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- Principal's Report
- Religious Education
- Sports News
- Lacey Library - BOOK FAIR THIS FRIDAY
- Stage Three - Religion Unit
- House Spirit Challenge - Sunglasses Friday
- 1EK Schoolyard Safari
- Canteen News - Lent Menu
- Lost Property
- School Banking
- Uniform Shop
- Bus Safety For School Students
- Trinity Catholic College - 2021 Enrolment Information
- Merici College Enrolling Now
- Yass Football Club Winter Registration
- Yass Rams - Season Launch
- Yass Netball Association - Registrations Now Open
- Yass Minor Rugby League - Registration Now Open
Dear Parents, Teachers and Students,
Swimming Carnival Assembly
The medallions that we had on back-order have arrived so we are now able to hold our Swimming Carnival Assembly to present ribbons to place-getters and announce Age Champions and the overall winning house. Thank you for your patience!
Please remember that all heats were timed finals, so if your child placed first in their heat, they may not be first overall as another child in a different heat may have swum a faster time.
The Swimming carnival Assembly will be held this Friday morning, 26 February, at 8:55am.
Book Fair
The Book Fair is continuing this week and is open for browsing and sales tomorrow afternoon and all day Friday. A reminder that we are asking any parent or family member who wishes to visit the Book fair to phone ahead and book a time. Due to current COVID-19 restrictions, we have strict limits on how many can visit at any one time; those who have booked ahead will be given priority entry.
Bus Safety Week
A reminder that this is Transport NSW Bus Safety Week. All classes at school this week will be learning about traffic safety, with a particular focus on safety on and around buses. Attached to this newsletter is an information brochure for families from Transport NSW. Again, I remind all families of the importance of modelling traffic safety around our school.
200 Years of Catholic Schooling
This morning I attended a Mass at St Christopher’s Cathedral, with our two School Captains and Mr Ziebowski, to celebrate 200 years of Catholic Education in Australia. Mt Carmel’s own history dates back to at least 1845, when a Mr. Lacey (after whom our school Library is named) ran a school on this site at the behest of Father Charles Lovat, who was the Parish Priest of St Augustines from 1839 to 1849.
Over 200 years, Catholic schools have grown to become the largest provider of schooling in Australia (outside government) with one in five school age students attending a Catholic school. This represents some 768,000 students in 1,751 schools across the country and employing 98,000 teachers and staff. Nearly 40 per cent of Catholic schools are located outside of metropolitan cities in regional, rural and remote communities.
The formal celebrations were due to be held from October 2020 to October 2021. However, due to pandemic restrictions, the celebrations are now being held during the 2021 school year. A National Mass will also be celebrated in every state, territory and diocese on the Feast of Our Lady Help of Christians on 24 May 2021. Additional events and activities will be added to our events calendar throughout the year.
Open Classrooms
Thank you to all who were able to attend our Open Classrooms last week. For any parents who were unable to come on Wednesday, please know that you are always welcome in our school and our classrooms and that you can make an appointment to meet with your child’s classroom teacher whenever the need arises. An open and trusting relationship with your child’s teacher is an important factor their success at school.
Tomorrow evening, Thursday 25 February, from 5:30pm to 6:15pm in the Yass Golf Club, Mrs Gaye McManus, principal of Trinity Catholic College Goulburn, will be hosting an information evening for families who are interested in finding out about this educational pathway. Please note the change of venue — this event was originally scheduled to occur at the Soldiers Club. More information can be found in the flier later in this newsletter.
Kinder Rest Days
The first few weeks of school have flown! A reminder that next Wednesday is the last of our Kinder Rest Days and Kindergarten students will commence full weeks from 8 March, Week 6.
Archdiocesan Catholic Leaders’ Retreat
From Tuesday afternoon until Friday week I will be away the the Archdiocesan Director's Day and Catholic Leaders’ Retreat. Mrs Jan Harvey will be Acting Principal in my absence.
Gloves, Please
We have a few things planned this year that it will be useful to have a good pair of gloves for, beginning with Schools Clean Up Australia Day next Friday. Each year group will also be adopting a garden area of the school to take care of throughout the year. For safety and comfort, we are asking families to send in an appropriately-sized pair of gardening gloves with their child, labelled with their name, that can be kept in the classroom.
GOSPEL: Mark 1:12-15
And at once the Spirit drove him into the desert and he remained there for forty days, and was put to the test by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and the angels looked after him. After John had been arrested, Jesus went into Galilee. There he proclaimed the gospel from God saying, 'The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is close at hand. Repent, and believe the gospel.'
