MRC The Week Ahead 2024 Term 4 Week 5
Junior School
What’s Ahead
A very quiet week at O’Keeffe next week. This is a great opportunity for students to reset after a busy first four weeks of this term. It was great to see the Year 8 students enjoy their camp in Anglesea and also great to see some Year 7 students put up their hand to attend the Seeds of Justice Day in Melbourne.
Well done to all on a great start to Term 4.
GWR Basketball
On Thursday 7 November, a group of students will be representing the College in Basketball at Ballarat. The venue for this event is the Ballarat Sports and Events Centre. Students will be transported to Ballarat via bus and it is unlikely that they will return to school in time to catch the afternoon buses.
Parents/guardians will be advised via SMS as to what the pick up arrangements are. The bus will depart from the Terang Civic Hall at 8.00am and continue through to the McAuley Campus Camperdown to collect students at 8.20am.
Youth Corangamite
The Corangamite Shire are hosting a FReeZA Youth Stage at this year’s Skipton Spring Festival. It’s an opportunity for our talented young performers (12 to 25 years) to perform on stage and be paid for their time.
Please see poster below.
Contacts
We encourage you to contact your child’s MERCY teacher if you have any queries, questions or worries throughout the school year.
7A: Mr Tim Woodmason - twoodmason@mercy.vic.edu.au
7B: Mrs Leah Sinnott - lsinnott@mercy.vic.edu.au
7C: Mr Matt Irving - mirving@mercy.vic.edu.au
8A: Mrs Melanie Bourchier - mbourchier@mercy.vic.edu.au
8B: Miss Georgia O'Leary - goleary@mercy.vic.edu.au
8C: Mrs Mel Simmonds - msimmonds@mercy.vic.edu.au
O'Keeffe Leader/Assistant Principal
Matthew Irving - mirving@mercy.vic.edu.au
Kind regards,
Matthew Irving- Assistant Principal - O'Keeffe Campus
Tim Woodmason - O'Keeffe Campus Assistant
Upcoming Events
Term 4
Week 5
Monday 4 November - Student Free Day
Tuesday 5 November - Melbourne Cup Public Holiday
Thursday 7 November - GWR Basketball in Ballarat
Middle School
Welcome
Week 5 signals the halfway mark of this term. The long weekend serves a great opportunity for students to take the time to rest and catch up on any overdue tasks they may have. While the end of the year is near, the last half of this term will be very busy with exams and step up programs commencing for 2025 Unit 3 and Unit 1 classes. Moving into these classes, it is imperative that students approach these classes as the beginning of their new year.
It is also a good time to consider what resources are required and need to be replaced for next year. Booklists will be coming home shortly. Students can also start to take home any books or resources that are no longer required. Year 10s will be moving into the Senior School building at the commencement of their Year 11 transition program in a few weeks.
Year 10 and 11 Student's Guest Speaker - Sam Walsh
On Thursday 7 November, Carlton’s Sam Walsh (local export) will come to Mercy and speak to our up and coming leaders for 2025 and our Year 10 and 11 students.
Sam will talk about his journey to AFL, including his dedication, discipline, and resilience, which can serve as motivation for students to apply the same principles in their own lives and studies.
We will gain insights into how teamwork, communication, and collaboration are vital in sports and how these skills are transferable to other areas of life, including school and future careers.
Attendance and Notification of Absences
Just a reminder that in line with the Child Safety regulations and our school’s attendance policy, we require all unexplained student absences to be followed up. If you know that your child is going to be absent, please let us know at your earliest convenience, either via PAM, or by contacting reception. Thank you for your support with this.
Behaviour Tracking and Procedures
There are certain behaviours that are displayed from time to time by students that impact the relationships and learning environment of others. These behaviours are tracked through SIMON and parents can see the progress of this tracking on PAM. Details of the incident are not visible on PAM for privacy, however parents are welcome to make contact with their child’s teacher if they would like to discuss any concerns.
Restorative discussions will occur when there is an accumulation of tracking points at a lunchtime behaviour reflection, an after school detention or suspension.
These measures give students time to reflect on their behaviour, its impact on themselves and others and what they can do to make things right. Parents will be informed if a student has accumulated points and requires a lunchtime reflection or detention.
Uniform is tracked via a separate system, and does not show in PAM, however will also be followed up with students after an accumulation of uniform tracking.
Term 4 Assessments and Exams
Term 4 always disappears very quickly, as the years’ classwork is wrapped up, final assessments are undertaken and exams are prepared for. Some Year 10s will be completing exams for their VCE studies, which will be held in Week 6, followed by a step up into Unit 3 studies. More information about the exam, assessment and step up schedule will be sent out during the term, however if you know that your young people will be absent for any reason in Term 4, please let us know so that we can work with you around ensuring everything is completed, and they are well prepared.
Year 9 Camp
All Year 9 students will depart for Camp as soon as the final bus arrives for the morning. If you are being dropped off by car or walking to school on Wednesday, please be at school by 9.00am.
