Mercy News - 26th August 2022
-
Key Dates
-
Prayer
-
Message From Our Principal
-
Student Executive Reflection
-
RE and Identity
-
Deputy Principal
-
Numeracy Across the Curriculum
-
Learning and Wellbeing Level Leader - Year 8
-
Learning and Wellbeing Level Leader- Senior
-
Sport
-
Information Services Leader
-
House Matters
-
Learning and Diversity Team
-
Careers @ Mercy
-
Community Notices
Key Dates
Monday 29th August
- Year 10 Reflection Day with Youth Ministry Team
Wednesday 31st August
- FV & SSAV Premier Schools Girls Football Cup Tournament
Thursday 1st September
- RE/VCAL Incursion: Mercy College Winter Sleepout
Friday 2nd September
- Significant Men- Father's Day BBQ Breakfast
Sunday 4th September
- Father's Day
Wednesday 7th September
- Units 3 & 4 VCE students- General Achievement Test (GAT)
- 'First Year Out' Alumni Reunion
Prayer
Loving God, you made each of us in your image and
likeness.
Open our eyes to recognise one another as equals,
replacing domination and control, violence, and abuse,
with mutuality, reciprocity, respect, and freedom.
Help us to love like you.
Jesus Christ, you rejected the use of religious traditions
to justify violence.
Teach us to unmask manipulations of our faith used
to justify violent, abusive, or coercive behaviour.
Teach us to be people who show tenderness,
respect and care for others as you did.
Holy Spirit, you are with us always, showing us the way.
Move us to assist those who experience violence and
abuse, and support their call for justice.
Empower us to hold perpetrators of violence and abuse
responsible, encouraging them to change their
behaviour.
AMEN
Message From Our Principal
Dear Mercy Community,
SOCIAL JUSTICE SUNDAY
This Sunday is Social Justice Sunday and the Australian Bishops have spoken with a united voice of courage and conviction. This year’s Social Justice Statement, Respect: Confronting Violence and Abuse, the bishops highlight the extent of abuse throughout contemporary Australian society. They have placed this complex social reality at the heart of our community for intelligent consideration, prayerful reflection, and proactive discernment. With an appeal to the virtues of justice and solidarity, we are urged to take collective responsibility for shaping a culture of respect here, within our Mercy community, and beyond. We welcome this urgent call from our Church to deepen our faith through full and frank discussion and dialogue, advocacy and action. Later on in the newsletter, you can read details about some of the activities we are undertaking to raise awareness and action.
YEAR 7-10 PARENT/GUARDIAN- TEACHER CONFERENCES
Members of the College community came together last night at the Years 7-10 Parent/Teacher Student Conferences. We were delighted to be meeting face to face with our parents and guardians in order to exchange insights about our students and their learning and development. To support our students academically in and out of school, teachers, and families need to have a shared understanding of their children’s learning as partners to meet their academic and social-emotional needs.
As a follow up and as a way of ensuring the best learning outcomes for the rest of the year I hope parents and guardians are able to:
- Praise your daughter for doing well or making progress, and discuss areas for improvement identified by the teacher.
- Listen to what your daughter has to say, and encourage her to express both successes and strategies for further improvement.
- Make an agreement with your daughter on how you will monitor and support her progress.
PARADE COLLEGE AND MERCY COLLEGE COMBINED CONCERT PERFORMANCE
Last week I attended with many in our community the combined concert performance. Congratulations to students and staff from both Colleges who were involved. It was wonderful to see a variety of performances showcasing our combined musical ensembles, original compositions and monologue drama performances. We are so proud of the hard work and talent of all involved.
SIGNIFICANT MEN-FATHER'S DAY BREAKFAST
As a College next week, we will celebrate fathers/significant men and all they give to our lives and to our communities. Fathers/significant men have a special place in the lives of their daughters- they offer wisdom, guidance, encouragement and love. They also, provide support and strength.
We give thanks to those men who have taught, guided and loved us.
Our Significant Men- Father’s Day breakfast will begin at 7.45 am. Not only will the significant men share a meal with their special Mercy student but also we will have as our guest speaker-Mr David Lewis-lawyer and father to two adopted daughters, musical entertainment and interactive game. I look forward to celebrating and seeing you on Friday 2 September.
Let us never lose trust in the patience and mercy of God.
Lila McInerney
College Principal
Student Executive Reflection
As the year is ending, a journey is closing and let me say it has been quite eventful. I had never thought that in my 5 years at Mercy, I would have the opportunity to represent the Performing Arts and share my passion, creativity and curiosity with others.
