Mercy News - Friday 4 August
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Key Dates
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Prayer
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Message From Our Principal
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Director: Student Wellbeing and Faith
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Deputy Principal
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Director: Data, Innovation and Growth
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Counsellor’s Corner
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Year 7 Learning and Wellbeing Leader
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Year 10 Learning and Wellbeing Leaders
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VCE Learning and Wellbeing Leader
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Mercy College Winter Sleepout
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Humanities
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Arts and Technology
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Sport
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Homework Club
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Careers @ Mercy
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Community Notices
Key Dates
Monday 7 August
- Year 9 Indonesian Excursion
- Lights, Camera, ACT! Years 4-6 Drama Program (4.00pm to 5.00pm)
Tuesday 8 August
- Feast of St Mary of the Cross
Wednesday 9 August
- Discover Mercy Open Day (9.30am and 6.00pm)
- Year 7 History Excursion
Thursday 10 August
- Year 9 English Incursion
- VCE Art & VCD SAT Folio Support
Friday 11 August
- Year 10 Reflection Day
Sunday 13 August
- Discover Mercy Open Morning
Monday 14 August
- Lights, Camera, ACT! Years 4-6 Drama Program (4.00pm to 5.00pm)
Tuesday 15 August
- Feast of Assumption
Wednesday 16 August
- VTAC Q&A / University Expo (4.00pm to 5.00pm)
Thursday 17 August
- VCE Art & VCD SAT Folio Support (3.20pm to 4.45pm)
Friday 18 August
- Year 12 English Incursion
Prayer
Lord, thank You so much that You declare I am enough in You and because of You. When the lies in my life and heart get loud, help me listen to Your voice of truth instead. I’m so grateful that I belong to You, and that You alone have the final word on my identity and destiny. We make this prayer through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Content taken from the Girlfriends in God devotional, “You’re Enough as You Are", written by Holley Gerth.
Message From Our Principal
Dear Mercy Community,
I am so grateful to recently have had the opportunity to take some of my Enrichment Leave this year and thank all those who ensured that Term Three has commenced with great energy and enthusiasm
This leave is provided because, as most of you are aware, within the school community, the Principal works in collaboration with Church leadership, staff members and the broader school community to achieve the identified goals of the school. It is also acknowledged that the Principal has prime responsibility for exercising both educational and faith leadership towards students, staff and parents. These responsibilities of the Principal are executed within a context and framework of ministry that is inspired by the values and vision of the Gospel, and which seeks to enhance the Catholic identity of the school at all times.
I certainly take this role very seriously and appreciate that there is a need for me to continue to reflect and explore opportunities to nourish and deepen my own spirituality. For me the time provided a time of pilgrimage and prayer, blended with some study of history and theology.
As part of this Enrichment Leave, I was able to follow in the footsteps of the man who was to become one of the greatest Popes and human beings in history. My visit to the St John Paul II Centre and church was a particular highlight. To pilgrimage to this church in Krakow, Poland, provided an encounter with modern church architecture and art, which, combined with the presence of relics of St John Paul II. This gave a unique opportunity to rediscover my own sense of my religious identity. Immersing pilgrims in the spirituality of St John Paul II and in the legacy he left us, allows us all to be led to Jesus Christ and live His message of love, compassion and mercy.
This church has an array of mosaic frescos on each of its walls, all telling parts of the Christian story. In a side chapel, sitting in a glass cabinet, is the blood-stained white papal cassock that John Paul II was wearing when an attempt was made on his life in St Peter’s square in 1981. As I participated in mass in the lower chapel, surrounded by this amazing story, my prayers were for our Mercy College Coburg community. This commitment and willingness to do all one can for others gently reminded me of my Principal role and the great gift I have been given to lead such a great school.
