Dear Parents, Teachers and Students, 


Book Week
It was lovely that so many families were able to join us for last Wednesday’s Book Week parade. It was a tremendous success and your children all looked wonderful in their costumes.

My thanks and congratulations one final time to Mrs Broers and Mrs Patmore for all the preparation that is required or Book Week and for the amazing transformation of the Library, and to all the staff for their enthusiastic participation, jumping on board CarmelAir Flight BW2025, and for their preparation of the creative class book displays. If there are any families who have not yet had the chance to visit the Library, it’s not too late. Feel free to drop in before Friday; the Library will be returning to normal next week.

My thanks, also, to Liz and Luke Da Deppo, George Caldow and Geogina Shannon for their help with the BBQ lunch.


Parish Jubilee Pilgrimage Mass
Following last Saturday’s pilgrimage walk, St Augustine’s Parish has another Jubilee Year pilgrimage opportunity. This Sunday, in addition to the usual 10:15am Mass, there will be a parish Mass held at St Clement’s Retreat Centre, Galong, at 1pm, followed by a picnic lunch. All are welcome!


Feast of St Augustine Prayer Service
Tomorrow morning (Thursday) at 9am, 4 Gold will be leading a prayer service in the PAC to celebrate the Feast of St Augustine, patron of our parish. As always, families are warmly invited to attend.

St Augustine was a great thinker and theologian of the early church. He wrote prolifically, and there are many well-known and often quoted lines attributed to him, including the following reflection on helping others:

"Since you cannot do good to all, you are to pay special attention to those who, by the accidents of time, or place, or circumstances, are brought into closer connection with you.”

My challenge to our school community on this Feast Day is to look for ways to enact this precept, not just in acts of kindness to our friends, families and those whom we care for, which is easy, but for whomever and whenever it is needed.


Morning Supervision
A reminder to families that our playground supervision commences at 8:30am, and we ask for your cooperation in making arrangements to ensure that your children are not sent to school before this time.

On wet weather mornings, students are supervised in the PAC until 8:45am, when all students already present are collected by their classroom teacher. Any students arriving after this time may proceed directly to their own classroom.


Father’s Day Prayer Service
Sunday 7 September is Father’s Day. Next Friday 5 September, at 9am, Kinder Blue will be hosting our Father’s Day prayer service in the PAC. All families, but especially dads and other significant male role-models, are warmly invited to attend. I pray that all of the fathers, grandfathers and other men who are special in the lives of our children have a truly blessed day.


Week 7 Daytime Disco
On Friday 5 September, the SRC will be hosting a Daytime Disco, with the theme ‘Fast Forward to the Future!’ Students are invited to come dressed as what they would like to be when they’re grown up. The K-2 disco will be held at recess; the 3-6 disco will be held at lunch. There will be no charge to attend the disco, but the SRC will be selling snacks and drinks, so bring some gold coins if you would like to purchase a treat or two!


Irish and Celtic Music Festival Children’s Workshops
On 20-21 September, as part of the Yass Irish and Celtic Music Festival, Mt Carmel will be hosting the Junior Fleadh. 

Fleadh (pronounced flah) is a Celtic word that means festival, and it is a chance for students who are interested in Irish music to come and join in free instrumental and dance workshops, culminating in a concert to showcase what the children have learned; all experience levels are welcome. More information and an RSVP QR code can be found further in this newsletter.

May God’s peace be in your families, 

Michael Green
Principal

Religious Education in the Classroom
Welcome to Week 4! Kindergarten students are examining how sacred places can provide a location for faith communities to gather and celebrate. Mt Carmel School and St Augustine’s parish have many unique sacred places that invite staff, students and families to gather and celebrate. K Blue and K Gold visited 3 Red to explore their sacred place and join in Christian Meditation. 3 Red students explained what sacred symbols are in their prayer space to help them become closer to God.   

Religious Life of Mt Carmel School
Mt Carmel Day Celebrations
Our Mt Carmel community celebrated the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Mary and the Feast Day of Our Lady of Mt Carmel with a Marian Mass on Friday 15 August 2025. Students enjoyed a cupcake and participated in Mt Carmel Day activities.

