MRC Newsletter - Issue 17 - 13 November 2024

Prayer

Principal's Message

It is hard to believe that it is November and that we are halfway through Term 4!

In the Catholic tradition, November is a month of reflection and remembrance, beginning with Halloween, or "All Hallows' Eve." Our Irish staff member Sarah explained that Halloween’s roots lie in Ireland, where it originated from the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, marking the end of harvest and start of winter—a time when the boundary between the living and spirit worlds was thought to thin. To ward off spirits, the Celts lit bonfires, wore costumes, and left offerings. With Christianity, Samhain merged with All Hallows’ Eve, beginning a tradition of honouring saints and departed souls. Customs like carving turnips evolved into pumpkin carving when Irish immigrants brought the holiday to America. Today, Halloween in Ireland blends ancient and modern traditions—costumes, ghost stories, and "trick-or-treating"—while also honouring its origins with candles and remembrance of loved ones. 

This spirit of reflection continues on All Saints' Day, 1 November, when we honour both canonised saints and everyday individuals who lived lives of faith and virtue. The following day, 2 November, is All Souls' Day, a time to remember and pray for our loved ones who have passed, that they may find eternal rest with God. This week, we also join in observing Remembrance Day to honour the brave men and women who have served their country with courage and sacrifice. Through these observances, we unite across generations in faith, memory, and gratitude and pray in hope for peace around our world.

Our students completing VCE exams are almost there and we will gather to celebrate the Class of 2024 with their Graduation Dinner on Friday 22 November. This is always a special time for these young people and their parents, carers and family as well as staff who have walked the six year MRC educational journey with them. We will keep them in our prayers as they celebrate together, as they await results of their VCE studies and as they take the next steps in their personal journeys. VCE results are released on Thursday, 12 December this year.

We welcomed our 2025 Year 7 students and families to our O’Keeffe campus on Monday evening. This information evening is always a wonderful way for the Class of 2025 to begin their preparation for moving from primary to secondary school. The evening was recorded with the presentation available to any families unable to attend.

Our Year 9 students enjoyed a wonderful time together exploring Melbourne last week. Always much anticipated, our young people have the opportunity to visit The REACH Foundation and HoMie, organisations which embody social innovation by using community-driven, supportive approaches to address complex social issues and uplift individuals in meaningful, sustainable ways, as well as to explore the city and visit some tourist highlights and activities. I am grateful to our staff who give of their own time to ensure our young people continue to have such meaningful experiences. More about the Camp later in the newsletter.

Our Year 8 students have been busy bringing to fruition their PEAK project based learning experiences. One group last week visited the Cobden Cemetery where they gave some love and attention to the grave sites.

Jo Beard, Corangamite Shire Councillor and Secretary of Cobden Cemetery Trust, sent through this message this week; I was blown away with their idea and thoughtfulness to want to do such a special gesture. Our Trust members were very impressed and grateful for their assistance and respectful volunteering. Thanks again for supporting students with projects that are meaningful, and make a difference, the girls were amazing and they, along with the school and families should be so proud! 

Congratulations to Kiara L., Kara B. and Isabella W. for their great work. 

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

⭐️ Fantastic work Harrison G. who won the Victorian A-grade High Gun (overall) last week and made the Victorian team!

⭐️ Well done to Parker W. and Campbell W. who made the Western Waves squad and to Parker who took a 5 wicket haul in the win against South East Sharks on the weekend!

Our students are currently in the midst of an intensive assessment period. I encourage families to engage with the Parent Access Module (PAM) to support your child in meeting the learning expectations of their subjects and to affirm their efforts. Attendance at this time is most important. Year 11 exams are underway, and it’s helpful to remind students that exams are an opportunity to demonstrate what they’ve learned, gain valuable feedback, and refine both their study and revision techniques. Together, we aim to foster individual growth and embrace a growth mindset, recognising the opportunities for learning in every challenge.

