Dear Parents, Teachers and Students,

Welcome to Term 4
A very warm welcome back to all our students, staff and families. I do hope that the two-week break was restful and enjoyable for everyone. Term 4 is always busy and I’m sure that this year will be no exception. There are a number of significant events coming up including Year 6 Camp, the Boorowa Touch Football and Netball Carnival, the end of year Christmas Concert and our Year 6 Graduation, to name just a few.

Class Placements 2024
Parents are invited to email me with regard to any considerations you may have for your child’s class placement for 2024. These considerations should be important for the education and wellbeing of your child. Requests for a particular teacher, gender of a teacher, multiple friends etc, are usually not appropriate nor a priority. It is very important for parents to understand that creating classes is detailed and exacting work completed by the teachers to ensure that your child is placed in an appropriate class group each year. When considering class groupings, teachers will look specifically at your child’s educational and social needs and place them with peers that will support their development. Requests are to be emailed to me at: michael.green@cg.catholic.edu.au by Friday 20 October 2023. 

Please be aware that, although all requests received are given due consideration, there is no commitment that your request can be accommodated.

Requests from previous years are not kept on file nor considered, as situations change each year. If you would like a previous request to be considered again, you are asked to send in a new request for 2024.

School Counsellor
This term we welcome Prisca Chirigo as our new CatholicCare school counsellor; Prisca will be at Mt Carmel on Mondays and Wednesdays. The school counsellor works collaboratively with students, families, teachers, the school executive, and other professionals to help create a safe, healthy and supportive school environment that strengthens connections between home, school, and the community. Counsellors support students with a range of issues related to learning, peer and family relationships, and managing emotions. If you believe that your child may benefit from speaking with our counsellor, please contact the school office to receive a referral form.

Year 6 Camp
Next Wednesday, Year 6 will be heading to Narrabeen for Camp at the Sydney Academy of Sport and Recreation. Payment for the camp is due by this Friday. The bus will be departing Mt Carmel at 8am on Wednesday morning and is due to arrive back around 5pm on Friday. The following link contains details of camp expectations and a packing list, for your information.

https://www.sport.nsw.gov.au/sport-and-recreation-centres/school-camps/parent-information-school-camps

Boorowa Touch Football and Netball Carnival
The Boorowa Touch Football and Netball Carnival will be held next Friday 20 October. Given that, between COVID and inclement weather, it is the first time the event has been held in several years, there will be many students and families who have not previously attended. All students from Years 2 to 5 have been allocated a team in their sport of preference (Year 6 will be on Camp), and there has been lots of practice of the skills of each game in PE lessons over the last term. The event operates as a round-robin competition, and every team gets to play several games throughout the day. An important reminder is that families need to make their own travel arrangements, and because the event is so popular it’s always a good idea to leave plenty of travel time. When you arrive at the Boorowa Showgrounds, there will be a Mt Carmel ‘base’ set up in both the netball and touch football areas - look for the school flags and marquees. Our school staff will be assisting and supervising teams to ensure everyone keeps on track throughout the day, but we still need additional parents to help with a range of jobs; please see Mr Dunstan's Sports Report for details about how to volunteer. Students should wear their regular school sports uniform, including their school hat. Please ensure that all items are clearly labelled with your child’s name. There will be a canteen operating, but it’s a good idea to bring plenty of water and some other food/snacks as well.

Kindergarten Orientation
Kindergarten Orientation will be commencing next Wednesday 18 October, Week 2, and will run for three consecutive weeks. We will have staggered start-times commencing at 9:20am to reduce anxiety at drop-off and minimise congestion in the classrooms. Parents of new Kinder students will receive their child’s starting time via email by the end of this week. Orientation concludes at 12:30pm. We are very excited to be able to welcome our new students to Mt Carmel; Kindergarten Orientation is a very important step on the journey to starting ‘Big School’.

Dyslexia Information Session
October is Dyslexia Awareness Month, and tomorrow (Thursday) at 5:30pm there will be an information session about Dyslexia at the Yass Valley Library. Please see the flier attached to this newsletter for further information.

May God’s peace be in your families, 

Michael Green
Principal