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 28 20th Nov, 2014 A WORD FROM THE PRINCIPAL Dear parents, carers, students, staff and friends of the College, At this stage of the year, there is a palpable sensation of change in the air. Our Year 10 students are preparing for a significant life transition to Senior Secondary College - they are sitting exams shortly and getting organised for their final farewells; our Grade 6’s are about to conclude their primary school journey; Orientation Afternoon will be held next week; and, within the College we make plans for the best allocation of resources to enable student learning next year and beyond, including the allocation and appointment of staff. Change is part of the law of life, but nevertheless, it can be challenging. All of us have experienced life changes, whether it be a house move, a job relocation, the arrival of a new family member into the fold; such events can be stressful, but they frequently bring great joy as well. In a school setting, change is vital, not for the sake of change itself, but to ensure that our educational offerings are contemporary, rich and relevant. I acknowledge our team of generous and able staff who, as part of their professional practice, are reflective, inquiring and always open to the consideration of models that will enhance student learning. I thank our parents who are trusting and open to supporting changes that perhaps they are not sure about, but are willing to learn more about. UPCOMING DATES NOVEMBER Monday, 24th Thursday, 27th Friday, 28th Kinder – Grade 6 Orientation P&F Meeting Year 10 Community Service Year 10 Community Service DECEMBER Monday, 1st Wednesday 3rd Thursday, 4th Year 7 Orientation Day Appreciation Supper Year 10 Orientation Day at Guilford Young College Grade 6 Assembly Year 10 Thanksgiving Mass Please note the following change of dates for December: Friday, 12th Friday, 12th Tuesday, 16th Activities Day Primary Nativity Play Last day of Term 4 for students Term Dates 2015 Year 7 Familiarisation Day Wednesday, 4th February Term 1 Thursday, 5th February — Thursday, 2nd April Term 2 Monday, 20th April — Friday, 3rd July Term 3 Tuesday, 21st July — Friday, 25th September Term 4 Monday, 12th October — Tuesday, 15th December FROM THE PRINCIPAL cont. Change enables growth and opportunity. It enables individuals to consider what is possible and to share their dreams. On Tuesday I had the absolute pleasure of listening to speeches prepared by current Year 9 students nominating for leadership roles next year. Twenty three students put themselves forward and spoke to teachers and peers about what leadership means to them and how they would like to serve the College community. To say that these speeches reflected maturity, insight and vision would be a complete understatement! What a privilege it was to hear their ideas and witness their confidence and passion. As we have repeatedly said to our students, regardless of whether they are elected to leadership roles, they will all take on the mantle of service and leadership. Every set of eyes within the community will look to them for guidance and their actions will speak volumes about what being a member of the Mount Carmel family means. Congratulations to every one of these girls, all on the brink of a huge change in their lives, and so generous with their gifts and talents. Like the students who have led us in 2014, the College will be richer as a result of your contribution to our story as a learning community. Being a Principal means I have the most wonderful opportunities to ‘sample’ daily learning opportunities across the College. On Monday, I joined Grade 4 on their excursion to Bruny Island. It was a blustery day and we lost more than one beanie or cap in the strong winds but it was, again, a delightful experience to be part of an experiential learning occasion beyond the walls of the classroom. Read more about this special day through the lens of the students’ eyes also in this newsletter. Grade 4 Students ‘Blown Away’ by Bruny Excursion! Grade 4 had an amazing trip to Bruny Island on Monday with gale force winds making it extra exhilarating and memorable! Students scaled the steps at the isthmus to recall the story of Truganini and ventured to Adventure Bay to follow in the footsteps of explorers such as James Cook. We are very grateful to Mr David Davenport, artist, for leading us in a sketching activity at Grass Point, and to Dr Tim Jetson, historian at UTAS, for enabling us to understand the significance of Bruny Island in History. An excerpt from a poem about our excursion by Scarlett Pollard in Grade 4: “On the ferry The sea was merry It gave off spray It was a windy day!” God’s blessings for the week ahead, Susan Ryan Principal Mount Carmel College Issue 28 – 20th November, 2014 FROM THE ASSISTANT TO THE PRINCIPAL - PRIMARY Primary Orientation Afternoon will be held on Monday, 24th November, commencing at 1:00pm in the College Hall. New students, as well as ‘old’ boys and girls will spend the afternoon with their 2015 class teachers and peers, while new parents of Prep to Grade 6 students will have the opportunity to listen to speakers and also enjoy the hospitality prepared by Mrs Saville and her team. We are grateful, too, that a number of current parents from a range of grades are able to be present to extend a warm welcome to new parents. 