Mercy Messenger - Term 1 Week 8 19 March 2021

Last week on Assembly, I remined students of the importance of speaking out against Bullying and Violence. Today, Friday 19 March is National Day of Action against Bullying and Violence. This is Australia’s key bullying prevention initiative, connecting schools and communities to find workable solutions to bullying and violence. The theme for this year is 'Take Action Together'.  Let us all bond together to stop this unacceptable behaviour.

Playing the Game
“Life gives many opportunities for all to achieve goals”

I also acknowledged the many sporting teams that have now commenced competition. It is so great to see our school sports activities return this year following the impact Coronavirus had on such events in 2020.  I aligned a message to students of the real connection between ‘Playing the Game' and real life situations.  I urged them to reflect that playing sports is an environment that creates a web connection of team work, starting with our own team and then reaching further out to others.  

'Playing the Game' for all of us in these competitions provides many life skills and messages.  To be focused on their centre core values and be aware of any obstructions they may encounter until they reach their desired goal.  To give it all you have until the whistle blows.  Never give up!

In life as a player, they will come into contact with many people and situations, some they will dodge, some they will connect with, but they must remember their goal.  To do their best, to step forward and aim higher. To remain resilient and keep within the rules of the game will give them integrity as their reward.

I encourage all players in the various competitions to remember to 'Play the Game'.

Thank you to all parents/guardians and staff who support our teams.

Meet & Greet BBQ
Last Thursday I had the privilege of welcoming many Year 7 families to our Meet and Greet BBQ. It was wonderful to see the spirit of involvement occurring between staff and families.

Work Experience
Year 10 Work Experience has been very rewarding. Reports from staff and employees has been most encouraging and I congratulate students for their commitment.

Combined College Steering Committee
On Tuesday 9 March the first meeting of the Combined Steering Committee was formed. This group will plan how we move forward towards 2023.  Joining myself on the committee is: Michael McCusker (Assistant to the Diocesan Director – Schools North), Marie Martin (Diocesan Secondary Curriculum Consultant), Father Don White, Adam Skoczylas (Deputy Principal Mercy College), Sean Geoghegan (Deputy Principal St Patrick’s College), Rebekkah Pollard (Mercy College Board Representative) and Dean Lynch (St Patrick’s College Board Representative). I will keep families informed as we progress.

2022 Enrolment
Last week a letter was sent to our Catholic Primary feeder schools informing families of clear steps for enrolment into Year 7 for 2022. Our College Open Night will be held on Tuesday 27 April 4:00 – 7:00pm with an information presentation at 5:30pm.  Another wonderful opportunity to showcase this fantastic College. Please pass this information onto any prospective enrolling families in the community. 

Year 7 Neon Glow Themed Social 
Tonight, I look forward to going back to the 80’s at the Year 7 Neon Glow Party. I would like to encourage all students in Year 7 to get involved in all aspects of school life and I look forward to joining you all tonight.

Since arriving at Mercy College, I have been overwhelmed by the support of all and look forward to many new adventures. If you have any concerns, please contact me.

Mrs Janelle Agius

Term 1 Interim Reports

Interim Reports, detailing the current progress of students, will be available tomorrow through Parent Lounge from 12:00pm (Thursday 31 March). 
 
The Term 1 Interim Report is provided mid-way through the semester as a guide to parents/guardians and students. Please note that formal assessment for these subjects may not have occurred at the time of printing of these reports. The report is an indicator of a student’s current level of academic performance and, depending upon work habits and application to the subject, students may exit at the end of the Semester with a grade that is different to their current achievement. Clarification of details or concerns is best discussed with your child’s class teacher. 

Student Led Conferencing. 
Parents/Guardians will be able to make interview times for Student Led Conferencing with their student's teacher.  The student is required to be present at the Conference with the teacher. 

Conferencing Date and Time: Thursday 22 April (Week 1) - 3:30 - 7:30pm

Access to make a booking will be available from 3:00pm Thursday 1 April until Wednesday 20 April 10:00am. Each interview will last for 7 minutes, with 3 minutes allocated for the change-over. Interviews will take place in classrooms throughout the College and not the Hall. 

Interviews can be made through the Parent Lounge by clicking on the parent/teacher booking button. Parents/Guardians have been issued with a Parent Lounge username and password, however, if you have a problem with logging on please contact the College Office 4969 4199. 

