MRC Newsletter - Issue 14 - 18 September 2024

Prayer

Principal's Message

As we wrap up Term 3 this week, there’s a palpable sense of excitement in the air. The arrival of spring brings with it longer days, blooming flowers, and the gorgeous canola fields I drive through on my way to work each day. It’s a time of growth and new beginnings, as we emerge from winter and look forward to better health and some much-needed warmth.

This term has been a busy one, filled with academic achievements, extracurricular
successes, and a strengthening of our school spirit. Our students have demonstrated resilience and dedication, tackling challenges with grace and emerging stronger. As we transition into the final term of the year, we can reflect with pride on all that we have accomplished together.

One of the highlights of this term was our Mercy Mass we celebrated on Friday. It was a beautiful and moving service that brought our community together in a spirit of gratitude and reflection. The Mass served as a reminder of our core values of Community, Inclusiveness, Respect and Excellence. It was heartening to see so many of our community join in this celebration, honouring the traditions that make our school such a special place. See some photos in the Faith at MRC report later in the newsletter.

Spring also heralds the excitement of the footy finals, a much-anticipated event for many of us. Whether you’re an avid fan or simply enjoy the festive atmosphere, the final brings a sense of community and shared enthusiasm. It’s a time for camaraderie, cheering on our favourite teams, and embracing the spirit of friendly competition.

For our Year 12 cohort, this is their final stretch—a critical period in their journey. All of our senior school teachers are on hand over the break to support the students with revision sessions and undertaking trial examinations. Our Library is open from Monday to Thursday each day of the break for students to have a quiet and dedicated space to study free of distractions. I encourage all our Year 12 parents to be aware of the full program of events over the break (listed in the Senior school report later in the newsletter).

To our Vocational Major and Unscored VCE students, most of who conclude their formal studies at the end of this week, we wish you all the best as you enter this next phase of your journey. Many of our young people will be transitioning into full time work over the coming weeks. We look forward to catching up with you at the upcoming Graduation Mass and Dinner next term.

As we look forward to the break, let’s take this opportunity to rest, recharge, and prepare for the final stretch of the academic year. Spring is a time of renewal, and it offers us a chance to reflect on our goals, set new intentions, and approach the coming term with a positive mindset.

Next term Assistant Principal – Wellbeing Emily Stephens will be taking some long service leave for the first two weeks of term and IT Manager Daniel Beard will be on leave for 10, 11 & 14 October. Enjoy a fabulous break Em and Beardy! We also farewell for the remainder of 2025 our French teacher Monika Socha who will be returning to Germany to offer support to her parents. We wish Monika safe travels and look forward to seeing her smiling face at the beginning of 2025. Replacing Monika for Term 4 is Patrick Lyons, a retired teacher and Camperdown local whom most of the Year 7 and 8 students will have met when he shadowed Monika in her classes last week. Welcome to Mercy Monsieur Lyons!

Our young people continue to thrive and excel with many notable student achievements. Congratulations and well done to:

⭐️ Well done Cooper D. who won the club joint Best and Fairest for Timboon Demons Under 15 boys

⭐️ Congratulations to Flynn R. and Andrew U. on their soccer grand final success!

⭐️ Fantastic work Ava C. who won the Best & Fairest for Corangamite Hockey Club Senior Women’s Team and Team Minder Award for Corangamite Lakers Hockey Club u16s Team

Wishing everyone a restful and enjoyable break, a joyous spring, and for our footy fans, may the best team win! Sharon will be back from her well-earned leave in the second week of the term break and will resume the helm at the beginning of Term 4.

Natalie Stephenson - Deputy Principal

Learning at MRC

As this is our final newsletter for the Term, I would like to take the time to wish everyone a restful and enjoyable term break. Fingers crossed that the weather is kind to us and we have a good mix of sunny days and the rain, which our farming community so desperately needs.

Looking back on Term 3 it never ceases to amaze me how much we achieve in a 10 week term. It is thanks to the dedication of our wonderful staff and the enthusiasm of our students that there are so many great opportunities that the students can tap into. 

Our Year 12 students are enjoying a week of dress up activities to celebrate the end of Term 3, before they start their exam revision program. It is wonderful to see the smiling faces and the congeniality within the group. It is a great  example of our college value of ‘Inclusiveness’ in action.

