Dear Parents, Teachers and Students,


Holy Week and Easter
Holy Week commenced last weekend with Palm Sunday, and this week the Youth Ministry Team led us is two beautiful prayer assemblies, one for Palm Sunday at the start of the week and another this morning as a re-enactment of the Last Supper. Tomorrow, classes will move around the school for an interactive Stations of the Cross pilgrimage, with staggered start-times for each class but concluding with a whole-school gathering for a final prayer in the PAC at 1:15pm. I would like to wish all students, parents and staff a happy and holy Easter — may you all have a safe, restful and joy-filled long weekend. 

For those who are intending to attend one of the Easter services in our parish, times are as follows:

Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord’s Supper 7.00 pm St Augustine’s Church, Yass (Replaces morning Mass)

Good Friday Stations of the Cross 10.30 am Murrumbateman & Gunning and Commemoration of the Passion 3.00 pm St Augustine’s Church, Yass

Holy Saturday Easter Vigil Mass 7.00 pm St Augustine’s Church, Yass

Easter Sunday Mass 8.30 am St Francis Xavier Church, Gunning and 10.15 am St Augustine’s Church, Yass


Term Dates
The last day of Term 1 will be Friday 12 April. Term 2 commences for students on Wednesday 1 May, following two pupil-free days for staff professional development and administration on Monday 29 and Tuesday 30 April. The start of Term 2 means a change to the winter school uniform. The Uniform Shop’s last day of trading before the new term will be Thursday 11 April (and don’t forget that the second hand clothing pool is trading on Thursdays, too). Any online orders placed through the holidays will be collated on Monday 29 April and be available for collection from the school office on Tuesday 30th. The uniform shop will also be open for face-to-face purchasing on Tuesday 30 April between 12pm and 2pm.


Interim Reports and Parent-Teacher Interviews
Teachers are currently preparing Interim Reports for all students, which will be published to parents on the last day of term. The Interim Reports contain a selection of Engagement with Learning indicators (these are repeated on the Semester reports in order that development can be shown) and a statement about your child’s work so far in Literacy and Numeracy. Please bear in mind that the Interim Report is not an academic report but is designed to provide parents with a general insight into the work habits and social skills that students have been displaying as they have settled into the start of the new school year.

Following on from the Interim Reports, we will hold parent-teacher interviews throughout the day on Tuesday 30 April, so that teachers can conduct their interviews within the bounds of their normal working day, that is, between 8:30am and 4:30pm. Interviews will be of 15-minutes duration and parents will have the option of selecting a face-to-face meeting or a Teams meeting. A timetable and details of how to book an interview will be published next week.

May God’s peace be in your families, 

Michael Green
Principal

Religious Life of Mt Carmel School
Welcome to Week 9 and Holy Week! Students and teachers have been busy preparing for Holy Week and the Stations of the Cross scheduled for Thursday 28 March.

Holy Week, the final week of Lent, begins on Palm Sunday, 24 March, the Sunday before Easter. It is the most important week in the Church’s year and we celebrate the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. We remember his actions, reflect on his messages and recommit to living as his disciples in the world today (Santa Maria College, 2020). 


Mt Carmel’s Holy Week Events
Thank you to our Year 6 Youth Ministry Team, Mrs Glover and Miss Rayner, for preparing and leading a Palm Sunday Prayer Service on Monday 25 March and a Last Supper Prayer Service today. Fr Peter explained in his homily that Jesus instituted the Holy Eucharist on Holy Thursday “the night on which he was betrayed” (1 Corinthians 11:23), as he celebrated the Last Supper with his apostles.

Stations of the Cross: Thursday 28 March

The Stations of the Cross will be set as prayer spaces and each class will walk and remember Jesus’ journey to Calvary. At the end of the journey, Fr Peter will lead us in a whole-school prayer. Parents are welcome to join us, see below for session times.  

Friday Parish Mass Attendance
Year 6, 2 and Kindergarten students attended Mass last week and Fr Peter spoke to the students about Holy Week.

Project Compassion
Thank you for your support and donations for this great cause.
Please remember to send in your donations by the end of this week and help make the world a fairer place for all. Let us be more! 

St Augustine’s Parish News
Congratulations to our students who celebrated their first Sacrament of Reconciliation. This special sacrament is a meeting point in which God forgives you and all your sins, and reconciles you with the community.

On Sunday 28 March, children focused on the meaning of Palm Sunday.

Prayer

Lord, we would grow with you
New shoots reaching out
Hands stretched upward
Like leaves newly formed
Soaking up your light and warmth
Lord, we would grow with you.