Mr Adam Skoczylas

Year 7 and 9 students have completed practice tests in preparation for formal NAPLAN testing. This was an excellent opportunity to fine tune any technical and logistical needs, as well as familiarise students and teachers with the online testing process. It is not an assessment of student ability and there will be no reporting of student results.

Parents and guardians of students in these NAPLAN year levels will need to be aware of important information relating to privacy, which can be found on the NAPLAN Online Queensland website’s parent information page - https://naplanonline.qld.edu.au/getting-ready/parent-information.

NAPLAN Online Testing

Term 2, Week 4 - Tuesday 11, Wednesday 12 and Thursday 13 of May, all Year 7 & 9 students will be participating in NAPLAN testing. This is National testing in both Literacy and Numeracy.

The assessments will be held immediately after Homeroom, in designated exam rooms on these three days. Students must be at school prior to the commencement of the test, as there is very strict protocol regarding its administration. 

Opportunities for absent students to complete the test will be made available to them in line with NAPLAN protocols.

If there are any questions or concerns from parents/guardians, please contact the college 4969 4199.

Mr Adam Skoczylas

The Gospel reading  (John 12:20-33) this Sunday has Jesus likening himself to a grain of wheat, declaring, ‘unless a wheat grain falls on the ground and dies, it remains only a single grain; but if it dies, it yields a rich harvest.’ In this statement Jesus is meaning his own life. He was speaking to those around him, to the early followers, some who were martyred for the faith, and Jesus  is also speaking to us. 

We do have it easy today, but martyrdom does come to all believers in different ways. In the general a martyr is one who is prepared to pay the price for being steadfast in their following of Christ. In our modern times this may mean making important decisions about the company we keep, the business ventures we enter into, refusing to place importance on luxuries so that others in our world might have necessities and remaining faithful to our baptisimal call. What are some of the ‘trappings’ or ‘things’ of this world that you find difficult to let go of? 

So what should be our response when our faith in Christ costs us something big? Jesus models it for us in this Gospel, “…what should I say: Father, save me from this hour’? No, I have come to this hour to face all this; it was for this. Father, glorify your name!”  The purpose of our lives is to glorify God, like Jesus did, and when we release ourselves from any reservations we have in order to make a difference in the lives of others, then the ‘harvest’ that will eventuate from those actions will indeed be significant. What do you need to ‘let go of’ in your life to really flourish and ‘produce a harvest’?

As we enter the final week of Lent may we be focused on the One who loved us to the end.

Ever-loving God, lead me to know you as my Father.  Amen

Mrs Jeanette Refalo

Thank you to all those parents/guardians who took some time out of their busy schedule to complete the 'Be You' Parent Survey. Our students were asked to complete the Student 'Be You' Survey during Homeroom this week and staff also completed an Educator 'Be You' Survey last week. Once we have gathered a 360 degree snapshot from all stakeholders, we will be able to set some Pastoral and Mental Health and Wellbeing targets of what we want to achieve this year. 'Be You' is an initiative taken on by all the schools across our Diocese as we endeavor to look at ways we can continue to develop a mentally healthy community. If you have not had the chance, but would like to complete the survey, your opinion would be greatly appreciated. Simply refer to the email sent on 12 March for the link. The survey will close next Wednesday 24 March and it is very short and concise.

The students have been spoken to on Assembly by Mrs Agius about Bullying No Way! Day which is today. Students have also had a chance to discuss in Homerooms this week what it means to be an Upstander and not a Bystander. We ask students to "Stand up for your friends" or "Do something if you see someone being bullied”. But what does that mean exactly for our students?

1.       Stay Calm – don’t react or retaliate! In some situations, this can make the bullying worse.

2.       Interrupt the bullying – if it’s safe to do so.

3.       Remove the person – try to get the person away from the bullying situation, eg. “Hey, come and sit with us!”

4.       Offer support – eg. “I saw what was happening and it’s not ok! How are you feeling?”

5.       Tell adults – it’s important to tell a trusted adult and more than one. Keep telling them until the bullying stops.

6.       Report to No Blame – report any bullying electronically to noblame@mercymackay.qld.edu.au

Mr Christopher Sorbello

Brekky Van

Mr Gunning and Ms McLoughlin took the Brekky Van and two Year 10 students to St Patrick's College to support the St Patrick’s Day celebrations and to promote the Brekky Van services. Hemi Heke and Julien Mezieres did a fantastic job cooking up sausages and onion with the St Patrick’s College SRC students. The St Patrick's students and teachers enjoyed the tasty snacks and a great time was had by all.

