MRC Newsletter - Issue 6 - 3 May 2022
Prayer
Principal's Message
Dear Families
Welcome back to Term 2. I do hope the term break provided some much needed rest time whilst also featuring the most important Christian celebration of Holy Week and Easter.
It was also fantastic to see so many students and staff at the many ANZAC Day observances around our region. We gathered as a Mercy community at both campuses on Tuesday to respectfully remember all those who have served their country and the many that have lost their lives in military operations around the world. Mr Luke Bourchier shared with those gathered in Camperdown a most moving rendition of Eric Bogle’s And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda. We are grateful for Luke’s willingness to share his talent and also thank our Leader of Catholic Identity, Mission and Ethos, Mrs Kellie Wilson for her organisation.
We warmly welcome Mr Michael Wallace to Mercy as he replaces Mrs Fiona Sargeant whilst she is on leave in Term 2. Michael will be based at our O’Keeffe Junior Campus teaching Science and Maths. I also am most grateful to the wonderful casual relief teachers who have willingly and frequently stepped in to cover our staff unwell with COVID across both Term 1 and now Term 2. We couldn’t have continued operating onsite with such excellent continuity of learning without them and the wonderful work of our College Organiser Mrs Joanne Roberts as well as the generosity of all teachers who have willingly stepped in to take additional classes.
We realise we do have continuing difficult times ahead and appreciate the support of our whole community in following the updated guidelines shared last week to keep us all safe, well and onsite. Please make contact if you have any questions relating to the expectations. One notable change was the ability of student Household Contacts to attend school whilst they remain COVID negative. Should your child be a Household Contact we ask that you:
- Notify the school immediately
- Ensure students perform a RA test 5 of the 7 days of the period of isolation (ideally this would be on the days they are attending school).
- To protect others during this time, students who are household contacts are to wear masks while inside.
Term 2, whilst only being 9 weeks in length, contains many annual events and celebrations inclusive of our House Cross Country, Year 8 Camp and our MRC Feast Day. I encourage all families to view our College calendar on PAM to plan ahead and read The Week Ahead published for both Junior and Middle School. This afternoon and tomorrow we will host our first Parent Teacher Student Interviews. Bookings are made through PAM. Thank you in advance to our teachers for giving your time to this valued partnership with parents, carers and our young people in the interest of optimised learning outcomes. Term 2 also brings NAPLAN for our Year 7 and 9 students across three days (10-12 May). We encourage all families to approach NAPLAN with a positive mindset so that our young people are comfortable and do their very best. Any questions about NAPLAN can be directed to DP Learning, Teaching and Innovation - Mrs Natalie Stephenson.
We wish our Debating team all the very best for their involvement in the Debating Association of Victoria (DAV) schools competition beginning on Thursday evening and hosted at Geelong Grammar School. We have one team entered with students from Year 9 (C-Grade). This week their topic is 'That we should boycott major sporting events held in countries with poor human rights records' and they will be arguing the negative. Thank you to our Debating Coordinator Mr Daniel Lee and to coaches Mr Matthew Crane and Mrs Natalie Stephenson for their support. You will find more information about debating at MRC later in this newsletter.
Finally, I had the pleasure of attending the Commissioning Mass for Dr Andrew Watson as he begins his new role of Director of Catholic Education Wagga Wagga. Dr Watson is a former principal of Mercy Regional College (2005 - 2010). Also there to congratulate Andrew was another former MRC principal, Mr Larry Burn (1986 - 1990). Both Andrew and Larry feature in the history of CRC/MRC currently being written by former staff member Lachie Lee to be ready for publication in 2023, our 50th year. I leave you with a small section of Andrew’s commissioning spoken as he was blessed by Bishop Mark Edwards OMI, 6th Bishop of Wagga Wagga:
There are different gifts, but it is the same Spirit who gives them. There are different ways of serving God, but it is the same Lord who is served. God works through different people in different ways, but it is the same God whose purposes are achieved through them all. Each one of us is given a gift by the Spirit, to use for the common good. We seek God’s help to live out our baptism as a loving community in Christ; nurturing one another in faith, upholding one another in prayer, and encouraging one another in service.
With kindness
Sharon Gillett
Principal
Learning at MRC
NAPLAN 2022
All of our Year 7 and 9 students have had opportunities via the National Coordinated Practice Test in March and the NAPLAN Public Demonstration Site to familiarise themselves with the online testing platform.
