Walkathon
Thanks to all families for your support of last week’s Walkathon, especially those volunteers who assisted with supervision on the walk and with the BBQ lunch. It was a lovely day for a stroll; the weather could not have been much nicer. Congratulations to all students and families who helped us to reach our fundraising goal this year. The student reward for reaching this target is a Crazy Hair Day, which will be held on Tuesday 5 November, Week 4. I now ask that any outstanding sponsorship be collected and sent to school as quickly as possible.

World Teachers’ Day is celebrated in Australia on the last Friday in October. It is an opportunity to recognise, celebrate and thank the dedicated and hard-working teachers who help our children learn and grow. I ask everyone to take the time to personally thank your teacher this week. As both a parent and a school principal, I am extremely grateful for all the wonderful staff of Mt Carmel School; our community is truly blessed. 

Book Parade
Next Monday 28 October Mt Carmel School will be participating in the Yass town Book Parade. The event will begin at 9:30am with author visits at Eagle's Nest and the CWA Rooms and will be followed by reading activities in Banjo Paterson Park and the Yass Library. We will then parade through the main street to return to school for Recess at 11:20am. Students are asked to come dressed as a book character, but please do not bring props. Students should ensure that they have a hat and sunscreen and bring a water bottle. Participation in this event is at no cost to students.


Kindergarten Orientation
This morning it was very exciting to welcome our new Kinders for 2020 as they came to Mt Carmel to begin their journey to “Big School”. There are two more Kinder Orientations after this week. On Wednesday 6 November we will hold a K-2019 Parent Information Evening in the Lacey Library to provide specific information and answer questions about starting school.


Boorowa Touch Football and Netball Carnival
Best wishes to our 10 touch football and 14 netball teams as they travel to Boorowa this Friday for a great day on the sporting field; a big thank you to all the parents who have volunteered to drive, coach and manage the teams. An important reminder that, in alignment with legislative requirements, any parents transporting children other than their own to the carnival need to provide the school with their licence and registration details. Thank you to Mrs Glover for coordinating Mt Carmel’s participation in this event. The weather on Friday is forecast to be hot, so please ensure that your children have a hat, sunscreen and plenty of water. Canteen facilities are available.


Departing Students
Schools are required to record destination schools for all departing students. I ask that all families of Year 6 students inform us as soon as possible of the high school your child will be attending. In the Forms & Documents tab on the school website and app is a Year 6 2020 Destination eForm. I also request that any K-5 families moving from Mt Carmel at the end of this year send me an email (michael.green@cg.catholic.edu.au) as soon as possible indicating your intentions along with your destination. Much of this term is spent preparing for next year and our student numbers need to be accurate. Thank you for assisting us with this information gathering. 


Class Placements 2020
Parents are invited to email me with regard to any considerations you may have for your child’s class placement for 2020. 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 8 November 2019. Please be aware that each request will be considered separately and by no means are all requests met. Requests from previous years are not kept on file or 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 2020.

May God’s peace be in your families,