Mercy News - Friday 22 March 2024
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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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Years 8 and 9 Learning and Wellbeing Leader
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Year 10 Learning and Wellbeing Leader
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C.L.E.A.R Wellbeing Program
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Religious Education
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Mathematics
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Maths Help
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Health and Physical Education
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Sport
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Careers at Mercy
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College Fee Statements
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Homework Club
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Term Two After School Program
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Enrol now for Year 7 2026
Key Dates
Sunday 24 March
- Palm Sunday
Monday 25 March
- Years 7 to 10 Parent-Teacher-Student Conferences, 2.20pm to 8.00pm
School finishes at 1.35pm. The only scheduled class is Unit 3 and 4 Religion and Society for Year 12 students during Period 5.
Tuesday 26 March
- CGSAV Indoor Cricket Tournament
Wednesday 27 March
- Dress for a Cause - Caritas: Project Compassion (students to bring a gold coin donation)
- Year 10A History Excursion: Mebourne Immigration Museum, 10.40am to 2.30pm
Thursday 28 March
- Holy Thursday
- Last Day or Term One
Friday 29 March
- Good Friday
Sunday 31 March
- Easter Sunday
Monday 1 April to Friday 12 April
- School Holidays
- Mercy College Reception Hours: 8.00am to 4.00pm
Monday 15 April
- First Day of Term Two
Prayer
A Prayer for Harmony Day (21 March)
Loving God, you created humanity in your image and likeness. We pray that we may open our eyes to see your face in our brothers and sisters of different cultures, races and religions. May we focus on what binds us as a people rather than what separates us.
Loving God, just as you chose your apostles from all walks of life, we pray that we may follow your example and embrace the unique qualities that each of us possess, so that we may bring about harmony on this earth.
We make this prayer through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Message From Our Principal
Dear Mercy Community,
Holy Week
On Sunday we will celebrate Palm Sunday. As we approach the holiest of times in the Christian calendar, we are reminded of connecting our own personal suffering with the suffering of Jesus. Jesus did not come to take away suffering, but to bring meaning to it through his life, death and resurrection.
Next week, on Holy Thursday we will gather as a College community to pause, to pray and to reflect on the suffering journey of Christ through the Stations of the Cross.
Our Year 9 students have been working hard as part of their RE curriculum designing and creating an artistic interpretation of a Station of the Cross. These artworks will be displayed in our Holy Thursday Liturgy.
The Stations of the Cross – or The Way of the Cross as it is sometimes called - is an ancient prayer that is prayed by millions of Christians throughout the world. It commemorates Christ’s last day on Earth. During each of the stations, we are invited to meditate and pray as we journey with Christ to the foot of the cross.
As we prepare to journey through Holy Week, toward the Easter Triduum may next week be a time when we deepen our own relationship with Jesus.
National eSmart Week and Harmony Week: 18-24 March
This week we acknowledged two significant weeks in the calendar.
National eSmart Week is a week-long event where students are reminded about staying safe online and using technology in a responsible manner.
Digital technologies open up new opportunities for learning and previously unimagined approaches to teaching and learning. Today, young people have access to knowledge, people and new ideas like never before. They are able to connect, collaborate and build relationships with peers, educators and the wider global community. The use of digital technologies at Mercy supports our learners to question, evaluate and consider the validity of information and then search for truths contained in those ideas. We seek to develop students who are responsible and ethical communicators, creators and publishers in the digital community.
As a College we are constantly promoting positive digital citizenship through our policies, discussions and various learning activities.
To support families with similar discussions, The Alannah & Madeline Foundation has a range of resources to help build essential digital skills to develop a generation of safe and strong digital citizens who are capable and compassionate. These resources are developed to help children and young people, and the people who care for them reduce their risk of exposure to online harm and empower them to successfully and safely navigate the digital world.
Harmony Week was an exciting opportunity to celebrate and acknowledge diversity within Mercy College and the Australian community.
As one of the world’s most culturally diverse countries, we take pride in its cultural diversity, a defining aspect of our national identity. Over half of Australians are first generation migrants or come from a migrant background, contributing to the diversity of Australia. This annual celebration symbolises inclusiveness, respect, celebrate diversity and fosters a profound sense of belonging for everyone.
NAPLAN
Our Year 7 and 9 students have been sitting the compulsory NAPLAN. They have done so in a very calm and methodical way and I compliment them on their demeanor and approach to the test. We will look forward to the results later this year, remembering that these tests give only a snapshot of performance on day in limited areas.