It has given me the opportunity after years of lockdown, Covid and sad times for the arts and music department, to finally be opened up once again and reintroduce all the fun and joyful times. Moreover I had the chance to be involved in items such as musicals, Just Dance, concerts and more this year and encourage everyone in the school to participate. This position granted me the chance to work with an amazing Student Executive team, in bringing new development or ideas into the school. Some that were once forgotten, some that we wanted to implemented or those that needed to be changed.
It has offered me something to look forward to, enjoying the things I do, being a greater part of the community, helping the school in events or activities and much more.
In the end I took on this position to challenge myself in the abilities I possess, in trying to change the school for the better and also growing closer with the people in the school community. As a result I grew as a person, learning things that I had hidden, growing closer with my fellow peers and teachers but most of all the overall amazing opportunity provided with the ability to be able to do something and be heard. Overall I surely know this will help me later on in life, having experienced what it is like being a leader.
To truly understand how performing arts or music can really impact people, I leave you with something a wise man once said “Music can change the world because it can change people” -Beethoven.
Rebecca D
Performing Arts Captain
RE and Identity
As we head towards September the Faith and Mission life of Mercy College will embrace the mercy values of compassion, justice, welcome and courage.
Social Justice Statement 2023
This Sunday 28th August is Social Justice Sunday. Every year the Bishops of Australia issue a Social Justice Statement that highlights on a particular justice focus.
This year’s Social Justice Statement, Respect: Confronting Violence and Abuse, invites us to engage with a complex and confronting social reality. It explores the roots of violence and abuse, honours the voices of victims, offers a social and theological exploration of the reality of violence, especially against women and children, and invites us to develop relationships in all parts of our lives ‘marked by equality and reciprocity rather than domination and violence, respect and freedom rather than coercion and control.’ Social Justice Statement 2023
On Monday 29th August each Homeroom will come together as a faith community to pray for our Church and civil leaders, our communities and organisations and victims of abuse. We pray that respect, dignity and justice, transformation and hope are possible. This is the living message of the Gospel – a message of mutual respect and kindness.
A copy of the Social Justice Statement may be found at ACBC Office for Justice, Ecology and Peace,
www.socialjustice.catholic.org.au
September the Season of Creation
The month of September is known as the ‘Season of Creation’. As a faith community Mercy College will participate in a number of actions and prayers for our world. This year the theme is ‘Listen to the voice of creation’ The Mission and Justice Teams have included activities that help promote and raise awareness of the environment. Bell times during this month will be from the sounds of nature. Every class will plant an indigenous shrub while reflecting and praying for our environment. Each student will be given a set of actions that they can complete each day that helps promote, protect and raise awareness regarding creation. We will be holding a ‘Clean-up Mercy Day’ for the whole school. Each class will create a ‘burning bush design’ –The symbol for this year’s theme- that reflects the elements of creation we love. Stay turn for further updates as we begin this season of creation.
Mercy Day and McAuley Services of Women and Children
This Year our Mercy Day will be held on Thursday 15th September. Mercy Day is a day that we come together in faith, in prayer, in community and in social action. Mercy Day is a day where we celebrate who we are, what we believe in and what we stand for. It is a day where we recognise our Mercy values of Justice, Compassion, Hospitality and Excellence in all we do. We begin the day as a faith community with Mass. This will be followed by our Mercy Day Carnival. Our Carnival events, organised by the Student Executive Team and the Homerooms will provide food and entertainment for our students as part of our fundraising initiative. This includes activities and food like:
- Jewellery making
- Lucky dip
- Crazy hair spray/ Braiding/ Beading
- Fairy Floss and Pop Corn
- Photo Booth
- Bungee Run
- Lasagna
- BBQ
Tickets for the carnival events and activities will go on sale from 8th September. Students are able to buy tickets before the event and on the day.
All money raised for this event will go to for McAuley Services for Women and Children. McAuley community service is named after our founder Catherine McAuley who offered her services to those most in need in her society. McAuley community services aim to help women and children affected by family violence through support programs, legal aid, and emergency housing. The organisation helps women build new skills for a safer future and secure meaningful employment to ensure a steady income.
Mercy Day is a day where we all live out our Motto ‘Goodness is Strength’. Looking forward to sharing with you the main events of our Mercy Day in the upcoming newsletters.
Josie Dilettoso
Director of RE and Identity
Deputy Principal
General Achievement Test (GAT) - Wednesday 7 September
The General Achievement Test (GAT) assesses skills in mathematics, science, technology, the arts and humanities.
The GAT will take place on Wednesday 7 September in two parts:
Section A assesses skills in literacy (reading and writing) and numeracy.
9.30-9.45am Reading Time
9.45-11.45am Writing Time
Section B assesses general knowledge and skills in mathematics, science, technology, the arts and humanities.