REFLECTION
This week's Gospel is only a few lines long. It is only 4 verses from the 1st Chapter of Mark’s Gospel. The Gospel has a stark beginning. Mark writes that Jesus was driven into the desert by the Spirit. As we know, Jesus stayed in the desert for 40 days. What was that time like for Jesus? Was it a spiritually dry time? Or was there a clear sense of God’s presence to Jesus? It had to have been an extremely ascetical experience. Jesus was there alone with wild animals! His only consolation was being ministered to by angels!
Were these days also comforting for Jesus? Did he have a clear sense of God’s presence with him? Or was this time in this arid wasteland a spiritually dry or disturbing time? Mark tells us that there were wild beasts in this territory. Was Jesus concerned for his safety?
Jesus remained in the desert alone for 40 days. Can you imagine being alone in the desert for 40 days? The heat, the dryness, the sun beating down on you, having no one to talk to or simply be present to you. Most of us will never spend an extended period by ourselves in the desert. That is a very special call!
However, I would guess that at some point in our lives, each of us have had an experience of the “desert.” It might have followed a significant loss or a serious illness. It may have been the loss of a loved one, our job, our hearing, eyesight, loss of income or of our ability to work.
Take a moment and reflect on that time. What was your reaction to your loss? Anger, depression, isolating, numbing, running? How did you experience God during that time? Was God close to you or did God feel far, far away?
Jesus understands our deserts. Jesus spent time in his own personal desert for 40 days. These days were not easy for him. Jesus was tempted by Satan. He was surrounded at times by wild beasts. His consolation was the angels coming and ministering to him!
After this experience, Jesus went to Galilee. As he travelled through Galilee, He proclaimed the Gospel. His main theme was repentance. Daily he told people that the “kingdom was at hand.”
Jesus is telling us this same message today! Do we believe that the “kingdom is at hand?” We have heard this prophecy for years and yet the kingdom has not come. Yet one day, it will come. We do not know the day nor the hour. Will we be ready? Will we look forward to seeing God face to face? Today may be the day! Be alert! Stay awake! Be prepared! Our God is coming to us! (Sr Kristine Anne Harpenau)
200 YEARS OF CATHOLIC EDUCATION IN AUSTRALIA
To celebrate 200 Years of Catholic Education in Australia, Lachlan and Charlotte joined Mr Green and myself at a special mass today at St Christopher's Cathedral in Manuka. The mass was a wonderful celebration of all that Catholic Education has achieved and we at Mount Carmel are proud to have been a part of that over the past 146 years.
PROJECT COMPASSION: JAMILA'S STORY
JAMILA FROM BANGLADESH
Twenty-two-year-old, Jamila, is a single mother, living in the world’s largest refugee camp in in Bangladesh. A Rohingya woman, she fled the armed conflict in Myanmar’s Rakhine State to save herself, her elderly mother and eight-month-old baby daughter. Having been abandoned by her husband, she faced life in the camp on her own.
Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya people, have crossed into Bangladesh since August 2017. Over 1.3 million people remain in the densely populated camps, in desperate need of humanitarian assistance.
Thanks to the generosity of Caritas Australia’s supporters and through our partnership with Caritas Bangladesh, Jamila had access to emergency food and shelter. Then, as her stay in the camp stretched on, Jamila joined the Women Friendly Spaces project where she received counselling and emotional support. She learnt about health and hygiene, participated in a parenting program and learnt sewing skills, to help her to earn an income.
Jamila now has a sense of community around her and feels less alone and more supported - and she is able to ‘Be More’ to her family.
“I want to offer my thankful greetings to those who are kindly thinking of us from overseas”, Jamila says. “Thank you, and thanks Caritas Australia.”
Please remember to send in your donations for Project Compassion and help make the world a fairer place for all. Let us be more!
God Bless,
Warren Ziebowski
Religious Education Coordinator
Northern Regions Swimming Carnival
Good luck to the following students who will represent Northern Regions at the Archdiocesan Swimming Carnival in Narooma on Monday 1 March:
Alexander Donaldson, Flynn Wullaert, Jed Newman, Jack Ryan, Jake Wullaert, Jack Shannon, Neve Luckie, Brooke Reardon, Grace Ryan, Emily Ryan, Skye Edwards, Imogen Maher, Hayley Reardon, Zali Lenon, Stella Pack, Amelia Shannon and Sid Luckie
Covid restrictions apply for the carnival, if you are unaware of the restrictions or would like a copy, please see me and I can email you a copy.