Our school calendar continues to communicate the many important events and occasions that we have coming up. Please check this to ensure you are well informed. Don’t forget your Car Raffle tickets for a chance to win our MG-ZS Excite (demo) and 8 other fantastic prizes!

With kindness,
Sharon Gillett - Principal

Learning at MRC

As our Year 12 students finish their exams and celebrate this chapter of their lives coming to a close at their graduation dinner, our year 11 students are sitting their exams and beginning their Unit 3 & 4 journey.  I would like to take a minute to thank and congratulate our wonderful Senior School leaders Mrs Melanie Kavanagh and Mrs Berni Sinnott. These two ladies always put the students' needs before their own and go above and beyond to ensure that all students are supported on their educational journey.  

2025 Booklists

This week you will receive an electronic copy of your child's 2025 booklist and an accompanying letter which outlines the ordering process and provides some additional information. 

Whilst some text can be purchased second hand, this is not the case for all.  The new Victorian curriculum for Year 7 to 10 Mathematics and for some VCE subjects commence in 2025.  This means that there are new editions of the textbooks which must be purchased, due to the old edition no longer aligning with the curriculum. We understand that this can be costly and assure you will be able to sell the text as a second hand book at the end of 2025.

Booklist orders are to be placed through our book supplier, Campion by Sunday 15 December. 

This link will take you to the ordering portal:

Please note, you will be required to create an account for new students. You will also need the Resource List Code VB73. 

Our staff have spent considerable time discerning what is essential for students. There have been many resources removed from the booklist and replaced with levies. This enables resources to be purchased for your child in bulk by the school.

Please be aware that the items listed are considered essential. It makes life much easier for our young people and our teachers when everyone has the resources they require.

Please direct questions regarding the booklist to me at ldelahunty@mercy.vic.edu.au or by ringing the school

Leanne Delahunty - Director of Learning & Teaching

SENIOR SCHOOL

Our Year 12 students are to be congratulated for their efforts in their exams so far. Over the last couple of weeks they have been studying and preparing for their last exams they will do as Mercy students. I commend the students for their encouragement they have shown each other and each day making sure they were at the exam hall on time and prepared for action.

Unit 2 VCE exams will wrap up this week, as students complete their exams across various subjects. On November 15th, we’ll launch Unit 3 with a Seminar Day for our 2025 Year 12 students. They'll then dive into their Year 12 studies for the next couple of weeks before concluding the term.

Unit 1 classes will commence on Wednesday, November 27th. Our 2025 Year 11 students, along with several Year 10 students completing a Unit 2 subject, will begin their journey as VCE students.

This period is essential for VCE students to understand the expectations of each subject and to learn what they need to do to achieve success throughout the 2025 year. Attendance is required for all students as they begin their VCE subjects, and tasks will be assigned for them to complete over the break.

Our staff are excited to begin this new chapter with your children. It’s important to remember that we’re all on this VCE journey together, working to support our students in achieving their goals—whatever they may be.

Berni Sinnott our Community Leader and myself are available to discuss any questions or concerns you may have. 

Melanie Kavanagh - Learning Leader Senior School

P.A.R.T.Y. Program

A group of Year 11 students attended the P.A.R.T.Y. Program at The Alfred recently.

The program highlights the consequences of risk-related trauma in a variety of formats and aims to increase awareness of the impact of injury.

Throughout the day, students participated in several interactive sessions with a range of health professionals. We thank the Alfred Hospital for the eye-opening experience!

MIDDLE SCHOOL

Welcome back to our Year 9 students who enjoyed a wonderful 3 day camp in Melbourne last week.  They have returned to campus ready to focus their efforts for the remaining 4 weeks of school.  You can feel the focus in the air as students work on completing assessments and begin their revision for their first end of semester exams.

The Year 10 students are even closer to finishing their studies with their exams occurring on Nov 25th and 26th, before they all begin their VCE and VCE VM classes on November 27th.  