For our Year 12 students who are sitting exams, the finish line is in sight. The students are focusing their class time on finalising SAC’s and preparing for the end of year exams.

These final weeks can be both exhilarating and stressful. It's a time when they'll reflect on all they've learned, the challenges they've overcome, and the goals they've set. Here's how you can support them during this crucial period:

1. Encourage a Healthy Balance: While it's important to dedicate time to studying, it's equally crucial to maintain a balanced routine. Ensure your child is getting enough sleep, eating well, and engaging in stress-relieving activities like exercise or hobbies.
2. Provide Emotional Support: The emotional toll of exams can be intense. Offer a listening ear and encouragement, reminding them that their worth is not solely defined by their academic achievements.
3. Create a Study-Friendly Environment: A quiet, organised study space at home can help minimise distractions and boost productivity.

The Importance of Revision

Revision is a key component of exam preparation. It allows students to consolidate their knowledge, identify weak areas, and reinforce what they've learned. Here are some revision tips to share with your child:

1. Make a Study Schedule: Help your child create a study timetable that allocates adequate time to each subject. Consistency in their approach is crucial.
2. Review Past Work: Encourage them to revisit class notes, textbooks, and assignments. Understanding the material from the beginning will make revision more effective.
3. Practice with Past Papers: Past exam papers are invaluable resources. Solving them helps students understand the exam format and types of questions that may be asked.
4. Seek Help When Needed: If your child is struggling with a particular topic, don't hesitate to reach out to teachers for assistance.

All of the students have benefitted from tips and hints around effective study techniques. Here are a few that surprised our students:

1. After two weeks, this is the percentage of what we are likely to remember, simply listening to teachers or passively reading over notes won’t be enough to put information into long term memory.

1. Reading on a screen is far less effective than reading print:

• There is a 500-word tipping point at which comprehension and focus diminishes.
• Reading scrolled text impacts heavily on cognitive load and working memory
• Reading online AND scrolling causes most readers to lose any sense of the chronology of what they are reading
• Students perceive that reading online requires less effort than on a page, thus they make less effort when reading 
• …and so, students do less well than if they have read in print

2. Working Memory is the bottleneck of our thinking and learning

• Too much intrinsic and extraneous load will overload working memory and nothing will be learned
• When information is presented in written and spoken form, both sources are vying for the same working memory space and interfering with each other. eg: Listening to music with lyrics
• We are unable to multitask, we task switch and each time we do this we minimise the capacity for deep focus and learning. Every time we stop what we are doing to attend to a phone messenger an interruption, it takes on average 23 minutes to regain focus.

Let’s stay positive and celebrate progress

In these final weeks, maintain a positive outlook and celebrate your child's achievements, no matter how small. Each step towards success is worth acknowledging, and your support will boost their confidence and motivation.

We want to wish all our Year 12 students the best of luck in their upcoming exams. Their hard work and dedication deserve recognition, and we believe in their ability to excel. Together, as a school community and as parents, we can help them reach their full potential.

Thank you for your ongoing support in these crucial weeks.

Leanne Delahunty - Director of Learning & Teaching

Senior School

Year 12 

It is hard to believe the Year 12 students are coming into their final weeks at the College. We are not using the word holidays for those sitting the exams in 5 weeks, the break will be time for the students to revise and prepare for their up and coming exams. The students have finished their School Assessed Coursework in all classes and are starting to focus on exam preparation.

For our Year 12 students not sitting exams they will finish at the end of the week and we wish them all the best of luck in their future endeavours. 

I have added the holiday study timetable below. This is a great opportunity for the students to complete revision activities with their subject teachers and gain insight into how the exam will be structured and how questions need to be answered. 

This is both an exciting and stressful time for our students. Please contact me if you need any information or advice on helping your student through this time. 

Year 11

The Unit 2 exams will be held next term from the 12th to the 14th of November. They will then start their Unit 3 for all 2025 subject selections. This process of starting our Year 12 studies is of extreme importance and all students are required to be at school. 

An exam timetable and Unit 3 timetable will be shared with you next term.

