News &
Events

What an exciting and action-packed Advent Term!

We have come to the conclusion of the examination period for students in Years 7 – 12 this week. Congratulations to the Class of 2023 and to all our students for the way in which they conducted themselves during the examinations.

We trust that our students and staff feel a strong sense of satisfaction with all that they have been able to achieve this year. There is much for which we can be grateful, and we are all constantly on a journey of self-reflection and improvement. Our teachers are busily marking examinations and assessment tasks so that they can return them to their students next week. On Monday and Tuesday, students will have time to reflect on their performance in their examinations and on how they approached their studies in semester two with a view to setting specific learning goals for 2024.

On Tuesday morning we will celebrate the successes of students across all aspects of College life with A Day to Shine. We will then move into the new academic year with the HeadStart 2024 Program. The 2024 timetable begins on Wednesday 22 November in the 2024 Pastoral and Learning Mentor groups (PaLMs), Commissioning Assemblies period 1 and timetabled classes from period 2 until Tuesday 5 December when the academic year concludes with the College Closing Mass and pastoral activities back in the 2023 PaLM groups.

Alumni Event: Celebrating the Classes of 2022, 2013 and 2003 – 17 November 2023

We look forward to the Alumni reunion this evening from 6.00-8.00pm in the Foyer of the Performing Arts Centre. This year we celebrate three cohorts of students: those who graduated from Thomas Carr College 20 years ago, those who graduated 10 years ago, and those who graduated last year. We are delighted that the founding Principal, Mr. Paul D’Astoli and his wife Mary will be attending as special guests this evening. As our alumni reunite to share stories of their journeys since graduating from Thomas Carr College and to recall their secondary school experiences with teachers and their peers, there will definitely be a great buzz and much laughter in the air!

A Day to Shine – Tuesday 21 December at 9.00am in the Father Tobin Gymnasium.

The annual College Awards ceremony is taking a new format this year as a whole school event during the day. This is our major annual celebration of student excellence in the areas of academics, leadership, service, art, sport, music and spirituality. Approximately 120 students will receive awards.

The change to the morning time has been made so that the whole College community can participate in the celebrations of success. The Year 7 – 12 Award winners have been informed and parents of the Award recipients have been invited to attend the event which will be followed by a morning tea for the parents and our special guests.  We look forward to an inspiring keynote address by Joanne Ryan MP.

Students will also receive Encouragement Awards as a part of the final day the program.

HeadStart 2024

We look forward to launching into a two week HeadStart Program on Tuesday 21 November. All students who will be in Years 8 – 12 in 2024 are expected to attend the HeadStart program which is providing varied experiences for all year levels. Our teachers have designed a rich program and we trust that the students will come back from this 4 day break ready to take full advantage of the opportunities to set themselves up for 2024.

Year 10, 11 and 12 students will be participating in classes for all their new subjects and homework will be set, in readiness for the 2024 academic year as this will contribute to the first assessment task early in Term 1 next year. In addition to the classes, the VCE Vocational Major classes will have 2 days of a special program and the VCE English, English Language and Literature students all will have a full day workshop to set them up for success in 2024.

It is expected that all holiday homework is completed and that all students in Years 7 – 12 read their English novels/texts during the summer break.

Year 8 and 9 students will be involved in exciting project work before the 2024 timetabled classes begin and the Renaissance Reading Program will also be launched, as the students embark on a collective journey to improve their reading capacity and vocabulary, as part of our whole school literacy improvement plan. Year 8 students will also participate in a swimming program and Year 10 students will undertake a self-defence lesson as a part of the PE program. Students and parents can access the full program via SIMON. Please ensure that you carefully look at all the information provided to ensure special activities are not missed and that Operoo permissions are signed.

New Student Orientation Day

Students new to the College in 2024 will be attending an Orientation Day on Monday 27 November. We welcome 26 new students in Years 8-11 in 2024.

The Year 7 2024 students will attend their first full orientation day on Thursday 7 December. Our student leaders are looking forward to welcoming the new Year 7 students to the College.

Best wishes for the final weeks of this year.

Lucy Angelico

Deputy Principal, Strategic Development and Curriculum