Year 10 students will have an alternate timetable on their exam days with a short study session followed by a 90 minute exam in their four core subjects - English, Maths, Science and Humanities.  
(Timetable will be released to students next week).

End of semester assessments and exams can bring with them stress for all students.  Ensuring students are eating and sleeping well, managing their screen time and maintaining their work / life balance will help them to manage the increased pressure at the end of the year.  Students in Year 10 should be beginning their exam preparations and revision now and try to avoid last minute cramming. This is the time to contact teachers for extra support so students are able to achieve their best.  

Good luck to all Year 10s in the coming weeks as they complete their year 10 studies and begin their senior school journey. 

Josiane Gardner - Learning Leader Middle School

Year 9 Camp

On 6 November, Year 9 students and staff headed to Melbourne for camp this year. The camp focused on exploring the city and pushing comfort zones all while engaging in the culture of Melbourne. 

Students had the opportunity to participate in a number of fun activities such as ice skating, rock climbing, Skydeck’s edge experience and VR theatre, swimming at MSAC and MCG tour. Students had the opportunity to find key sites around the CBD as we completed an amazing race plus learn how to use public transport.

Students also got the opportunity to meet Stacey Hymer who competed at the Tokyo and Paris Olympics. It was great to hear her story of what it takes to get to the Olympics. Stacey shared insight into her training and her need to juggle training and education/work. 

Students also participated in a Reach workshop exploring the idea of peer dynamics in their year level. This workshop proved to be a valuable experience for students to voice the areas they as a collective can continue to build on to make their cohort a cohesive and confident group.

$20 Boss

Natalie W. completed her project recently, with old vinyl records being transformed into small bowls. Customers were given the choice of a plain bowl or a hydro-dipped one.

On Friday, 8 November, 3 $20 Dollar Boss students Matilda R., Ruby A. and Layla B. hosted a Christmas disco at St Pats, where we treated the children with many exciting foods/drinks, Christmas music for all of the children to listen and dance to throughout our time at their school. On that day all of the children were able to come to school in their best Christmas costumes or clothes, we later awarded a couple children with the prize of the best dressed but also conducted a dance competition where we were then able to throw out lollies for some lucky student to enjoy. All together it was an amazing afternoon and a great turn out for all.

JUNIOR SCHOOL

As we enter the final term of the year, we would like to remind our families of the importance of regular attendance, especially as assessments are being started, and in some cases deadlines approaching. Many students are currently preparing for and completing assessments that reflect their progress and growth throughout the year, so being in class every day is essential to ensuring they feel confident and prepared for these tasks.

For our Year 7 and 8 students, the end of term also means completing the PAT (Progressive Achievement Tests) in Maths and Reading. These tests serve as a summative assessment, helping us understand each student’s development over the year and identify areas for future focus. Teachers will make every effort to ensure all students complete their PAT testing, and we appreciate your support in making sure they are present and prepared. If you have any questions regarding PAT testing, please feel free to contact Leah or reach out directly to your child’s English or Maths teacher.

Our Year 8 students are also hard at work preparing their PEAK projects as the term comes to a close. This project-based learning experience allows students to explore topics of interest that connect to the local community, often collaborating with other schools and community groups. Many students will be heading off-site to participate in small workshops as they finalise their work. They are looking forward to sharing their projects with their peers, and our teaching staff are equally excited to see the results of their efforts and dedication.

Thank you for your continued support in making this term productive and successful for our students. We look forward to seeing all they accomplish in the weeks ahead!

Leah Sinnott - Learning Leader Junior School

Year 8 Camp

On Tuesday 29 October, our Year 8 students set off for Anglesea to experience their Adventure Camp. Students camped out at Eumeralla Scout Camp for two nights and arrived to some wonderful sunshine. Setting up their tents was the first task at hand before activities and dinner. After dinner they were given the opportunity to play spotlight in the dark.

The next day, students woke around 6:30am and after some breakfast headed into the town centre to get ready for surfing and beach games. Once completed they then had some lunch and set off for their next task of raft building and canoeing.

