MRC Newsletter - Issue 10 - 19 July 2022

Prayer

Principal's Message

I welcome everyone back after what I hope was a time of rest and relaxation for all who had the opportunity. The term has started well with lots of excitement and joy and for those in Years 10 or 11 who were lucky enough to participate in the Ski Trip, lots of snow! I also congratulate our students who represented MRC at the recent School Sport Victoria State Cross Country Championships - Myles, Piper, Archie, Wilba, Taleah and Emily. 

We welcome to MRC new teaching staff member Joel Rothman, casual Learning Support Officer (LSO) Ashley Couch and Cleaning Team member Thomas Brian. We also welcome back from Parental Leave LSO Zoe Bourchier. I share the intention of Library Resource Centre Manager Maureen O’Loughlan to conclude her time at Mercy after 25 years of much valued service. We thank Maureen sincerely for her dedication to Mercy Regional College and wish her every best wish for the next stage of her life.

I am very pleased to share with you the progress of our planned renovations to our O’Keeffe Junior campus. Working closely with our architects we are now at the tendering stage for the building works which will see refurbished toilet facilities for both students and staff, Reception refurbishment and the construction of a new First Aid space. We are planning on this work being completed across Term 4. 

Last Thursday and Friday our Year 8 students had the enriching opportunity to work with the team from Crazy Ideas College as part of their PEAK Project Based Learning classes. Think Shark Tank and you will have an idea of the process our young people went through to culminate in ‘pitching’ their Social Innovation Project to a volunteer community panel. CIC’s mission is “to equip, connect and unleash young people to do crazy good in the world”. We can’t wait for the projects our young people have pitched to become reality. Thank you to our amazing community partners, many Alumni, and our PEAK teachers - Emily Stephens, Lydia Darcy, Christine Norton and Claire O’Connor. What an opportunity! 

We are about to begin the process of learning pathway and subject selection for 2023 with students currently in Years 7, 8 , 9 ,10 and 11. This is an exciting time where our young people are encouraged to explore further their interests and passions through elective and VCE subject choices. Our MRC Subject Selection Handbook will soon be available with information sessions available to both students and families to support decision making. Staff are also available to support this process with Parent Teacher Student interviews providing an opportunity for one on one advice. A couple of exciting new opportunities for 2023 include VCE VET Animal Care offered onsite at MRC in partnership with Hampden Veterinary Clinic and for students who will be in Year 8 an opportunity to study Victorian Aboriginal Language and Culture as an alternative to French. Mercy continues to offer a full and wide range of VCE subjects as well as the largest range of VET subjects onsite in our region. Our VET subjects are open to application from any young person in our region. We will also offer the new VCE Vocational Major in Year 11. 

I share with Y 11 students and their families an opportunity to apply to join the ACU Step Up Into Teaching (SUIT) program. SUIT is an Australian Catholic University (ACU) early entry program. It provides Year 11 students considering a career in teaching the opportunity to to study one or two modules equivalent to university level units while completing their school studies. Successful participation in the SUIT program provides an entry rank that can work in place of an ATAR. ACU will make successful students a direct, unconditional offer into their chosen Bachelor of Education degree - Early Childhood, Primary Teaching or Secondary Teaching. The two units will be Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Knowledges, Histories and Culture (27 September to 1 October 2022) and Digital Cultures and Capabilities (January 2023). For more information please contact Deputy Principal - Learning, Teaching and Innovation Natalie Stephenson. More details are included in the Learning section of this Newsletter.

Please also find here a link to our Annual Report to the School Community and our new DOBCEL Child Safety Policy as well as a COVID update below. Finally, I draw your attention to the Circuit Breaker Weekend called by our governing body DOBCEL. Details were provided in a letter to our community shared at the end of Term 2. MRC and our Hampden Catholic Schools Network Primary Schools will close on Friday, 12 August and Monday, 15 August. Please take note so you can plan ahead. I also thank our community in advance for your support of our Annual Car Raffle which is very much appreciated. The early bird ticket purchase date is 2 August. 