Mt Carmel School’s Upcoming Celebrations
Parents and the wider community are warmly invited to celebrate with us.

Prayer

God our Father,

Help us to know of our salvation in your love poured out in Christ your Son.

Just as you have reserved a place for us at your heavenly table,

May there always be a place in our heart and so a chair at our table for those most in need

We ask this prayer through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

St Augustine’s Parish News
Confirmation

Sunday 14 September, 10.30am, St Augustine's Church.
Please pray for the children as they prepare for their Confirmation.

Ruby Laughton
Fletcher Lees
Alex Warhurst
Lachlan Inkster
Mikayla Black
Heath Wood
Dylan O’Reilly
Charlie Field
Magnus Felizardo
Kalon Vu
Zoe Medway
Mabel Adie
Caitlin Guiney
Conor Guiney
Isla Townsend
Jaxon Field
Harrington Roser 
Hugh McPherson
Zoe Leahy
Lily Butt
Ruby Hallam

Children's Liturgy

Children are invited to attend Children’s Liturgy every second and fourth Sunday of the month. 

Wishing you all a blessed week.

Eva Karakotas
Religious Education Coordinator

Canberra Goulburn Athletics Carnival
Congratulations to all the Mt Carmel students who represented Northern Region at the Canberra Goulburn athletics carnival at the AIS on August 21. Good luck to Zoey Mitchell, Jack Maher and Mabel Adie who qualified for the MacKillop Athletics Championships in Sydney on Wednesday 24th of September.


Todd Woodbridge Cup
The Stage 2 Todd Woodbridge Cup tournament, which was scheduled to be played today, was postponned due to the weather. If there are any additional Year 3 or 4 girls who would like to join this team please use the link below to register. The new date for Stage 2 is Friday 19 September. If you have already registered, you do not hav to do register again. 

The Stage 3 team will compete on 3rd September. You are still able to register for the Stage 3 team if you are interested using the link below:

Stage 2 Todd Woodbridge Cup

Stage 3 Todd Woodbridge Cup

Boorowa Touch and Netball Carnival 2025
Our school will be participating in the Boorowa Touch and Netball Carnival next term. The format of the day will be a gala day with schools playing in a round-robin competition. 

Date:                   Friday 24 October 2025 (Friday Week 2, Term 4)

Venue:                Boorowa Showgrounds, Ballyryan Road, Boorowa.

Transportation:  By private car.

Cost:                   $5.00 per student to cover team registration.

There will be a canteen operating at the fields and qualified First Aid trained people will be present during the day. All players will compete in their Mt Carmel sport uniform. 

The Touch teams will consist of 10 players per team (7 on the field) and the Netball teams will consist of 10 players per team (7 on the field and maximum 3 boys per team). Students will compete in their year groups from Year 2 to Year 6.

It is an expectation that all Year 2-6 students attend the event. Teachers have organised students into mixed year-level teams according to their preferred sport. Although it is an expectation that students attend, if you know your child will be absent on the day, please let their class teacher know so that they can plan accordingly.

We will require referees and coaches for the day, if you are able to assist, we will provide a link in the coming weeks to outline your availability. 

Payment of $5 to cover registrations will be available to make via Compass in the coming days. 


Sports Trials
If you have children in Year 5 or 6 who are interested in trialling for Canberra Goulburn sporting teams, please check the following website regularly for upcoming events:

November Trials - Primary Cricket (for 2026), Basketball - Boys and Girls (for 2026),
Tennis - Boys and Girls (for 2026)

https://www.sport.cg.catholic.edu.au/calendar

Ted Dunstan
Sports Coordinator

NSW Premier’s Reading Challenge
Congratulations to the following students who have recently completed the 2025 NSW Premier’s Reading Challenge.

Jessica Di Sisto
Lewis Gianchou
Zoe Di Sisto
George Pidgeon
Fletcher Lees

The 2025 PRC has been extended it now closes to students on Friday 19 September 2025 (Week 9, Term 3).

