MRC Newsletter - Issue 17 - 10 November 2021

Prayer

Principal's Message

We have much to be grateful for here at Mercy Regional College.  The generosity of our community to support the enhancement of learning for our young people is most gratefully received.  I was humbled to accept on behalf of MRC a generous bequest from the Estate of Leo Scullion earlier this term.  The Scullion family are from Garvoc and they placed great value on education and its importance in determining the future of our young people.  A particular area of interest and importance for Mr Scullion was science education and with our new Master Facilities Plan in the later stages of development, this generous gift will be of great support to bring planning to fulfillment, particularly at our Junior Campus in Noorat.  We are also most grateful to the Glennen Family Trust, which recently shared with us a donation in remembrance of Sr Rose Glennen to support the provision of laptops, uniforms and books for families in need.  With our end of year awards fast approaching, we also give thanks to the individuals, families and businesses who support the education of our young people through generous donations towards their learning future that are shared at our upcoming Thanksgiving Mass and Awards Assembly. 

Term 4 is a busy but exciting time of year in schools.  Whilst still very much working in the current year, our planning is also focused on the year ahead.  We prepare to welcome our new Year 7 students, as well as students new to other year levels.  Students are working hard to demonstrate their learning with exams commencing, not only for our VCE students, but also for those in Year 10 and in Year 9.  Students have chosen their learning pathways and subjects for 2022 and for our current Year 11 and Year 10 students our early commencement of learning for Unit 3 and Unit 1 studies, as well as VET and VCAL, begins in Week 8.  This is important preparation for learning in the year ahead.  Novels for English are also available for all year levels with reading over the summer break strongly encouraged.

On Friday, we formally recognised our 2022 Senior Student Leadership Team with our MRC Student Investiture Ceremony.  This was a virtual event that was shared with our community.  We celebrate and acknowledge our new leaders and are looking forward to their planning for 2022.

We received our National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) testing results for our Year 7 and Year 9 students during Remote Learning.  With our return onsite and the ability for our staff to collaborate together, we had the opportunity to review this learning growth and achievement data and make recommendations for our future learning programs.  More information can be found later in the newsletter in the Learning at MRC section written by new Deputy Principal Learning, Teaching and Innovation, Ms Natalie Stephenson, whom we welcomed to MRC last week.  All schools move to a fully online NAPLAN experience in 2022. 

We welcome current Year 12 student, George Beasley, to the Sports, PE and Events Trainee position and former student, Ashlee Pearson, to our Education Support and Administration Traineeship based at our O’Keeffe campus in Noorat for 2022.  We congratulate other Trainee recipients: Stacey Riches, who will continue at St Patrick's Primary School Camperdown for a second year, and Ella Pekin will begin at St Thomas' Primary School Terang. 

The closure of our MRC Car Raffle for 2021 is fast approaching, with prizes drawn on Monday, 29 November at the conclusion of our Arts and Technology Exhibition.  Our raffle is gratefully supported by local businesses and families.  We thank all who have purchased tickets in support of the College.  The proceeds this year will allow us to purchase contemporary furniture for our classrooms, enabling greater engagement in learning.  If you would like to purchase a ticket please see information later in our newsletter for further details.

We have received an update from CECV relating to parents visiting onsite for short periods of time and the process we are required to follow.  For short visits of up to 15 minutes we do require parents and carers and other visitors to QR code in but are no longer required to seek evidence of full vaccination.  We welcome all parents and carers back onsite at Reception at both campuses for these short visits as needed.

Finally, November is the month of remembrance, a time to recall those who have died and seek to carry their memories into the future.  The month begins with All Saints day on 1 November, followed by All Souls day on 2 November, and then Remembrance Day on November 11.  On Thursday, students and staff will share in a short remembrance service before recess to remember those from our families and our communities who are no longer with us.

With kindness

Sharon Gillett
Principal

Learning at MRC

Hello from Natalie 

It is with great excitement that I commenced in my role as Deputy Principal of Learning, Teaching and Innovation last week.  I’ve spent the first few days meeting with key staff, establishing the lay of the land, and wrestling with the demands of a new computer and all the joys that come with starting a new job.  I look forward to getting into some classrooms this week, and hopefully by the end of the year,  meeting some parents and carers and discussing your child’s learning. 

