast next Friday 2 August. The day will commence with a whole-school Mass at 9:45am in St Augustine’s Church; parents and families are most welcome to join us at this Mass. After Recess students will participate in rotation activities to learn about our history, have fun with their friends and celebrate our wonderful school.
Flu
There are always plenty of bugs and germs going around in the winter months and this year has been no exception, with lots of students and teachers away sick towards the end of last term. There have been several confirmed cases of Influenza A within the school community so if your child is unwell, especially with symptoms of fever, cough, body aches and lethargy, please do not send them to school.
Afternoon Bus / Pickup
This term we will be trialling a new afternoon routine. Bus lines will now be held in the PAC; there is more space for everyone to sit and students can be more comfortable regardless of weather conditions. Students who are awaiting pickup from the front gate will now sit on the benches outside the PAC where bus lines used to be. This should reduce congestion around the front gate and school office at what is always a busy time of day.
Road Safety
The start of a new term is a good time for my regular reminders about road safety and courtesy to our neighbours.
The NSW Centre for Road Safety notes that children are fast and small, impulsive, easily distracted and have little or no sense of danger. They find it hard to judge the direction of sounds, the speed and distance of oncoming vehicles and the gaps between them and are still learning to identify safe crossing places and anticipate driver behaviour. Boys are twice as likely to be involved in child pedestrian casualties as girls.
Ways to improve your child's safety
- Children up to eight years old should hold an adult's hand on the footpath, in the car park or when crossing the road.
- Children up to 10 should be supervised around traffic and should hold an adult's hand when crossing the road.
- When walking with your children, talk to them about about safe crossing procedures and traffic safety regulations
- Set a good example. Parents and carers are the best road safety teachers.
- Teach your children to be aware of the traffic environment: distractions such as wearing headphones or playing with friends on the way to or from school can make them more vulnerable to danger.
- Make sure your driving and parking are not endangering your own or others' children. Obey all parking signs and speed limits, and always be on the lookout for the unexpected. Many traffic safety issues around schools arise from the poor driving and parking behaviour of parents.
- Never call your child across the road.
Please park only in marked spaces on Meehan and Rossi Streets and on the far side of Dutton Street. Please remember that, before and after school, the near side of Dutton Street is designated as a Bus Zone in front of the PAC and as No Parking from the school office to Meehan St. In a No Parking zone, drivers are permitted to stop for up to two minutes to pick up or drop off passengers and must remain within three metres of their vehicle. Please also note that it is illegal to perform a U-Turn across the double, unbroken lines that run the length of Dutton Street. Many traffic and parking offences carry additional fines and demerits if committed within a designated School Zone, and this year there has been an increased police presence on the roads around our school.
Please be patient and attentive to all road rules around the school; a few moments of inconvenience are a small price to pay for the ongoing safety of the children in our community.
GOSPEL: Luke 10:38-42
In the course of their journey he came to a village, and a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. She had a sister called Mary, who sat down at the Lord's feet and listened to him speaking. Now Martha, who was distracted with all the serving, came to him and said, 'Lord, do you not care that my sister is leaving me to do the serving all by myself? Please tell her to help me.' But the Lord answered, 'Martha, Martha,' he said, 'you worry and fret about so many things, and yet few are needed, indeed only one. It is Mary who has chosen the better part, and it is not to be taken from her.'
REFLECTION
This week we have the familiar story of Martha and Mary. As we know Martha was the workaholic and Mary was the contemplative. When Jesus came to the town where Mary and Martha lived, he went to their home. Martha welcomed him and then immediately went to the kitchen to prepare a delicious meal for him. Most likely Jesus had not had a home-cooked meal in quite a while.
Mary, however, sat down at Jesus’ feet. She talked with him and listened attentively to him. Over time, Martha began to get angry. She was doing all the work! In Martha’s mind, the least Mary could do was ask her if she needed some help. However, Mary did not do so. Martha was upset and angry. Here she was slaving away at the stove while Mary sat at Jesus’ feet.
Finally Martha’s anger escalated to the point where she had to express it. She says to Jesus: “Lord, do you not care that Mary has left me to do all the work? Tell her to help me!” However, Jesus does not respond to Martha as she anticipated. Jesus gently scolded Martha for being so anxious and worried. He then tells Martha: “There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.”