Thursday saw the cohort head off on a walk to Point Addis after packing up their tents and clothes before heading back home!

Huge thanks to all the staff that attended and also to the YMCA Discovery Camp staff for their outstanding program.

Prev

Showing images 1 - 8 of 12

Next

Music Lessons

Junior students at the O’Keeffe campus have been strumming away under the expert guidance of Laura Flanagan, who has brought her musical knowledge all the way from Texas, USA.

Students have been learning the basics of guitar, with a new set of instruments helping them embrace this hands-on learning opportunity.

Pictured are learners from 7A last week as they continued to fine tune their musical skills.

Community & Wellbeing at MRC

We have had some great initiatives happening over the last week in regards to ‘Wellbeing’. We have had our Year 8’s and Year 9’s enjoy time away on camp. Many joyful memories and photos from both camps. We appreciate staff who have worked hard to make these events happen. 

Our Year 10 and 11 students, alongside our 2025 student leaders, were fortunate to experience an inspiring visit from AFL star and Carlton Vice Captain, Sam Walsh. During the session, Sam shared valuable insights from his journey through school leadership to his current role, emphasising the power of collaboration and personal growth.

Sam reflected on the importance of teamwork and diversity, sharing how he and his teammates at Carlton draw on each other’s unique strengths to build a united and resilient club. He highlighted that while leadership often comes with challenges, he values "leading by example" and credits his ability to recognise and leverage his strengths as key to his success.

An essential part of Sam’s approach to leadership revolves around a strong foundation of values. He shared how he and the club rely on these core principles when facing tough decisions, allowing them to stay grounded and confident. When asked how he handles situations where his peers might not agree with his approach, Sam explained that he focuses on those agreed-upon values, using them as a guiding compass.

Sam also spoke candidly about handling nerves, noting that he sees them as an opportunity to grow and develop. He encouraged students to embrace feedback, ask questions, and remain curious about how they can improve in everyday life—a mindset he believes has been crucial to his development both on and off the field.

This visit left a lasting impression on our students, providing them with real-world examples of how values- based leadership, collaboration, and resilience can make a meaningful difference in their own leadership journeys.

Our Year 11s had a workshop with 'Ctrl your scroll'. This program helps to create lifelong, healthy digital habits. It helped students recognise screen time and strategies to help over come the enormity of this. The aim was to help young people to take control of their digital wellbeing, with practical strategies. Some insights into continual scrolling, connection, loneliness, mental health and sleep. 

We hope there were some take aways from this workshop to help with a healthy digital footprint. 

There was a great article in last weeks Herald Sun which we attached to the week ahead. This was a helpful guide to Tik Tok for families. It included safety and privacy protections, how to family pair and a pledge for families. 

We know it is exam time and this can be a stressful time. I encourage families to seek various tips and resources from our School TV link on our website. There are a great array of articles within this link. 

This week I am including an article on managing screen time. This can also assist with exam study and wellbeing. https://mercy.vic.schooltv.me/newsletter/managing-screen-time

Emily Stephens - Assistant Principal - Wellbeing & Engagement

Useful Wellbeing Links:

Remembrance Day

On Monday our community paused to commemorate those who served to protect our peace and freedom with a service at both campuses.

Many students and staff also represented Mercy at memorials across the district as a mark of respect.

Prev

Showing images 1 - 8 of 12

Next

Community Meal

Well done 

Sports Report

Six students competed in the Warrnambool Clay Target competition in October. Nearly 200 students were in attendance with very high scores across the day.

Mercy had an excellent day with Halle B. winning in the Novice girls section, while Amelia P. finished second in experienced girls and Harrison G. finished third in experienced boys.

Well done to all students for their fantastic participation!

Congratulations also to Harrison G. who then went on to win at the State level!

Intermediate Cricket

On Wednesday 6th November the MRC Intermediate Boys travelled to Geelong to play in the quarter final against Maribyrnong College. 