Students will sit the tests here at school on the following dates and times:
*Start is to allow for late bus travellers to arrive
On Tuesday Year 7 students will complete their tests at the O’Keeffe Campus as normal and for the remainder of the week they will be attending the McAuley Campus and will complete the Wednesday and Thursday tests in Camperdown. Year 8 students are on camp from Wednesday to Friday so having the Year 7 students at Camperdown enables us to adequately staff and support the tests logistically with so many staff away on camp.
Each year the media jumps on the opportunity to create a narrative around the pros and cons of NAPLAN. I wish to take this opportunity to reassure parents that NAPLAN tests should be seen as a normal event in the yearly cycle of schooling. We all know that they are a narrow snapshot of a young person’s skills at a specific moment in time, however, the data that NAPLAN provides for us as a school is very valuable when looked at over periods of time and compared with other data that we have on student learning. It helps us to inform our teaching practice and our school improvement plans for each year.
Please partner with us to normalise and minimise anxiety around NAPLAN and test taking in general. If anything, the opportunity for students to have to sit quietly for a sustained period of time and concentrate is an important life skill in itself. For students who are currently connected with Mrs Claire Walsh and the Learning Diversity team, Claire will be in touch to discuss possible disability adjustments for those students.
Parent Teacher Student Interviews
These important meetings are being held both face to face and online across Tuesday and Wednesday this week. We encourage students to attend with their parents/carers to be a part of the conversations around work habits, academic progress and goal setting. The interview times are capped at 5 minutes, so if the conversation needs to continue beyond that, you may be asked to arrange a longer meeting time with the teacher.
Drone Testing in Year 10 STEAM
Our Year 10 STEAM classes were busy refining their use of drone technology at the end of Term 1. They explored the problem-solving techniques required for safe flight in challenging situations, such as narrow passages under classroom desks. In the upcoming weeks, the students will continue to master block coding to control the drones. They will be guided by our MRC teachers who have recently participated in a Ballarat Tech School workshop to increase their skills of block coding and the use of microbits and hummingbird robotics hardware. Our teachers and students are all ready for the new STEAM adventures in Term 2!
Outdoor Education Surf Camp
In the last week of Term 1, our Unit 1 and 2 Outdoor Education students travelled to Torquay to learn about the history of surfing and to work on their surfing skills at of one of the most famous beaches in the world, Bells Beach.
Despite very few of the students surfed before, they enjoyed every minute of it. They quickly mastered the basics and were even able to stand up on their boards by the end of the first session.
To deepen their exposure to the world of surfing, the students visited the Torquay Surf Museum where they saw some of the first ever surf boards and traced the evolution of the sport through time.
The camp was a wonderful step out of everyone's comfort zone and an enjoyable adventure to be remembered. Thank you to Mrs Berni Sinnott for organising the trip.
Debating at MRC
Debating has made a return to extra-curricular life at MRC in 2022. Joining the DAV Geelong Region with two teams (A- and C-grade) representing the College in the five round competition. Training has commenced and the first round on Thursday 5 May will see the C-grade team arguing the negative against Geelong’s Matthew Flinders Girls Secondary College on the topic of ‘That we should boycott major sporting events held in countries with poor human rights records.’
Unfortunately, our A-grade team will miss the opportunity to discuss ‘That people who are unvaccinated for COVID-19 by choice should not have access to the public health system’ due to a bye; but are gearing up for Round 2 on 18 May where things get political with the topic of ‘That we prefer a hung parliament to a majority government', just in time for the federal election.
Preparations are well underway for the 2022 Frayne Speech Festival at Emmanuel College in Warrnambool in August, with MRC currently fielding competitors in the Public Speaking (Years 11-12) and Debating (Years 10-12) categories. Best of luck to all competitors on Thursday and others preparing for public speaking competitions.
Senior Mentor Lunch - Term 2
Term 2 Mentor Lunch will be held on 15 June in the Multi-Purpose Area, at the McAuley Campus. All senior students are welcome to attend to catch up with their mentors, discuss their learning progress and enjoy delicious food prepared by the VET Active Volunteering class.
Learning@Mercy Leadership Team - Natalie Stephenson, Danae Fraser, Lydia Darcy and Daniel Lee
Domain Leader of STEAM - Claire Virgona
Community & Wellbeing at MRC
Diversity and Inclusion at MRC
When we talk about diversity, we are talking about a fact of life: we are all different. When we talk about inclusion, we are talking about a deliberate act or choice in words and actions that enrich and enhance our community.