As I was about to leave the St John Paul II Centre, I noticed something that again reminded me of what we do at Mercy and why we do it. There were numerous photos of previous World Youth Days. (You may be aware that Pope Francis is currently in Lisbon, Portugal, celebrating with youth from all over the world at this year’s World Youth Day.) It was John Paul II who initiated the idea of World Youth Day – having the belief that, “If you live with young people, you become young yourself". How wonderful it is to have returned to Mercy this week and see our College filled with such amazing young people!
https://thepopevideo.org/august-for-world-youth-day/
Let us never lose trust in the patience and mercy of God
Lila McInerney
Principal
Director: Student Wellbeing and Faith
With the release of the Barbie movie, it seems like everyone’s been talking about Gloria’s iconic monologue where she aptly sums up the plight of being a woman today: “You are so beautiful and so smart and it kills me that you don’t think you’re good enough.
We have to always be extraordinary but somehow we’re always doing it wrong.
We have to be thin but not too thin, and we can never say we want to be thin. You have to say you want to be healthy. But also you have to be thin…”
This film has not only taken the world by storm but has filled our corridors with conversations about female empowerment (and disempowerment) and whether our young women will ever feel like they are Kenough. For this reason, and in the midst of subject selections, VTAC preferences and busily completing assessments, we want to remind our young people that: You are enough!
This has become our theme for Week Four with our assemblies focusing on this message. Years 7 to9 students engaged in the Butterfly Foundation’s ‘Body Kind’ workshop while Years 10 to 12 had the wonderful Annie Lawrence from ‘Annie’s True Beauty Salon’ speak to them about loving and appreciating our bodies as we are fearfully and wonderfully made by a loving Creator God.
Following on from this message, The Butterfly Foundation is looking for young people who are curious about body image and social media to join their Body Kind Youth Advisory Group. Young people can apply by filling out the form on this page and I encourage our students to get involved in this youth voice opportunity (note parental/guardian consent is required for all applicants): https://butterfly.org.au/get-involved/campaigns/body-kind-online-education/.
This week our community has used Goal-setting Monday to explore our Character Strengths. Students and staff completed the VIA Character Strengths Survey to determine their top three strengths. We will continue to explore the power of acknowledging and harnessing our strengths next Monday. Parents and families are welcome to join in on the conversation and take the survey to explore their top strengths as well. My top three are: spirituality, love of learning and zest!
Some final reminders:
Early Leave Passes (Yellow Slips) and Uniform Passes: Students must see their Learning and Wellbeing Leader or myself before school to organise their Early Leave Pass or Uniform Pass. If for some reason they cannot get this organised before school, during Homeroom is their last chance. Students will need a note from home to explain their leave or uniform discrepancy.
Mercy Day Special Event: Slime the Teacher!
Mercy Day is celebrated on the last day of Term Three (Thursday 14 September). Teacher jars are in Reception. Please feel free to put money in these jars to nominate the teacher or teachers you would like to see slimed on Mercy Day. The three teachers who have the most money in their jar on Mercy Day will be slimed (Nickelodeon style)! Families are also more than welcome to add to these jars as they come into College Reception.
Please remember that if you need anything, please don't hesitate to touch base with your child’s Homeroom teacher, Learning and Wellbeing Level Leader or myself as the Director: Student Wellbeing and Faith.
God bless!
Nima Ballenger
Director: Student Wellbeing and Faith
Deputy Principal
"Being life ready means students leave high school with the grit and perseverance to tackle and achieve their goals by demonstrating personal actualisation skills of self-awareness, self-management, social-awareness, responsible decision-making and relationship skills. Students who are life ready possess the growth mindset that empowers them to approach their future with confidence, to dream big and to achieve big."
Source: American Association of School Administrators (AASA)
I share this quote as our Years 8 to 11 students finalise the process of subject selection for 2024.
Whether your daughter pursues a university degree, follows their passion in The Arts or other creative areas, or wishes to enter a trade, there a range of life ready skills employers want from future employees.
Therefore, when considering subjects for next year, I encourage all students to also consider what are the skills they need now and into the future?
- What subjects will provide them with the opportunity to develop these skills?
