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Returning to School
From next Monday, 11 May, all teachers will resume face-to-face teaching in their own classrooms. A letter explaining this decision and the procedures in place to ensure a safe environment for all was sent to the community via SZapp yesterday evening, and it is also attached to this newsletter for your information. I am very grateful to all the teachers for their hard work in preparing and delivering remote learning across the school. The systems that have been established will remain in place and we now have the capacity to rapidly recommence remote learning, should the need arise. I ask that any family not intending to return to school from Monday please email office.mtcarmel@cg.catholic.edu.au to confirm your arrangements.
COVID-19 Update 5 May
Canteen
From the beginning of Week 3 the canteen will return to normal operating hours, that is, Thursdays and Fridays for Recess and Lunch. The Recess menu will remain on Qkr! for pre-orders, and we ask families to continue to use this service so that we can minimise cash handling and move students through the canteen as quickly as possible. Thank you to Mrs Emma McEvoy for her flexibility in expanding canteen services over recent weeks.
2021 Enrolments
Our enrolment drive for 2021 has already begun. The official enrolment period for Catholic Schools in this Archdiocese runs from Wednesday 6 May until Friday 29 May. If you have a pre-school child ready for Kindergarten, it’s time to enrol now. The Catholic Education Canberra Goulburn online enrolment form can be accessed by clicking the link below. If you need to access a hard-copy form, please contact the Front Office. An interview will be organised once the enrolment application is received. If your friends have a child starting in Kindergarten next year, please encourage them to consider Mt Carmel as an option for their children’s education. Although, due to the current situation, we cannot hold an Open Day and Kinder Information Evening, we are in the process of constructing a virtual school tour that we hope will be accessible by the end of the week.
Enrol Now
Remote Learning Gallery
Mrs Harvey is creating a gallery of our Remote Learning experiences. If you have any photos that you would like to share, please email them to jan.harvey@cg.catholic.edu.au
Happy Mother’s Day
And finally, I would like to wish a very happy Mothers Day to all the mums in our community. I hope that you have a wonderful Sunday, filled with love and joy. May God bless each and every one of you.
Good and Gentle God,
We pray in gratitude for our mothers and for all the special women in our lives.
You who became human through a woman, grant to all mothers the courage they need to face the uncertain future that life with children always brings.
Give them the strength to live and to be loved in return, not perfectly, but humanly;
Give them the faithful support of family and friends;
Give them joy and delight in their children to sustain them through the trials of motherhood.
Most of all, give them the wisdom to turn to you for help when they need it most.
May God’s peace be in your families,
GOSPEL: John 10:1-10
'In all truth I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold through the gate, but climbs in some other way, is a thief and a bandit. He who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the flock; the gatekeeper lets him in, the sheep hear his voice, one by one he calls his own sheep and leads them out. When he has brought out all those that are his, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow because they know his voice. They will never follow a stranger, but will run away from him because they do not recognise the voice of strangers.' Jesus told them this parable but they failed to understand what he was saying to them. So Jesus spoke to them again: In all truth I tell you, I am the gate of the sheepfold. All who have come before me are thieves and bandits, but the sheep took no notice of them. I am the gate. Anyone who enters through me will be safe: such a one will go in and out and will find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come so that they may have life and have it to the full.
REFLECTION
This week Jesus again identifies himself as a shepherd. The shepherd is the individual who spent most of his life with his sheep. It was his responsibility to protect the sheep. He also led them. The shepherd made sure the sheep had sufficient water to drink and grass to eat. He also protected the sheep from wolves and other predators.
The shepherd’s life was one of constant movement. After the sheep ate all the grass in one pasture, the shepherd moved them to another green pasture. The shepherd’s life also was a lonely life. For weeks, the shepherd’s only companions were his sheep. Since his sheep were his closest companions and friends, most likely the shepherd came to know his sheep well. He knew which sheep were docile and he also recognized the unruly and stubborn sheep. Yet, the shepherd was committed to caring for each of the sheep, even the aggravating ones.
Usually the shepherd had a very strong bond with his sheep. He not only was responsible for them, he truly cared about his sheep (and perhaps even came to “love” them)! In some ways, the sheep became the shepherd’s family. They were his constant companions. The sheep only would follow the voice of their shepherd. They would not follow another person. The bond between the shepherd and the sheep was very strong and real.
Jesus is our shepherd! Jesus sticks with us no matter what. He is committed to caring for us and leading us. Jesus comes and finds us when we are lost and afraid. Jesus will keep looking for us until he finds us. However, do we have the same strong bond with Jesus as the sheep have with their shepherd? Do we recognize Jesus’ voice when he calls us? Do we listen for his voice? Do we trust that Jesus will protect us at all costs?
Today may we take time to thank Jesus for loving us so deeply. May we also thank Jesus for his tender care and protection. Jesus is our shepherd! We can depend on him always! (Sr Kristine Anne Harpenau)
REMOTE LEARNING
Whilst the way we are learning at this point in time may look different, it is important that we don't forget the importance of prayer in our daily lives. I know that each class is including prayer in their remote learning lessons so I encourage all students to take time out to pray daily. In addition to class prayers, a wonderful family resource has been developed by Liturgy Brisbane and can be accessed here: https://litedliturgybrisbane.weebly.com/family-prayer-week-by-week.html/. The page provides a weekly family prayer which includes scripture, questions and reflection activities.
MASS SERVICES
Whilst we are still unable to physically attend mass, I would like to remind everyone that the Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn will continue to broadcast mass each day so that we can listen in and participate in the celebration.
Resource URL: https://www.catholicvoice.org.au/mass-online/
God Bless,
Warren Ziebowski
Religious Education Coordinator
Hello Everyone,
I hope you are all safe and well.
Please note that when the children return next week there will be some adjustments to their library use.
- Library will be open daily for lessons and lunchtimes.
- Tables will be wiped down in the library after each class leaves.
- Book borrowing will be limited and returns will be quarantined for one week before being placed back into circulation.
- Students will be asked to bring their own pencil case to the Library.
I will keep you informed of any further changes as necessary.
Regards,
Evelyn Turner
Teacher/Librarian
Please note that the PRC have made some changes to the rules this year.
Students on all Challenge levels will be able to include books on their reading records that they read collaboratively as a class, in person or online with their teacher or at home with their parents/carers.
During 2020, students will be able to add 10 choice books to their Student Reading Records.
The system will not allow the extra 5 choice books to be added in the same way as normal choice books are, however.
Choice books can be any of the following:
- books that are not on any PRC booklist
- books that are on a PRC booklist that does not count as a PRC book for your challenge level
- additional books from approved series after the first 3 that have been added from that series.
For your NORMAL CHOICE BOOKS, you will need to enter the title and author of your choice book in the "add choice books" section of the website as usual.
For your BONUS CHOICE BOOKS, you will need to use the 2020 Bonus choice book records that have been created on the booklist. You can click on the images below to take you to these records.
PLEASE NOTE: Bonus choice books can be ANY books that students read. They do not need to be on the PRC booklist. They just need to be entered onto the Student Reading Record using the PRCIDs below.
Happy Reading
Jaclyn Green
PRC Coordinator