With kindness

Sharon Gillett
Principal

Learning at MRC

Welcome to Semester 2

It’s incredible to think we have all completed our first full semester of learning onsite in over two years! Of course, this has come with challenges for some of our young people as they have grappled with the transition back to classroom based learning. The learning ‘stamina’ required for young people at school is quite different from that required to work remotely and it has taken some time for students to get back into the swing of working closely with others as well as balancing school and their outside commitments. Our teachers understand that this has been at ‘liminal’ time for many of our students and have worked closely with them to support not only academic achievement but also social, emotional and organisational skill development. Thank you for partnering with us as we continue to support young people and raise the bar in terms of what they are capable of. Together there is nothing we can’t do if we work together. 

One of the initiatives that we introduced this year to support the return to onsite school learning is the after schools study sessions - PASS. These have proved increasingly popular and with the added support of transport, many of our senior students are now regulars. We would love to see more Year 9 and 10 students attend. PASS runs each Monday and Wednesday afternoon during term in the McAuley Campus Library. If you have a son or a daughter who is finding independent study and homework completion a challenge, please encourage them to sign up. There is a link on the student bulletin to the sign-up page via Mercy Services. 

Additional Change to Semester 2 Parent Teacher Student Interviews Dates

Last term, the newsletter indicated that the times for the next round of Parent Teacher Student Interviews had changed as a result of parent feedback. Since then we have received communication from DOCBEL (Catholic Education Ballarat) that all schools will be closed for a ‘circuit-breaker’ long weekend in August. This was scheduled in the same week as our interviews. Given that two student free days in one week is not ideal, we have decided to push our interviews forward to Week 3. 

Bookings are open as of Monday 18 July and close Friday 22 July.

Interviews are suitable for teachers of year long subjects. Semester-based subjects that were reported on at the end of last term have now concluded and students have only just commenced new electives. Before making interview times, please consult with your child as to whether or not you have requested to see a teacher of a semester based subject, as they will have only been teaching your child in that class for a little over two weeks. 

Monday 25 July: 

• 4-7pm online

Tuesday 26 July: 

• 12noon - 3pm online
• 3.30pm - 6.30pm on site (to allow for parents who still want a face to face chat)

Please note that classes will not be running on Tuesday 26 July to allow our young people to participate in their learning conversations with teachers and carers.

Math Pathways Review

Many of you will have seen a Google Survey form seeking your feedback on the Math Pathways Program that runs in Years 7-9. A robust review takes into consideration how an action or intervention meets the goals for which it was intended. This is now the third year of the program and we are reviewing the efficacy of the program in terms of how well it achieves the goals for which it was originally implemented. The questions asked are framed around the original goals of the program and these same questions are also being asked of our teachers and students. This allows us to compare the data using a consistent measurement instrument. There is a place for parents to comment at the end if the questions don’t allow for certain information or viewpoints to be conveyed. Thanks to those who have completed the survey. You can find the link below.

Step Up Into Teaching (SUIT)

No doubt many of you have been hearing horror stories recently about teacher shortages across the world. Here in regional Victoria, we need to think smart about attracting and retaining good teachers for the sustained future of our beloved school. Considerable work is being done at the system level to attract young people into teaching. Australian Catholic University Ballarat has developed a program to engage young people intending on pursuing teaching as a career early - as Year 11 students.

The opportunity has been created for those expressing interest and meeting the capability requirements to complete 2 tertiary level units before finishing secondary school that will be given credit in their first year of teaching training. The units will be studied as week long intensives in Ballarat in the September and January school term breaks. It is a blended mode with pre reading required. The opportunity is fully sponsored by CEB and each member school inclusive of unit costs and accommodation. 

ACU are seeking a maximum cohort of 15 young people and as such we are able to nominate 1 or 2 current Y 11 students from those who may express interest and are deemed academically capable - English proficiency is considered a good measure as assessment will be at first year university standard.

This is a wonderful opportunity for our young people and important for us as a school to attract and retain teachers for the future. It is a "Grow Your Own" philosophy. Please find a link to the Information Flyer below. Ms Kym Penry and Ms Danae Fraser will be speaking to the students about this opportunity and providing interested participants with an Expression of Interest Form. 