2015 Kindergarten students and their parents/carers are also asked to gather in the hall at 1:00pm and following a prayer and welcome, they will go together (parents and children) to Kindergarten for the afternoon. We warmly invite current Kindergarten parents/carers, whose children will be in Prep in 2015, to attend Orientation Afternoon and stay in the hall rather than proceed to the classroom. The transition from Kindergarten to Prep is significant and it would be very beneficial if you could attend the information session, featuring a range of speakers. The appointment of the Prep teacher for 2015 has not yet been finalised so Mrs Maureen Fasnacht, who has many years of experience in early childhood classes at Mount Carmel, will work with the Preps for the afternoon. Students and staff are very much looking forward to meeting Mount Carmel’s new community members for 2015 on Monday. Kids Matter Parent Session We are grateful to Norma Cooper and Jasz Mandari for running a parent information session about social and emotional development and learning on the evening of Monday, 24th November from 7:00pm until 8:00pm in the Drama Studio. Kids Matter resources will also be on hand for you to peruse and ideas regarding their use to support families will be discussed. Please contact Norma, Jasz or your child’s class teacher if you would like to attend. Primary Assemblies Prep and Kinder students will host assembly on Friday (tomorrow) from 11:15am until midday in the College Hall and all parents and friends are warmly invited to attend. Grade 6 students will have the opportunity to reflect on their primary experiences and to mark their continuing transition to middle/secondary years by hosting the final Primary Assembly of the year on Wednesday 3rd December. We hope that Grade 6 parents and carers will be able to come along to this special occasion which will take place from 11:20am until 12:30pm in the College Hall. Reports Even though end of year Reports will not be posted until Wednesday 10 th December, it is very important that we have updated address and contact details for all families. We would be grateful if you could advise our office staff as soon as possible if these need to be adjusted. Many thanks in anticipation. Therese McDevitt Primary Dates Friday, 21st November – Prep and Kindergarten Assembly Monday, 24th November – Primary Orientation Afternoon Monday, 24th November – Kids Matter Parent Session Wednesday, 3rd December – Grade 6 Primary Assembly Mount Carmel College Issue 28 – 20th November, 2014 YEAR 10 CELEBRATIONS Year 10 Celebrations As Year 10 Students commence their end of year exams this Thursday, 20th November, planning and preparations continue for the various celebratory events to mark the conclusion of their time at Mount Carmel College. Invitations to the Year 10 Celebration Dinner will be posted home to students later in the week. K&./K photography will be taking professional photos before and during this event and group, family and individual photographs can be taken from 5pm onwards on Monday, 15th December at the Derwent Sailing Squadron, Marieville Esplanade. The formal proceedings of the Celebration Dinner will commence at 6:30pm. Students will be issued with login cards and online ordering instructions for photographs prior to the evening. Photographs will also be taken during the evening by staff members and these images will be made available on CD for students to collect from the College Office. Parent Volunteers If any parents were interested and available to assist in decorating the function room at the Derwent Sailing Squadron and arranging and setting tables on the afternoon of Monday, 15 th December, please contact Vivienne Brown. Ph: 62167905 E: vivienne.brown@mountcarmel.tas.edu.au Decorations will be purchased and ready for the event and parent assistance in arranging decorations and setting up the venue would be greatly appreciated. Stewart Bennett Year 10 Student Coordinator RELIGIOUS EDUCATION NEWS Grandparents’ Day The book ‘Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge’ by Mem Fox is a delightful book about Wilfrid, a little boy who lives next to a retirement home, and his favourite old person is 96 year old Miss Nancy. Everyone says Miss Nancy has lost her memory, and despite the fact that Wilfrid does not know what a memory is, by accident he helps her find it. Some of the characters define a memory as ‘something that is warm, something from long ago, something that makes you cry, laugh and something as precious as gold.’ It is this very description of a memory that gave shape to our Grandparents’ morning last Wednesday. We all know what wonderful memories grandparents create for their grandchildren. They are people who are as precious as gold, their stories and wisdom from long ago can make us laugh and sometimes cry but above all their presence in their grandchildrens’ lives can create golden memories that will last a lifetime and teach them so much about life and love. Joachim and Ann were Jesus’ grandparents and their faith enabled them to trust the mystery of God’s plan in the life of their daughter Mary, and support her as she responded to God’s call. We too, can look to those in our own lives, who through their love and faith have guided and supported us on our journey, especially our grandparents. Grandparents’ Day at Mount Carmel College was an opportunity to give thanks to God for them and to pray God’s special blessing upon them. Grandparents’ Day Prayer We welcome you, our grandparents, here today to celebrate you and the love you have for us. The bond of your love in our lives echoes the love of God and today we acknowledge the gift you are to each one of us. We say thank you for being a part of our lives and sharing with us the love that enriches us and helps us to grow in awareness of our special place in our family and in the world. Ida Saracino Religious Education Coordinator - Primary Mount Carmel College Issue 28 – 20th November, 2014 TASMANIAN SOCIAL JUSTICE COMPETITION Recently the Tasmanian Catholic Justice and Peace Commission ran a competition for school students to hypothetically address the G20 Summit that recently happened in Brisbane. The topic was “Lazarus at Our Gate: What Can We Do?” and encouraged the students to either produce a written piece or a multi-media presentation that would encourage the G20 leaders to do more to stop world poverty. A number of students from Mount Carmel entered, with Anna Koerner of 10 White winning second prize for her written piece. Highly Commended certificates were also presented to Charlotte Ford (10N), Hella Foss(8N), Holly Molnar (10W), Meg Phillips (10W) and Tayla Davis-Cotterill (10W). Congratulations to all the girls who entered who did a great job in highlighting this important issue. Anna’s piece is printed below. Anthony Chapman Members of the G20 Meeting, As the people in control of the majority of the world’s wealth, I believe it is your responsibility to address the plight of poverty in our world. First I would like to begin with some statistics and some issues to think about. At least 80% of humanity lives on less than $10 a day. Everyone who is a part of the G20 meeting today, and the countries you represent, account for 76% of the world’s private consumption. You are twenty percent of the world yet you consume more than three quarters of all the worlds resources. Is that fair? Shouldn’t you be aiming to share those resources with the people who so desperately need them? How many times have people here thrown away their leftovers or food from the back of the fridge that expired weeks ago, or old furniture that was gathering dust in the garage? Is has been estimated that less than a quarter of the food wasted in Western countries could feed the planet's one billion hungry people. I urge you to think about using less, wasting less, showing more gratitude for all that you do have and make more changes that the poverty stricken people of this world so urgently need. Every second child in our world suffers due to poverty, as a result of lack of shelter, food, water, education, or because of disease, sadly but most commonly more than one of the aforementioned reasons. According to UNICEF, 22,000 children die each day due to poverty and they “die quietly in some of the poorest villages on earth, far removed from the scrutiny and the conscience of the world. Being meek and weak in life makes these dying multitudes even more invisible in death”. Many of the people present at this meeting today have children and all of you would know or have a relation to young children. These children, the next generation mean the world, they are your pride and joy and you strive to give them the best lives. Imagine if you were a parent who was experiencing suffering and poverty and as a result of your circumstances are harsher with, less supportive of, and more detached from your child (ren). Imagine that you could not give them the life they deserve or even what they need to survive. Imagine you had to face your children every day and see your dire and dismal situation reflected in their face and in their character. There has to be ways to change this. I know it will take time and an immense effort from the entire world but it is possible. These are people I am talking about, people with families, personalities, dreams and talents. They just do not have the ability to harness these talents or to make changes they so dreadfully need as they have no resources. They survive in ways we could never imagine or ever want to experience. You, as representatives of the world’s 20 richest countries have the power and the wealth to end the seemingly never ending cycle of poverty. We have to change this. Anna Koerner Mount Carmel College Issue 28 – 20th November, 2014 NEWS FROM THE SPORTS ADMINISTRATION OFFICER ROSTERS, RESULTS AND LADDERS Please visit the following websites for up to date rosters, results and ladders for these sports: Secondary Tennis www.satis.com.au/sports/tennis/ Secondary Touch Football www.southerntouch.com.au RESULTS Results are only published for teams who have reported their results to the Sports Administration Officer prior to lunch time on Tuesday each week. Failure to report results will also impact on ladder placings for SSATIS sports – any team not reporting their score within a week will not receive the points for that game. All