Year 4 Explore Day
On Wednesday we welcomed 174 students and staff from 9 of our feeder Primary Schools for our Year 4 Explore Day. We value the partnership we share with our Primary Schools and enjoyed showcasing some of the learning that takes place in our Mercy community. Our Mercy students were wonderful ambassadors and many of them remembered when they came for a similar day.
Prayers
As a Mercy College community we pray for:
- Our College Receptionist, Helen Nasta and her family, whose father Jebrail Younan died.
- Bridget Hoban, Learning Support Officer, and her family as her sister in law has died.
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and may your perpetual light shine upon him. May their souls, and the souls of all the faithfully departed, rest in peace. Amen.
Let us never lose trust in the patience and mercy of God.
Lila McInerney
College Principal
Director: Student Wellbeing and Faith
Catholic Education Week
Mercy College celebrated Catholic Education Week from 10 - 17 March where we explored the theme: In the light of Christ. Fortunately, thebtheme aligned wonderfully with our 2024 College Theme Find Light Through Mercy and our students were able to draw many meaningful connections throughout this week of celebration.
These were the opportunities that our community participated in:
- Tuesday 12 March: Light a candle in our College Chapel at Recess or Lunch to make a Lenten commitment to act in the light of Christ.
- Wednesday 13 March: Project Compassion Fundraiser - Zooper Doopers in Jubilee Garden for a gold coin donation.
- Thursday 14 March: Whole school chalk mural at Lunch in Jubilee Garden
- Friday 15 March: Feast of St Patrick's Day Prayers of Intercession. Wear a touch of Green!
Years 7 to 12 Mission Leaders also attended the Mass of St Patrick for Schools at St Patrick’s Cathedral. It was a pleasure to celebrate Eucharist with Archbishop Peter Comensoli and schools from across the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne. The Mass was followed by the Young Speakers Colloquium where we heard from school leaders and panellists who participated in the ACU School Leaders program and World Youth Day 2023.
Student Wellbeing - Brain Breaks
As we near the end of term, our teaching staff have been exploring how best to support student wellbeing in the classroom by offering engaging brain breaks. We know that 60 minute periods can feel long, but when teachers chunk lessons and effectively use brain breaks, our students can maximise their learning potential and walk out of each lesson feeling confident and capable of achieving their goals! Here are some examples:
- Sensory - Hot Hands. Students stop to rub their hands together to create ‘hot’ hands. Put them over their face and breathe deeply.
- Movement - Drama games. A game like 10 Second Objects where small groups make the shape of an object using their bodies, in only ten seconds!
- Focus - Using riddles, rebuses and other puzzles to refocus attention and stimulate critical thinking.
- Calm - playing relaxation videos like floating jellyfish for students to de-stress.
Caritas’ Project Compassion
Our Term One fundraising focus will conclude with a Dress for a Cause Day on Wednesday 27 March. Students are invited to wear school-appropriate casual clothes and provide a gold coin donation in the Project Compassion box in their Wellbeing Class. There is more information about this on SIMON Student Messages. Spanning across the six weeks of Lent each year, Project Compassion brings thousands of Australian schools, parishes and supporters together to raise funds for people living in some of the most vulnerable communities across the world. Your generous support can help change lives today - and For All Future Generations.
Parental Leave
I will be on parental leave from 15 April - 19 August. Whilst I am very excited to bring my baby boy into the world, I will miss our girls and our families immensely! During this time, please refer to the contacts below:
Year 7 - Laura Mathieson: lmathieson@mercycoburg.catholic.edu.au
Years 8 & 9 - Jessie Burns: jburns@mercycoburg.catholic.edu.au
Year 10 - Bridget Allen: ballen@mercycoburg.catholic.edu.au
Years 11 & 12 - Jaime Brown: jbrown@mercycoburg.catholic.edu.au
Student Programs - Laura Mathieson: lmathieson@mercycoburg.catholic.edu.au
House Programs - Patricia De Marco: pdemarco@mercycoburg.catholic.edu.au
Learning Diversity - Kellie Firth: kfirth@mercycoburg.catholic.edu.au
Religious Education - Suzie El-Khoury: selkhoury@mercycoburg.catholic.edu.au
Faith - Cherrie Arnold: carnold@mercycoburg.catholic.edu.au
Wishing you all a blessed Holy Week and Easter with your loved ones and I look forward to seeing you when I return.
Love and blessings,
Nima Ballenger
Director: Student Wellbeing and Faith
Deputy Principal
Parents are our learners’ (students) first teachers. They are critical partners in establishing a positive approach to learning and can be hugely influential in learning with and besides each student.