Celebrating Book Week 2025
Our Book Week celebrations were great fun last week. Students were able to celebrate books, authors and illustrators in a variety of ways.

Year 5 Book Week Dance
On Monday, students were given a preview of the Year 5 Book Week dance and invited to join the fun. Well done to the Year 5 students for such an entertaining dance performance at the parade! Thank you to Ms Grace and Mrs Leahy for working with the students and helping them to perfect their performance.

Pirate Adventure Maps
On Tuesday, students were invited to make a pirate adventure map. It was a fun activity which inspired a sense of adventure among the students.

Book Parade
The Book Parade was a great celebration! It was lovely to see so many visitors to the school enjoying a joy-filled community event. Many thanks to the students and their families for preparing amazing book week costumes. Thank you to Mr Green for leading the event.

CarmelAir Flight BW2025 - Safety Video

Safari Adventure Binoculars
On Thursday, students were able to come and pick up a pair of safari adventure binoculars and go in search of an adventure.

Story Time
On Friday, the students were treated to two stories of adventure with Miss Battye. Possum Magic by Mem Fox and Blown Away by Rob Biddulph.

Book Week Displays
The students enjoyed visiting the library to see the displays. Thank you to the students and staff for the thought, time and effort that went into creating the displays for us all to enjoy. It was nice to have so many visitors to the library on Wednesday. Thank you for showing your support and joining the adventure of Book Week!

Thank you
I would like to thank all the wonderful staff of Mt Carmel for their support and participation in our Book Week activities and events. In particular, I would like to thank our Library Assistant, Lynne Patmore for the many hours of work she devoted to making the library displays and the Book Week celebrations so successful.


Martin Chatterton visit
This week, we were entertained by author and illustrator, Martin Chatterton. The students enjoyed an interactive session, learning about his books and watching Martin create characters with inspiration from audience members.  To learn more about Martin books and animations visit Martin Chatterton.

Book Care
In the last couple of weeks, several library books have been returned to the library damaged by food and drinks. Please encourage students to be mindful of where in their school bags library books are stored.

Kind regards,
Natalie Broers
Teacher Librarian

Congratulations to the recipients of the Week 4 Mt Carmel Awards.
These awards were handed out last Friday, 22 August, at morning assembly.

K Blue Maria Candido-Pinheiro Angus Watson	K Gold Hugo Julian Nate Mattappallil
1 Green Mia Smith Isabella Hayden Peter Gorman	1 Red Emily Reynders Harper Vukojevic
2 Blue Billie Taylor Halle Davaris Willem Kunneke	2 Gold Winnie Smith Sophie Gannon Josephine Mattappallil
3 Green Ted Ward Nicholas Da Deppo	3 Red Evie Mitchell Keziah Mathew Hugh Davaris
4 Blue Eve Davis Roy Mitchell	4 Gold Makaila Hooper Baxter McDonald
5 Green Evelyn Morris George Douglas Vincent Da Deppo	5 Red Ivy Howarth Richard Jol
6 Blue Andria Rogin Fletcher Lees	6 Gold Molly Howarth Amelia Hooper

Congratulations to the recipients of the Week 5 Mt Carmel Awards.
These awards will be handed out this Friday, 29 August, at morning assembly.

K Blue Jack McRae Austin Baker	K Gold Londyn Newman Wil O'Brien
1 Green Lydia McDonald Amelia Berekoven	1 Red Abigail Morris Charlotte Aksenov
2 Blue Lola Sanford Lewis Gianchou Abel Mathew Rogin	2 Gold Eliza Henshall Sophie Aksenov Oliver Ryan
3 Green Anna Gunthorpe Evanter Shinto	3 Red Zachary Pholi Harrison Cunynghame
4 Blue Elsa Baptiste Sebastian Dawes	4 Gold Mikayla Clements Ashton Dorris
5 Green Aria Hodgson Madeline Caldow Benji Carroll	5 Red Heidi Tyndall Cooper Moses
6 Blue Paul Coady Will Drake Milton McDonald Lily Butt Andria Maria Rogin	6 Gold Molly Howarth Isla Townsend James Roe

Congratulations to the following students who were selected to represent Mt Carmel in the Northern Region Public Speaking Competition last Friday.