Ms Cecelia McLoughlin

Congratulations to the many Mercy students who have achieved selection in sport to compete at Capricornia, State or National level.

Students representing the College in sporting or cultural events at this level, may be entitled to financial support from our P&F to assist with travel and accommodation. This financial support is given at P&F discretion. To find out more please contact our College Finance office.

This term has definitely flown for our Cultural Ensemble students. Hitting the ground running in Week 1 we held our Ensemble sign on. It was wonderful to see our older and newer students come along and check out what is on offer. Week 2 saw the beginning of rehearsals, commencing the week with our Strings Ensemble and finishing the week with our Stage Band. 

In Week 3 our instrumental students had the opportunity to connect with likeminded students at the annual Independent Schools Band Workshop hosted by Mackay Christian College. It was a wonderful two-day event  that concluded with a concert. It was so nice to sit back and listen to the groups who had spent time learning several new repertoire pieces for the concert. 

This year also saw the St Patrick's College and Mercy College combine to include a Stage Band. Thank you to Samuel Bauer, Tim McClelland and Chelsea Jansen for supporting this event and taking time to share their expertise with our Colleges.

It is so exciting to see so many students audition and be successful in gaining a role for our Combined College Musical – Fame. With rehearsals well underway, this show looks like it is going to be amazing, filled with so much talent. Mark the dates in your calendar, June 24 and 25; make sure you purchase tickets when they are released.

Congratulations to Melisa Li and Matilda Ralph who represented Mercy College at the International Woman’s Day Morning Tea hosted by The Mackay Women’s Centre. Melisa on violin and Matilda playing guitar and providing vocals, presented a very well received performance that was appreciated by the ladies in attendance. 

The Mackay Crusaders kicked of their season on Saturday 12 March. Thank you to Ella Phillips who performed the National Anthem at the beginning of the game. It is so wonderful to see opportunities like this, being embraced by our students. I am sure we will see more students performing the Anthem and half time entertainment in the near future.

It is never too late to join an Ensemble or start learning an instrument. If your child is interested in joining our wonderful cultural family, or if you have any questions, please email cultural@mercymackay.qld.edu.au. We are always happy to see new faces join us.

Miss Cassandra Gillespie

The Justice@Mercy Committee are busy making bags for putting toiletry supplies into and be given to those less fortunate in the community. The Committee is also busy organising the High Tea that will take place at the start of Catholic Education week, Sunday 25 July. More details will available as we get closer to the event.

Mrs Cecelia McLoughlin

This term our Year 8 Geography classes are looking at Landscapes and Landforms and classes went on two excursions to Far Beach, Mackay.

The purpose of these excursions was to enable students to understand the processes involved in field work and to identify the impacts of erosion at a local beach. They were then asked to write a report to the Mackay Regional Council suggesting ways to stop or manage the beach erosion issues in that area of the coastline. 

The first trip was to collect photographic evidence and record data on the beach erosion problem. The second trip is to collect wind readings for their graphing section of the report

Mr Brett Comerford

Last week the Auslan Club celebrated Hearing Awareness Week on Assembly. Three Auslan Club students gave an example of what it is like to have hearing loss and how it affects people and students alike. 

The Auslan Club are currently planning their first trip to Townsville to sign the National Anthem at the Cowboys v Broncos game on 8 May 2021.

Brett Comerford OFS

The Mercy College Inter-House Cross Country Carnival will take place on the last day of Term 1, Thursday 1 April. This is a compulsory school day and full attendance is required. Following the Easter Liturgy, students will be bussed to the start of the Cross Country course at the Botanical Gardens. They will then make their way along the Bluewater Trail and finish at the Bluewater Lagoon. Students are able to nominate to run competitively or complete the course at a more leisurely pace. As this is an Inter-House event, ALL are encouraged to wear their House Shirt and Sports Uniform Shorts. 

Upon completion of the course, they will make their way inside the Bluewater Lagoon where the Mercy community will spend the remainder of the day. Students will be able to swim at the Lagoon and must follow the same dress guidelines for swimming as their HPE classes. They will not be allowed to swim in their House Shirt or any item of their School Uniform.

Students are not to bring any books or their iPad on the day and a BBQ will be available for them to purchase food. Canteen facilities will also be available.

Students will be returned to Mercy College in time for a 3:00pm pickup. If they are required to leave the Lagoon earlier their House Coordinator must have sighted a note signed by the parent/guardian, prior to the day, stating the time and who will be collecting them. 

Parents/Guardians or collecting adults must be present at the Lagoon for students to be able to leave. If there is no adult present, students will not be allowed to leave and will return to school.

