361 Sandy Bay Road, Sandy Bay, Tasmania. Postal: PO Box 217, Sandy Bay, 7006 p: 03 6216 7900 fax: 03 6216 7999 e: info@mountcarmel.tas.edu.au w: www.mountcarmel.tas.edu.au Issue 25 30th Oct, 2014 A WORD FROM THE PRINCIPAL Dear Mount Carmel College families , Last Friday saw our two classes of Grade 6 students assemble in the very early hours of the morning at Hobart airport ready for their extended day Melbourne excursion. Thank you to the parents who helped ensure that the girls were there on time - a big ask but it was great to get away on time and have a full day of adventure ahead! Further reports of the day follow in this newsletter edition but I would like to personally thank Mrs Caroline Wilson-Haffenden and Miss Clare Scallon for their extraordinary planning and Mrs Helen Harris for her generous participation on the day. In particular, I would like to acknowledge the students themselves for their amazing involvement, cooperation and exemplary representation of Mount Carmel College. It was a privilege to be with them for the day. UPCOMING DATES NOVEMBER Monday, 3rd Thursday, 6th Thursday, 6th Friday, 7th Monday, 10th Wednesday, 12th Friday, 14th Friday, 14th Wednesday, 19th Thursday, 20th This week 35 Year 9 /10 students and 3 staff departed for Adelaide to participate in the National Science and Engineering Challenge. They have earned this privilege through their efforts in the regional and then state finals and we wish them well. They have been thoroughly prepared by teachers Mr Linton Higginbotham and Ms Valery Kullrich, along with Science Support Technician Mr Wayne Clark, and again, I am confident that they will be proud ambassadors of our college. We look forward to updates of their progress. Year 9 Canberra Trip departs Year 9 Canberra Trip returns Primary Assembly 11.50am Grade 3 hosting Junior SSATIS Athletics Carnival Days4Girls Runway Fashion Show 7.30pm – 8.30pm Grandparents’ Morning Primary Music Tuition Recital 1.45pm STCPSSA Primary Athletics Year 10 Study Day Year 10 Exams Commence Please note the following change of dates for December: Wednesday, 3rd Grade 6 Assembly Friday, 12th Activities Day Friday, 12th Primary Nativity Play Tuesday, 16th Last day of Term 4 for students Mount Carmel College Tickets: $5 Runway Fashion Show 10th November, 2014 7:30pm-8:30pm 361 Sandy Bay Road, (College Hall) Thank you for supporting this fantastic cause. Available from the College Office. FROM THE PRINCIPAL cont. Special event: Days4Girls Fashion Parade Our Year 10 Student Leaders have provided outstanding leadership and vision throughout 2014. With their chosen theme, “Together Towards Tomorrow”, they have urged us all to consider the many ways our actions impact on the greater community, and how when we combine our efforts, we can be a force for positive change. Their ‘grand finale’ project for the year is a focus on supporting the not-for-profit organisation “Days4Girls”, which supports girls in their access to education, safety and dignity. The organisation helps ensure that girls have quality sustainable feminine hygiene and awareness. The provision of this basic need is proving instrumental in creating social change for women all over the world…and our students want to be involved! They have planned several special events on 10th and 11th November. Students in Grade 6 - Year 10 will be invited to lend their support by wearing coloured hair ribbons and painted nails to school on Monday, 10th November. They will also be invited to a lunchtime fashion parade of recycled retro fashion gear. Admission/ involvement is via gold coin payment. Parents and families are encouraged to come along on Monday evening at 7:30pm for a re-run of the same parade. The generous involvement of staff and student models means a great evening of fun will take place and pink-themed supper will be provided. Tickets are $5 and available from College reception. Tickets must be pre-purchased so get in quick before this wonderful event sells out! For more information about the Days4Girls organisation please visit the website: http://www.daysforgirls.org/ College Uniform In the reception area of the College, you will notice a uniform display showing our winter skirt with the navy cardigan and a slightly modified, more feminine white shirt. One of the responses that has come through very strongly in the Strategic Direction feedback has been the call for a uniform review. Consequently, we will move to the establishment of a uniform review committee in 2015, with representation from all key stakeholders. In the meantime, we have decided to stop orders of the brown jumper. From winter 2015, girls may wear the navy cardigan as an all-year garment, with summer dress in Term 1 and 4 and with winter skirt in Term 2 and 3. This garment is just as warm as the jumper, complements the fine navy stripe in the skirt, and the modified shirt is not as tight at the neck as the current shirt. For 2015, students will have the option of either brown jumper or navy cardigan with their winter uniform until any further uniform recommendations are made by the review committee. Change