Dear Parents, Teachers and Students,


Open Classrooms
Term 3 is not a formal reporting term, but so that you can keep in touch with what your child has been learning this term and see some of their wonderful work, we will be holding an open classroom afternoon from 3:30pm to 5:30pm on Wednesday 25 September, Week 10. Please be mindful that, although your child’s teacher will be in the classroom and is very happy to chat with you, open classrooms are not the appropriate forum for individual parent-teacher interviews. Parents are always welcome to make an individual appointment with their child’s teacher any time they would like to discuss their child’s progress.


Community Council News
My sincere thanks and congratulations to the Mt Carmel School Community Council for their community-building and fundraising efforts this term. Between the Trivia Night and the Father’s Day Raffle (congratulations to all of the prize-winners, by the way), almost $6700 has been raised toward the cost of a shade structure to be installed at the infants playground.

The next community event is our school Working Bee, so save the date! It will be held on Saturday 26 October (the end of Week 2 next term). A volunteer form will be published before the end of this term with a list of the jobs we hope to get done.


Irish and Celtic Music Festival Children’s Workshops
This weekend, 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 link can be found further in this newsletter.


Sacrament of Confirmation
Next Sunday 22 September, 12 Year 6 students and parishioners will be celebrating the sacrament of Confirmation. Confirmation is a beautiful sacrament that continues, strengthens, confirms and celebrates the gifts of the Holy Spirit received in Baptism, and it is often associated with children taking a significant step towards an adult faith. All members of our school community are warmly invited to support the Confirmandi by celebrating Mass with us at 10:30am on Sunday.


Partners in Parenting: Education (PiP-Ed)
Pip-Ed is a new, updated version of the award-winning, evidence-based parenting program, ‘Partners in Parenting’, offered to parents and carers of teenagers aged 12-18 who are refusing school due to anxiety or depression, reside in Australia, are fluent in English and have regular internet access. The program is not recommended as a sole source of support for young people experiencing school refusal. 
Although all parents are able to take part, the program content is not tailored for parents of teenagers living with Autism Spectrum Disorder or intellectual disability.
Go to https://pip-ed.web.app/ for further information.


CSPA Parent Survey on Student Wellbeing and Learning
Catholic School Parents Australia (CSPA) are collaborating with the University of New England (UNE) to conduct a national study on student wellbeing and learning.
They are aiming to collect evidence through a survey from a broad sample of parents and carers of children attending Catholic schools in Australia. 
The survey will be open until the end of October. Results will be used to report to the Federal Government and Catholic Education.  
There is a flyer attached to this newsletter with further information about this important study, or you can use the following link to find out more.
https://unesurveys.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_d5a7NXLpTKbNAtE


Term Dates
A reminder that Term 3 finished for students on Friday 27 September, and that students return to school for Term 4 on Tuesday 15 October.

May God’s peace be in your families, 

Michael Green
Principal

Religious Education in the Classroom
Welcome to Week 8! Kindergarten students have been learning all about sacred places and how they can look after a sacred space. Students took time to arrange some beautiful flowers for St. Augustine's Church, and they put themselves to work by dusting the pews and cleaning any rubbish underneath them. This learning experience helped students gain an understanding of the importance of caring for our sacred spaces and the importance of volunteering time. Kindergarten students hope to revisit the church for another spring clean soon.

Kindergarten - St Augustine's Church Cleaning

Religious Life of Mt Carmel School

Mt Carmel’s Mini Vinnies News
Wear your Happy Colour Fundraiser 2024
Thank you to all the students, staff, and families who supported Wear your Happy Colour Fundraiser. Mt Carmel School raised the total of $421.50.

The Yass Refugee Welcome Group would like to thank Mrs Karakotas and Mini Vinnies for organising and promoting Mufti Day. Thank you to all the wonderful students for dressing in colours that make you feel happy and for your generous gold coin donations that will contribute to making a refugee family feel welcomed and happy in Yass.

The Yass Refugee Welcome Group is a group of professionals and business owners in the Yass Valley participating in a pilot program helping communities across Australia welcome refugees.

The group is participating in a pilot program coordinated by Community Refugee Sponsorship Australia (CRSA) called the Community Refugee Integration and Settlement Pilot (CRISP).  