Source: Adapted from the Clarity: What Matters Most in Learning, Teaching and Leading (Sharratt, 2019)
A Culture of Excellence: We are partners in learning
Shaped by our Catholic identify, we place great value in students, teachers and parents working in partnership to ensure all students reach their full potential and excel in their studies. To compliment this and to continue to work in partnership with families, instead of asking ‘How was school today?’, the most powerful questions we can ask our children are:
- What did you learn today?
- How did you do?
- What did you do if you did not understand?
- How can you improve on your learning?
- What else do you want to know about what you are learning?
- What are you most proud of?
These questions create an opportunity for children to reflect on what they are learning and parents who have adopted the use of these questions have found that using these questions has created authentic opportunities for rich and informative conversations with their children about school. Such questions also maintain a sense of wonder through questioning and hopefully instills a strong sense of curiosity in wanting to learn more.
Reporting Milestones
At Mercy College there is a strong emphasis on providing feedback to all involved in the learning partnership (students, teachers, parents/guardians and the community). Feedback is viewed as a crucial part of improving and empowering performance. Mercy College provides students and families’ access to continuous online reporting.
Reporting Milestones were available for parents to access via PAM from Monday 18 March where each subject reports on at least one summative or formative task for the term.
Years 7 to 10 Parent-Teacher-Student Conferences
The Years 7 to 10 Parent-Teacher-Student Conferences will be held on Monday 25 March.
This is an opportunity for teaching staff at Mercy College to share with families their understanding of the needs of each Year 7 to 10 student. Working in partnership with parents, guardians and students, teachers will discuss strategies that will enhance the understanding of the course content. Such partnerships are essential to the success of each student and ensure that each they can achieve their personal best.
We encourage all parents and guardians to make appointments with their child’s teachers. Students are strongly encouraged to participate in these interviews.
We look forward to meeting with you and your child and discussing how to best support and extend them to achieve their goals and ‘flourish’ in the learning environment.
Families have received correspondence outlining how to access and make bookings for the Years 7 to 10 Parent-Teacher-Student Conferences.
Nicholas Ambrozy
Deputy Principal
Director: Data, Innovation and Growth
NAPLAN 2024
In the last fortnight, our College successfully completed the administration of 588 NAPLAN tests across four key areas: Reading, Writing, Language Conventions and Numeracy. These tests serve as invaluable tools for assessing students' academic proficiency and identifying areas for improvement. The assessments were conducted for both Year 7 and Year 9 students, providing a comprehensive snapshot of students' academic progress and allowing for longitudinal analysis of performance trends over time.
Achieving a remarkable 99% participation rate underscores the commitment of both students and educators to the assessment process. It serves as a testament to the College's dedication to evidence-based educational practices and continuous improvement in student outcomes.
This robust data foundation equips educators with the insights needed to foster academic growth, promote equity in education and empower students to achieve their full potential. Each of the four tests provides vital information:
- Reading: The reading component of NAPLAN evaluates students' ability to comprehend various texts across different genres and formats. It assesses their skills in understanding main ideas, making inferences, and interpreting information. The results provide insights into students' literacy levels, guiding instruction tailored to meet diverse needs.
- Writing: NAPLAN writing assessments measure students' proficiency in generating cohesive and coherent written texts, offering feedback on organisation, language use, and content. Teachers can use this to design writing workshops and provide targeted feedback.
- Conventions of Language: This component evaluates grammar, punctuation, spelling, and vocabulary. The data help identify areas for remediation or extension, informing grammar lessons and vocabulary development activities.
- Numeracy: NAPLAN numeracy assessments gauge mathematical proficiency, offering insights into strengths and weaknesses. Teachers analyse data to identify misconceptions and differentiate instruction to support varying levels of readiness.
In summary, the completion of NAPLAN tests across these four areas for Year 7 and Year 9 students, with exceptional participation rates, equips the College and teachers with comprehensive data to inform instructional decision-making, target interventions and foster continuous improvement in student learning outcomes.
Lukasz Rabenda
Director: Data, Innovation and Growth
Counsellor's Corner
As we approach the school holidays, we want to thank all the students who accessed the counselling service at Mercy to help them have the best start to their school year.
As parents spend more time with their students during the holidays, thoughts, and feelings from Term One might come up. We ask parents to listen to their students’ experiences and ask open and curious questions, such as “then what happened?” or “how did that make you feel?”.
Friendships
One of the topics that regularly come up are friendships and peer relationships.
Positive friendships give young people a sense of belonging, confidence, a safe space and enjoyment. We know strong parent-child relationships tend to lead to children having positive relationships with peers.
Our counselling service supports students when navigating friendships, peer relationships or to find a friendship when they’re having trouble.