of Date: End of Year I ask all families to note in advance a change to the end of year final day for students. This date will now be Tuesday, 16th December. The slightly earlier finish will allow all members of staff to undertake first aid training. Please make note of this change. Vacation care will be available for families requiring this service on 17th and 18th December. God's blessings for the week ahead Susan Ryan Principal Mount Carmel College Issue 15, 31st July 2014 RELIGIOUS EDUCATION NEWS Last week 10 of our Year 9 students attended a gathering run by UNICEF, the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund, that looked at not only the rights of children around the world, but also at how advocacy can be used by young people to improve the living conditions of children living in difficult circumstances. It was inspiring to attend and witness a room of 60 young people talk passionately about what needs to change in our world and how this change can happen. It is one of the great things about young people; they are unwilling to accept certain injustices in our world and refuse to see the “complicated” reasons behind these injustices as anything more than an excuse for more powerful people to control things as they see fit. They can be honest and forthright in their views, positions we older generations seem reluctant to put ourselves in. Sometimes we scold them, telling them they don’t understand the issues or that they are being naïve, when perhaps we should be listening more to their views and reflecting upon our attitudes and inhibitions. A former colleague of mine found himself in an interesting position on this point last week. He is now the Principal of a large school in Melbourne who joined other schools in their network in asking students to protest against children being held in immigration detention centres. It involved students voluntarily gathering at a particular time and putting tape over their mouths and binding their hands, to symbolise the lack of freedom and voice that children in detention centres experience. The now-Principal did the media calls and found himself talking to various radio shock-jocks around Australia explaining what was going on. Needless to say, there was very little support from these radio hosts, who poured criticism on the idea for a variety of reasons, such as students not knowing what they were doing, others being bullied into participating, and generally towing the government line that things were always improving. My former colleague played the straight bat, beautifully, not getting into a slanging match but justifying the position of the schools who participated. He treated his students with respect, knowing that those who wanted to participate understood what the issue was and why it was so important to make a stand. He also made the point that around seven hundred children are currently living in detention centres, despite it being government policy that no children will be living in these centres. When we know something is right, we should make a stand. It’s our Catholic tradition based on the teachings of Jesus, and a value which we as a school uphold. Encourage that in your daughters and sons, because if we want to improve our world for everyone, staying silent is not the answer. Mr Anthony Chapman Religious Education Coordinator - Secondary CRAZY SOCK DAY October is Catholic Mission month and this year we are invited to reach out and support the vital work of the Jamaican Catholic Church in helping people turn away from violence and crime in order to seek a new future through the power of education. Once again this year, the theme has centred on “Sock it to Poverty” with a special emphasis on the Jamaican community. Yesterday, the primary school held a ‘crazy sock day’ and students turned up for classes wearing a multitude of different coloured and patterned socks. I was dazzled by the enormous range of colours that spanned the playground at recess and lunchtime as I made my way round to take some photos. We thank the students for generously contributing their gold coin donations which undoubtedly, will help make a difference in the lives of so many children especially, this year in Jamaica. It is through ventures like ‘crazy sock day’ that we are reaching out to our marginalised brothers and sisters and carrying on the mission of Christ. Religious Education Coordinator - Primary Mount Carmel College Issue 15, 31st July 2014 FROM THE DEPUTY PRINCIPAL EXCURSIONS Year 10 Exams Year 10 exams commence on Thursday, 20th November and conclude on Wednesday, 26th November. Students will be given detailed information about attendance protocols for this exam period. The Year 10 Study Day has been rescheduled to Wednesday 19th November not Tuesday 18th November as published on the printed calendar sent to all families in 2014; however, this update has been reflected in the online College Calendar on our website. Where a student is unwell and therefore unable to attend an exam, parents are asked to follow the usual protocol of phoning the College Office by 9.00 a.m. The importance of school