The CRISP was announced by the Australian Government in December 2021 and then funded and launched in May 2022. This is a new refugee settlement program for Australia administered through the Department of Home Affairs. I

Under this program, refugee visa holders receive settlement support directly from trained groups like ours, to achieve optimal settlement outcomes that help both the family and the Yass Valley community to flourish. The Yass Refugee Welcome Group has committed to assisting the family for the first twelve months after their arrival. We are supported in this commitment by CRSA which has provided training for our members to fulfil our role as well as supporting us going forward with advice. 

O God, who by the light 

of the Holy Spirit,

did instruct the hearts of the faithful,

Grant that by the same 

Holy Spirit we may be

Truly wise and ever rejoice in his consolations.

Through the same

Christ Our Lord.

Amen

Archdiocesan Assembly 
You are invited to take part in the Archdiocesan Assembly that will explore the
theme ‘Come Holy Spirit’. This will focus on celebrating the Year of the Holy Spirit and exploring new opportunities for evangelisation and synodality in the life and mission of our local Church. This is a chance for all to gather, discuss and discern the Holy Spirit at work in our midst.

Where: Canberra + Narooma + Cooma + Young + Goulburn
When: Friday 18th October – Sunday 20th October 2024
Info: Detailed information, registration and formation materials available online at www.cgevangelisation.org.au/assembly.

St Augustine’s Parish News

Sacraments of Confirmation 2024
Sunday 22 September, 10.30am, St Augustine's Church

Please pray for the children as they prepare for their Confirmation

Alicia Hardy
Ava Leighton
Chase Collins
Darcy Bell
Fletcher Douglas
Harry Donoghue
Isabella Dunstan
Isabelle Pidgeon
Jack Butt
Josephine Streatfeild
Lucy Miller
Natalia O’Connor
Olivia Scanlon
Phoenix Streatfeild
Sophia Da Deppo
Zali Lenon
Zoe Seselja

All children are invited to be part of the activities centred around the particular weekend’s Gospel. 

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

Todd Woodbridge Cup
The Todd Woodbridge Cup is a primary school team tennis competition for Stage 2 (Years 3 & 4) and Stage 3 (Years 5 & 6) students that uses modified equipment, numeric scoring, and mixed gender teams. Events are designed to be fun and inclusive, meaning it is not just for experienced tennis players. Anyone who wants to give tennis a go is encouraged to come and have a go. 

The Todd Woodbridge Cup will be held for Stage 3 students, this Friday 13 September. 

If you would like to nominate your child for the event, please use the links below.

Year 5/6 Todd Woodbridge Cup

*We only have 10 entries for the 5/6 event at present and teams are in groups of four. If you are interested, please register ASAP.

Gecko Sport
Gecko Sport will be running a 4 week fundamental movement program with our infants classes every Friday from Week 6-10. We are looking forward to all the fun and games we will have with the Gecko Sport team!

Ted Dunstan
Sports Coordinator

Congratulations to the recipients of the Week 6 Mt Carmel Awards.
These awards were handed out last Friday, 6 September, at morning assembly.

K Blue Frankie Morris Heeya Chaudhary	K Gold Lucy Ward Abigail Morris
1 Green Brooke Powell Kaylahn Carroll Felix Inglis	1 Red Sophie Aksenov Olivia Christensen Lewis Gianchou
2 Blue Keziah Mathew Charles Jol	2 Gold Elisabeth Morris Charlie Butt Hayden Spring
3 Green Madison McGurk Baxter McDoanald	3 Red Evelyn Platt Hannah Maher Lachlan Black
4 Blue Neva Welsh Franklin Pitt	4 Gold Evelyn Morris Sophie Donoghue
5 Green Poppy Smith Amelia Hooper	5 Red Mikayla Black Louis Arnold Marlowe Clarke
6 Blue Anika Lyons Xavier Holm Patrick Dawes	6 Gold Addyson Arnold Sophie Connell-Hewlett Adam Holman

Congratulations to the recipients of the Week 7 Mt Carmel Awards.
These awards will be handed out this Friday, 13 September, at morning assembly.