Debating Update

Round 4 of the Geelong Regional Debating Competition is taking place on Thursday evening. The event will now take place online due to COVID-19 precautions in Geelong. Mercy’s C-Grade team is competing in the negative against Geelong Lutheran College; and A-Grade taking on Sacred Heart College Geelong, also in the negative. Both teams will be tackling their first ‘Secret Topic’ debate which is nerve-wracking and exciting in equal measure. This stands them in good stead for the upcoming Frayne Speech Festival in August and the British Parliamentary Competition in September. 

Junior School Debating is also getting underway with the DAV training and competition taking place at the tail end of Term 3; and the Parliamentary Competition in October. 

If any students are interested in taking part at any time, please do not hesitate to contact Mr Lee at dlee@mercy.vic.edu.au for more information.

Year 8 PEAK Activities - Social Innovation Project

Last week, Year 8 students stepped up to demonstrate their brilliance at generating and winning support for bold and inspiring ideas. 

Mercy Regional College has teamed up with Crazy Ideas College (CIC) to provide their Year 8 students with the support, tools and connections to generate and bring transformative ideas to life.

As an extension on their innovative PEAK subject (Passion, Exploration, Advancement, Knowledge), the Year 8s spent two days with the CIC experts participating in the Social Innovators program. Working in teams, the students designed programs, products and services that enrich the lives of their fellow citizens.

Across the two days of workshops, the students discovered new insights around issues they care about, generated most outstanding ideas, prototyped how these ideas can work in the community, and developed compelling pitches that inspire action.

The ideas were pitched to a panel of local community partners on Friday afternoon. The community partners provided invaluable feedback to the teams and will help connect the students with the right people and resources so their ideas can be brought to life. The students will have the opportunity to collaborate with community and business partners in Term 3 to finalise their projects.

Key themes that the ideas addressed included finding ways to promote care for the environment, enhance health and wellbeing, foster community connectedness and reimaging learning.

All ideas will be showcased on CICBeyond – an online platform designed specifically to share, celebrate, and connect these ideas with the community. We would love the community to get online and check out the ideas post the program.

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VCE Chemistry Excursion

On Tuesday 14 June, all VCE Chemistry students participated in a 3-hour laboratory workshop at the University of Melbourne. We bussed down to Parkville and went on a short walk around the University Colleges as we made our way to the Chemistry building.

To begin the program, the students attended a short seminar that showed them some future jobs in the chemistry industry. They looked at the role of many types of scientists including forensic, medicinal, nanotechnology, environmental and even ice-cream scientists. The group also watched a chromatography experiment to set the scene for the laboratory workshops.

In the laboratory, the Year 11s analysed and determined the iron concentrations in a sample of water. To do this, they had to dilute and make known samples of iron with hydrochloric acid and then analyse these and our diluted unknown sample in the atomic absorption spectrometer. This instrument produces bright coloured flames for different metals. 

The Year 12s had to prepare and analyse different organic molecules for analysis in two different instruments – the infrared spectrometer and nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer. They then had to combine and use the information from these instruments to identify what type of molecule they had.

The students enjoyed a tour around the different labs of the chemistry building to see some of the innovative research currently underway, including a giant super magnet.

The best experience of the program was using advanced equipment, technologies, and laboratory instruments. The participants had the opportunity to learn from university students and gained first-hand experience of what studying chemistry at university may look like.

Many thanks to Ms Jacqui Hester for organising the excursion and Mr Ludeman for accompanying the students.

Ancient History Excursion

Our Years 10-12 Ancient History students spent 16 June at the Hellenic Museum in Melbourne, honing their archaeological skills and historical knowledge. They learned in depth about antiques and Greek culture, and even tried their hand at artefact analysis! Our Unit 3 & 4 students also enjoyed a unique opportunity to spend some time with an Ancient History expert revising for their upcoming VCE exam.

Thank you to the organisers Mr Daniel Lee and Mrs Lydia Darcy, driver Mr Daniel Gordon, and the fantastic team at the Hellenic Museum for this unforgettable experience.