I held my first presentation with staff was last Wednesday afternoon, where we spent time together unpacking some key whole school data sets from this year’s NAPLAN results.  Staff were asked to consider the following questions: 

• What are the ‘mean trends’ for MRC compared to the state? – where are we; below, at, above?
• What % of our students sit in each quartile?
• What big areas of strength and weakness can we discern? 
• How can we use this data to inform school improvement efforts?

Over the last few years, the English Domain have made a considerable investment in developing skills in Reading and Writing.  Our data showed above state averages in high and medium growth for students from Years 7 to 9.  Mathematics results were in line with state averages.  Despite the challenges of the last two years, we were thrilled to see some excellent individual learning growth and achievement among our students.  We will acknowledge those great efforts with Mercy Merits in the next week. 

As a school, we are committed to the growth of each student, at the very least our data should be showing us that each student experiences a year of learning growth for each year they spend at school.  The next steps will be to take some of the formative data reports to the subject specific domains (English and Mathematics) in order to drill down what is working well and where we can improve.  We will set specific whole school and domain goals in order to ensure we strive towards continuous improvement.  The last piece of the puzzle is to ensure that we are identifying and supporting individual students as required. 

Year 9 - 11 Semester Two Exams

The previous newsletters have detailed the purpose and arrangements for the final exams for all students in Years 9-11.  Here is a quick re-cap:

• Year 9 - Mathematics, English, Humanities and Science held during class time 22-26 November.  Students will be given a copy of the exam timetable this week.
• Year 10 - Mathematics, English, Humanities and Science held over 2 days in a structured exam timetable on Friday, 19 November and Monday, 22 November.
• Year 11 - Please click this link to see the Unit 2 Exam Timetable 2021.
  

Booklists 

Campion are the supplier to Mercy Regional College.  Final adjustments are being made to the booklists as we speak.  The final lists will be out to families within the next two weeks. 

Units 1 and 3 2022 Early Commencement 

VCE Unit 3 and internal VET classes will begin on Tuesday, 23 November.  VCAL classes will begin on Wednesday, 24 November.  As this is the beginning of classes for 2022, it is a requirement for all students to attend.  Reasonable work to be completed over the holiday period will also be provided during these classes.  Unit 3, VET and VCAL classes will conclude on Wednesday, 1 December, with our Mass of Thanksgiving and Awards Ceremony.  Click here to view the Unit 3 2022 Timetable. =

VCE Unit 1, internal VET, and VCAL classes will begin on Wednesday, 1 December and continue through until Friday, 3 December.  A timetable for this program will be provided in the next newsletter. 

Australian Maths Trust Competition

Last term, a number of students participated in the Australian Maths Trust Mathematics Competition.  The competition comprised of 30 questions aimed at demonstrating the importance and relevance of mathematics in our everyday lives. 

All students did a terrific job, with a large number receiving credit awards.  A special mention must go to William Hinkley of Year 8, who received a High Distinction, and Joseph Moloney, Year 7 and Ronan Ludeman of Year 10, who each received a Distinction.  Well done on your excellent achievement boys.

Natalie Stephenson, Lydia Darcy and Danae Fraser
Learning and Teaching Executive Team 

Wellbeing at MRC

Supporting Children through Change and Uncertainty

The MacKillop Institute, along with Seasons for Growth, are holding a free online seminar for Parents and Carers centred around the topic “Supporting Children Through Change and Uncertainty”. This seminar focuses on how best to support the young people in our lives when adversely affected by change and loss.

Parents and carers will be introduced to useful tools and language with which to support their children in talking through what is happening in today’s environment. They will also be shown what to expect in terms of young people's responses and how to manage these responses.

Proposal for Uniform at O’Keeffe Campus

The return to onsite learning was certainly very much welcomed by students, parents and staff.  With this return has come several changes, one is allowing students to wear any form of correct uniform they choose.  We acknowledged that rooms were likely to be cold and it was important for students to feel comfortable on their return to the life of the classroom.