All students are to make their way to the basketball courts so that we can leave promptly.
A couple of packing reminders:
- No aerosols to be send on camp
- Comfortable shoes for walking
- Bathers and towel
- Appropriate clothing for rock climbing and ice skating.
White Card Training
White Card training will again be offered to students at Year 9 and 10. The White Card is for students that wish to complete work experience with a trade or are completing a trade certificate through TAFE in 2025. This training will incur a cost to students and accounts will be forwarded to families in the coming weeks.
Year 10 students that have already completed this training do not need to repeat the training.
Training days (both days are compulsory):
Monday 2 December and Tuesday 3 December 2024.
Youth Corangamite
The Corangamite Shire are hosting a FReeZA Youth Stage at this year’s Skipton Spring Festival. It’s an opportunity for our talented young performers (12 to 25 years) to perform on stage and be paid for their time.
Please see poster below.
Kind regards,
Lydia Darcy and Nickeeta Roache - Middle Years Community Leaders
Upcoming Events
Term 4
Week 5
Monday 4 November - Student Free Day
Tuesday 5 November - Melbourne Cup Public Holiday
Wednesday 6 November - Intermediate Cricket - Geelong - See PAM for details
Wednesday 6-Friday 8 November - Year 9 Camp - See PAM for details
Thursday 7 November - Guest Speaker Sam Walsh - Students Leaders P3, Year 10 and 11's P4
Week 7
Monday 18 November - Year 10 Retreat
Week 8
Year 10 exams and Unit 1 subjects commence- more details to follow
Senior School
Year 12 - SWVAC
Next week our students will sit the VCE/VM Psychology, General Maths exam 2, Maths Methods exam 1, Business Management, Art Creative Practice, VET Hospitality, Physical Education and Health and Human Development exams. We wish these students all the best.
Managing exam stress factsheet
Student Free Days
No School - Monday and Tuesday
The school library will be open for VCE/VM students to study on both Monday and Tuesday. The students have been informed if their teacher will be available during these days at school for exam preparation.
Year 11 Students Completing Unit 3/4 Exams
Year 11 students completing a Unit 3 /4 exam do not need to formally come to school on the day before their exam. However, they are very welcome to come to school and study or touch base with their teacher if they wish.
2025 Student Leaders
Our Leaders are well under way for planning the 2025 school year. On Thursday 7 November students will have an intensive session, focusing on the challenges of leadership amongst peers as well as the whole school. From this the students will spend an afternoon planning and brainstorming our school themes
Year 10 and 11 Student's Guest Speaker - Sam Walsh
On Thursday 7 November, Carlton’s Sam Walsh (local export) will come to Mercy and speak to our up and coming leaders for 2025 and our Year 10 and 11 students.
Sam will talk about his journey to AFL, including his dedication, discipline, and resilience, which can serve as motivation for students to apply the same principles in their own lives and studies.
We will gain insights into how teamwork, communication, and collaboration are vital in sports and how these skills are transferable to other areas of life, including school and future careers.
Reminder: Student Illness or Absence and Medical Certificates
It is important for Senior students to source medical certificates if they miss school due to illness. This can form evidence for special consideration in the case of extended absences, which are always unpredictable.
Youth Corangamite
The Corangamite Shire are hosting a FReeZA Youth Stage at this year’s Skipton Spring Festival. It’s an opportunity for our talented young performers (12 to 25 years) to perform on stage and be paid for their time.
Please see poster below.
Kind regards,
Berni Sinnott - Senior School Community Leader
Upcoming Event
Term 4
Tuesday 28 October- Wednesday 20 November - VCE/VM Exams
Week 5
Monday 4 November - Student Free Day
- Psychology (9.00am-11.45am) and General Maths 2 (2.00pm-3.45pm) Exams
Tuesday 5 November - Melbourne Cup Public Holiday
Wednesday 6 November - Maths Methods 1 (9.00am-10.15am), Business Management (3.00pm-5.15pm) Exams
Thursday 7 November - Guest Speaker Sam Walsh - Students Leaders P3, Year 10 and 11's P4
- Art Creative Practise (9.00am-10.45am), Maths Methods 2 (11.45am-2.00pm) and Physical Education (3.00pm-5.15pm) Exams
Friday 8 November - Health and Human Development (3.00pm-5.15pm) Exam
Week 6
Monday 11 November - Ancient History and Outdoor Education and Emviromental Studies (11.45am-2.00pm) and Legal Studies (3.00pm-5.15pm) Exams
Tuesday 12 November - Chemistry Exam (9.00am-11.45am)
Wednesday 13 November - Community Lunch - 12.00pm
- Agriculture and Horticulture Studies (9.00am-10.45am) and Media (11.45am-2.00pm) Exams
Thursday 14 November - Physics (9.00am-11.45am) Exam
Friday 15 November - 2025 Year 12 Seminar Day
- Year 11 BBQ and Break Up
- VET Sport and Recreation (11.45am-1.30pm) and Applied Computing Software Development (3.00pm-5.15pm) Exams