$20 Boss Year 10 Elective

The $20 Boss Year 10 elective unit is now in its second year at MRC. It is based on the nation-wide $20 Boss initiative, an immersive program that provides a framework for students to create their own start-up small business. In doing so, they develop important transferable skills such as innovative, creative and critical thinking; planning, experimentation, project management and troubleshooting; collaboration, communication and teamwork; financial literacy and health and safety in the workplace. 

Each student had to contribute $20 to commence their business, which they could run individually or in small groups. The aim is to break even - to cover all costs and return their initial $20 capital investment - and any profits are donated to charity. 

The students spent the early part of Term 1 learning the theory related to each area, including a self-assessment of key skills - identifying areas of strength and opportunities to develop others further.  They brainstormed to come up with business ideas and formed groups. After a disrupted couple of years, the students enjoyed the chance to collaborate with each other.

Four businesses ran in Semester 1 - Burn Baby Candles (Sophie, Kate & Julia) who made scented candles with hidden messages, using recycled jars, Pizza Chef (Annabelle, Rebeccas & Eliza) who sold pizzas at lunchtime to staff and students, Anklets by E & J (Elli & Janna) and Shake Shack (Darcy, Henry, Luke, Jonty, Wilba & Daniel) who made and sold milkshakes on Mercy Feast Day and at our O’Keeffe Campus. They had to plan and test ideas, manage finances, project manage and trouble shoot their way from start to finish. Each group carefully selected one or more organisations as recipients of their profits: Caritas, Fight MND and the Good Friday Appeal.

Project based learning really allows students to demonstrate their capabilities, collaborate and show tremendous growth. Well done students - it has been a real pleasure to see the your confidence and skills grow during the semester. 

Below are some student reflections, which make great reading. The group and Mrs Tania Bruckner would like to thank all the students, teachers and famlies who supported their businesses.  

Pizza Chef
Annabelle

We made posters to advertise our business, and we also advertised our business on Simon daily messages and the weekly newsletter. We sent out a Google Form for market research - to see what the most common flavours were, and found those to be Hawiian, BBQ Chicken, Aussie and Garlic. We could then do some test recipes and pricing, calculate break even and then sort out selling prices.  We sent out an order form and used a spreadsheet to keep track of orders and calculate quantities for our shopping list.  We also had to make sure the Home Economics room was free on the days we needed to cook.  We had to reschedule our day due to illness and other student activities, which wasn’t ideal, but we made it work.

Burn Baby Candles
Sophie

Our business idea was to make scented candles with little messages in them to brighten someone's day. Our target market was mainly teachers and female students as they were the people most likely to buy them.  We sat down as a group and planned what the semester was going to look like and came up with a schedule so we got things done on time. We were most proud of making a profit even if it was only a small business, and being able to finish the candles and fill our orders all on time. We all worked together to get them finished which was a very proud moment as a collective. We learned the importance of time management and the skills required to run a business.

Anklets by E & J
Elli

We knew we definitely wanted to make something and researched a few craft jewellery options. We brainstormed these options and decided that hand woven anklets would be perfect. Anklets have become quite trendy for teenage girls at the moment, so most of our sales went to them. We improved our skills including communication, creativtiy, critical thinking, financial capability and problem solving. It was hard to run the business by myself went my partner was away for an extended time, but some of the other students helped out. We enjoyed choosing colours, packaging them up and making sure all our orders were filled. We also had to complete all our book work and prepare financial statements by the end of term.

Shake Shack
Luke, Daniel & Henry

The best part of $20 Boss was being able to be creative with our own business and have some freedom with what we could do. Our teamwork and collaboration in running a business helped us grow new skills and allowed us to work in a different environment to the usual classroom.

Resilience and quick thinking were key ingredients in our business, as we needed to be quick on our feet with some decisions milkshakes and if something went wrong, we would bounce back and not give up or quit. I am most proud of the success we had and also how we were able to build a strong business which attracted a lot of customers. We all gave it out best effort to make it a successful business.  Our hard work really shows and it is satisfying look back on what we achieved.  

