Dear Carmel College Community,

The last two weeks has certainly been eventful! To be honest I am not sure of the correct adjective to use… Across our Carmel Family, people’s experience of Cyclone Alfred was highly variable, ranging from basically nothing to sustaining significant damage and living without power for ten days.  I hope that life is slowing returning to normal for those who were adversely affected. 

Last week, along with some other staff, we attended a professional learning opportunity on the Carmelite Charism.  Central to the Carmelite Charism are the virtues of Prayer, Community and Service.  One aspect we looked at was the notion of ‘making space’ for God in our lives as a form a prayer.  This is a wonderful concept and we can make space in a whole range of ways – time in silence, literally making space to allow someone to merge in traffic, taking time to listen to the thoughts of our young people, sharing an afternoon ‘lemonade’ with a partner.  There are many ways we can make space and connect with each other and thereby with God who is made manifest in the human person.  This year at Carmel we have instituted a reflective minute at the end of PC in the mornings to make space for God. As we progress through this season of Lent let us consider how we can make space for God in our daily lives.

Child Youth Risk Management Strategy

At Carmel, we are dedicated to ensuring the safety and well-being of every student at our College. The Child Youth Risk Management Strategy lays out comprehensive measures designed to protect our young people. This strategy includes staff recruitment, training, and clear policies on reporting and managing risks. We strive to create a supportive and secure environment where every student can thrive. I invite all parents to review this important document, which is readily accessible on our college website. Your involvement and awareness are crucial in maintaining a safe community for our children.

Traffic

As everyone is aware, traffic at the school at peak times can be busy. Please take note of the following processes:-

• If you are dropping off or picking up, please use the pickup zone in the lower carpark. Parents are not permitted to enter the top carpark between 8:20am and 8:50am and 2:30pm – 3:30pm.
• To ensure the smooth flow of traffic in the afternoons, I remind all drivers that Doull Place is Left Turn Only between 3:00pm and 3:30pm.
• Learner drivers are not permitted to drive on school grounds between 8:00am and 3:30pm.
• For safety reasons please do not call your child across roads. All students are to cross roads at the designated crossing on Ziegenfusz Road or where staff are supervising on Doull Place.
• Please do not do U Turns on Doull Place. This affects traffic flow and is a dangerous practice for pedestrians.

I ask that all parents driving near the school or in surrounding streets be mindful of the need to be careful to keep our students safe and ensure the safety and amenity of residents.

If possible have your child wait an extra 10 minutes and pick them up at 3:15pm.  Traffic is thinning then and is usually mostly all gone by 3:20pm.

Attendance

As you are aware we have a major focus on attendance this year.  We have been improving with our current attendance rate being 66.4% at 90% or better attendance.  The Year 7s are our shining stars with the only grade to meet the 80% goal at this time (81.6% at or above 90%). 

Interestingly many student are just below 90% (in the 88/89% range) and if they attend every day between now and the holidays many more will creep up over 90%. 

We have a number of ‘unexplained’ absences and we need to account for everybody all of the time.  I ask parents to please ensure you are recording absences in the system via the portal or BCE connect app.

Have a wonderful fortnight.

God bless.

Mr Stephen Adair

Principal 

As we continue our journey towards academic excellence, it is essential to address the areas where our students need the most support. One such area, as highlighted by our student data, is reading. To foster a love for reading and improve comprehension skills, our dedicated teachers have been focusing on the strategy of read-alouds.

Read-alouds, though commonly associated with primary education, are a powerful tool that can greatly benefit secondary school students as well. This strategy involves teachers reading texts aloud to students, modeling fluent reading, and demonstrating how to approach and decode a text to create meaning. By speaking out loud their own thinking and decoding process, teachers model for students how to navigate complex texts and create meaning from them. This helps students gain a deeper understanding of the material and develop critical thinking skills.

At Carmel College, our teachers have embraced this approach and have been actively incorporating read-alouds into their lessons. This initiative aims to show students how to navigate complex texts, understand context, and engage with the content on a deeper level. By listening to their teachers think aloud, students can hear the process that an expert reader uses to comprehend various texts.