Students have certainly complied and worn their uniform of choice with pride, as well as correctly, and this has opened a discussion for students, staff, parents and the school community to consider allowing the wearing of the College’s Physical Education uniform to continue beyond the 2021 school year at the O’Keeffe Campus for all Year 7s and 8s.

Currently, while we allow students to wear either their Summer or Winter uniform, we believe it is both an important and worthwhile initiative to explore the idea of including the PE uniform in student choice.  Over the coming months, MRC will work through the following process:

• We will seek student input by holding discussions at Student Voice Sessions and working through pros and cons of wearing the PE uniform as an option.
• We will discuss with staff the benefits of allowing the Junior students to wear their PE uniform, if and when they chose.
• We will seek to gather feedback on this initiative from parents and the wider community.

Our desired outcome is to create an environment where students feel comfortable and able to readily participate in the broad spectrum of school life.  When students are relaxed and have less concern about their clothing, they are likely to be more secure and safe, especially as they grow into the physical and emotional changes consistent with their age.

Mental Health Month and BBQ’s

Mental Health Month concluded with a BBQ at both campuses which was very well received by the students and staff.  It was a relaxed and wonderful way to reconnect with all students returning to onsite learning.  The O'Keeffe BBQ was blessed with a beautiful sunny day, during which students were able to utilise picnic blankets spread on the grassed area.  Lunch was  accompanied with the pleasant sound of their laughter and conversation.  Friday at McAuley wasn’t as kind with the weather as we dealt with the aftermath of the wild storms of the previous evening.  The music was cancelled due to the poor weather and the Year 7s and 8s were transported to McAuley Campus because of the power outage at O’Keeffe.  The weather didn’t dampen the spirits of the staff and students and there was a buzz around the campus as the junior students counted their victories with two BBQs in one week.  A pleasant reminder of  the importance of belonging and how much, as a school community,  we have missed opportunities for connectedness.

Fruit in Middle School 

This term we are providing fresh fruit for middle school students to have at recess and lunch.  The purpose is to promote healthy eating habits, hydration and brain food.  We also recognised that it was a challenge for students returning to onsite learning and not being able to eat when they’d like to.  As our middle school students are also undergoing physical and mental growth at a rapid rate at this stage in their lives, it makes sense to provide them with a healthy food source that will fuel their bodies and brains.

Senior School Matters 

It has been a very busy couple of weeks in Senior School with our Year 12s finishing their journey at Mercy Regional College and completing the VCAA exams.  Although the official end date of school as we know it was on the 20 October, many students have still been here while studying hard for their exams.

As the year draws to a close, we have a number of significant events still to happen in the Senior area.  Our Year 11 students have their upcoming Presentation Ball, which was postponed earlier in the year due to the uncertainty of running events with crowds.  With the world returning to some form of normality in the coming weeks, the Presentation Ball will now go ahead in the MRC De Chantal Stadium on Friday, 3 December.  The event will look slightly different to other years, but the students have been practicing under the guidance of Tess Lourey and are excited that the event will finally take place.

The finish of Year 12 also brings forward the other significant event on the calendar, the Graduation Dinner and Celebration evening.  This is scheduled to be held on Thursday, 9 December, at the Noorat Community Centre.  Ongoing restrictions have made the organisation of our Graduation Dinner very difficult but something we have been working very hard to ensure could go ahead.  MRC was reluctant to postpone the event until next year as it continues to be difficult for students to attend.  The opening up of Victoria has meant that the Graduation Dinner can take place with limited restrictions and promises to be a special night for students, parents and staff to celebrate the end of 13 years of education and 6 years as MRC students.

Student Activity

With the final weeks of the year fast approaching there are a number of events and student movements to cater for, including transitions and celebrations.  A group of students will be completing their White Card Certificate and other qualifications at our College Job Camp on 16 November.  The White Card Certificate will be a valuable qualification for anyone looking at working in the construction industry. 

Activities in the final week are still to be confirmed due to the changing environment around COVID restrictions; however, the aim is to have the final day, 3 December, for Years 7-9 as an activity day.  Throughout the final week there will be transition time for Year 9 and 10 students in preparation for Unit 1 and Unit 3 subjects in 2022.  The scheduled transition days for current Year 8s is 30 November.  On this day, all Year 8 students will spend the day at McAuley Campus and have an alternate timetable to assist in transitioning from O’Keeffe to McAuley Campus. 

