Dear Carmel College Community,

Last weekend was Pentecost.  This year, I had a new take on the story of the Apostles speaking in different languages and people from all over understanding them.  It occurred to me that all too often in our lives, when we have disagreements or when someone doesn’t understand what we are saying that it can seem like we are speaking a different language.  Maybe we are misunderstood at work, or we failed to make clear who was getting the milk on the way home – whatever the situation, clear communication is critical in both preventing and solving problems. 

This is nowhere more apparent than in the lives of our young people. Teenagers accuse others of misunderstanding them just as frequently as they too misunderstand others.  Many of the issues we manage at school come about when people appear to be ‘speaking different languages’.  There is an opportunity in this season of Pentecost to seek the patience of the Holy Spirit and look to listen with the heart.  To try and genuinely understand the other’s view point and feelings before considering a response.  Then maybe we too can be amazed because each hears their own language being spoken. 

School Improvement Review

This week, we welcomed four external reviewers who interviewed staff, students, parents, and other stakeholders. They also reviewed data and college practices to provide commendations and recommendations based on the School Improvement Tool.  The full report will come to us in due course and will help guide our priorities for development.

Thank you to all parents, students and staff who assisted with the review.

BCE Excellence Awards

Please join in congratulating Mr Trevor Tollis, Ms Jacqui Braddon and Ms Desiree Anderson, who have been nominated for BCE Excellence Awards. We also offer special congratulations to Ms Anderson who has progressed through to be selected as a finalist in the category of Excellence as an Early Career Teacher.

Careers Expo     

Congratulations and thank you to the large team of people that put together the Careers Expo last night.  It was pleasing to see so many students and parents engaged in conversations about their future learning.

Have a wonderful fortnight.