Melanie Kavanagh - Learning Leader Senior School

Hospitality Service

On Wednesday 11th, the Year 1 Hospitality students prepared and served a 4 course lunch for a number of staff and students as part of their service assessment.

The menu consisted of: Mushroom cappuccino, Hash browns with poached egg, gypsy ham and hollandaise sauce, Steamed fish with potato mash and panzanella salad, Fried banana with cinnamon cream and caramel sauce.

The students worked incredibly well and plated some amazing food, sticking to the time constraints and service rules.

Year 12 Dress Ups

Our Year 12 Cohort are dressing up in different themes each day this week. On Monday, the theme was 'Initials', yesterday 'Movie/Show Characters' and today 'Mercy Teachers'. We look forward to seeing 'Celebrities' tomorrow!

Prev

Showing images 1 - 8 of 16

Next

Middle School

The Middle School Oratory competition was held on Friday the 6th of September. The Oratory Competition is a time honoured event within our Mercy community. It began at the then Catholic Regional College in 1988 so this year marked the 36th year. Although the format may have changed over the years, the competition is entrenched in our college and is something that past and present students enjoy and are proud of.

The quality of the speakers on the day was a testament to both the hard work of the students and the support provided by their English teachers. The students who were chosen to speak in the final were: Lila B.(9A), Andrew U. (9B), Marc V. (9C), Matilda C. (10A), Carl L. (10B) and Ella M. (10C). Congratulations to the eventual winner, Matilda who spoke on the topic ‘Silence is undervalued’ and also to Andrew who spoke on the topic ‘The Power of Stories’ who was awarded the highly commended award.

We would like to thank our judges from the day Mrs Jo Beard, Mr Lachie Lee and Mrs Marg Jeffery for giving up their time and providing valuable feedback, not only to the speakers on the day but to all middle school students on the importance of public speaking and communication in general as part of leadership roles and in our everyday lives.

Junior School

Year 7 Science

Year 7s are currently studying forces in science. Last week they learnt about buoyant force and got to see it in action by making paper boats.

Community & Wellbeing at MRC

The beautiful sunny day on 12 September was the perfect backdrop for students and staff to ask each other RU OK?

Students were able to collect a lollipop and many members of our Mercy community wore a touch of yellow as a reminder of the importance of looking after ourselves and each other.

Prev

Showing images 1 - 8 of 10

Next

Mercy Dip 2024

Last Friday our Mercy community came together and took a dip for mental health, with over 50 participants braving the cold water. The VCE-VM students lead this awareness campaign for Let’s Talk as part of their Unit 4 requirements. The morning dip and shared brekky was a huge success raising over $900.

We would like to thank the following people and businesses for their generous donations:
Comprade Eggs
Ash Couch and Southwest Pressure Washing
Fonterra
Camperdown WellNest
Benallack’s Sports
Infinite Health
Mercy Staff who donated bacon

Prev

Showing images 1 - 8 of 10

Next

Emily Stephens - Assistant Principal, Wellbeing & Engagement

Sports Report

State Netball

Last Monday, our middle school girls competed in the state finals at Waverley Netball Centre. We won our first game against Hazel Glen College by 20 goals, the second against Mordialloc College by 8 goals, and the third against Catherine McAuley by 1 goal. Unfortunately, we went down by 3 goals in the semi-final against Galen College, Wangaratta. Despite the loss, the girls showed true Mercy spirit, and we're incredibly proud of their sportsmanship and hard work. Well done, girls!

Faith at MRC

What an incredible Term we’ve had in the Catholic Identity and Culture calendar. We've experienced several retreats and faith days, and we've developed meaningful initiatives within the social justice group. We celebrated the Year 7 Special Friends Day, held the Year 11 retreat at St Mark’s Benedictine Abbey, and celebrated two House Days. We also organised the Year 8 retreat in Noorat, participated in the Seeds of Justice Retreat in Anglesea, and enjoyed a successful Staff and Year 12 Seminar Day with guest speakers and finally a School Mass. Additionally, our community spirit shone through events like community lunches and other acts of service.

All of these unique and special occasions contribute significantly to the Catholic Identity and Culture of our school, enhancing the holistic education of our students. I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to the staff, students, families, and the wider community for their ongoing dedication and support of this key aspect of our school life. Looking ahead, next term promises even more retreats and celebrations. I am inspired by the generosity of our school community, who eagerly offer their time and energy to participate in these events.