Over the last few weeks, students across Years 7-9 have been applying for student leadership positions.  These positions will be decided in the next week in preparation for our Student Leadership Formation Day on Thursday, 2 December.  All leaders across the College will be attending the Killara Centre in Camperdown to plan for 2022.  One of the main tasks is to focus on the 2022 school theme.  Good luck to all the students who have applied.

O’Keeffe Campus

O’Keeffe has some exciting projects in the pipeline since our return to onsite learning.  We have signed up for a Wellbeing Challenge run by ‘Crazy Ideas College’ and our MRC Wellbeing team.  This is an opportunity for our students to create bold ideas and reimagine wellbeing at our campus.  Students can see Mrs Stephens, Sharon Suhan or Matthew Crane to be part of this great opportunity.  There will be a half-day workshop on 15 November to begin the process. 

Our Wellbeing Team have worked hard to gain a grant to implement a ‘hands on project’ at O’Keeffe.  In conjunction with our student leaders, it was decided to gather a small group of interested students and build some garden beds.  The project will encourage healthy eating by growing vegetables for cooking in Home Economics classes, sustainability through the collection of green waste for compost, and a general awareness of the seasonality of plants.  Students will also have an opportunity to chart rainfall and any surplus produce will be offered to the community to take home, or potentially used to provide support to local agencies that provide food parcels.

Remember to keep an eye on our ‘Week Ahead’ document to stay up to date with all the news and upcoming events at our school.  This is uploaded each Friday evening on PAM. 

MRC Wellbeing Team

Faith at MRC

Christian Outreach Program

During this term, our Year 10 Students have been participating in a Christian Outreach program.  So far, they have made biscuits that were delivered to several groups in Camperdown, including the Camperdown Health Save Pharmacy who have been busy providing COVID vaccinations, the team from Southwest Healthcare’s vaccination hub, and the nurse station at Camperdown Hospital, to thank them for their hard work and front-line efforts.  There have also been deliveries to Lovely Banks Aged Care, Merindah Lodge and Sunnyside House.

Students have also created some beautiful Christmas cards for St Vinnies to use in the shop and give to families and staff.

Well done to all students and staff involved for giving some appreciation and cheer to others in our local community.

St Vinnies Gift Giving 2021

MRC will once again be participating in giving to Vinnies at Christmas, which is a wonder part of our school's commitment to the communities in our region.

Homerooms teachers will be speaking to their students about donating $5 each and either purchasing gifts on behalf of their homeroom or nominating student/s to purchases on behalf of their class.

Gifts will be handed over at our Mass of Thanksgiving on Wednesday, 1 December.

Thank you all very much for your continued support of the Mercy St Vinnies Gift Giving.  We know that these gifts are sure to be well received and bring joy to a family this Christmas. 

Mass of Thanksgiving and Student Awards Ceremony

The Mass of Thanksgiving and Awards ceremony will take place at St Patrick's Church on Wednesday, 1 December at 1.00pm.  Due to COVID restrictions this celebration will be for students and staff only.  The Mass and Awards Ceremony will be filmed and a link to view it will be sent out to families. 

Year 9 Textiles

Our Year Nine textiles class have been very productive and have recently completed their reversible bags, a pair of boxer shorts, and skirt or pants with top stitched pockets.  Despite remote learning,  these students have been very diligent and are using their skills to help their peers.

Jo Saunders
Textiles Teacher

Pictured: Annie Johnstone, Rebecca Foster and Sophie Curran.

Uniform Shop

We are pleased to advise that the Uniform Shop is now open.  Term 4 hours are:

• Mondays | 12.00-4.00pm
• Tuesdays and Thursdays | 8am-12pm

Appointments are also available for new students in 2022 for uniform fittings during November.

Parents can also continue to purchase uniform items through Noone's online portal by clicking on the link button below.  Online orders can be collected by the students at our McAuley Campus or sent over to the O'Keeffe Campus for collection at reception.  

Please contact the uniform shop if you require any assistance.