K Blue Ari Driver Lucia Reid	K Gold Ruby Kim Samuel Walker
1 Green Lola Sanford Josephine Mattappillil Ally Wren	1 Red Frankie Aniversario Evelyn Harris Toby Reardon Logan Hodgson
2 Blue Camille Walker Hennessey Rankin Harrison Cunynghame	2 Gold Rosalind Clark Max Hanns
3 Green Eve Davis Chloe Lyons Isaac Reynders	3 Red Mackenzie Arnold Cody Drage Barney Rainger
4 Blue Isabelle Davis Charley Shoring	4 Gold Gracie Lyons Billy Field
5 Green Macy Camilleri Lachlan Inkster Benjamin Webster	5 Red Ruby Laughton Kalon Vu Paul Coady
6 Blue Josephine Streatfeild Tommy Markota	6 Gold Lily Cassidy Reese Flynn Heath Wood Xavier Doyle

If you or your child have lost one of these items below, please pop into the office to collect it.

The Southern Tablelands Group of the Country Women's Association of NSW, are awarding 15 Year 7 Educational Grants for 2025. If any current Year 6 student would like to apply for the 2025 Educational Grant, please collect the application form from the front office. 

Applicants must submit a letter addressing the selection criteria along with a letter from Mr Green supporting their application.

Applications close 11 October 2024.

You are invited to take part in the Archdiocesan Assembly that will explore the theme ‘Come Holy Spirit’. This will focus on celebrating the Year of the Holy Spirit and exploring new opportunities for evangelisation and synodality in the life and mission of our local Church. This is a chance for all to gather, discuss and discern the Holy Spirit at work in our midst.

When: Friday 18th October – Sunday 20th October 2024

Info: Detailed information, registration and formation materials available online at

www.cgevangelisation.org.au/assembly

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.

Private in-school lessons are offered by Gerard Noonan in Xylophone, Music Composition and/ or Drums from term 4.

Mr Noonan has completed major studies in Music Composition, Tuned/untuned percussion, Jazz performance & is a registered Creative Kids Provider.

Ph: 0408 622 819

Visit the website - https://www.safetytown.com.au/

There are plenty of free poetry events for juniors at the Irish & Celtic Music Festival in Yass this weekend. Enjoy one of our workshops, (available for both primary and secondary school students) performing opportunities, and the U18 Reciter of the Year. The full program of events is now available on the festival website: irishcelticmusicfestival.com

To reserve a place for your child in one of the workshops please contact Robyn Sykes on 0401 289 178.

Under 18 Reciter of the Year. 2pm Saturday afternoon. Any young person is welcome to bring a poem and present it. All genres welcome, all presentation styles welcome eg both readers and reciters are welcome. Your choice of topic, bearing in mind that the presentation needs to be suitable for other young ears who may come along. 

We are excited to invite your school community to two fantastic hands-on events with Yass Landcare that will inspire creativity, curiosity, and a deeper connection to our local environment.

Play with Clay Day - Saturday 21 September 10:30 – 12:30, Yass Community Landcare Nursery (behind the Men’s Shed)
Unleash children’s imagination as they get hands-on with clay! Our Play with Clay Day is a fun, creative experience where children will learn about local wildlife while molding their own clay creatures, create a Kokedama or make some ‘seed bombs’. This is the perfect way to engage young minds with nature through art and storytelling.

Full details and registration links can be found here - Children's Play with Clay Day.

Waterwatch and Habitat HUnt - Sunday 13 October 10:30am – 12:30pm, Flat Rock Crossing, Riley Terrace
Dive into the fascinating world of our local river ecosystems with the Waterwatch and Habitat Hunt! Students will explore what’s in and around the Yass River and discover the creatures that call it home, all while learning about how to care for and protect these important habitats. 

Full details and registration links can be found here - Waterwatch & Habitat Hunt.

These events are designed to be interactive and engaging for all ages, making them ideal for primary school ages children. If you’d like any more information on any of the above please feel free to reach out via email at coordinator@yan.org.au and we look forward to seeing your students for a day of creativity, exploration, and connection with nature!

Yass Area Network of Lancare Groups (YAN)

We invite parents, grandparents and fulltime (unpaid) carers of autistic children to join us to learn about autism and ways to strengthen home-school partnerships. We often have parents/carers of pre-school aged children attend our workshops, particularly if their child is transitioning to school in the next year or two.

Please find further details about the workshop on our website and in the flyer attached.

Contact Trish on 0424 254 861 if you have any questions.

ACT Region - Hopliday Happenings - https://www.holidayhappenings.com.au/online-booklet.