excursions should never be underestimated. Throughout the year the Primary students have enjoyed a diverse range of settings, displays and exhibits beyond the school gates in order to gain an experiential connection to a wide range of concepts and subject matter. The main purpose in conducting these exams is to provide our students with an opportunity to learn exam strategies; including the preparation required, exam procedures and time and stress management. The additional assessments these exams provide contribute to our ongoing assessment of students’ learning and do not alone determine students’ results. The girls are encouraged to eat, sleep and exercise well during this time. There is no doubt that during an exam period of this nature students experience a degree of stress. With good planning, self-care and support the pressure of exams can be put to good use to motivate students to do their best! We wish all our Year 10s well for the exam period. Celebration Evening As you would be aware by now, our 2014 College Celebration Evening and Year 10 Graduation will take place on the evening of Thursday, 11th December at Wrest Point Convention Centre. Students have commenced choir and dance rehearsals and the night promises to be a wonderful celebration of our College year and a fitting way to farewell our Year 10 students. Attendance at Celebration Evening is compulsory for all students in Grade 5 – Year 10. If there are exceptional circumstances that will prevent a student from attending Celebration Evening, please indicate this in writing to Mrs Susan Ryan. This was certainly the case last Wednesday when the Year 6 students travelled to Melbourne as part of their unit, “Calling Australia Home.” By providing the girls with firsthand experience – the electric atmosphere of Federation Square, the rich history on display at the Immigration Museum, the smells and colours of China Town or the world renown Lygon Street, their learning was enriched enormously. The Grade 6 students should be justifiably proud of the way in which they engaged in all of the activities and the outstanding manner in which they represented the College. Caroline Wilson-Haffenden Primary Curriculum Coordinator Lyndal Tewes Deputy Principal Mount Carmel College Issue 15, 31st July 2014 Grade 6 Melbourne Trip by Isobel Calvert 4:00am sounds like an early start, but Grade 6 White and Grade 6 Navy were exceedingly excited to get up at this time for their day-trip to Melbourne as part of their History unit on Immigration. Crowds started to flow in to the Hobart Airport at 5:00am, everyone ready for the long day that lay ahead of them. Everyone got in their seats on the plane, eagerly looking out the window, wondering when they would depart Hobart. The plane started to buzz, which made smiles beam across everyone's face. You could hear the sound of mouths chewing lollies as the plane darted across the run-way. Finally, they were in the air. Before they knew it, Grade 6 had arrived in Melbourne. Steve, their bus driver, also had an early start, but he remained welcoming and patient especially as he had to put up with the loud talking that came from the back of the bus, all day long. After a 10 minute drive, they were finally in the city of Melbourne. Grade 6 rushed out of the bus, starving for food, but that all ended after they got served their delicious breakfast souvlakis. The Greek Restaurant was in Lygon Street, and the name of it was Stalactites. The Grade 6's chomped on their souvlakis, leaving barely any crumbs on their plates. The next location was Federation Square, where Grade 6 split up into class groups and had a short, but informative tour, with a lady named Belinda. They wandered around, Belinda telling them facts along the way, until they ended up at the Pop-up Patch, a garden for those who lived in the Eureka Tower. They walked and talked, learning many things, until sadly, it was time to leave Federation Square. Steve drove the bus to their next stop, The Immigration Museum. When they arrived they got given a suitcase that contained an assortment of items from immigrants that had arrived in Australia from different countries. The groups had to work out where the people had come from and learnt many interesting facts along the way. The groups then had a chance to look around the museum and answer questions about immigrants using a fake passport. There were different sections about immigrants’ stories and others about the remarkable way immigrants had arrived in Australia. The diverse ways the museum presented the facts really wowed the Grade 6's, and it definitely was something they couldn't forget. After a few hours, the Grade 6’s travelled to Lygon Street and got ready for some lunch at a beautiful Italian Restaurant called Mercadante. The service was amazingly quick and in no time at all, pizza and pasta sat in front of the Grade 6's eyes. They dug in, leaving only specks of sauce on the platters. They were all set to go, when suddenly plates and plates of chocolate pizza came out! After a walk down Lygon Street, the next stop was the China Town Museum, where