Dear Parents, Teachers and Students,


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. 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. Bookings for Parent-Teacher Interviews will open on Compass next Monday 8 April. As in previous years, all parents who have booked an interview will be provided with a link to a Teams meeting the day before Interviews. Unfortunately, there is no easy way to have separate bookings for Teams or face-to-face bookings, so we ask that anyone intending to attend a face-to-face interview lets their child’s teacher know by return email when the link is received.


Anzac Day Parade - Save the Date
As always, Mt Carmel School will be marching in the ANZAC Day parade on 25 April, in the second week of the school holidays, and I encourage as many students as possible to attend. The march commences at 10:45am, so Mt Carmel students (in winter uniform) need to assemble outside the Liberty Theatre in Lead Street at 10.30am. The ANZAC ceremony will conclude outside the Yass Memorial Hall at approximately 11:45am.


Thanksgiving Mass for the Sisters of Mercy
In May 2021, Sister Eileen moved from the convent in Yass to Goulburn, drawing to a close 146 years of continuous presence of the Sisters of Mercy in our town. Unfortunately, COVID restrictions prevented the parish from hosting a celebration to commemorate the Sisters at the time, but this Sunday at 10:15am, a Mass of Thanksgiving will be held in their honour. All parishioners are invited to join together for a celebratory farewell Mass for the Sisters of Mercy to recognise the contribution they made to the Yass community for almost 150 years. The Mass will be followed by a morning tea in the Lovat Chapel, and Mt Carmel is preparing a display of items from our archives to recognise the Sisters’ significance in our schools history. 

May God’s peace be in your families, 

Michael Green
Principal

Religious Education in the Classroom
Welcome to Week 10 and I hope you all had a blessed Easter with your family and friends. Year 3’s Religious Education unit focuses on God’s images, in particular:

• How do the authors of the Old Testament portray God
• What can each of these stories help us to understand about God?
• What do I imagine that God is like?
• What images of God could I use to communicate what I understand about God?

During our visit to Lovat Chapel students looked for images of God and sketched their favourite ones. 

Stations of the Cross: Thursday 28 March

The Stations of the Cross were set up as prayer spaces and each class prayed at each station reflecting on Jesus’ journey to Calvary. At the end of the journey, Fr Peter led the school in a final prayer and blessing. Thank you to all teachers and students for preparing 

Easter Prayer Service

Mt Carmel teachers and Fr Peter led a special prayer service yesterday morning to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

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! 

Gospel and Reflection
Luke 11:9-10

Jesus said to his disciples:

‘I tell you to ask, and you will receive, search and you will find, knock, and the door will be opened for you.

Everyone who asks will receive, everyone who searches will find, and the door will be opened for everyone who knocks.’ 

Reflection
What words or phrases struck you in this Gospel reading?

What might God be prompting you to consider or inviting you to do?

St Augustine’s Parish News

The next one is on Sunday 14 April. All children are invited to be part of the activities centred around the particular weekend’s Gospel. 

Sunday 7 April 2024, St Augustine’s Church:

• Sisters of Mercy Farewell Mass

All are welcome to join together for a special celebratory farewell Mass for the Sisters of Mercy to recognise the contribution they made to the Yass community for almost 150 years. The Mass will be followed by a morning tea in the Lovat Chapel.

It would be good if parishioners could assist with the morning tea by bringing cakes/slices/sandwiches or assist with the BBQ sausage sizzle.

Please let Peter Cleary know if you can assist 0427 608 765.

• First Eucharist Commitment Mass

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 concluded yesterday with a fun day of games and activities in the PAC. Thanks to Matt and Lucy for delivering such an enjoyable program.


MacKillop Swimming Championships 
Good luck to Xavier Doyle who is competing in the MacKillop Swimming Championships today at Sydney Olympic Park.


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

Congratulations to the recipients of last week's Mt Carmel Awards.
Awards will be handed out at morning lines this Friday.

K Blue Ari Driver Charlotte Kunneke Frankie Morris	K Gold Mia Smith Olivia Logue
1 Green Eliza Hensall	1 Red Sophie Gannon Lewis Gianchou Arabella Cummins
2 Blue Benedicta Barker Harry Agistino	2 Gold Evie Mitchell Max Hanns
3 Green Oliver Irwin Ashton Dorris Harriet Powell Jax Cassidy	3 Red Constance Potter Jack Deer Hudson Mackay
4 Blue Claire Coster Logan Johnson	4 Gold Zoey Mitchell Evelyn Morris Edward Shannon
5 Green Molly-Ann Howarth Ben Webster	5 Red Isla Townsend Magnus Felizardo
6 Blue Ava Leighton Martha Whitehead Josephine Streatfeild	6 Gold Jessica Davis Chloe Corcoran George Ballenger Rory Welsh Blake Foster

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. 

Has your child ever thought about playing guitar?
Spaces are now avalable for 2024. Fill in the below form and drop back to the office to secure your place with Den.

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