We believe that by modeling these skills, our students will become more confident readers and better equipped to tackle challenging texts. This method also encourages a collaborative learning environment where students can discuss and analyze the material together, further enhancing their understanding.

We are proud of the efforts our teachers are making to improve reading skills at Carmel College. Their commitment to professional development and innovative teaching strategies is truly commendable. We ask parents to encourage their children to read at home, to foster a love for reading. 

God Bless,

Mr Reuben Chalmers

Deputy Principal

Finding Strength in Faith

Over the weekend, I was lucky enough to take part in an amazing learning experience. I went on a retreat to learn more about our Marist Charism. It was a special time for reflection and connection. One of the most memorable moments was hearing from journalist Mike Munro, who shared a very personal story about his childhood and the struggles he faced growing up.

He spoke openly about the challenges he went through—times of hardship, uncertainty, and doubt. But what stood out the most was when he said, "It was because of my faith, I had hope." This statement made me really stop and think. It reminded me that faith can give us the strength to keep going, even in tough times.

His story showed how faith is more than just beliefs—it can be a guiding light that helps us move forward. It made me reflect on my own life and consider: Where do I find hope? How does my faith help me through difficult moments?

As educators in a Catholic school, we have the important role of helping our students develop their own sense of faith. Our children are growing up in a world filled with challenges. Encouraging them to trust in their faith can provide them with strength, resilience, and a sense of purpose.

St Vincent de Paul Visit

This week, our Student Leaders and Marist Game Changers dedicated their time on Wednesday afternoon to stay back at school for an hour and engage in a meaningful session with St Vincent de Paul. They learned about social justice issues affecting people in the Redlands and were encouraged to reflect on the challenges faced by those in our community, such as social inclusion and homelessness.

The session sparked thoughtful discussions as students considered the causes, they feel most passionate about and the ways they have already contributed to helping others. They also explored how, as young leaders in a school setting, they can make a meaningful difference. It was great to see such energy in the room, and we look forward to supporting their ideas in action!

Romero House Mass

Who was St. Oscar Romero?

St. Oscar Romero was a brave and compassionate leader who stood up for the poor and spoke out against injustice in El Salvador. As a priest and later an archbishop, he used his voice to fight for fairness and human rights, even when it put his life in danger.

He believed that one person can make a difference and encouraged others to stand up for what is right. His famous words, “Aspire not to have more, but to be more,” remind us that true greatness comes from helping others and living with courage.

Oscar Romero’s legacy continues to inspire people today to speak up, act with kindness, and never give up on doing what is right.

On Wednesday 19 March, Romero House came together to celebrate a special Mass in honour of their patron, St. Oscar Romero. During the service, they reflected on his passion for standing up for others and the powerful legacy he left behind. College Captain, Rylee Crossley, shared how being part of Romero House has shaped her journey at Carmel, highlighting the strong sense of community and pride within Romero House. As part of the celebration, the Romero House Prayer was read, reminding us of our commitment to live out his values in our daily lives:

Compassionate God,

in the spirit of our house patron, Saint Oscar Romero,

help us as we seek justice, dignity and mutual respect for all people.

Guide our words and actions

so that we can build relationships founded on the gospel values.

Inspired by Romero, may we always,  

“aspire not to have more, but to be more”.

Amen.

To wrap up the celebration, we enjoyed a fabulous video showcasing Romero House moments so far this year—and, of course, cake!

Looking ahead, on Monday 24 March, Romero House will continue to celebrate by holding their Caritas fundraising event on the feast day of St. Oscar Romero. We can’t wait to see the Romero House spirit in action!

Mrs Erin Hardy

Assistant Principal-Religious Education

Last Friday, our Year 11 First Nations students from Carmel College had the honour of attending the Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Foundation (QATSIF) new recipient ceremony hosted by the Australian Catholic University at Banyo.

Madeline, Fiarelli, Archer and Sam joined with hundreds of students from various Catholic, State, and independent schools across South-East Queensland. These students proudly received their scholarships, which are funded by the labour and unpaid wages of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Queenslanders from past decades. This financial support represents a commitment to righting historical wrongs while also investing in the future of our First Nations students, providing opportunities their ancestors were denied.