1.15-1.30pm Reading Time
1.30-3.00pm Writing Time
It is a VCAA requirement that all students enrolled in one or more VCE, or scored VCE VET Unit 3–4 sequence, are expected to complete Section A and B of the GAT.
It is a VCAA requirement that all students in Senior VCAL are expected to complete Section A only, unless they are also enrolled in one or more VCE or scored VCE VET Unit 3–4 sequence.
Further information on the GAT can be found on the VCAA website including sample GAT items.
Trial Examinations Year 11 and 12
Between Monday 19 September and Thursday 22 September, all VCE students who are currently completing a scored VCE Unit 3 and 4 Subject will participate in a trial examination period. It is important that all students are available to be at school on those days, so we would ask that you do not make other arrangements at that time.
All VCE Unit 3 and 4 students have received a copy of the examination timetable for this period.
ACU Year 12 Revision Seminars
ACU know that the thought of your Year 12 exams can be daunting and even a little bit stressful, but you aren't alone. ACU, along with InspirED, have created free online revision webinars to help you prepare for what's to come and do your best.
For further information please click the LINK
Nick Ambrozy
Deputy Principal
Numeracy Across the Curriculum
Using Numeracy in Art & Technology
In the Art & Technology Domain we understand the importance for students to connect their numeracy skills to the subject matter and real-life situations and then apply these skills in a variety of different contexts in order to experience success. Some simple examples across the range of Arts & Technology subjects include:
- The use of angles in Visual Communication Design
- Ratios when preparing resins in Art
- Determining rhythm, beat and timing in Music, Dance and Drama
- Applying the skills of measurement in Food Studies and Textiles
In lessons it is important to have students successfully engaged in the numeracy demands of the subjects. They are encouraged to identify, recognise and understand when and how their numeracy skills are utilised. It is also important for the students to see where they use these skills when solving problems and making critical judgements. In a recent Year 9 Food Studies class, explicit verbal instructions from the Teacher coupled with student discussion was had based on the recipe being used that week - Spinach and Feta Cheese Spanokpita.
The lesson commenced with a teacher demonstration and discussion of the importance of portioning of ingredients to ensure that products not only look even but cook at the same time. The students were then challenged to make judgement calls on the portioning of their own ingredients whilst developing the skill of shaping the filo pastry into triangular shapes. Finally students calculated and then judged the cooking time of these pastries. Future Year 9 Food Studies lessons will look at using numeracy skills to cost a recipe using the information gathered from Supermarket online shopping websites.
Allison Perin
Arts and Technology Domain Leader
Learning and Wellbeing Level Leader - Year 8
On Tuesday 16th August, the Year 8 cohort had the opportunity to participate in a workshop conducted by the REACH Foundation about respect and forming positive relationships at school. The workshop facilitators, Blossom and Josh, addressed the impact that words can have on others and how all students can contribute to a welcoming environment at school. The workshop provided an opportunity for students to understand their peers on a deeper level and discover similarities that they may have been unaware of.
“The Year 8s had the privilege to partake in a Reach workshop. This workshop consisted of various activities which taught us valuable life lessons. One of the activities included sharing information about yourself with your peers and learning more about each other…the Reach workshop gave us a new perspective on how we treat others.” - Tahlia, 8A
“We participated in many games but an activity that we all enjoyed was the Circle activity. It consisted of the whole year level standing in a circle and stepping forward to agree with certain statements. It was great to see that we all felt comfortable enough to open up to each other.” - Diana, 8A
Tania Ragusa
Learning and Wellbeing Level Leader- Year 8
Learning and Wellbeing Level Leader- Senior
I would like to begin by congratulating our senior students who performed in the combined Mercy and Parade College Music event. It was fantastic to see everyone perform on stage and for our year 12’s to have one final performance with the Parade College music students.
As the term continues, our year 12’s are still in the process of completing their VTAC applications. On Thursday, Jenni Hickey presented to the 12’s about their SEAS application which clarified this process. If you still have questions, please do ensure you contact Jenni Hickey at jhickey@mercycoburg.catholic.edu.au.
In the last few weeks, our year 11’s also had the opportunity to apply for positions within the Student Executive Team for 2023. Last Thursday and Friday, all students within the college were able to watch the applicants for Mercy’s 2023 College Co-Captain’s give their speeches. We have also begun the process of interviewing for all other positions within the Student Executive Team for 2023 and wish all applicants the best of luck throughout this process!
Thank-you for all your ongoing support with our senior students.
Annie Driver
Learning and Wellbeing Level Leader- Senior
Sport
SCSA Netball Competition
Six teams of Mercy College students attended the SCSA Netball Competition. It was an opportunity to gather as a team to enjoy time together whilst playing. This competition allowed students to experience an outside of class environment and was the first Netball tournament since 2020. Our Junior A team made it to semi-finals. Overall, students have shared that they had an amazing day competing. Congratulations to all teams!