Maribyrnong batted first on a small, fast oval and posted a good score of 5/196 off their 20 overs. 

Parker W. 1/26 and Lenny W. 2/33 did well with the ball. 

In reply MRC started well and were 1-55 off three overs. They continued to push towards the total and half way through they were 3 - 126. Unfortunately in the final 10 overs Maribyrnong College bowled well and continued to get regular wickets. Our boys were eventually bowled out for 180, just 16 runs short of the total. 

Campbell W. 68 and Albie C. 33 were the top scorers with the bat. 

Well done to all the students who represented school on the day. 

GWR Junior Basketball

Well done to all GWR Junior Basketballers who participated last week.

In the Year 7 Girls Basketball competition, our team first faced Monivae and won by a close margin of 4 points. We then played against Horsham and secured a more comfortable victory, winning by 15 points. These wins advanced us to the grand final, where we faced Trinity. Despite a strong effort, we ultimately fell short and finished as runners-up.

Year 8 girls played in Pool B against Monivae College and Horsham College. In the first game of the day the girls lost to Monivae College 58-53, which was a good effort considering Monivae went on to make the final, losing that in a close contest. Against Horsham College the team lost 51-40, but we were very competitive in such an even competition. 

The Year 8 boys had some very handy opposition in Trinity College Colac and Horsham College. It was a great experience for the team and although well beaten by Trinity 64 points to 32 they fought very hard against Horsham College going down 50 points to 41 points. 

Faith at MRC

Remembrance Day was originally called 'Armistice Day', and 2 minutes of silence was observed for the first time at 11 am on 11 November 1919 to remember those who had died.

Prime Minister Billy Hughes said at the time: “Of their deeds it is not necessary for me to speak. Of their valour, endurance and resource at Gallipoli, Pozieres, Baupaume and other famous fields, men still speak with awe.”

After World War II, the Australian Government agreed to the United Kingdom's proposal to rename Armistice Day to 'Remembrance Day', to commemorate and remember those who were killed in both World Wars. Today, we remember the loss of Australian lives from all wars and conflicts.

In 1918, Australia made a promise never to forget the service and sacrifice of 416,000 Australians who enlisted and over 60,000 who died. For over 100 years, we have kept this promise. We remember them still.

On Monday we held Remembrance Day services at both O’Keeffe and McAuley Campuses to commemorate the day. Students led both services at the flagpole with all the students and St Patrick’s Primary students in attendance. Our new school captains also attended the Camperdown RSL Remembrance Day service at the War Memorial. Our school sent flower arrangements to our local community RSLs to recognise the many locals who served in many armed conflicts.

Seminar Days

This Friday will be the first seminar day for our Year 12s of 2025. Please see communication via PAM for details. We will have a group of alumni speaking to the students about their time at Mercy and what they have achieved since leaving school. Students are asked to bring something to share for morning tea. 

Year 10 Retreat Day

Our Year 10 Retreat Day is next Monday. Please see communication via PAM for details. We will have Luke S Kennedy, from Sydney, working with students. Students are asked to bring something to share for morning tea.

Melanie Bourchier - Director of Catholic Identity & Culture

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

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.

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.

Upcoming Dates and Events

Thursday 14 November
Year 11 BBQ & Breakup

Friday 15 November
Year 12 2025 Seminar Day

Monday 18 November
Year 10 Retreat
2025 Year 12 VM Barista Course
Unit 3 English Intensive

Thursday 21 November
Junior Oratory Competition

Friday 22 November
Year 12 Graduation Dinner

Monday 25 November
Art and Technology Show Begins
Year 10 Exams

Monday 2 December
Advent
Year 9 Exams
White Card Training

Tuesday 3 December
Year 11 Last Day
Mass of Thanksgiving & &-11 Awards
Car Raffle Draw

Friday 6 December
Year 7 - 10 Last Day

Tuesday 10 December
Year 7 2025 Orientation Day

Monday 16 December
School Office Closes

Community Notices