Her Excellency the Honourable Dr Jeannette Young AC PSM, Governor of Queensland officiated at the event, and spoke with passion and enthusiasm about the challenges and opportunities ahead of the cohort.

The ceremony was not only about the official presentation of certificates but also featured captivating traditional dances and heartfelt reflections from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders. Additionally, former QATSIF scholarship recipients shared inspiring stories about the significance of education and seizing every opportunity.

Congratulations to our students who represented Carmel College, their families and culture with pride.

For more information about QATSIF, visit QATSIF.

Ms Terri Edwards
Learning Enrichment – First Nations Support / Academic Staff

On Tuesday 18 March, the College was privileged to have Mr Grant Clayton from Microsoft present at our first Parent Forum for 2025. Grant volunteered time from his busy schedule to discuss online and internet safety on behalf of ThinkUKnow, an organisation supported by the Australian Federal Police.

Grant shared some valuable insights, including:

• Having regular, consistent and reliable conversations with your children about their online activities
• Having rules for gaming:
  • Make sure games are played in an open space where the screen is visible
  • No headphones, so that you can hear game noises and player interactions
  • Knowing who your children are online with – have you met them in person?
• Only allowing your children to have an online presence on one social media application – Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Tik Tok
• Establishing a phone contract before allowing your children to have access to a phone.
• You pay for the phone, so your children should ask for your permission to download the app. If you are unfamiliar with the app they want to download, trial it for yourself for a month to understand its functionality and appropriateness for your children

As a College, we are committed to working with you to ensure your children are making safe and positive choices online. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to your child’s House Leader or PC Teacher, if you would like some support in this area.

You can also find some valuable information on these websites:

ThinkUKnow – https://www.thinkuknow.org.au/

esafety Commissioner – https://www.esafety.gov.au/

Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation – https://www.accce.gov.au/

Our community is in my prayers during this final fortnight of the term.

Liam Lunney

Acting Assistant Principal: Student Wellbeing 

Term One Progress Reports

In the final week of school, all Carmel students will receive a progress report based on judgements around our Consistent Committed Learner Qualities Matrix. These judgements will give insights around Carmel students attitudes and behaviours towards their learning. Parents will be able to find these through The Learning Dashboard via the BCE connect application.

While academic results aren’t included for our 7-12 learners, I would encourage all families to talk with your students about their results. The student planner provides a section towards the back that allows students and teachers to communicate academic results. I would encourage all families to engage in this process so that you can see the most up to date academic achievements of your learners. 

Year 11 Examination Block

At the time of writing this, our Year 11’s are just over halfway done with their first block exams. I am happy to report that their diligent approach to these formal exams has been exceptional each day so far. The Consistent Commitment to Learning modelled by our Year 11 cohort is a testament to their diligence, respect, resilience and positive relationships and it’s been a pleasure to see our college pillars in action each day in the exam rooms.

Year 12 Assessment

The Year 12 Examination Block will be running throughout next week (week 9) from Wednesday  26^th March to Friday 28^th March. The examination schedule was emailed out to all Year 12 students, parents, and caregivers. Importantly, I encourage all parents to review the examination schedule with their children and ensure students know the exam dates and times and venues for each subject which they study.

You can find the examination schedule on the parent portal under the assessment calendar tab in the documents section or below:

Ms Cher Williams

Assistant Principal Learning & Teaching Senior Years

NAPLAN

Our Year 7 and 9 students have completed the NAPLAN tests this week, following the delay after Cyclone Alfred. I am grateful to all students, families and staff for understanding the changes needed to the schedule. Overall, our students have been working hard in these sessions to help us have reliable data to plan for their learning. In discussions with students, I have stressed that we do not expect all students to get every question right. Instead, the data helps us to see where there are gaps in learning to be targeted and strengths to celebrate. We use other indicators to measure all the other important aspects of our school such as student wellbeing, behaviour trends and Catholic identity.