Whilst Mercy Regional College may seem mono-cultural, and certainly this has been the case in the past, the truth is that as a community, we come from a variety of backgrounds made up of different ethnicities including First Nations people, family structures, socio-economic backgrounds, as well as students, and families who identify with the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex (LGBTQI+) community. No two people in the MRC community are the same. We are as diverse in our backgrounds as we are in our interests, our tastes in music, our gifts and our talents. Some people are lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender, inter-sex or are unsure about how they want to idenitfy. Members of our community would once have been majority Catholic; now, our community is made up of many different expressions of the world’s religions, and indeed, people of no faith. This diversity enriches our community.
Our Catholic identity within the tradition and spirit of the Sisters of Mercy and their foundress, Catherine McAuley means that the first two values of MRC are Community and Inclusiveness. For Catherine McAuley in 1830s Dublin, this meant providing support and education to the marginalised in that community - predominantly women and children. Our Mercy heritage and Gospel conviction compels us to inclusion through the way that we behave, the sorts of language that we use and the spaces that we create. As educators, our teaching practice must also reflect on how we cater for diverse learning styles in the classroom, as well as setting up safe learning environments for our young people so that their learning and growth can be facilitated in the best and most inclusive way possible. Inclusion in our school community is achieved when a diversity of people feel they are:
- Respected for who they are and able to be themselves;
- Connected to their peers and colleagues and feel they belong;
- Contributing their perspectives and talents to the community; and
- Progressing in their education and/or career at work with equal access to opportunities and resources.
On 17 May we will recognise IDAHOBIT Day - that is, the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia & Transphobia as a tangible action in promoting diversity and inclusion in our community. Over the coming weeks, we will be clearly showing our commitment to social, educational, spiritual inclusion and diversity by encouraging our young people to reflect on difference, inclusion and diversity in our community and encouraging them to call out practices that intentionally exclude others.
If you have any questions or ideas about how we can celebrate diversity, community and inclusivity at Mercy, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with our DP - Staff & Students Mrs Berni Sinnott.
Building Positive Relationships
Peer Pressure
As much as it is important for students to feel like they need to always fit in at school, it is important for them to remember that they always have the right to say “no” to things they don’t feel comfortable with. Before agreeing to anything, they should ask themselves whether it is against the law, will cause trouble, or if they or others may get hurt. It can sometimes be hard to say no to a friend, so you may want to suggest that they pretend they didn’t hear the request and walk away, change the subject, let the person know the consequences of the action or simply continue to say no. All students have the right to be safe.
Believing In Students
It is important for teachers not to use a student's past behaviour to predict future outcomes. This can negatively affect a student's self-esteem. Being able to believe in a student’s innate resilience and self-righting capacities can actually have the opposite effect. By showing a positive attitude towards students, encouraging them, and reassuring them that despite the odds, they can actually achieve something positive, can be a liberating experience for them. Once our young people reach adulthood, they will remember these moments, as well as the teacher who made a positive difference to their schooling experience.
Friendships
Secondary school is a time when students go through many physical and emotional changes, which can significantly affect their relationship with their friends. In Secondary school, friendships change and the combination of academic competition, cliques, popularity, changing levels of maturity and developing interests can put a strain on many students’ existing friendships. Many friendships change over time as well as grow. It is important for students to stay open to developing new friendships with people that have common interests. This can happen naturally if they know enough about themselves, their interests and what they enjoy.
Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund – Government Assistance
Parents with a valid Centrelink Concession card as at the first day of Term 2, 26 April 2022, are eligible for $225.00 assistance towards camps, sports and excursions. This amount is deducted from the fee account. Please provide a copy of this card to the College Reception and complete the parent application form. If you applied previously for the assistance, you do not need to complete another application form unless there has been a change in your family circumstances. You are still required to provide a copy of your card to the College office. Please contact Reception to enquire about the CSEF application process.
The Streets Barber Visits MRC
An unexpected guest paid a visit to our Year 8 and 9 students at the end of Term 1. His name is Nas Sobhani but he is more widely known as The Streets Barber.
Nas told the students about his fascinating life journey that brought him from battling a severe addiction to becoming a passionate barber. He moved from Canada to Australia, hoping to find a purpose. After two years of hard work to learn barber skills, he started a traineeship and was able to find a permanent job.
Over the years, Nas has gained popularity in Melbourne and Geelong for his selfless dedication to cutting hair for the homeless. He has been using his talent to help others turn their life around by spending his days on the streets cutting hair, establishing a connection, and encouraging people to be the best versions of themselves.