Please register through the CSNSW website if you have not already done so.
School Swimming Carnival Presentation
Our medallions have arrived! A presentation of ribbons for overall race place getters, certificates and medallions for age champions and an announcement of the winning house will be made at a morning assembly this Friday 26th February as per Mr Green’s message on SZapp.
After School AusKick
AFL Canberra are currently trying to set up an after school AusKick centre at Berinba oval for Yass schools. I will have more information about dates and times in the coming weeks. If you are interested, please let me know.
Trials for Year 5 and 6 students
AFL (Combined Canberra Goulburn/Wollongong Boys trials) – Tuesday 16 March (Wollongong)
Soccer – Friday 12 March (Lyneham, ACT)
Cricket - Friday 19th March (Gundagai)
Canberra Goulburn Netball Championships and Trials (Boys and Girls) - 29 March
Canberra Goulburn U11's & Opens Rugby League Trials - 29 March (Queanbeyan)
Please check the C & G sport website and the Facebook page for information about upcoming events including winter trials for netball, rugby league, hockey and touch football.
Ted Dunstan
Sports Coordinator
Lacey Library - BOOK FAIR THIS FRIDAY
This Friday, 26 February we are holding our Scholastic Book Fair in the Lacey Library. The students will be able to purchase books for themselves from the great range which Scholastic have provided. The more books sold, the more free books can be bought for the Lacey Library! Parents you are most welcome to visit the Book Fair on Friday with your child or children. If you can’t make it, I will visit the classrooms and collect any student who wants to purchase a book or resource and take them to the Book Fair.
Parents may collect their child/ren from their classroom or can come to the office to request their child/ren to meet them and walk together to the library.
Please make sure you call the office to make a booking to visit the Book Fair. The library will be open for browsing and book sales this Thursday afternoon, 25 February 3.30pm-5.00pm as well as all day Friday 9.00am-3.00pm. Due to restrictions in numbers in the library, priority will be given to those parents/families who have booked.
Ev Turner
Teacher/Librarian
This week Stage 3 commenced their new Religious Education Unit with a provocation that had all students really engaged and wanting to know and learn more.
The canteen is currently running its Lent Menu with Fish Bites and Fish Burgers available on Fridays. Please remember that pies, sausage rolls and ham sandwiches, rolls and wraps will only be available to purchase on Thursdays.
Unfortunately, one side of the slushy machine is still currently broken, so we will only be able to offer strawberry slushys as an option. Please note there will be limited number of slushys available each day and priorty will be given to those who pre-order on Qkr or via a lunch bag.
The Term 1 menu can be found on the school website, under the Parent Tab. To view it online, please click here.
If you have any questions regarding the canteen menu, or dietary requirements you would like to discuss, please contact Emma on emma.mcevoy@cg.catholic.edu.au.
The Mt Carmel School Uniform Shop is open each Tuesday afternoon between 2.30pm– 4.00pm during school terms.
Ordering Options - Uniform orders can be placed online via Qkr! or by order form, which can be collected and paid for from the front office.
All Qkr! orders placed before 2pm each Tuesday will be bundled up and sent home with your child on Wednesday afternoon.
Please note that if the incorrect size/item is ordered or the size selected does not fit correctly, please return the item along with a note regarding changes required and the correct size/item can be sent home.
Merici’s new Principal, Anna Masters, and her Executive are looking forward to meeting you at one or all of the College’s enrolment events. This is a wonderful opportunity for prospective families to see the College in action, meet the students and staff, attend the Principal’s Address, Year 7 and 11 Information Evenings and lots more.
The College is enrolling now for 2022 and beyond!
Please visit www.merici.college for all dates and information for Open Day, Be a Merici Girl Days and Talk and Tours. Register online now!
Open Day and Year 7 2022 Information Night: Wednesday 28 April 2-4pm, 5.30-7.30pm
Be a Merici Girl Days: 22 April, 23 April, 6 May
Talk and Tours: 20 February, 27 March, 1 May, 21 August, 23 October
Telephone 02- 6243 4178 for all enquiries.
Yass Netball Association - Registrations Now Open
The ServiceNSW Active Kids Voucher covers the full cost for NETSETGO (5-10 years) and Juniors for the whole year.