- What subjects will allow them to further develop their strengths whilst also exploring possible career and pathway options?
2024 Years 9 to 12 Subject Selection
Throughout this term, students have been working through the initial stages of the subject selection process and have had the opportunity to learn more about the subjects offered at each year level. For our Year 10 students this has also included learning more about the individual learning pathways that are available to them as they transition into the senior school. These opportunities include the recent Subject Selection Expo and Parent Information Nights as well as the various year level assemblies for Year 8, 9, 10 and 11 students.
We thank the many parents and students who attended the Learning and Pathways Expo. If you were unable to attend these events and to further assist students as they work through the subject selection process in preparation for next year, please note that the presentations for these events were emailed to all parents last week.
2023 NAPLAN Results
The NAPLAN results for Year 7 and Year 9 have been received by the College and the Individual student report has been mailed to parents.
The College does not keep a copy of the NAPLAN on file so please make sure that this is kept in a safe place. Misplaced copies are issued from the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) directly.
A copy of the Frequently asked questions – Individual student reports pamphlet will also been included with the NAPLAN results and is available via the VCAA website.
https://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/assessment/f-10assessment/naplan/Pages/parents/index.aspx
The Frequently asked questions – Individual student reports pamphlet is also available in other languages from the VCAA website.
VCE Mathematics Revision Program
Back by popular demand, MAV's VCE Revision Program is LIVE and open for registrations!
The Mathematical Association of Victoria developed a self-paced, interactive, online VCE Revision Course for students. Our online courses are created by VCAA assessors, and are available for students to access from the day they register, all the way up until their exams finish.
The program received incredibly positive feedback as it was jam-packed with useful information and advice, and accessible all the way until the end of the VCE exams.
See website to register or for more information.
All Courses contain:
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Download the flyer here to for students and parents.
Trial Examinations Year 11 and 12
Between Monday 18 September and Thursday 21 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.
Trial examinations are designed to be as much like the real thing as possible serving several purposes, specifically for the student including
- Identify knowledge gaps and consolidate already acquired information
- Develop exemplary responses
- Identify ‘command terms’ – justify, explain, compare….
- Master timing
- Utilise reading time
- Tracking progress
- Access to examiner reports and identification of common errors or misconceptions.
Most importantly, the feedback from trial examinations will highlight the gaps in knowledge and understanding. Learning how to revise and to be better at examinations can only happen when students are engaged with their trial examinations under the same conditions in which they will experience in the VCAA External Written Assessments.
Nicholas Ambrozy
Deputy Principal
Director: Data, Innovation and Growth
In the last two weeks, NAPLAN data for 2023 has been released to the school community. At Mercy College, NAPLAN data will be utilised as a valuable tool to support teaching and learning, fostering continuous improvement and student development. The National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) provides a standardised assessment of students' skills in reading, writing, language conventions, and numeracy. By leveraging this data, the College can implement targeted strategies and interventions to address areas of improvement and enhance educational outcomes.
NAPLAN data will be analysed to identify specific strengths and weaknesses of individual students and cohorts. Teachers can then tailor their instructional approaches to cater to the diverse learning needs of students, ensuring that each student receives personalised support to reach their full potential.
The data will also guide curriculum development and refinement. By understanding the areas where students may struggle, the College can adapt the curriculum to address these challenges effectively. Likewise, identifying areas of proficiency will allow the College to build upon students' strengths and encourage further growth.
NAPLAN data will facilitate tracking progress over time. By comparing performance across different years, the College can assess the effectiveness of its teaching methodologies and interventions. This longitudinal data analysis will provide valuable insights into the impact of various teaching approaches and inform future instructional decisions.
Additionally, NAPLAN data can be used for accountability and reporting purposes. The College can transparently communicate the academic progress and achievements of its students to parents, the broader community and educational authorities.
At Mercy College, NAPLAN data will be an integral part of a comprehensive approach to support teaching and learning. By harnessing this data effectively, the College can empower educators, students and parents with valuable information to drive continuous improvement and ensure that every student receives the necessary support to excel academically and holistically.