Mr Michael Comerford

Mrs Russell and Mr Crocker visited Nunkeri Place in Canelands recently and purchased their 'Warrior kit'. This contained items such as a shield, woomera, bull roara, hunting boomerang, a club, an emu caller and an emu egg. Two beautiful paintings and a didgeridoo were included in the purchase and these will be hung on the walls of the Library. 

Many thanks to the wonderful staff at Nunkeri and stay tuned for more Indigenous artwork in the future.

Mr Stephan Crocker

Mercy College’s Interact Committee has started up again this year. Throughout the term we have been meeting fortnightly on Tuesday at lunch and growing a team of eager students ready to get involved, help the community and encourage others to do the same. Interact is a committee of service that works with the Mackay West Rotary Club. We inspire others to act, give and unite, through inclusive initiatives everyone can get involved in. Our executive positions are as follows: President - Mwansa Nawale, Vice President - Anthony Sorbello, Secretary - Melissa Li and Treasurer - Jillian Panganiban.

The annual Easter Egg Appeal, our first project of the year, is already well underway. Staff, students and other members of the Mercy College Community have been bringing in Easter Eggs to be collected and redistributed amongst aged care residents and emergency facilities. The Easter eggs will be delivered on Friday 26 March. Every year, this appeal has been a wonderful success, and the smiles and gratitude it brings cannot be matched.

We thank everyone for their support of the Interact Committee and the Easter Egg Appeal.

Mwansa Nawale - President

Thank you to all the volunteers this Term; you are all awesome. Welcome to the two new volunteers. We would appreciate more volunteers if anyone is able to spare some of their time. The hours are between 9:00am and 2.30pm. Our busy period is between 9:00am and 12:00 noon. 

If your name is on the roster and you are unable to volunteer any more, please let me know. 

A few items will increase in price commencing next term. 
           
          Hot dogs                           $3.50
          Hot dog with cheese          $4.00
          Pizza box                          $4.00
          Fish piece                          $3.50
          Some ice-creams will increase in price

We have taken sushi off the menu and added a fish wrap for $3.00, available on a Tuesday.

Thank you.

Mrs Margaret Floyd

Bacon Fettuccini 

Year 9

INGREDIENTS
200g fettuccine
4 cups hot tap water
1 tablespoon butter
1 onion finely chopped
1 clove garlic crushed
4 shortcut bacon chopped
150ml low fat cream
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons finely chopped parsley
½ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon salt

METHOD
1. Bring water to boil in a large saucepan. Add fettuccine and cook for 12 minutes.
2. Place butter in a large microwave safe bowl. Cook on HIGH for 15 seconds.
3. Add chopped onion, garlic and bacon. Cook on HIGH for 4 minutes.
4. Drain fettuccine.
5. In a microwave safe bowl add cream, ½ tablespoon of parmesan cheese, parsley, drained fettuccine, seasonings and mix well.
6. Cook on HIGH for 3 minutes. Serve sprinkled with parmesan cheese.

Cup Cakes

Year 8

INGREDIENTS                                          ICING
½ cup butter softened (125g)                 1 cup icing sugar
1 cup caster sugar                                  1 tablespoon tap water
2 large eggs food                                    colouring
1½ cups self-raising flour                        sprinkles
¾ cup milk 
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
cupcake paper cases 

METHOD
1. Preheat oven to 190c. Line cup cake tray with paper cases.
2. Place butter in a microwave safe jug and soften for 15-20 seconds. 
3. Sift flour in a medium sized bowl and stir in sugar. 
4. Beat eggs, milk and vanilla together in small bowl. 
5. Add melted butter and egg mixture to sifted flour and beat for 2 minutes with a wooden spoon to make a well combined light batter mix.
6. Spoon mixture between 12 cup cake paper cases.
7. Bake for approximately 15 – 20 minutes. Take out of tray and place on cooling rack to cool.

Icing:
8. Sift icing sugar into a small bowl.
9. Add a drop of vanilla and a couple of drops of colouring into bowl. Add water. Using with a knife stir until a smooth consistency
10. Ice cooled cupcakes. Decorate with sprinkles.

If you are interested in learning to skate come on down to the Mackay Leisure Centre on Thursdays from 4:00 to 5:00pm and get your skate on. The first two lessons are free and all abilities and ages are welcome. For further information contact Mackay Roller Sports Association at mrollerhockey@gmail.com or phone Lyle Denman on 0432170997.