Our Lady of Mercy Mass

As always, our Mass on Friday was a beautiful celebration of our school’s heritage. The Our Lady of Mercy Mass commemorates the day in 1827 when Catherine McAuley and her companions opened the House of Mercy on Baggot Street in Ireland. Since then, the Sisters of Mercy have worked tirelessly to offer mercy and support to people worldwide. Our Lady of Mercy also serves as a patron for those in prison, especially the unjustly sentenced, as well as for those suffering from loneliness and isolation.

It was fitting that the Mass was hosted by students and staff from Frayne House. Frayne is named after Sr Ursula Frayne, the first Sister of Mercy to come to Australia, who played a pivotal role in establishing Mercy education here.

We were blessed to have Fr Neville preside over the Eucharist, and many staff and students contributed to the ministries during the Mass. The way our community comes together to celebrate is a true testament to the strength of our school culture.

Prev

Showing images 1 - 8 of 11

Next

Seeds of Justice

8 Students from MRC were able to attend the annual Seeds of Justice event sponsored by Mercy Education and the Sisters of Mercy ISMAPNG last week.

The theme of the 2024 gathering was: Mercy is: kindness, compassion, respect and hospitality with 39 students from 7 schools across the state participating in the two day event. Keynote speakers were Hayley Marriott from McAuley Community Services for Women and Sophie Rowan, alumni of Mercy Regional College.

Hayley spoke of the vital work of McAuley Community Services for Women and in particular the housing and both short and long term benefits that McAuley brings to many women, children and indeed families across Melbourne and in other cities as well.

Sophie in particular spoke of the opportunities for study and experience as a global citizen based on Social Justice. She shared her journey from Mercy Regional College to ACU Melbourne and then on to the Federated States of Micronesia and eventually a position with the UN.

The students and staff present were inspired by the encouragement to seek out and act for Social Justice in all aspects of life; including employment and study opportunities, here and abroad.

Friendship, Connection and a shared Mercy Ethos were fostered and celebrated.

We thank Mrs Saunders for her wonderful work over the years in helping organise this event.

Melanie Bourchier - Director of Catholic Identity & Culture

Library News

Library Excursion

The O'Keeffe Campus Library Leaders and library activity participants enjoyed some excellent learning experiences on an excursion to Warrnambool on Thursday. 

The first stop was a tour of the amazing Warrnambool Library, where students were especially impressed with not only the physical environment, but the great YA fiction collection, the TV and podcast recording studio and the Maker Space. The students were reluctant to leave this special space!

This was followed by a visit to Collins Booksellers, where resident children's book expert, Tracy Rayner, talked us through what is new in YA fiction. Tracy gave each  student the task of selecting a book from an allocated genre for the Library and the students also selected some other new titles that they are keen to read.

A visit to One Day Studios, a social enterprise based in the Fletcher Jones complex, included an introduction to digital drawing. Here students designed and made their own Zines (more on this below). 

We were then welcomed to the Emmanuel College Library to hear about the EC Book Club, have lunch and play Tapple, followed by a tour of the Library.

Thank you to: all of our hosts who made the day so enjoyable, Mr Woodmason who accompanied us and drove the bus and Ms Cullum who joined us on her day off.

Zine Making goes digital

This term we started making Zines in the Pekin Library at O’Keeffe as a lunchtime activity.

We were able to take this to a different level last week during a visit to Warrnambool’s One Day Studios where students went beyond the traditional, hand drawn and cut paper techniques. Students learned to create their Zines via digital illustration using ProCreate on iPads and Apple pencils. 

A great range of Zines were produced in a short time on diverse topics and themes, including: an artistic exploration of the elements of earth, wind, fire and rain; a children’s picture story about a calf; the story of a biscuit named Greg, bees and butterflies; a cat that skateboards to relieve stress and a superhero fly who meets a sticky end.

MRC Book Club 

A rescheduled MRC Book Club gathering took place on Tuesday after bad weather prompted cancellation on the original date. We discussed this term’s book, The Lost Flowers of Alice Heart and other recently read books. We also had a fun trivia quiz - this time matching authors’ names to faces,  and the winner was Julie. There were some great suggestions for next term’s book and we will run a poll on the Facebook group to help decide. The date of our next get-together is to be announced. Everyone is welcome at Book Club.