Nas’ inspiring words reminded the students about the importance of finding a calling, of serving others and sharing the simple joys with the community around us.
MRC Thermomix Raffle
Our Thermomix Raffle was drawn on 8 April 2022. We sincerely thank everyone who bought a ticket to support our fundraiser. The proceeds of the raffle will be used to assist our VCAL students with an incentive of a coffee trailer to expand their business enterprise.
We warmly congratulate the winners:
- 1st PRIZE WINNER: JulieAnne Lee from Brisbane QLD
- 2nd PRIZE WINNER: Sharon Kenna from The Sisters
- 3rd PRIZE WINNER: Bernadette Savory from Terang
The recording of the draw is available from 1:25 min at https://cutt.ly/mrc-ball-22.
Wellbeing Team - Berni Sinnott, Sharon Suhan, Matthew Crane
O'Keeffe Community Leader - Emily Stephens
Learning Diversity Leader - Claire Walsh
Faith at MRC
Sew Good to Be giving!
At the end of Term 1, Year 9 Textiles students were busy making reversible tote bags and boxer shorts, some of which were donated to St Vincent De Paul Society. The MRC Lenten program includes a number of opportunities for giving to our community and these keen sewers were happy to use their skills to make shorts for donation. Great effort, girls!
40 Days 40 Items Lenten Drive
Thanks to everyone who has contributed to our Lenten drive. We have collected a number of boxes of various items to be donated to local causes. If all donations could be finalised by the end of this week so that we can work to get them donated.
Feast Day
A reminder that our Feast Day - Our Lady Help of Christians is coming up on Tuesday 24 May. We will be having a celebration of this event on Wednesday 25 May. This will involve an extended lunch with some small activities on the oval as well as Mass at St Patrick’s Church in the afternoon.
Our Year 7s will have a Faith Day on this day - and will be at the McAuley Campus for the full day, participating in some activities in the morning. Our Year 12 cohort will also be having a Seminar Day on this day, with a guest speaker and other activities in the morning.
Year 11 Retreat
Our Year 11 group will be having their Retreat at the end of Week 3 - on Friday 13 May. We are lucky enough to have a Youth Ministry Team to come down to work with our students around the theme of ‘Leadership'. It should be a great day of learning and growth.
Kellie Wilson - Catholic Identity, Mission and Ethos Leader
Jo Saunders - Textiles Teacher
Sports Report
Our sporting program got under way with House Cross Country events that took place on 27 April for our McAuley students and on 2 May for our O'Keeffe students. The Camperdown Little Athletics stadium and the Noorat Recreation Reserve both witnessed great athletic spirit as our students ran the track, supporting and encouraging each other to go forward.
Well done to all students who participated and earned points for their respective houses. Please join us in congratulating Markey House on their convinsong victory in the house competition.
- Markey House - 254 points
- Tindley House - 155 points
- Frayne House - 147
- Ryan House - 139
The age group champions will be announced separately once all the results have been finalised.
It takes a group effort to hold events like this, and we thank all staff who assisted with marshalling, time keeping, recording, and organisation.
Library News
The Premiers’ Reading Challenge
The Premiers’ Reading Challenge is open! The Challenge encourages students to read a set number of books across the year and record their efforts online. Sign up sessions have begun at recess in the library at the O’Keeffe Campus and will continue for the first three Tuesdays of Term 2. Students who sign up for the Challenge will go into the draw for a ‘Mystery Pack.’
To read the Premier’s letter to parents, view the booklist and for more information about the Victorian Premiers’ Reading Challenge, click on the link below.
Book Club - Session 2
We are looking forward to seeing the members of our Mercy community at the second session of the MRC Book Club.
DATE: Monday, June 6
BOOK: ‘The Power of the Dog’ by Thomas Savage
Please RSVP via the link below.
Wheelers e-Books and Audiobooks
New titles available on Wheelers e-books and audiobooks:
- 'How to Repaint a Life' by Steven Herrick
- 'The First Scientists' by Corey Tutt
- 'Harry Potter: The Hogwarts Collection' by JK Rowling
- 'Sugar Town Queens' by Malla Nunn
Click on the link below to have a browse.
Maureen O'Loughlan
Library Manager
Year 11 Presentation Ball
On the last Friday of Term 1 we celebrated the achievements, hopes and aspirations of our Year 11 students at the long-awaited Presentation Ball 2022. The ball is a cherished tradition at the College and a memorable occasion for our students, shared with family, friends and loved ones.
As the Class of 2023 danced their way into senior years of schooling, they bonded in a special way. Congratulations to the young ladies and gentlemen who participated. They all looked so elegant and made their families very proud.