Assessment Updates

Following the cyclone, there have been adjustments needed to most assessment tasks and/or due dates. Teachers have been communicating these directly to families and students, and updating the College assessment calendar. If you or your child have any questions about the due dates or changes to tasks, please contact your child’s teacher directly. Staff email addresses can be found on the Parent Portal. Term 1 report cards do not include A-E results as assessment may not have been completed in all subjects. Where assessment has had to be adjusted, teachers will ensure that the Term 1 and 2 tasks, taken together, can still lead to reliable reporting.

Student Diary

Despite the wild weather, there is so much going on in our Year 7-9 classrooms! I was transported back to my own high school days when I walked into some Year 9 Science classes recently to find them doing eye dissections. I recall feeling a bit squeamish the first time around but students seemed excited for the opportunity this time!

Several junior Arts students, along with senior classes, attended Sister Act at QPAC! The show was full of lively costumes, dancing and music. As a Drama teacher, I always enjoy being able to take students to see live theatre. For many it is their first experience and they come away in awe.

This week was the second day of our Year 9 BECOME Careers Program. My thanks to Mrs Katie Coggins, our Pathways Leader, for her work in this space and also to Mrs Jacqui Braddon who I know played a large role in bringing together the panel guests yesterday. Authentic careers education at this stage aims to broaden the range of careers that students are aware of and ignite their curiosity into the world of work. While we certainly don’t expect students to lock in a career now, having goals and an awareness of where there schooling can take them certainly influences their effort and positive choices now.  

I am looking forward to attending BCE’s Ngutana-Lui Centre next week with Year 7 students to deepen their understanding of First Nations peoples and the deep time history of Australia. We have been exploring human migration into Australia and how knowledge and culture have been passed on for millennia, to the practices lived out today. Students will be combining their researched information and a narrative to create a dual-genre text for English and HASS.

Reading!

Our Reading focus continues this week at Carmel! In our Professional Learning Communities, teachers have been developing modelled read-aloud activities to share with students. These give students opportunities to see and hear the process to follow when deconstructing and decoding a text.

This week I have been continuing to read 1984 by George Orwell and it’s going well! Our staff bookclub decided to read a classic that we hadn’t read before. I had been jealous of the other English class when I was at school who got to read 1984 but had never gotten around to reading it since! I won’t share which book my class read; even though it is loved by many, I cannot say I enjoyed it. It is important for our students to know that they won’t love every book they read. Thankfully there are many more waiting for them and our wonderful Library staff are here to help! Perhaps in your conversations this week, you can share what you are reading with your child, and one or two books that you didn’t enjoy as much.

“There is more treasure in books than in all the pirate’s loot on Treasure Island.” Walt Disney.

Mr Frank Turtle

Acting Assistant Principal – Learning and Teaching (Years 7-9)

What we offer – With most groups/ensembles coming at NO cost to our families

All Private Instrumental, Vocal, Dance, and Visual Art lessons are underway, and we are already seeing some real success stories. This year, we have the most Arts opportunities for Carmel College students that we have ever had, and our numbers are very high in all programs we offer. The Art staff are very excited for what 2025 holds for the Arts. If your student is enrolled in the Arts extra-curricular program, you will receive emails from their teacher regarding times and days of lessons and all other communication regularly. Please keep an eye on your emails for this. Please refer to the Arts Co weekly timetable below for more information.

Arts Co-Curricular Program Leader

Our Year 9 ADP continued learning and participating in our Athlete Development Program Term 1 theme of ‘Strength and Conditioning’. Students were fortunate to learn from elite coaches and participate in a strength and conditioning session. Students learnt the ‘HOW’ and ‘WHY’ of different fundamental movement sequences and how developing these can assist in strengthening their personal performance throughout various sporting and athletic events. A big thanks to Coach Amy and Coach Eden for an educational and engaging session, students are looking forward to progressing with two more sessions in Term 2.

Mr Dion King

Athlete Development Program Leader

Community Puzzles

Our community puzzles have been a tremendous success! Students have thoroughly enjoyed collaborating and piecing together intricate puzzles during their free time. These puzzles have not only provided a fun break from academic work but also fostered teamwork and social interaction.