Lukasz Rabenda
Director: Data, Innovation and Growth
Counsellor’s Corner
On Tuesday 1 August, the wellbeing team ran a Body Kind workshop for Years 7 to 9 students. We broke the sessions up into year levels. The Body Kind schools program has been established by the Butterfly Foundation to help students learn the tools to help with Body Image and Eating Disorders.
The workshop aims to help young people understand the concept of being kind to our bodies by having positive affirmations we can say when the negative bully thoughts are intruding.
When it comes to navigating external influences on body image such as social media, comments by peers or past experiences that left a mark, Body Kind aims to help young people be aware or tools in their control.
With social media, students were encouraged to diversify their feeds so that they are seeing a mix of bodies, abilities, cultures and interests. Where possible it was suggested they unfollow or mute people who made them feel bad about themselves.
Another focus of the workshop was challenging appearance based talk. Even where positive, commenting on appearances can lead to a hyper fixation on its importance and a minimisation of the importance of personal attributes, skills and achievements. Students spoke about other things they can compliment each other on.
If students are looking for strategies to build their confidence and resilience, they can find a few positive affirmations to repeat to themselves, participate in movement for fun, do journaling or meditation, focus on hobbies or go for a walk outdoors.
If students would like to speak to someone, they can contact counselling@mercycoburg.catholic.edu.au.
Annalivia (Liv) Carli Hannan and Janine Crociani
School Counsellors
Year 7 Learning and Wellbeing Leader
Year 7 students have been busy spreading kindness with our “Spread Kindness Campaign”. Year 7 Homeroom teachers have facilitated the “Spread Kindness” poster competition in their Homerooms where catch phrases and designs creatively encourage each other to help spread a kind act a day. Our first kindness appreciation recipient was Mya Micallef from 7A who was nominated by me for her kind act of asking me if I needed help when she saw me struggling to carry a lot of things to my office. Mya went out of her way to ask if I needed help and asked if she could carry some of my load and help me open my office.
It was a lovely gesture and as I explained to the Year 7 students at our weekly Monday gathering during Homeroom, one which brought happiness to my day…which is what kindness does. The students are continuing to be encouraged to fill in tokens nominating a person showing a kind act and add to a box that is located near my office - which is starting to fill up!
At our Monday gatherings, Year 7 student voice leader Peyton Billington, addresses the Year 7 students in regards to any concerns, feedback or initiatives they would like her to take to Student Voice meetings. Peyton and I meet every week to discuss any ideas that the Year 7s have in terms of wellbeing and academic matters. It is truly wonderful to hear and see the students collaborate together to bring new ideas forth and problem solve and work with Peyton as their voice.
As mentioned by our Counsellors (Liv and Janine) and Ms Ballenger (Director: Student Wellbeing and Faith) in their articles, our Assembly Period focus was on “Body Positivity” with guidance from the Butterfly Foundation. I have provided the link to what the students were presented below. Students initiated an amazing discussion regarding their experiences with this topic and their views. It was inspiring to hear students and their thoughts and also witness the respect students displayed to each other during the session.
Students talked about the fact that they know that a lot of images on social media are ”fake” due to filters and editing and “not real”. Tthey know that comparison to others is wrong, however at times, a dialogue establishes in your head that you can not quieten which can impact you negatively in terms of body positivity. Another interesting topic brought forward by students was how our parents, in particular mothers, can influence us without even knowing by commenting on how they look and being negative to their own body. After the session all students were reminded if they needed to seek help with anything that was brought up or if they were feeling sad to talk to staff or our counsellors. Students were also encouraged to initiate conversation about our session with parents.
Link here: https://safeshare.tv/x/GUNQgK1nfBQ
Maria Daniele
Year 7 Learning and Wellbeing Leader
Year 10 Learning and Wellbeing Leaders
The Year 10 students have had a busy time for the commencement of Semester Two, exploring their possible career directions and program for senior studies in 2024 and beyond.