Phone: 03 7020 2625
Email: MercyRC@noone.com.au

Art & Technology Exhibition

We are excited to announce that the MRC Art & Technology Exhibition is returning to its traditional format this year: a display of artwork at the Camperdown Courthouse.  The exhibition will be open to the public from Saturday, 20 November to Monday, 29 November. 

The Art & Technology Exhibition is one of the key celebrations for the Mercy Regional College community.  It features the best works that students have created throughout the school year.  As the name suggests, the exhibition includes works from a variety of Art & Technology subjects offered at the College: Visual Arts, Studio Arts, Visual Communication Design, Building & Construction, STEAM, Textiles, Food Technology and much more.  Students’ achievements in Media, Music, and Drama will be represented with a series of images and a slideshow.  Visitors to the exhibition will be able to enjoy audio and video works of our students by scanning a QR code that will lead them to a digital gallery on the MRC website. 

Even during the disrupted year of remote learning and lockdowns, the students have all shown resilience and enthusiasm for their learning.  Their skills have developed onsite and at home, and the works on display showcase their amazing capacity to adjust and create work under challenging conditions.

We encourage families to stop by the Camperdown Courthouse between 20-29 of November to enjoy the works of our talented students and cast your vote for the People’s Choice Award.  The award winners for Junior, Middle and Senior school will be announced at 7.15 pm on Monday, 29 November, after the Car Raffle Draw.

Careers

• Accommodation guide
• Scholarships guide
• How to apply for courses via VTAC
• How to apply for courses via UAC

• Updates for Year 12 students
• Competitions
• Online career planning and job seeking program
• DigiSkills program – win $5000!
• Employment resources
• Upcoming career events

• Australian Defence Force Academy
• Australian Defence Force Gap Year Program
• VCE Summer School
• La Trobe University Pathway Program
• Employment resources
• Pathways to university
• $20 meal voucher (Year 12)
• Dates for your diary
  

Sport Report

Sport4Life

On Monday, 8 November, some MRC students began the Sport4Life program.  These one hour sessions are designed to assist athletes in achieving their full potential, as well as some important technical aspects that assist with speed and injury prevention.  It was very interesting to observe this session and the quick improvements made by the participants.  Thanks to Stuart Canavan for these sessions throughout November. 

Junior Basketball 

Next Monday, 15 November, we look forward to our junior students representing the school in Basketball.  The Junior Boys will be playing at Camperdown Community Stadium, with the Junior Girls playing at the Terang Stadium.  Games will be played against Terang College, Timboon College, Camperdown College, and Cobden Technical School.  We are very pleased to run this after it was postponed in Term 3.

Chess Competition

Early in Term 4 we had some students participate in an online Chess competition.  Adam Hendriksen (finished 6th), Alex Deane (19th), Flynn Riches (20th), and Joshua Lucas (21st) all did very  well, allowing Mercy Regional College to come 3rd overall in the competition.

Cancellation of Regional Events

School Sport Victoria decided late last term that all Regional Sport Events for the remainder of 2021 would been cancelled.  This has all been updated on the SSV website.

Unfortunately, this means our students have missed out on competing at this higher level in 2021.  We did have netball and basketball teams qualify, as well as students that had made it through to state cross country and regional athletics to be held at Ballarat.  We are still very proud of our students making it through to these stages and look forward to 2022 for further opportunities.  

MRC Car Raffle

MRC Car Raffle Early Bird Draw

There is only three weeks left until the 2021 Car Raffle draw.  Don’t miss your chance and enter now! 

All the proceeds from the 2021 Car Raffle will be used to purchase new-generation interactive furniture for our Mercy classrooms. More information about the raffle and the prizes is available on the College website: www.mercy.vic.edu.au/community/car-raffle/

We would like to thank everyone in our community who has already purchased their tickets, shared our social media posts or supported the raffle in another way. 

If you cannot purchase tickets online, you can stop by one of the retailers in the region and pay for tickets with cash:

• Betta Home Living, Camperdown
• Laffs, Camperdown
• Cobden Newsagency
• Reicha’s Drapery, Terang
• Milk & Honey, Timboon

Raffle tickets are also coming back to the local markets, and we are looking for volunteers to assist us with ticket sales. If your family has an hour or two to spare, please click on the button below to select a time, or contact Katya Belokon at kbelokon@mercy.vic.edu.au for more information. 