Now put yourself in Martha’s shoes. How do you think you would respond to this seeming reprimand? Would you react as Martha did (at least initially)? Or would you pause and reflect on Jesus’ statement and your reaction to his statement? Or would you think to yourself: am I jealous of Mary’s relationship with Jesus? Or are my priorities out of order?’
Today Jesus is asking each of us: What takes priority in my life? One way to answer this question might be to ask ourselves: How do I use my time? Do I fritter it away? Do I work 12 hours a day? Do I spend quality time with the people I care about? Do I make time for prayer? Do I spend time with God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit?
No one else needs to know the answers to these questions. However, your answers to these questions may give you some insight into your life. In our busy and distracting world, it is very easy to get “off-track.” Today Jesus is inviting us to come away and spend time with him. What a wonderful invitation! Will we accept this invitation? Or will we ignore this invitation? (Sr Kristine Anne Harpenau)
VINNIES WINTER APPEAL
I would like to extend our gratitude to all families who contributed to the Vinnies Winter Appeal by donating canned food. We had such an amazing response that we were able to deliver fifteen overflowing baskets to St Vincent de Paul to distribute to those in need here in our own community.
NAIDOC PRAYER SERVICE
On Thursday 25th July, 5/6MA will be leading us in a prayer service to celebrate NAIDOC Week at 9am in the PAC.
NAIDOC originally stood for ‘National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee’. This committee was once responsible for organising national activities during NAIDOC Week and its acronym has since become the name of the week itself.
NAIDOC Week celebrations are held across Australia each July to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. NAIDOC is celebrated not only in Indigenous communities, but by Australians from all walks of life. The week is a great opportunity to participate in a range of activities and to support your local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community. (https://www.naidoc.org.au/about/naidoc-week)
We extend a warm welcome to all members of our school community to join us in this celebration.
STAFF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT DAY
On Monday our Mt Carmel Staff travelled to Goulburn to participate in a professional development day with Andrew Chinn. The day was broken into three sessions. The first session looked at music and daily prayer and music for special occasions in the life of a school. The second session looked at music and liturgy in the Catholic Primary School- how and why we choose the music. The third session looked at bringing scripture to life through music. The staff had a wonderful day and have brought back many new skills that they can implement within their classrooms.
MT CARMEL DAY MASS
On Friday 2nd August, our school will be celebrating Mt Carmel Day commencing with a mass at 9:45am in St Augustine's Church.
God Bless,
Warren Ziebowski
Religious Education Coordinator
Congratulations to the recipients of Term 2 Week 10 Coordinator Merits, which focused on 'Catholic Values'.
KJG |
KNB |
1EK |
1JR Josephine Streatfeild Fletcher Douglas |
1SS |
2HR Emily Foran Harry Kennedy |
3LS |
3TC Lyle Arnold Jake Willaert |
4EG |
4SS |
5/6JH |
5/6MA Molly McPherson Jack Kelk |
5/6WZ |
Merits will be presented at Thursday morning's assembly.
Year 6 and SRC Photos - Order Form
Good luck to all the students who will be participating in the final Reach assessment
next week.
Subject | Date |
Mathematics | Tuesday 6 August |
Front room of the PAC (off Dutton Street)
$3 for the first child, $1 for each subsequent child
Morning tea provided.
Everyone Welcome
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 from 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 Catholic Parish of St Augustine’s, Yass, invites children in Year 6 or older, who have made their First Eucharist, to continue their journey in faith by preparing for the Sacrament of Confirmation. If you believe your child is ready to take this next step and you are prepared to be involved in the journey, please enrol your child at St Augustine’s Presbytery this afternoon, Wednesday 31st July or tomorrow, Thursday 1st August between 5:00-6:00pm. For further details and to print an enrolment form please visit the parish website www.staug-yass.org.au/wp/sacraments or contact Dianne Carey (Sacramental Team Leader) on 0419 276 889.
Sacraments of Confirmation will take place on Sunday 8th September 2019 at 10am.
Confirmation
Registration- Wednesday 31 July and Thursday 1 August 5-6pm Presbytery
Commitment Mass -Saturday 3 August 6pm St. Augustine's and Sunday 4 August 10.30am Uniting Church Hall Murrumbateman
Church Liturgy 1 -Thursday 15 August 7pm St Augustine's
Church Liturgy 2 -Thursday 29 August 7pm St Augustine's
Reflection Day - Friday 6 September 9am-3.10pm Hartigan Centre and St Augustine's
Sacrament of Confirmation - Sunday 8 September 10am St Augustine's