While students do not have to decide definitively what they may like to do after they finish Year 12, the aim is to empower students to select a program for their senior studies which enables them to achieve their goals, but also to be broad enough to allow for possible changes in direction as they complete their senior studies.
To assist the students and their families in the collaborative decision-making process:
- Students had a presentation by Mr Ambrozy, Deputy Principal, during Homeroom time.
- Students and their parents/guardians were invited to attend the Subject Subject Selection Expo and Parent Information Night held on 25 August. This gave students/parents/guardians the opportunity to further explore subjects listed in the VCE/VCE-VM Handbook and discuss with Learning Area Leaders and subject teachers of Units 1-4 the specifics of particular courses to assist in gaining a deeper understanding of the requirements and content of each subject.
- All students, along with their parents/guardians where possible, have had a one-on-one consultation with one of the qualified careers teachers at the College, Ms Harvey or Mrs Hickey, to discuss the choices they are considering for their senior studies program. The minutes of these meetings and any relevant further information has been emailed to the students and their parents/guardians for further discussion and consideration.
When considering their senior studies, students were advised to consider:
- Which program they would like to follow, a VCE scored/unscored or a VCE-VM program.
- Prerequisite subjects - if students are considering a VCE program, they will need to use VTAC CourseSearch and the VTAC Prerequisites 2026 to explore University or TAFE courses they may choose to undertake after Year 12. Students can then look at each of the specific university or TAFE courses which will lead them to their desired career to ensure that they are meeting the necessary subject prerequisites in their senior studies. If they are doing VCE-VM, they need to consider which of the VETDSS courses available to include in their program.
- After considering the prerequisite subjects, students need to ask themselves what strengths they have and do these strengths align with their chosen subjects. Choosing subjects where strengths lie is also recommended.
Annie’s True Beauty Salon - Presentation Tuesday 1 August
Years 10, 11 & 12 had a presentation from Annie Lawrence that aimed to teach students to deconstruct media images and beauty stereotypes, to promote self esteem and respect for others, explore positive role models and give strategies to help students recognise beauty in others, in the world and most importantly in themselves.
Here is a student perspective on the presentation:
During the senior school assembly there was a presentation from Annie Lawrence called "Annie's True Beauty Salon". Annie Lawrence spoke about how true beauty comes from within and how precious and important your body is. She spoke about how much your body does in your lifetime and how you should take care of it and treat it with kindness. She began telling us about the journey her body has been through and the things her body was able to do with it, for example; how her body grew for the first 15 years of her life, how it managed and continued changes to her appearance and creation of life. She told us how her body has done so much for her so she tries her best to treat it with gentleness and kindness now, compared to in the past where she sun-baked with no skin protection and was 'paying for it now'. Overall, the message I interpreted from Annie Lawrence's presentation was to not take my body for granted and to care and love it no matter what, as I wouldn't be here without it. I feel this is such an important message, especially to the newer generation of young people as they have been exposed to social media and photoshopped images, creating a false sense of reality and causing them to constantly hate and compare their bodies to the ones online. Annie Lawrence always has such eye opening presentations which really shift your viewpoint on things. I really enjoyed today's presentation because of that.
Bianca Buenaventura, SHR5
What else is happening in Year 10 in the next 2 weeks:
11 August - Year 10 Reflection Day where, with the Melbourne Youth Ministry Team, students reflect on the theme of ‘Self-Image’ through a combination of contemporary drama, multimedia, games, music, reflection activities and opportunity for personal sharing. A letter outlining the reflection day has been sent via PAM.
A few reminders
- If students are absent, please notify the College via PAM or phone bu 8.45am
- If students are not wearing full and correct uniform please send a note and the Learning and Wellbeing Level Leader will provide the student with a uniform pass
We thank you in anticipation of your cooperation in these matters.
Our aim is to encourage a positive learning environment where, Mercy College staff, students and their parents/guardians work in collaboration to achieve the best outcomes for our students.