Term Two lunchtime sessions
The Wellbeing Team will be running lunchtime sessions in Term Two around social skills, mindfulness, time management and calming movement. If you or your students have any ideas about what sessions you would like us to run then please send us an email.
How to contact us
Please contact the counselling team at the start of Term Two if your student raises anything during the school holidays that you are concerned about. Students and parents are encouraged to contact the team via email at counsellingteam@mercycoburg.catholic.edu.au.
Have a lovely Easter and holiday,
Liv Carli Hannan (Social Worker), Laura Cutri (Councellor) and Sarah Giangiulli (Psychologist)
Mercy College Councelling Team
Year 7 Learning and Wellbeing Leader
Year 7s have been very excited this week to meet their Year 10 buddy. We began with a meet and greet and a handshake competition where buddy’s showed their creativity. We shared a buddy brunch to celebrate our culture and began making our buddy music playlists to enjoy throughout the year. In the coming week we have more time to spend together and build our connection.
We had our Activities Week Assembly which was very exciting for all the Year 7s. We look forward to a week of team building, especially during our adventure camp. Students were able to vote about the activities they wish to participate in including the giant swing, low ropes courses and canoeing. The countdown to Activities Week is on!
Laura Mathieson
Year 7 Learning and Wellbeing Leader
Years 8 and 9 Learning and Wellbeing Leader
We're excited to share some updates about our Year 8 and 9 students' recent activities and upcoming adventures.
Our Year 8 students are busy preparing for their upcoming camp, eagerly anticipating the opportunity for fun, learning, and new friendships. Meanwhile, our Year 9s are gearing up for their City Experience, an immersive program that will provide them with valuable real-world insights and experiences.
Our Year 9 students have also been deeply engaged in their science studies, recently participating in a fascinating dissection activity. This hands-on experience has allowed them to explore the intricacies of biology in a tangible and meaningful way.
Jessie Burns
Years 8 and 9 Learning and Wellbeing Leader
Year 10 Learning and Wellbeing Leader
As we approach the school holidays, we have been busy in Year 10.
The Swimming Carnival was a great day for the Year 10s as participation was at an all time high, seeing almost everyone get involved on the day. The students really embraced the day getting dressed up and doing their bit for their House.
Year 10s are also preparing for Work Experience which will be held Monday 29 April to Friday 3 May. Most students are well and truly organised and are just following up with work places and getting the necessary paperwork organised.
It’s a busy few weeks with assessments and class tasks, the Year 10s are doing their best to stay organised. We look forward to seeing parents on Monday 25 March for Parent-Teacher-Student Conferences. Please reach out if you have any difficulties booking in to see your child’s teachers.
Bridget Allen
Year 10 Learning and Wellbeing Leader
C.L.E.A.R Wellbeing Program
Our Wellbeing Program included our first Spirit Week which was a big success in the lead up to the Swimming Carnival. Students came together as a House each day to build House spirit by creating chants and banners. We look forward to our next Spirit Week before Athletics Day.
In our Wellbeing Classes this week, the Year 7s and 10s have begun their Buddy Program. Our 8s and 9s have worked to celebrate the diversity of our community and our 11s and 12s have reflected on the importance of life balance.
Fantastic Fridays have again been a highlight of our fortnight with a paper chain competition. It was amazing to see chains the length of our corridors come together with teamwork. These chains will be used to create a display that shows our connection as a College.
Laura Mathieson
Student Prograns Leader
Religious Education
Stations of the Cross Artwork - Year 9
In Year 9 Religious Education, we are learning about the Stations of the Cross. All the Year 9s were put into different groups working on a task focused on one of the stations. We had to complete a booklet, based on the station chosen for us and we planned an artwork representing the station in a modern day context.
On Thursday 21 March, we had the opportunity to use the art rooms to create our artworks using paint, watercolour and an assortment of colouring equipment. Everyone worked productively and we all finished just in time! My group had station 13 which is ‘Jesus is Buried’. We made an artwork representing the current genocide in Gaza and how mothers were losing their innocent children. In our artwork we drew a mother crying in a graveyard with a picture frame of her child in her hand. We chose to base our artwork on the genocide in Gaza because it connects to how Jesus was innocently killed and Mother Mary was watching him get buried.
- Zilan Tan, Year 9A
Mathematics
Last week we celebrated International Pi Day on 14 March (3.14). It is a great excuse to explore one of the most fascinating and curious numbers in Mathematics.
Some of the activities that happened in Maths classes that day were:
- Year 7s used pictures of pies and their protractors to measure angles.
- Year 8s looked at designs and some students made their own designs to promote Pi day.
- Year 9s enjoyed some Pi jokes and Pi-ku.
