A Word from the Principal

Illuminate the Path took our staff and our community on a journey of exploration into what is our mission - the very reason Mount Carmel College exists today.  As a community, students and staff understand why the College was founded. We can explore our heritage and history in detail and marvel at our three Sisters of Charity, but what of today? Do we exist for the same reasons?

Exploring our Mission took us on a journey through time. When parents and staff were asked what the mission of the College was they could name general terms or ideas but no one could name explicitly what it was that the College sought to do.  A number of responses also used the College tagline “We Nurture, we challenge, we care”. Whilst the College does all these things, it isn’t the reason the College exists. The College continues to exist for the same reason it was started:

With Christ as our guiding light and in the charism of the Sisters of Charity, we educate each person to exceed their expectations, to nourish faith and contribute to shaping a just society.

As a team of staff members, we provide excellence in educational opportunities for all students, we nurture them so that they can be challenged and as a community we care for them.  Ultimately, our students need to have the skills to make a difference to their lives and the lives of those around them.  Part of the responsibility the College holds is to focus their eyes outwards - on others around them.  To have faith in themselves, those around them and in God - that they hold value and are loved.

If this is our agreed mission, what do we need to do as a College to achieve this. Our vision is to 

... develop courageous learners who act with justice and embody a strong sense of inclusiveness and compassion.

The threads that draw these two statements together are the values of the Sisters of Charity: Courage, Compassion and Justice.

These statements are what we as a College community believe make us different. We are strong in this faith and in our heritage. We celebrate our heritage on Mount Carmel Day as a vibrant learning community. We know we have changed lives and continue to do this - both in our students and in the community they operate in.

Staff News

As we begin planning for 2021, it is time to acknowledge that Mrs Norma Cooper will be retiring at the conclusion of the year.  Many of our students have been privileged to know and be taught by this wonderful woman.  A student herself of Mount Carmel, she has touched the lives of many and made a difference to students and staff.  We will take the opportunity at the end of the year to formally farewell Norma.

Added to this news is the news that Julie Brock, art teacher extraordinaire, will also be retiring. Julie started teaching at the age of 16 and is now looking forward to a time when her life isn’t driven by a timetable but rather by explorations and adventures.