As always, please do not hesitate to contact the Year 10 Learning and Wellbeing Level Leaders, at the College if you have any questions and/or concerns.
Vickey Harvey and Jenni Hickey
Year 10 Learning and Wellbeing Leaders
VCE Learning and Wellbeing Leader
As we continue throughout the term, we begin to find ourself preparing for 2024 however still recognising we still have much more of 2023 to come!
Year 11 and 12 students are beginning to plan for 2024 through assemblies and resources shared with the students in the past week.
Year 11:
Our Deputy Principal, Mr. Nicholas Ambrozy has spent time during Hhomeroom to meet with the Year 11 stusents to discuss what Year 12 may look like for them. This was an excellent opportunity for the students to see what subjects they would like to choose in the beginning of their VCE journey. As well as this, students were also informed of the subjects Mercy College offers as accelerated subjects. These include for our Year 11’s:
- Unit 3&4 Biology
- Unit 3&4 Psychology
- Unit 3&4 Food Studies
- Unit 3&4 Health and Human Development
- Unit 3&4 Business Management
In 2023, all Victoria Schools implemented the new VCE-VM Pathway for Year 11 and 12 students. The Year 11 cohort were also informed of this pathway and what it includes. Students have been given the timeline of subject selection closing dates. Below are some key dates:
- Subject Planning Page: due Friday 4 August to the Homeroom teacher
- Web Preferences: due Friday 4 August
Our Year 12s have also spent time with our careers counsellors, Mrs Jenni Hickey and Ms Vicki Harvey to begin the VTAC application process. Throughout Homeroom, the Year 12s have met as a cohort to discuss how the VTAC application process works. Students will also continue to meet with our careers team to identify various tertiary courses they are interested in and work together to apply for various courses.
As these are big decisions being made, we acknowledge that this can cause some stress/uncertainty. If your child would ever like to reach out to talk to someone, please encourage them to chat to their Homeroom teacher, Learning and Wellbeing Leader or the counselling team (refer via email: counselling@mercycoburg.catholic.edu.au)
I am very proud of all the achievements we have seen this year from the senior students and cannot wait to see what the future holds!
Annie Driver
VCE Learning and Wellbeing Leader
Mercy College Winter Sleepout
The Year 12 VCE-VM students are once again leading the Mercy College Winter Sleepout! This event aims to raise awareness and funds for the issue of homelessness in Victoria. The Sleepout is open to all students in Years 9 to 12.
This year it will take place on the evening of Friday 18 August. Please support our students and this worthy cause, by donating directly to our Winter Sleepout fundraising page:
https://my.fundraiseforvinniesvic.org.au/school-sleepouts/mercy-college-winter-sleepout
All money raised will go directly to Vinnies to support the wonderful community work they do.
Humanities
As the Mercy students attended the Vietnam Veterans Vigil on Friday 3 August to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the ending of the Vietnam War at Fawkner Memorial Park, they were deeply immersed in history, witnessing firsthand the significance of studying the past. The Vigil, which paid tribute to the 523 Australians who were Killed In Action during the Vietnam War, provided a poignant reminder of the sacrifices made by brave men and women for their country.
Studying history is vital for several reasons and this experience would have reinforced its importance to the attending students. Firstly, history serves as a powerful teacher, offering valuable insights into the consequences of past decisions and actions. Understanding the Vietnam War's impact on Australia, both in terms of lives lost and the societal effects, fosters a sense of empathy and appreciation for the sacrifices made by veterans and their families.
Moreover, history provides a sense of identity and belonging. As the students witnessed the national commemorations and services across Australia and overseas, they were connected to a collective memory that shapes their nation's character. Learning about historical events like the Vietnam War allows individuals to grasp the context in which their society operates today and fosters a shared sense of national consciousness.