Student Achievements
Photo Credit: Sydney Royal
Abbie, Year 11
Our sincere congratulations to Year 11 student Abbie who was competing in the Dairy Cattle Parading National Final of the Sydney Royal Show in the school holidays. Abbie earned her chance to participate in the show after successfully winning the state final in January.
Abbie represented Victoria with pride, demonstrating an outstanding performance and claiming a well-deserved third place. Well done, Abbie!
Myles, Year 10
Myles has become one of the 9 GWV Rebels players who have been selected in the Vic Country U16 squad for 2022. Myles played a trial game at Ikon Park on 24 April and will play another one on Sunday before the final squad is announced. Congratulations, Myles, on your achievements this far and all the best!
Lex, Year 11, and Ben, Year 10
Two of our VET Music students, Lex and Ben, have joined talented young musicians across the region this week to participate in a student intensive program held by South West MESS (Melbourne Electronic Sound Studios). The students explored the MESS collection, collaborating with their peers and creating new electronic sounds at the One Day Studios set up at the Fletcher Jones Factory in Warrnambool.
The workshop participants worked on creating original pieces inspired by the history of Fletcher Jones under the guide of musicians Gus Franklin, Janita Foley and Byron Scullin. These creations were performed at the two shows last weekend.
We congratulate Lex and Ben on this fantastic opportunity to gain new skills and meet like-minded people.
Career News
TIS Tour
At the end of Term 1, our Year 11 and 12 students were fortunate to participate in a TIS Tour, along with senior students from other local schools.
TIS (Tertiary Information Service) visited our McAuley Campus to talk to the students about types of tertiary providers and the support available during the transition to further studies, including HEX and scholarships.
The students learned that the modern world of work is ever-changing and requires life-long learning. They were reminded that professional success relies on developing soft skills, e. g. teamwork and problem-solving, that can be transferred across various careers.
The students greatly enjoyed the opportunity to meet with the representatives of major universities in our region to find out about the courses on offer, ask questions, and consider their options for the future.
Career Newsletter
The Career News topics this week include:
Year 12 students
- Australian Defence Force Gap Year Program
- Apply for universities now for the 2023 intake!
- Medicine and Dentistry – UCAT ANZ registrations close in May
All students
- Competitions
- Career Expos
- Tutoring (Year 11 and 12 students)
- How to research university and TAFE course options
- National security careers – digital apprenticeship program and work experience
- Interested in constructions careers? You could win $5000!
- Dates for your diary
Kym Penry
Career Advisor
Alumni News
Class of 1987 - 35th Reunion
Saturday 15 October 2022
The Class of 1987 are excited to get together and remember all the good times at their 35th reunion on Saturday 15 October. If you were part of that class, save the date and update your details on our Alumni database at the link below to receive news about the upcoming event.
Please let us know if you are planning a reunion for your class at alumni@mercy.edu.vic.au, and we will help promote your event and organise a campus tour for you.
Upcoming Dates and Events
Tuesday, 3 May - Cyber Safety Talk (O’Keeffe)
Tuesday, 3 May - Wednesday, 4 May - Parent Teacher Student Interviews
Wednesday, 4 May - Clay Shooting Competition
Thursday, 5 May - Inter-School Debating Competition
Friday, 6 May - VCAL Excursion
Monday, 9 May - HSSSD Cross Country
Tuesday, 10 May - Thursday, 12 May - NAPLAN
Wednesday, 11 May - Friday, 13 May - Year 8 Camp
Friday, 13 May - Year 11 Retreat
Wednesday, 18 May - Photo Day Catch Up
Year 9 French Excursion
Inter-School Debating Competition
College dates for 2022 can be viewed through the Parent Access Module (PAM), including all term dates, student free days, camps and retreats.
Community Notices
Our Diocesan Community, April Edition 2022
The April edition of “Our Diocesan Community” is now availble for reading at the link below. The magazine shares news and stories from the schools in the Catholic Diocese of Ballarat.
St Colman's Primary School Online Raffle 2022
The St Colman's Online Raffle is on again this year. Tickets are $25 and there will be 600 available for sale. The raffle will be drawn on 20 June.
- First Prize: $3,000 voucher at Scotts Betta Home Living
- Second Prize: $1,000 Neighborhood Benefits Card from Acciona
- Third Prize: $500 voucher at Bates IGA Supermarket
You can support the fundraiser of our HCSN member school by buying your tickets on Trybooking.