We developed a range of skills during planning and on the day of the milkshake stalls, as we worked together as a team. Using our time to our advantage was a challenge for our group and at times our business would have benefited if we had stayed more focused. We could also have worked more effectively on developing our recipes and other aspects such as keeping good financial records. Another aspect we reflected on was we should have considered selling other milk alternatives like soy or almond.

Year 10 Water Rockets

At the end of last term, our McAuley oval turned into an improvised rocket launch field. In a fun science experiment, Year 10 students tested water rockets, trying to track and improve their flight through the application of Newton's laws of motion.

Rocket science has a reputation for being forbiddingly technical, however, the Year 10s proved that any gas or liquid would do to make rockets fly. They clearly enjoyed the big splash along the way!

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Design Technology - Wood, Metal & Plastics

Our Year 10 Wood, Metal and Plastics elective students worked tirelessly on their projects in Term 2. How great are those toolboxes, cabinets, and the coat rack! We look forward to our traditional Arts & Technology Show to enjoy more projects by out talented students.

Learning@Mercy Leadership  Team - Natalie Stephenson, Danae Fraser, Lydia Darcy and Daniel Lee
O'Keeffe Community Leader - Emily Stephens
Chemistry Teacher - Jacqui Hester
$2o Boss Teacher - Tania Bruckner

Community & Wellbeing at MRC

School-Life Balance

Being Yourself

There are skills students can work on if making friends is more difficult than it should be. Thinking about how to be a good friend is a first step. Teachers encourage students to consider the following:

• Work in self-awareness. When looking to have any friendship, young people should be aware of what their values and beliefs are.
• Make friends for the right reasons. Students should resist building friendships based on the shared dislikes of others.
• Don’t forget who you are. The urge to make friends can make young people think they need to change who they are, but the best friendships are based on shared interests, honesty and openness.

Overcoming Shyness

Most students feel shy every now and then and some situations might make them feel nervous, quiet, awkward, uncomfortable and tense. The first step in overcoming shyness is recognising what’s causing it in the first place. Some students are timid in social situations because of the fear of failure, negative self-image, lack of experience with social interaction or bullying. However, there are ways students can overcome shyness, such as:

• Taking baby steps and chatting to someone they don’t know very well for 5 minutes.
• Remembering that no one is looking at them, because shy people can fall into a trap of thinking that everyone is looking and judging them.
• Shifting the focus to others by asking others questions about themselves.
• Using positive self-talk and not avoiding social situations, but rather facing them and becoming better equipped with social skills. 

Free Time

We all need free time or downtime. Having free time is one of the most important ways for us to learn, grow and develop the skills we need to succeed. We all deserve a chance to explore our world and our thoughts, and to develop our creativity and sense of fun. Often, students can feel the pressure to stick with sports and extracurricular activities and not give up. Students need to understand the dropping something because they have over-committed is not the same as “giving up”. If students feels they are over-committed, they should talk to a parent, guardian or staff member and work on ways to incorporate some downtime into their schedule.

 NCCD Information 

Please find below an information sheet on the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data (NCCD) on school students with disability.

Snow Camp

This article is the first part of a two-part report on the recent Snow Camp. The experience was a combination of Unit 2 Outdoor Education & Environmental Studies and Year 10 & 11 Snow Experience. Each group had a slightly different experience.

Part 1: Outdoor Education & Environmental Studies Snow Trip

Students have three experiences in VCE Outdoor Education Unit 1 & 2 . They have already visited a Coastal/Marine Environment and just recently spent 3 days experiencing the Alpine Environment, including a day of snow hiking, cross country skiing and camping overnight at the beautiful Mt. Stirling.

To begin the snow experience the students spent many hours learning about this unique environment and preparing themselves in every way possible for the adventure ahead. They were to prepare their food for a 24-hour time period (lunch, dinner and breakfast), prepare a clothing list and ensure they had an understanding of the sufficient gear needed for snow camping and risk management prior to attending. 

The group arrived at Mirimbah resort gates and ventured to Telegraph Box Junction which sits at an elevation of 1,200m. This is where they began the ski tour towards their accommodation. They started at 1,200m elevation and climbed to 1,500m elevation carrying their packs with food, clothes and sleeping gear and skis as there was no snow at the base of the climb. The students and staff hiked their way into the Alpine Camp where they slept out in tents overnight. A huge challenge!