Studying history also encourages critical thinking and analytical skills. It helps students develop the ability to evaluate different perspectives, sources and interpretations, enabling them to form well-rounded opinions and make informed decisions. History also teaches the importance of preserving memory and heritage, ensuring that the sacrifices and lessons of the past are not forgotten and passed on to future generations.
Furthermore, history provides valuable lessons to avoid repeating past mistakes. By studying the complexities and factors that led to the Vietnam War, students can better understand the importance of diplomacy, conflict resolution and the consequences of war, thus influencing their approach to contemporary issues.
The experience of attending the Vietnam Veterans Vigil at Fawkner Memorial Park would have left a profound impact on the Mercy students, underscoring the significance of studying history. From understanding sacrifices and national identity to developing critical thinking and learning from the past, history plays an essential role in shaping informed and responsible citizens.
Lukasz Rabenda
Learning Area Leader: Humanities
Arts and Technology
What a start to Semester Two it has been for all the Staff and Students in The Arts and Technology Faculty! All our students and staff have been busily working away on various assessment tasks both practical and theory. Please enjoy the following insights into what is currently happening some of our subject areas:
Art
Year 7 Art sees students being introduced to the art elements and principles and focusing on activities that demonstrate their understanding. This knowledge will then be applied to creating a watercolour landscape painting inspired by Claude Monet’s ‘Waterlilies’. This week in Year 9 Art, students started to make their ceramic tiles inspired by Frida Kahlo which will be fun and very messy! The Year 10s are continuing the work started by the first semester’s Year 10 art class Wall Mural at Oxygen Youth. It is starting to take shape and it is incredible to see student designs come to life – fingers crossed that it will be finished by Term 4!
Ms Madeline Carnibella
Student Reflection
This term the Year 12 Art Making and Exhibiting students have been busy creating their final artworks, which consist of paintings, drawings and sewn pieces. The students have refined their skills and techniques throughout the course to produce their best work. The students have been exploring a range of different styles, from abstract to realism and experimenting with different techniques such as blending, shading and layering. The students have also begun to learn about the conservation and preservation of artworks in museums and galleries as well as how they can best keep their own artwork. We visited two more galleries this week to understand how this happens and we will use this information for our upcoming VCAA Exams in November. Under the guidance of Ms. Carnibella, the Year 12 students are well on their way to creating some masterpieces!
Sienna Romeo, SHR5
Drama: Student Reflection
In Year 8 Drama, we are working on a miming assessment. We are looking at how and what the different ways we can mime. We were given 5 stories that we would have to act out in groups of 4-5. We had approximately 2 weeks’ worth of lessons to plan out what our mine will be about, how we can tell a story without speaking and only using actions not words for our peers to understand what our mime is about. This all sounds very complicated and tricky; which it is but we are very excited to challenge ourselves!
Bethany Spooner, MHR3
Media
The Year 9s have just finished watching the Truman Show for their Film Analysis. The students absolutely love this film and if you haven’t seen it – I recommend it! Their film analysis of this narrative will see students break down key scenes and characters using film codes and conventions. The Year 10 media students have started to break down what the term ‘representations’ mean in a media context. They have been looking at various media forms like print media which includes advertisements and magazines, stereotypes, how gender is portrayed, point of view, what connotations certain colours symbolise and more. They will be demonstrating their understanding through applying their knowledge to a series of questions in test conditions.
Mr Jack Stewart
Student Reflection
In Year 11 Media this year, myself alongside my peers have endured in a range of topics including Representation, Media Production, Australian Stories and more recently this term, Narrative Style and Genre. These first few weeks of term have been very insightful and interesting as we have been watching the famous Wes Anderson film entitled 'The Grand Budapest Hotel'. After the conclusion of the film, the class and I have reviewed the characters as well as mainly focusing on the overall style that Wes Anderson films contain such as, centred camera work, multiple time periods and time lines, repetition of the same characters, simple editing and more. The class will be completing a SAC on this topic of Wes Anderson's style following with a folio for the next outcome.