the Grade 6’s had a tour with a man named Nicolas. They went upstairs first, where there lay glass cases with two wedding dresses. Nicolas told them what many of the designs on them meant, such as the Phoenix which represents new life. Nicolas also explained the practise of foot binding, where Chinese girls had their feet wrapped tightly to fit into small shoes. Grade 6 found out about some other objects the Chinese have invented, such as the compass, rice paper, abacus, silk, umbrella and chopsticks. Then they went outside and had a walking tour through China Town. It was 31 degrees, so they were all very puffed by the time they got back to the Chinese Museum and said their goodbyes to Nicolas. It was a good time to make their way back to Lygon Street and find an ice-cream shop, enjoying the delicious flavours in a nearby park. It was finally time to travel back to the airport and find something for dinner. Soon you could hear the sounds of girls chewing lollies and gum as the plane drifted up into the air. It was no time before the chewing sounds came back for landing. They all watched outside the window, as the sun was setting. They were disappointed that the trip was over, but yet relieved that they could finally get some sleep! Mount Carmel College Issue 15, 31st July 2014 MCC Website If you haven’t yet had a look at the College’s new website, we encourage you to explore the more user friendly and dynamic website. Parents in particular will appreciate many of the features, including quick links to report student absences, sports cancellations, electronic copies of notices sent home and placing orders for uniform items. If you are always on the go, the Mount Carmel College website is also smartphone and tablet friendly, with the option of adding a shortcut to the website on your Apple or Android mobile device. There are easy-to-follow instructions on how to download this shortcut on the Home page: www.mountcarmel.tas.edu.au Caroline Jager Director of Community Relations Cricket – T20 Blast Statewide Cup Tomorrow, Friday, 31st October, eight students from Grades 5 and 6 will represent Mount Carmel College at the T20 Blast Statewide Cricket Cup, to be played at Blundstone Arena. They are to play three round robin matches against other primary school girls’ teams from all over Tasmania. These students have been selected based on performances at the Cricket Tasmania run Gala Afternoon, which was held last term for all Grade 5 and 6 students at Lower Queenborough Oval. We congratulate Chloe Bullen, Stephanie Connell, Alice Sutton, Maddison Willis, Taylor Arkley-Anderson, Ella Gartlan, Grace Pullen, and Sarah Wilson-Haffenden. Lauren Canning and Renae Philpott will act at reserves for the team. Good luck to all involved! Kirstin Palfrey COOL KIDS PROGRAM The Cool Kids program is a structured, skills-based program that teaches children and their parents how to better manage the child’s anxiety. It involves the participation of both children and their parents, and focuses on teaching clear and practical skills. The program, devised by Macquarie University, has undergone continual scientific evaluation and development to include the latest understanding of anxiety and its treatment. Current results indicate that most young people who complete the program show significant improvement. Topics that may be covered in the program include:  Learning about feelings and anxiety  Detective thinking, and learning to think more realistically  Ways that parents can help  Fighting fear by facing fear (stepladders)  Learning to solve a problem  Building assertiveness and dealing with teasing We hope to conduct the Cool Kids program at Mount Carmel for primary aged children, in small groups, this term. It has been offered for many years on an individual basis. Who is Cool Kids designed for? The Cool Kids Program is designed for children:  Who are at least 5 years old and in primary  Where anxiety is the main problem that is being experienced, and  Where anxiety is significantly affecting his or her day-to-day life. What do I do if interested? If you feel your child would benefit from participation in the program or would like further information, please email jasz.mandari@mountcarmel.tas.edu.au. Groups will be created based on identified need, and the program will run subject to numbers. Please feel free to contact Jasz on 6216 7900. Mount Carmel College Issue 15, 31st July 2014  Would you like to understand your teenager more?  We look at practical strategies, information and provide support in a shared learning environment.  Topics include connecting  Tapping Inner Strengths Program is for Parents and Carers raising teenagers who are at risk of leaving home early or who may have already left home. and communicating with your teen, problem solving and conflict resolution. The program is FREE, 2 hours per week for 7 weeks. Call 6214 1481 or email reconnect@colony47.com.au for further information and bookings Starts: Tuesday 4th November 6pm – 8pm For 7 weeks (Nov. 4th, 11th, 18th, 25th Dec. 2nd, 9th, 16th) At: Colony47 432 Elizabeth St, North Hobart North Hobart