During this day the group experienced some of the 65kms of pristine trails of Mt. Stirling and learned about this semi-wilderness environment known as the Alpine Environment. It was amazing to experience an 'untouched' nature with no lifts and no transport - just the skiers and their skis. The students and staff skied the whole day - up and down as many trails as they could manage. 

The following morning the group hiked back down to meet the other students and ventured to Mount Buller. The next two days on the commercial slope were amazing and vastly different to the experience of cross country skiing of Mt. Stirling. 

From this adventure, the students saw first hand the impact of infrastructure and human influence on the environment, and learned the art of downhill skiing. This trip was a big challenge in many aspects, however, all students completed it in fine fashion and showed great determination and attitude towards the challenges they faced. The students had the opportunity to experience something unique. Although at times it was hard, we hope that what they learned about the environment and themselves will stay with them for many years to come. 

A big Thank you to Berni Sinnott, Tom Kelly and George Beasley for immersing themselves in this experience and helping our students enjoy a unique part of the world. 

NAIDOC Week

We celebrated NAIDOC Week on 3-10 July. NAIDOC Week is an opportunity for all Australians to learn about the culture, history, and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

How is it different from Reconciliation Week? NAIDOC Week celebrates our 65,000-year culture and connection to this Country whereas Reconciliation Week aims to heal the damage created in the last 250 years.

This year's NAIDOC theme is 'Get up! Stand up! Show up!' It encourages us to:

• GET UP! and investigate First Nations cultures and histories
• STAND UP! and celebrate First Nations change makers
• SHOW UP! and amplify the need for change

At the end of Term 2, our students wrote inspirational messages on ribbons that were tied onto a tree at each campus. The ribbons will serve a powerful call to us all to Get Up! Stand Up! Show Up! to advocate justice and respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

Community Lunch

MRC students and staff hosted another community lunch at the Camperdown Uniting Church on Wednesday 22 June. It was terrific to see smiles on the faces of our students and the respect they showed as they went about preparing and serving lunch, giving support to members of our local community. Well done to all involved in this initiative.

Wellbeing Team - Berni Sinnott, Sharon Suhan, Matthew Crane
Learning Diversity Leader - Claire Walsh

Milk Donations to VCAL Program

Our VCAL students have been mastering the art of coffee making in Term 2. The students are fortunate to receive weekly donations of fresh milk from Otway Pastures to support their developing business ‘Grind & Grow’.

Otway Pastures is a local company 100% owned by 4 Victorian farming families from the Otway Ranges. These families have a firm commitment to creating healthy products, healthy farming practices and a healthy business that can be passed onto the next generation.

Many of Otway Pastures multi-generation farmers are the past families of Mercy Regional College who have strong connections with the College and the wider community. We are sincerely grateful for their support of our VCAL program and the inspiration for our students to make better coffee using high-quality local produce. The healthy milk, kindly delivered to our McAuley Campus by Kooler Dairy Cobden, makes every cup of VCAL coffee tastier.

We look forward to enjoying more delicious coffees made by our students in Term 3!

Faith at MRC

Winter Woolies Day

On the last day of Term 2 our students and staff dressed up in warm and snuggly ‘winter woolies’ to raise awareness of health and safety of people living in rough conditions. Our community was encouraged to bring in donations of warm clothes and non-perishable food items that were passed onto the local St Vinnies to support those in need.

Sports Report

State Cross Country

On Thursday 14 July, six MRC students participated in the State Cross Country at Yarra Glen. It was wonderful to see our students going up against the state's best. They all demonstrated a great commitment and resilience considering that most of the day was spent travelling to and from the venue.

Congratulations to all participants and thank you to Mr Troy Stephens and Mr Darren Cheeseman for accompanying and supporting the team.