You can find us on Facebook at:
Mercy Regional College Book Club

Jean Christie - Library & Resource Centre Coordinator

Careers

Latest Careers Newsletter:

Useful Careers Links:

Child Safety

Mercy Regional College is a child-safe community.

Child Safety Officers:

Contact them by email or on:
Phone - 55932011 (McAuley Campus) or 55925353 (O’Keeffe Campus)

2024 Car Raffle

Our 2024 Car Raffle is now live!

An MG ZS Excite (demo) from Callaghan Motors is our fantastic first prize, with 8 more terrific prizes on offer!

Raffle tickets are available online for $20 via the link below.

Please support our major fundraiser which will raise funds for a new College bus!

If you are unable to buy raffle tickets online, you will find paper order forms in numerous shops across the region, as well as some local events.  A book has also been sent home to families.

Buy a book of 5 tickets before 7pm on 26 October to enter the Early Bird Draw for a $1000 MRC School Fees Voucher!

For more about the draw and our fantastic prizes, including answers to FAQ, please visit our website: https://www.mercy.vic.edu.au/community/car-raffle/

Please share this post with your family and friends. We don’t want anyone to miss out!

Permit No: 10241/24

Volunteers needed

If you are able to assist us by selling tickets at one of our raffle stalls, it would be most appreciated!
Please let us know via the form below.

Dates include Local Markets, Masses, Terang Colour Festival, Camperdown Show, Noorat Show and more.

School Notices

National Catholic Schools Parent Survey

Catholic School Parents Australia (CSPA) is seeking participation in a national survey of parents in Catholic schools.

The survey invites parents to share their views on existing and emerging affirmations and/or challenges in relation to their child/children’s wellbeing and learning.

It is anonymous, confidential, and completely voluntary and designed to assist the CSPA and the Catholic sector  to develop action and advocacy priorities/objectives.

A Message from DOBCEL

Whooping Cough

The incidence of Whooping cough cases is continuing to increase across Victoria, particularly among school-aged children.

Whooping cough is a very contagious infection, mostly spread through coughing or sneezing. 

Symptoms include:

• blocked or runny nose
• tiredness
• mild fever
• severe bouts of coughing, often followed by a ‘whooping’ sound on breathing.

Whooping cough can lead to life-threatening infections in babies.

If your child is unwell, they should not attend school. Please see a doctor if you or your child develops whooping cough symptoms. Early diagnosis and treatment will help reduce the spread of the infection.

To reduce the spread of infection and to protect others within the school community, students diagnosed with whooping cough are recommended not to attend school for 21 days after their cough was first present, or until they have taken a full course of antibiotics prescribed by a doctor (usually a 5-day course).

If your child is diagnosed with whooping cough, please contact the school to let us know.

I hope we can work together to protect the whole school community by following the recommended advice.

For more information about whooping cough, refer to Whooping cough on the Better Health Channel.

Vaccination is the best way to reduce the risk of whooping cough. The Department of Health recommends staying up to date with immunisations, including booster doses. A free booster dose of the pertussis vaccine is covered under the national immunisation program for students aged 12 to 13. If you are unsure about your child’s vaccination status for whooping cough, please discuss with an immunisation provider, such as your doctor.

Upcoming Dates and Events

Thursday 19 September
Last Day of Term 3 for students

Friday 20 September
Staff PL Day (no classes and office closed)

Monday 7 October
Term 4 Commences

Thursday 10 October
GWR Track & Field

Friday 11 October
PAX Excursion

Wednesday 16 October
Year 10 RE Excursion

Friday 18 October
Year 9 Retreat
HSSSD Junior & Intermediate Super 8's Cricket
Red Frogs Presentation to Year 12s

Tuesday 22 October
Year 7 Faith Day
2025 College Leaders Investiture

Wednesday 23 October
Year 12 Graduation Mass & Awards

Thursday 24 October
Year 12s Last Day

Friday 25 October
Year 9 Respect Cup

Saturday 26 October
Spirit of Mercy Awards Dinner

Community Notices