Dear Carmel College Community,

The end of Semester 1 has certainly come very quickly this year, with the first half of the year seemingly a blur. However, when people refer to how fast things have gone I am quick to point out that time is a constant and does not speed up or slow down.  The only thing that changes is us and how we interact with the time available.  So if you’re like me and you feel as though the first half of the year has been a blur, then maybe you could consider a period of slowness – even if only for a few days.  I am looking forward to slow down during the holidays, taking a couple of days to disconnect and disengage. I encourage all in our Carmel family to do the same and seek to recharge a little for the second half of the year.  A reminder that Monday, 14 July is a Staff Collaboration Day where staff will be busy planning and setting up for classes to start and welcome students back on Tuesday, 15 July.

While certainly busy, Semester 1 has been wonderful and joyous, with many achievements and significant learning happening each and every day in our classrooms and school. The Semester 1 Student Reports will only capture a portion of the work and learning that has happened, and I encourage all parents to use the report as a conversation starter with your child.  Ask them, how they achieved the marks they did?  What is working well for them in their learning? What do they need to focus on in Semester 2? Work with them to set some goals for the first few weeks of Term 3 and the whole 2nd Semester.  Our young people enjoy talking about their learning and are justifiably proud of their work and achievements. Please join them in celebrating their work.

We wish the QISSN netball teams all the best for the carnival in Bundaberg during the first week of the holidays, and I thank Ms Brenda Brohman, Ms Hannah Morton, Ms Cathy Smith and Mr Ben Hopkins for their generous support of the teams.

Attendance

As you know, we are focusing on attendance this year with a goal of 80% of students with over 90% attendance.  At the end of this term we have 50% of students above 90%, but there is a very large group in the 80 to 90% range. Please support your child to get to school consistently especially if they are in the 80% and above group.  This groups are the ones who, with consistent (and somewhat minimal) effort, can help us attain our goal of 80% over 90%.

I wish all a relaxing and peaceful school holiday break.