• Under 13 Girls (3km): Piper S (28th) - 13.25 mins
• Under 15 Girls (3km): Taleah M (86th) - 14.46 mins
• Under 15 Boys (3km): Archie T (52nd) - 11.19 mins
• Under 16 Boys (5km): Myles S (34th) - 18.29 mins
                                                Wilba C (38th) - 18.42 mins
• Under 17 Girls (3km): Emily D (57th) - 15.03 mins

GWR Intermediate Boys Netball - 23 June 2022

Our Intermediate Boys netballers are also heading to the state tournament! MRC’s first ever boys team claimed the GWR champion title in Colac on 23 June. They scored a victory over Ballarat High School 33 to 26. What a fantastic achievement!

GWR Junior Netball - 22 June 2022

Congratulations to our Year 8 netballers who have become GWR champions! The girls won over Emmanuel College by three goals in overtime. Their composure, team spirit, and talent were impressive to watch, and we couldn't be prouder of them making it to the state level.

The Year 7 girls did well, making it to the semi-final. We look forward to many great games for the team in the coming years.

GWR Year 7 Boys Football - 22 June 2022

On the 22 June, a team of Year 7 boys represented MRC at the GWR Junior Football held in Ballarat. They played games against Mount Clear College, Warrnambool College, Trinity College and Horsham College. The boys managed to win 2 out of their 4 games against both Mount Clear College and Warrnambool College. Well done!

GWR Senior and Intermediate Netball - 17 June 2022

Our Senior and Intermediate girls played their Greater Western Region games in Ballarat on 17 June. Please join us in congratulating our Senior girls on becoming GWR champions! They won their final game against Emmanuel College by 4 points. The team will now play at the state level later in the year. 

Our Intermediate girls were fantastic on the court but missed the grand final by only 1 goal.

GWR Intermediate Boys Football - 17 June 2022

Intermediate Boys represented the College at the GWR Football tournament in Ballarat. The players thoroughly enjoyed the day, winning two of their four games. Those muddy uniforms tell us a lot of the boys’ commitment to footy!

HSSSD Year 8 & 9 Football - 16 June 2022

Our Year 8 & 9 boys competed in HSSSD Football winning all three of their games against Cobden Technical School/Terang College, Camperdown College and Timboon P-12. Great work, team!

Thank you to everyone who was involved in the competitions, playing, coaching, umpiring, and chaperoning. 

Library News

Premiers’ Reading Challenge

During the last week of Term 2, we celebrated and acknowledged the fantastic group of students from the Junior Campus who are participating in the Premiers’ Reading Challenge. We enjoyed a ‘Launch Lunch’ in the library at the O’Keeffe Campus - special thanks to Wendy Gleeson for assisting with this. Congratulations to Ned - our lucky winner of the Mystery Book Pack draw.

Ten students have committed to reading 15 books by the end of Term 3 and are doing a wonderful job of improving their reading skills and broadening their genre choices. We wish them all the best as they aim to complete this Challenge. Good luck to Layla, Victoria, Ned, Jonah, Isabella, Carl, Joseph, Flynn, Madison, Natalie!

Book Club

We have a new date for our Book Club Meeting 2! Join us on Wednesday 3 August at 6.45pm. If you enjoy reading a good book, participating in a lively discussion and hearing about books that have been recommended by others - this is the place for you!

Wheelers e-Books and Audiobooks

Don’t forget to check out what is available on Wheelers e-Books and audiobooks. New titles are added each month, a wide selection is available at your fingertips. So convenient!

Maureen O'Loughlan
Library Manager

MRC Car Raffle 2022

We thank everyone who has supported our Car Raffle so far! Every sold ticket matters and brings us closer to our goal - purchasing a mobile coffee trailer for our VCAL students. 

You can purchase your tickets online via the link below or stop by the College reception, local cafes and shops that have paper ticket books. 

Early Bird Draw - 2 August 2022

It is only two weeks left until the Early Bird Draw of our raffle. The Early Bird Prize - a $300 MRC School Fees Voucher - will be drawn on Tuesday 2 August at 1pm. 

Who is eligible for the Early Bird Draw? 

To be eligible for the Early Bird Draw, purchase a bundle of 13 tickets for $100 online by 9am on Tuesday 2 August. We will automatically add your ticket numbers to the manual draw for a special prize. With each bundle of 13 tickets, you will get one free ticket.