Year 3 - Evie Mitchell and Evanter Shinto
Year 4 - Roy Mitchell and Baxter McDonald
Year 5 - Aria Hodgson and Madeline Caldow
Year 6 - Fletcher Lees and Amelia Hooper

Special congratulations to Amelia who received 1st place and Evie who was awarded 2nd place in their respective year groups! They will now have the opportunity to participate in the Archdiocesan Public Speaking Competition in Cootamundra.

Unfortunately, Playgroup will not be held tomorrow, Thursday 28 August. 

We look forward to seeing you all back in next week! 

The Clothing Pool will be open tomorrow, 28 August.  

Opening Hours
Opening Hours: 2.30pm-3.30pm - even weeks of Term. 
Location: in the Uniform Shop room, next to the Music Room.

If you have any money outstanding for the Clothing Pool, we do ask that this is dropped at the Front Office as soon as possible.
Payment is via cash only. 

If you have any questions, please contact Liz on lizdadeppo@gmail.com.

If you would like order from Issue 6, orders need to be placed by Thursday 4 September.

 Please note that the front office is no longer able to accept cash/order forms for Book Club Orders. All orders must be placed via Loop. 

To view Issue 6, click on the image below.

https://scholastic.com.au/book-club/book-club-parents/issue-preview/

To order from this issue, you will need an account on Loop.

To access Loop, please click below.

Friendships are a big part of school life - especially in primary school, where children are learning how to connect, share, and solve problems together. For some kids, making friends comes naturally. For others, they may require some additional support.

Why Friendships Matter
Having even one good friend can make a huge difference to a child’s confidence, sense of belonging, and enjoyment at school. Friendships help kids:

• Practice social skills
• Learn empathy and cooperation
• Feel supported during the school day

What Helps Children Make Friends?
There are many ways we can help children build their friendship skills. Here are a few practical ideas:

• Practice at home: Role-play things like how to introduce yourself, join a game, or ask someone to play.
• Talk about kindness: Encourage your child to notice and show friendly behaviours - smiling, sharing, using names, or including others.
• Set up playdates: Even short catch-ups after school or on weekends can help friendships grow.
• Praise effort: Celebrate when your child makes a small social step (e.g. saying hello, joining in, asking a question).

When It’s Tricky
Some children may feel shy, nervous, or unsure of how to connect with others. Others might struggle with the ups and downs of friendship drama. This is normal, and it’s something we can support them with over time.

What can help?
Encourage your child to:

• Keep trying, even if it’s hard at first
• Look for children with similar interests
• Ask an adult for help if they feel lonely or unsure

We’re Here to Help
If your child is finding it hard to make or keep friends, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I can provide you with resources, or work with your child on social skills, friendship challenges, and confidence-building.

Friendship is a skill! And just like reading or riding a bike, it gets easier with time, encouragement, and a little support.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out via email at amelie.nicholson@mccg.org.au or through completion of a referral using the following link:  https://mccg.my.site.com/housing/s/school-referral-form.

Warmly,
Amelie Nicholson
Student and Family Counsellor

Expression of interest: Drum Corps Training & Performance Group for students at Mt Carmel.

Mr Noonan is proposing a return to the school having a Drum Corps Group at Mt Carmel School for Mt Carmel students to learn & perform at events such as The Christmas Street Parade & school concerts/events.

When: Mondays 1:40pm-2:05pm (2nd break after eating)

What: Students will learn traditional stick drumming on snare drum plus other styles such as French & Swiss Basel.

* Drums, stands, sticks, practice pads will be supplied.

Who: Years 2-6 at Mt Carmel School

Cost: $55 per term per student which includes above use of supplies and training by Mr Noonan who is an experienced tutor in snare drum drill & routines including entry into the National Drumline Competition in 2019 & leads the RBCC Drumline Troupe.

Contact: 0408 622 819