We sincerely thank our community for their continuous support of our Car Raffle.

_________________________

There is an agreement between Mercy Regional College and Lighthouse Group Pty Ltd trading as RaffleLink (ABN 83 161 197 860) to promote and conduct this raffle for reward. Permit number 10454/21.

Alumni News

Reconnecting with Charlie Bradshaw, Class of 2011

We recently connected with Charlie Bradshaw from the Class of 2011 and asked him a couple of questions about his life and his memories of MRC.

What did you do after finishing MRC?

After finishing Year 12 at MRC, I stayed at the College for a year as the first ever Sports Trainee at Mercy.  I worked closely with the Sport Coordinator to help manage sporting events and school camps.  After that, I attended RMIT in Bundoora to complete a three-year Bachelor of Health Science degree, and a two-year Bachelor of Health Science in Applied Chiropractic.

What have you been up lately?

I was lucky to live at the Latrobe residence whilst studying at RMIT.  This allowed me to meet people whilst living on ‘Res’ and meet people in my chiropractic course, creating many connections and lifelong friendships.  I was the President of RMIT Sports Chiropractic Group, where we organised a charity football game that raised money for Beyond Blue.

Whilst studying in Melbourne, I played footy at Macleod in NFL, as well at Camperdown and South Warrnambool after university.

I started my own Chiropractic Clinic, Bradshaw Chiropractic, in September of 2020, operating from Hamilton a couple of days a week.

How did learning at MRC define your career pathway?

The teaching staff at Mercy were extremely supportive in allowing me to change some subjects heading into Year 12.  This allowed me to apply for Chiropractic and Health Science studies, which eventually led to a job that I now love.  Without the teachers’ encouragement and support I probably wouldn’t have had the confidence to change my subjects before Year 12.

What is your favourite memory from your time at MRC?

Easily a combination of Year 12 retreat and Graduation!

Upcoming Dates and Events

20-29 November - Art & Technology Exhibition (Camperdown Courthouse)

Monday, 29 November - MRC Car Raffle Ends and Prizes Drawn

Wednesday, 1 December - Mass of Thanksgiving & Year 7-11 Awards

Wednesday, 1 December - Year 11 Final Day

Friday, 3 December - Years 7-10 Final Day

Friday, 3 December - Presentation Ball

Tuesday, 7 December - Year 7 2022 Orientation Day

Thursday, 9 December - Graduation Dinner

Thursday, 16 December - Office Closes (12pm)

Our school calendar is always available to be viewed through the Parent Access Module (PAM).  Further details for school events, student excursions, camps, and student assignment due dates, etc, can all be found on the PAM calendar.

Community Notices

Cobden Mega Op Shop Sales and Cow Hunt

Cobden’s Cow Hunt and Mega Op Shop sale is on Saturday, 20 November from 9am to 2pm.  While it has a focus on the Op Shops in Cobden, Curdie Street will be buzzing with live music, food, coffee, gifts, local produce and crafts, Devonshire tea, fairy floss and face painting, while there will be train rides at the Cobden Miniature Railway and mini golf at the Rotary Mini Golf course in Grayland Street.

The Cobden Cow Hunt will send you on a code word scavenger hunt, which has been designed for people of all ages to participate.  This is not just a kid’s activity; we’re keen to see everyone get involved!  You will be given a map and entry form to find the cow and its code word in each participating business.  All you need to do is find and write down the code words to go in the draw to win.  The Cobden Cow Hunt is free to enter and there will be lots of prizes up for grabs, from café and coffee vouchers to a beach towel, Miniature Railway train rides, Cobden Sewing and lolly shop vouchers and more.

Cobden’s Op Shops are also having a mega sale from 9am to 2pm on the day.  Cobden Health Charity Shop will have a massive book clearance sale, plant sale, plus 50% off storewide and Cobden Uniting Church Op Shop will have bargains store wide, both inside and out.

Café on Curdie, Cobden Sewing Machines, Reicha’s Drapery, Cobden Tools and Trailers, Desire Body and Beauty, Cobden Miniature Railway and Rotary Mini Golf will all be open among others on Saturday, 20 November for the event.