You can also purchase or sell all 13 tickets in your paper ticket book to receive an Early Bird ticket. Please return the Early Bird Ticket with your details, money, and ticket butts by 3pm on Tuesday 26 July to be entered in the Early Bird draw.

How can the community view the Early Bird Draw?

The draw will take place at the College and will be livestreamed to our community. Stay tuned for the link. 

 What happens if the Early Bird winner has no students at MRC?

 The Early Bird Prize is not redeemable for cash. You can gift or resell the College Fees Voucher to a person with a College fee account. Or if you do not know anyone who attends the College, you may like to donate the voucher as a scholarship for a Mercy student in 2023.

Car Raffle Ticket Stall

We would like to thank our familes and staff who have kindly contributed their time to promote the raffle and volunteered at the ticket stall. 

If you or your family could spare some time to volunteer, please pick a shift via the form below. Your support will be greatly appreciated!

Special Thanks to Our Sponsors

Career News

VCAL Careers Expo

VCAL students from Years 11 and 12 attended the Colac Careers Expo on 14 June. They were able to connect with over 30 stall holders from an array of businesses from Colac and surrounding areas including: AKD, Bulla, ALC, McDonald's, KFC, South West TAFE, Mercy Health, Irrewarra Sourdough, Parks Vic, Vic Forrest, CFA, Vic Police, Ambulance Vic, CMTP, and Colac Otway Shire. The range of opportunities for student work placements, traineeships, apprenticeships, employment and post-school opportunities have been expanded through this experience.Students also had the opportunity to hear a motivational speech from former Mercy Regional College student, Ben Harkin, who inspired them to embrace risks to change their situation for the future and closed with a reminder that every person is beautiful.

We thank MIXX FM for all their work in organising this networking experience for our community.

Recruit Info Night - Australian Air Force Cadets

Australian Air Force Cadets will be holding their Recruit Info Night, this Thursday night.

6:45pm Thursday 21 July
Tel el Eisa Barracks
Pertobe Road
WARRNAMBOOL

Click on the link below for more information.

Student Achievements

State Hockey Championships

Congratulations to our students Ava (Year 7) and Riley (Year 8) for playing in the state hockey championships in the school holidays. Great effort!

Image source: Corangamite Hockey Club Incorporated

Alumni News

Toby Fleming  (Class of 2020)

Please join us in congratulating our former student and 2020 College captain Toby Fleming on winning a Junior Show Ambassador Award presented by VAS (Victorian Agricultural Shows) in the State final.

The award highlights young Victorians’ leadership, creativity, ingenuity, community involvement, and participation in agricultural shows. Listen to Toby's presentation at the link below (signing in on Facebook is required). Great representation of our South Western region, Toby!

We wish Toby all the best as a committee member of Noorat Show this year.

Hamish Sinnott (Class of 2021)

Hamish Sinnott made his VFL debut with Carlton against Port Melbourne earlier this month. Congratulations to Hamish on a good game and all the best for persuing his ultimate dream of playing AFL. 

Upcoming Dates and Events

Thursday 21 July - Psychology Excursion
                                       Debating Competition

Friday 22 July - HSSSD Intermediate/Senior Basketball
                                  VCE Agricultural Excursion
                                  O’Keeffe AFL Trip
                                  PTSI Bookings Close

Monday 25 July - PTSI - Online, 4pm-7pm

Tuesday 26 July - No Formal Classes
                                      PTSI - Online, 12pm-3pm
                                      PTSI - Face to Face, 3:30pm - 6:30pm
Wednesday 27 July - VCAL & Middle School Excursion to Ballarat Technical School

Thursday 28 July - Chemistry Quiz

Monday 1 August - Netball Vic School Championships

Tuesday 2 August - Year 12 Physics Excursion
                                         Car Raffle - Early Bird Draw, 1pm

Wednesday 3 August - Community Lunch

Thursday 4 August - Debating Competition        

Friday 5 August - GWR Intermediate/Senior Basketball
                                      GWR Table Tennis       

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, July Edition 2022

The July 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. 

Rotary Club of Camperdown - Youth Programs 2022-2023