Protecting our Library Resources

We have noticed an increasing number of damaged library resources, particularly novels. We urge all students to be extra cautious when handling library materials. Ensure that books are properly secured and not crushed by laptops or other items when carrying your library books in your laptop bag.

New LearnPath Lessons on the Vikings and Research Skills

Our library is continually striving to enhance the learning experience, and we have been working with the Year 8 Humanities classes to showcase our new LearnPath resource. These lessons are designed to provide students with access to reliable sources that relating to Viking history and equip students with essential research techniques.

Upcoming:

Pets Caught Reading competition

Our annual Pets Caught Reading competition is fast approaching.  Students are invited to take a creative photo of their pets reading. Students are welcome to enter their submissions now using the QR code or by emailing Mrs Finden.

Writer in Residence Program

Guest author Victoria Carless will be visiting the school next week to work with eight lucky students.  The Writer in Residence program provides these students will an opportunity to hone their writing skills and will receive feedback firsthand from a published author.  Their short stories will then be entered into the IEU Literary competition where they are in the running for cash prizes.

Kid’s Lit Quiz Competition

We are excited to announce that our school will be participating in the Kid’s Lit Quiz competition this year! This prestigious event challenges students’ knowledge of children’s literature and offers a fantastic opportunity to showcase their general knowledge on all things ‘literature’. The competition takes place at the end of the term and is hosted by Moreton Bay College.

Mrs Jessica Finden

Teacher Librarian

Follow us at carmelcollege_library for all your library news!

Dear Carmel Community

We are looking for parents who can volunteer at our Tuckshop for 2-3 hours either fortnightly or monthly. If you're interested in lending a hand, please reach out to our Tuckshop Convenor, Mrs Belinda Greaves, by emailing sthotuckshop@carmelcollege.qld.edu.au.

Your support is greatly appreciated.

The 2025 Volunteer Tuckshop Roster for Term 1 is outlined below:

Mrs Belinda Greaves

Tuckshop Convenor

We are thrilled to announce that students from Nara Ikuei High School, Japan, will be visiting Carmel College in Term 3. During their stay, they will share their knowledge of Japanese language and culture with our students while also learning about our great Aussie lifestyle and improving their English skills.We are looking for families that would like to open their homes to our Japanese guests. If you are interested in hosting a student, please review the documents below and reach out to Mrs Ward or Ms Edwards for more information. Let's make this cultural exchange a memorable experience for everyone involved!

Discover the unique learning environment at Carmel College by joining us for a personal tour of our Catholic Co-educational Secondary College in Thornlands. We are committed to fostering learning through determination, creativity, and enthusiasm within the Catholic tradition, providing the perfect setting for your child to let their light shine!

• Thursday, 27 March 2025
• 9am- 11am
• Carmel College- 20 Ziegenfusz Road, Thornlands 4164

To secure your spot for the Open Day, please register online by visiting https://www.trybooking.com/CYLFP

What to Expect:

• Explore our state-of-the-art facilities
• Meet dedicated educators who are passionate about student success
• Learn about our diverse academic and extracurricular offerings
• Experience the warm and inclusive atmosphere of Carmel College

We can't wait to welcome you and look forward to showcasing the difference that Carmel College can make in your child's educational journey.

For more information:

• visit www.carmelcollege.qld.edu.au
• call us on 07 3488 7777
• email enrolments@carmelcollege.qld.edu.au

During the school year, Carmel College may take photos of your child as part of their schooling journey. We intend to publish an array of images in our annual yearbook, which will be published in hardcopy only and available to Carmel College families.

As noted in the 2025 BCE Annual School Photo Parent Slip, PC class photos and extra-curricular groups (arts, sport, library, debating, etc) will be included in the publication.

If you do not wish for your child to be published in the 2025 yearbook, please advise us by emailing carmelcollegeevents@bne.catholic.edu.au.

Copyright in some materials appearing in the Carmel College Newsletter is owned by third parties and should not be used or reproduced without the authority of the third party. The links to websites or web pages are for information purposes only.

To the extent that such third-party materials are not owned by BCE, we accept no responsibility for such content.