rosters and results for secondary SSATIS sports can be found at: www.satis.com.au/sport/ Secondary Touch Football 10/11/2014 Grade 7 Gold lost to Fahan Navy 1-5 Grade 8 White defeated Collegiate Blue 4-2 Grade 8 Navy lost to Collegiate White 2-3 Grade 8 Gold drew with Fahan Navy 2-2 12/11/2014 Grade 9 Navy defeated Dominic Gold 5-1 Grade 9 Gold defeated Fahan Navy 2-1 SSATIS Tennis 4/11/2014 Grade 7 White defeated Grade 7 Navy 32-12 (5-1) SSATIS Tennis Last week saw the two Grade 7 teams facing off for the Mount Carmel derby. It was the 7 White team consisting of Annabel Jamieson, Chloe Harris, Dhanika Verma and Ella McKendrick that came out on top, with a 32 games to 12 (5-1) win over 7 Navy. I’m sure, despite the scores, a great afternoon was had by all! Mount Carmel College Olivia Hogarth Sports Administration Officer O: 6216-7926 E: olivia.hogarth@mountcarmel.tas.edu.au JSSATIS Softball & Teeball Softball wrapped up this week after a shortened roster due to very small numbers. This is shame as softball is a great sport for all and caters well for all ability levels. The roster involved a short skills session followed by a small game each Tuesday at the Ham Common sports grounds. Special thanks to the staff and volunteers from Collegiate for organising and running these sessions, and for putting on a barbeque to finish the roster. Teeball continues, with the Grade 3/4 team being well coached and looked after by My Foyer Haas and his team of managers. The girls are learning a great deal about the game and hopefully the Grade 4s continue that into softball next year. Touch Football The secondary Touch teams are continuing along well, with all teams having at least one win on the board. Of course the main aim is to have a run around and have some fun with friends, which all girls are doing. Teams are requested to send any information or stories of standout performances to me for inclusion in the Bulletin for a final report after the final games next week. Issue 28 – 20th November, 2014 FROM THE SPORTS ADMINISTRATION OFFICER cont. PRIMARY ATHLETICS STCPSSA proved another great day out! TRIATHLON Secondary and Primary The Secondary and Primary Schools Triathlon Challenge will be held this week at Bellerive Beach on Thursday, November 20th and Friday, November 21st respectively. All girls will have received their kits before their event, which includes their numbered bib, a swim cap, and a range of other goodies from the Schools Triathlon organisers. Those doing the bike leg will also have received a number sticker for their bike, with instructions to ensure they write their name and school on the sticker and attach it to their bike. Girls who are travelling directly to (secondary only) or from the venue have already indicated this on the return slip, but if your plans have changed please let me know as soon as possible. SPORTING ACHIEVEMENTS I encourage anyone in the College community to contact me with any significant sporting achievements of which you are aware so that we may share and celebrate with those students. On a high after such a great day at the JSSATIS Carnival, the Primary Athletics team headed off for the second consecutive Friday for the Catholic Primary carnival. The weather looked grim early, but the rain cleared and just the wind remained to test the competitors. The format is quite different at the STCPSSA event, with the large number of schools being divided into Blue and Gold divisions – Mount Carmel competes in the Gold division against the other larger, more centrally based schools. The 100m runners had another very good day, with a large number finishing in the top 3, and Holly Round, Ruby Erin, Imogen Nation, Ainslee MacDonald, and the Grade 5 relay team all winning their races. Congratulations also to Felicity Wilson-Haffenden on her first place in the Grade 3 400m, and to the many girls who won ribbons in other track and field events. A special thanks once again to the girls who stepped in to fill places for those who were absent or injured, as well as a big thank you to Mr Philip Hyatt, Miss Hannah Clear and Mrs Tanya Furjanic for accompanying the team and fulfilling official duties. SPORTING OPPORTUNITIES Total Tennis Tuition Venues: Time: Dates: University and Rosny 9.30am – 3.30pm 22nd – 24th December, 2014 7th – 9th January, 2015 19th– 21st January, 2015 28th – 30th January, 2015 For enrolments or further information please call Grant. Phone: 0408 596 665 Email: grant@totaltennis.com.au Primary and Secondary Sport & Co-Curricular Photos 2014 All these photos will be included in our Fides magazine for this year. However, we are offering a new opportunity for families to purchase these photos. If you would like to do so please log on to the K&K Photography website: www.kkphotos.com.au or orders.kkphotos.com.au and the Shoot key: SMVDBG7E. These photos will be available online until Monday, 1st December. All groups are $10 each (8x10 inch photo). Orders placed by 1st December will not incur a postage fee, as all orders will be collated and delivered to the College in one batch. If you have any further enquiries regarding this service please contact Shannon Thomas, Office and Production E: production@kkphotos.com.au Mount Carmel College Issue 28 – 20th November, 2014