Lord, we would grow with you
In sunshine and rain
In darkness and light
In cold days and summer days
From Springtime to Winter
Lord, we would grow with you.

Lord, we would grow with you
And bring forth fruit
That is pleasing to you
Fed by your living water
Giving sustainance to others
Lord, we would grow with you.
Amen.

Parish Mass
Click on this link for further details http://staug-yass.org.au/wp/sacraments/. 

Enjoy your week!
Eva Karakotas
Religious Education Coordinator

Hail Mary, full of Grace,
the Lord is with thee.
Luke 1:26-28

Gecko Sport
Gecko Sport  hockey sessions continued this week for years 3-6 students and will run every Tuesday from weeks 6-9.


Mt Carmel Cross Country Carnival
Our cross country carnival is booked in for Tuesday 9th April at Walker Park from 9-11am. Years 3-6 will head to Walker Park shortly after morning assembly. 8, 9 and 10 year olds will complete two laps of the 1km track. 11 and 12 year olds will complete three laps of the 1km track. 8 year old students in Year 2 who wish to participate at Walker Park need to notify their teacher so arrangements can be made for them to walk with a Year 3 class. Students will be back at school by recess so will only need to take a drink bottle with them to the track. K-2 students will run their own modified cross country at school from 12:30 - 1:30, cheered on by the rest of the school and parents. A walk-through of the course for the primary students will occur Friday Week 10 straight after recess.

Ted Dunstan
Sports Coordinator

NSW Premier’s Reading Challenge 2024
The NSW Premier’s Reading Challenge has commenced for 2024. All students K-6 are invited to complete the 2024 Challenge. 

The Challenge aims to encourage a love of reading for leisure and pleasure in students. While completing the challenge students are able to experience quality literature from a variety of authors and literature styles.

Students can include books read from the end of the 2023 challenge, August 18 2023 on their 2024 reading record. The 2024 challenge will conclude on Friday 23 August 2024.

Some of the PCR rules have been updated for the 2024 challenge. Please refer to the rules page on the website for further details.

The booklist has been updated for the 2024 challenge. Click on the booklist on the website for further information. Many of the PRC books are available in our school library.

If your child has completed the challenge in previous years they can log on to the Premier’s Reading Challenge website using their existing login details.

www.premiersreadingchallenge.nsw.edu.au

If your child is completing the challenge for the first time, please email me at natalie.broers@cg.catholic.edu.au and I will provide you with login details.

Kind regards,
Natalie Broers
Teacher Librarian

Congratulations to the recipients of last week's Mt Carmel Awards.
Awards will be handed out at morning lines in Week 10, Friday 5 April.

K Blue Ruby Holt Heeya Chaudhury	K Gold Ruby Kim Emily Reynders
1 Green Halle Davaris Kaylahn Carroll William Gillies	1 Red Gigi Aniversario Olivia Christensen
2 Blue Eli Driver Hennessey Rankin	2 Gold Elisabeth Morris Elsie Townsend
3 Green Zoey Watson Isaac Reynders	3 Red Cody Drage Lachlan Black George Pidgeon
4 Blue Jessica Hardy Jasper Jones	4 Gold Benji Carroll Charles Jervis
5 Green Macy Camilleri William Drake	5 Red Zara McEvoy Marlowe Clark Spencer Crocker
6 Blue Amber Watson Bob O'Brien Josh Northey	6 Gold Lola Finnigan Sophie Connell-Hewlett Adam Holman

The Mt Carmel School Uniform Shop will now be open each Thursday afternoon between 2.30pm and 4.00pm during school terms.

Please note that our Medium Hats are currently out of stock, an order has been placed, but we are just waiting on its arrival. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause. 

Playgroup will not be held tomorrow, Thursday 28 March, but will be back in Week 10. 

Where: Mt Carmel PAC Hall

When: Mondays 4:45-5:45pm

What (is being offered): Expert small group tuition & performance experience from tutors in brass, woodwind, strings & percussion by senior Yass Valley Band members (that have current WWC certification)

Who (can join): Anyone 7 & over who has:

•  Some experience in playing an instrument 
•  Is getting tuition, or has had tuition in an instrument 
• Has had exams or is studying for exams in the instrument 
• BUT: Beginners are also WELCOME!

How much: $35 per term per student. Session instrument use is free but Instrument hire, if needed is extra and depends on availability. (Students can bring their own)

Contact Robin 0428272839 or Gerard 0408622819