The Oceania Taekwando Championship
Mercy College student Asra (Year 7) competed in the Oceania Taekwondo Championship last week held in the Gold Coast. The purpose of this competition is for Australian Taekwondo to choose their next athletes for the Olympic team. Asra was the only person selected from her club to compete. She competed in the Cadets age category (12-14 year olds). This was Asra’s first fight as a black belt, and despite her opponent having more experience than her, Asra managed to achieve 2nd place out of the four participants in her weight range. Mercy College is extremely proud of Asra for her sporting achievement.
Information Services Leader
Australian School Library Day
The inaugural Australian School Library Day was celebrated on Wednesday 24 August 2022. From now on this new event will be celebrated on the Wednesday of Book Week. Book Week is a time when communities naturally focus on their school libraries to celebrate the best Australian children’s literature as determined by the Children’s Book Council of Australia.
A teacher librarian is a qualified classroom teacher and a qualified librarian. They are specialists in digital literacy - including how to quickly find and evaluate good quality information - promoting a culture of reading, and creating an inviting space for students who might be struggling.
Teacher librarians support classroom teachers to develop high quality lessons by finding the perfect resources for their students and helping teachers develop and team-teach rich research assignments.
Research shows us that the strongest predictor of reading ability is a well-resourced school library. Significantly, we also know that having a qualified teacher librarian will keep students’ reading scores high.
Much of the work in a school library happens behind the scenes or with small groups of teachers and students. That is why the new Australian School Library Day will shine a light on that important, but ‘hidden’, work.
At Mercy College we are fortunate to have two qualified teacher librarians, Ms Girolami and Ms Moore. This commitment to our core business of learning and teaching is to be applauded. Whilst there are over 9000 schools around the nation, not all of those schools have a school library and qualified teacher librarians. We are certainly one of the lucky ones. This special day was acknowledged with students, at lunchtime, with a quiz and with staff, at recess, with a morning tea snack.
Anne Girolami
Information Services Leader
House Matters
Year 7-12+Staff Reading Competition
The Year 7-12+Staff Reading Competition is back for 2022! All members of the Mercy community have been warmly invited to participate in this House Event. Commencing on Monday 1 August, this is a competition whereby everyone is encouraged to read as much as they can from now and until Friday 9 September.
Valuable House points are awarded as follows:
- read complete novel = 10 points
- every subsequent novel read = 12 points
- read a book to someone in your family = 3 points
- someone in your family reads a book to you = 3 points
- read the newspaper or a magazine for at least 20 minutes = 1 point
For each reading experience you will need to complete the official Year 7-12+Staff Reading Competition form.
Here is the link to the form https://forms.gle/69XQ2Epu7Wtx8hccA
The current House champion for students is Thecla and the current House champion for staff is Marian. Who will be the winning House this year?
The announcement and prizes for those who read the most points for their House will be made at the Learning Showcase at the end of the term.
Happy Reading!
Learning and Diversity Team
Watta Watnanda Day
Sunny blue skies provided a perfect backdrop for Mercy College students attending the 2022 Watta Watnanda Day for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander secondary school students. Hosted by MACS and the Korin Gamadji Institute (KGI) at the Richmond Football Club, the event was a celebration of culture and community connection.
Highlights of the day included painting Indigenous-themed tile art, creating possum-skin wrist bands, a Culture Walk in nearby parklands, and the chance to watch ‘the Captains Run’ – the Richmond Football Club training session.
Students were encouraged to recognise themselves as leaders, and guest speakers included Uncle Linc Yow Yeh from the Australian Catholic University (ACU) who outlined the many supports and programs for Indigenous students to access further education.
Justin Trounson, Wellbeing and Community Programs Psychologist at the Richmond Football Club, shared his journey from low grades and low self-belief, to achieving his doctorate in psychology. He also promoted the transformation that can come from saying ‘yes’ to opportunities and to recognising that so much is possible when you work hard and follow your passions.
The 2022 NAIDOC theme was prominent in the room on posters and on jumpers. This was a reminder to all participants to ‘Get Up! Stand Up! Show Up!’, encouraging the championing of collaborative and cooperative change and celebrating leadership to bring about equity and justice for all.
Kellie Firth
Learning Diversity Leader
Careers @ Mercy
Community Notices
Hope cafe is in need of some dedicated volunteers to join the existing team.
Volunteers can commit themselves to weekly, fortnightly or monthly. Please contact the St Mark’s parish office on 93593111 or Email: fawkner@cam.org.au.