The end of Term 3 is upon us and looking back, it has been an extremely busy term. As I write this, our Year 12 students are in the throes of their exams and we have been really impressed with the way in which they have conducted themselves 鈥� their outlook was described to me yesterday as 鈥渃ool, calm and collected鈥�. Although I do understand that this outward calm may not always manifest itself at home during exam time, we like to think that it reflects careful preparation, good teaching and the result of many years of our focus on study strategies by external agencies such as Elevate, which enhances the input from our dedicated Carmel teachers!

It was a lovely end to the term to be greeted with excellent news regarding this year鈥檚 Carmel entry to YOH Fest 鈥� our Year 10 boys have successfully reached the grand final of the competition. Act Belong Commit YOH Fest (Youth on Health) is a drama competition for students in WA; a different theme is chosen each year to highlight a health issue relevant to the youth of Western Australia. Students work with their teachers to write, produce and perform a creative piece to illustrate their thinking around that particular health issue. It is a great way to involve young people in public health education; the fact that we have scored a place in the grand final, competing against so many other schools in the state, is fantastic and testament to the talents of our student performers and the fabulous drama teaching of Ms Crammond.

This year鈥檚 theme is 鈥楻espect鈥� and the Carmel Year 10 team will be performing their highly acclaimed piece about respect for their mothers in the grand final. I can鈥檛 wait for their performance and look forward to seeing as many of you as can make it down to the Mandurah Performing Arts Centre on the evening of October the 28^th. The theme and title make me suspect there won鈥檛 be a dry eye in the house for the mothers amongst us.

The upcoming break will be a time to reflect, rest and reset. There is much for us to think about and much for us to plan to ensure the success of our school, both for Term 4 and for 2024. For our dedicated staff as well as the Carmel students and parents, I wish you all a wonderful time relaxing and spending time with special people as well as reading and getting outside to enjoy the spring weather.

I also wish you a Shabbat shalom and a meaningful Yom Kippur.

Julie Harris