I have really enjoyed Media this year as it has expanded my knowledge and skills that I use when reviewing and understanding different types of media forms. I will continue to pursue this subject as it challenges me and is a possible career pathway that I would like to consider.
Ruby Chahoud, SHR8
Music: Student Reflection
In Year 8 Music for this term, we began to look at the Blues. We studied the background of the genre of music, how it was created, who made these songs and we got an insight into how the blues made people feel. Then we began to create our own Blues chorus, starting with learning the chords, C, F and G. Once we got the hang of playing these chords, we arranged ourselves into groups and made up our own lyrics according to the blues. These lyrics consisted of rhythm that we wrote with in the proper style of sheet music. We then added our own bass notes and added some percussion into it. It’s coming together, ready to present by next week.
Zainab Rehman, 8B
Textiles
In Year 8, students do Textiles for one semester. The semester commences with Year 8A and 8C learning about the Design Elements of:
- Colour
- Shape
- Space
- Line
- Texture
The students have used this knowledge and an inspiration from the Finnish design house, Marimekko, to develop a design and then to produce the design on a calico sewing/pencil case. The students are then required to evaluate their final product, both on the design elements as well as their skill level in replicating the design. They are all to be congratulated on their efforts.
Ms Vicki Harvey
Student Reflection
I have been really enjoying textiles this semester in Year 9. We are learning how to make a shirred toddler dress which helps me to improve on my sewing skills and this also allows me to learn how to use different tools like an overlocker to make the dress. Later on, we'll be learning how to make our own hoodies which I am very excited for and I can't wait to continue to expand my ability in design and create.
Diana Vanicore, MHR2
Visual Communication and Design (VCD)
Year 8 VCD sees students complete a series of ‘back to basic’ tasks. In these tasks they are demonstrating their understanding through visual communications fundamentals – elements and principles of design, typography and more. Year 9 VCD students are currently creating their choice of a one-point perspective room and the Year 10 students are getting to know how to use Adobe Illustrator for their logo and packaging designs. In Year 11 VCD, we have started off with technical drawing systems used in Environmental and Industrial Design. Students have used design thinking techniques to interpret and convert 2D drawings into 3D and vice versa. Using their numeracy skills, students have applied measurement, scaling, ratios and angles into complex drawings such as the third angle orthogonal, isometric and planometric drawing systems.
Ms Natalie Szuba
Student Reflection
Visual Communication and Design consists of us working on our Unit 4 folio. Through the collected market research, research and brief, completed in Unit 3, we have had to create two separate presentations for our chosen client; my work consists of a jewellery store that will be receiving a remade logo and the design of a new shop. I have had to draw up a Generation of Ideas, which are rough sketches of what both presentations could look like or certain elements they could include in their design. As of now, we are working on the Development of Ideas, which is the extension of sketches from one chosen Generation of Idea that has been drawn up. Working on this development, we are experimenting with different elements, principles, media and materials; this hand drawn and computer work has let us widely explore the extension of our ideas and how our possible final designs may turn out going into the next stage of our pitch for both presentations.
Liana Toscano, SHR5
A big thank you to all our creative students and I look forward to all of the incredible work that is produced this semester!
Madeline Carnibella
Learning Area Leader: Arts and Technology
Sport
On Thursday the 20 July, the students of the Mercy College AFL team went to the AFL tournament against some great schools. We got there and it was cold, wet and raining but we still pushed through and our first game was against Killester College which were a strong team. They scored the first few goals but we ended up with the win after Samara kicked our next two goals in the game. We went back to the rooms and stayed inside, away from the cold and prepared to play Ave Maria College. We played them and they had some amazing players on their team. Everyone was cold and wet by our last game against OLSH and they were astonishing. We ended up in the grand final with Ave Maria and Ave took the win but it was a very close game. Although all of the Year 7 and 8s were exhausted, dripping wet and muddy, it was a great day. Thanks to the teachers, we managed to get through the day and have a lot of fun playing against and with friends.
Mia Conlan, 7C