- Year 10 Advanced students were given the opportunity to find some Fun Facts about Pi and here are some of the things they came up with.
- There is a Pi song to help you memorise the first 100 digits of Pi.
- The number of digits that have been memorised is 70,000 digits.
- It would take 133 years to recite the 62.8 trillion digits of Pi that are known.
- The symbol for Pi, the Greek letter P, has been in use for 250 years.
- If you write 3.14 backwards, it spells the word PIE.
Later in the year we will have our Pi eating and Pi reciting challenges.
Start memorising those digits!!!
Maria Carinci
Learning Area Leader: Mathematics
Maths Help
Health and Physical Education
Health and Physical Education in Term One has witnessed practical lessons full of fun, fitness, smiles and learning. From fitness testing programs to unpacking physical activity guidelines and fundamental motor skills, students have embraced the importance of health and wellbeing and emphasised on the significance of participating in regular physical activity. Take a closer look into some student experiences and classroom learning so far.
Year 7 and 8 Physical Education
Students in Year 7 have been busy learning fundamental motor skills and have been applying their skills to Game sense activities. Students have made links to various skills required in different Sports such as kicking, catching, throwing, leaping and striking. A large part of this unit has been adapting these skills to attacking and defensive strategies. Year 8 students have been focusing on refining their netball and basketball skills and applying to game sense strategies.
Year 9 and 10 Physical Education
Striking sports, specifically cricket has been this term's focus for Year 9 Health and Physical Education. Students have further progressed their skill of bowling and fielding with increased understanding of how to read game play and adapt quick ball movement through team collaboration. Year 10 students have been embracing fitness testing, where students have been participating in an array of fitness tests such as the beep test, semo agility test, sit and reach test, grip test and the Harvard step test. Making links to various fitness components has also been an aspect students have focused on. In addition, the Year 10 students have been busy preparing for their sport education unit of volleyball, which will commence in Term Two.
Year 9 Outdoor Education
Students in Year 9 Outdoor Education have been busy preparing for their up coming camp in Term Two. Below is an insight into a student's learning experience.
This term in Outdoor Education, we have been focusing on skills to help us be able to camp. We have learnt how to set up a tent correctly and use a trangia stove. These skills will then assist us in our overnight camp in Term Two which is being highly looked forward too. Our assessment task for this term was the impact of technology. We were asked to research two camping equipment/clothing/accessories and how it has changed over time. In addition, we were required to research how the item has improved and how it has affected people's experiences while using it. This term we have also gone on a hike at Coburg Lake which has been a highlight of this term's Outdoor Education class for me.
- Bridget Mammone, 9B
Rebecca Mazzone
Learning Area Leader: Health and Physical Education
Sport
House Swimming Carnival
Mercy College gathered together and celebrated their annual swimming carnival on Friday 8 March. The day was great, filled with the perfect amount of sun and lots of smiles and laughter. O’Hea, Marian, Kane, Thecla and Frayne battled it out throughout the day to bring home the swimming champion title. There was a wide variety of events; ranging from 30m freestyle to 50m backstroke and much more. We also participated in novelty events such as volleyball, floaty relay races and tunnel ball. Congratulations to O’Hea House who were the champions of the day; and a big well done for everyone who got involved in the events of the day.
Liana Vetere
O’Hea House Captain
The House Swimming Carnival took place on 8 March at Coburg Swimming Pool. The weather included a few rays of sunshine and some minor winds however all the students showed their enthusiasm with their creative display of characters which they dressed up as to proudly showcase their House colours. We swam, participated in fun land activities and to commemorate our Year 12s last Swimming Carnival, the students jumped at the chance to mark this very special milestone in their Mercy journey by jumping in the pool as a whole cohort. To conclude the day, we returned back to school for our final assembly and announcement of our 2024 Swimming Carnival winners. Our overall champions for the day were O'Hea house however it was a close competition for the other houses. Congratulations to O'hea who has won bragging rights till our next sporting event.
Jess Anile
Sports Captain
Careers at Mercy
College Fee Statements
The March fee statement was emailed to families on21 March y 2024. If you have any queries about your statement, please contact the College on 9319 9299.
Payment Plans
Families are encouraged to set up a payment plans for their school fees. Currently, the College has options for quarterly, monthly, fortnightlt or weekly. If you would like to set up plan, please contact the College to arrnage a time to meet with a member of the Finance Team or return the payment nomination form below.
Health Care Cards
Families with a Health Care Card (HCC) may be eligiable for the CSEF payment towards their school account. Payments will be processed from February, please provide a copy of your HCC to Reception for processing.