Mercy Messenger - Term 2, Week 8 - Friday 10 June 2022

We are now drawing to the end of the first Semester, with students and staff looking forward to the upcoming holiday breaks.  

Wednesday 8 June was School Officer Day in Queensland. I would like to take this opportunity to thank and acknowledge the vital role support staff play in our College, supporting the teaching staff and students.  Without their help, many of the activities planned at the College would not be possible.

P&F and Board Meetings
Both our P&F and Board meetings were held last Wednesday 1st June. I encourage new and existing families to come along to our P&F meetings as your input is both welcomed and valued. Our next meeting will be held on Wednesday 3 August at 6:00pm in the Mercy College Library.

Our Board continues to work on our new Vision and Mission Statements for our combined St Patrick’s College. I would like to thank the members of the Board and P&F who volunteer their time to enrich and improve our College community.

Retreats
This week, our entire cohort of students have been attending various retreats and reflection sessions throughout the Mackay area. This was an opportunity for development of a personal identity and leadership qualities for students. It was also a wonderful opportunity for students and staff to get to know each other outside the classroom environment.  I personally enjoyed being able to witness firsthand the fun, challenges and team building exercises with students.

Sporting Teams
Congratulations to the various Mercy Sporting teams who have been competing recently. Our Netball girls had great success in the Regional Vicki Wilson Championships and the Mackay and District Secondary School Netball Competition. Our Soccer team members who competed in the Bill Turner Cup, displayed great skills, dedication and sportsmanship and our League team were victorious in the first round of the Cowboys Challenge. 
Mercy is excited to see the reintroduction of the Mountain Bike Club which will be participating in the Rocky Trail Academy Junior Development Programme on 24 June.
It is wonderful to see the participation of so many Mercy students in these sporting events.

Human Powered Vehicles
This weekend our amazing HPV teams will participate in the Inaugural Whitsunday STEM Challenge at Palmyra Dragway.  We will have teams from both Mercy and St Patrick’s College competing.
A huge thank you to Mr William Gilbert for his guidance in this extracurricular activity. I would also like to acknowledge our teaching and ancillary staff members who are also volunteering their time to help the teams on Saturday. 

Community Activities
I would like acknowledge and congratulate the following events that our staff and students have recently been involved in:
· Our Combined College Stage Band performed alongside local radio station Star 101.9 at their ‘Push the Button’ competition at Mt Pleasant Shopping Centre. Well done everyone for showcasing our combined musical talents.
· Thank you to our Mercy Community for sending in your donations for the St Vincent de Paul Winter Appeal and Homeless Expo. Please continue to help us support these worthy causes.

Subject Selection Evening – Wednesday 22 June
A reminder to our Year 10 students that on Wednesday 22 June, St Patrick’s College will hold the Subject Selection evening. The evening will be run in sessions with bookings made through trybooking - https://www.trybooking.com/BZZWF. All subjects being offered in 2023 will be on display and staff will be available to answer any questions. This is a great opportunity to learn more about the subjects students are wishing to study and the pathways available for future studies or employment opportunities.

Enrolment Processes for 2023
The dates are below for your information if you have a student in Year 10 or you know of others who may be interested in enrolling in the College next year. A reminder that Mercy College students are automatically enrolled at St Patrick’s College for 2023.

My mother always amazed me when I was a child, by consistently knowing when I was lying to her. She could read my face like a book. I thought she was some kind of prophet or something, and I learned that I could not get away with lying to her or keeping something from her. Even today she can look at my face and know what is happening in my life.

I now amaze my students each year as I, too, have discovered the gift of reading children’s faces. In an instant I can decide whether or not they are telling the truth or a lie. Often times, the younger the child, the more dramatic the lie seems to be.

As adults, we tend to see issues that are black and white as if they were grey. God has given us very specific instructions in the Word on how to live our lives. There are no grey areas. But, somehow with age and experience, we think the little white lies, the broken promise, or the occasional curse word is acceptable. Jesus says, "Let your yes be yes and your no be no." Wouldn’t life be so much simpler if we abided by His instructions!

Hopefully students benefitted from their Retreat/Reflection days and whilst we do not see the immediate results – seeds are planted and they develop over time.

Az Hamilton from Just Motivation led the Year 7 Retreat which aimed to get students to think deeper and be attentive. When asking questions, go deeper – “Go the extra mile” as Jesus said and find out more about people; be a true friend to each other.

At the Year 7 Camp students were able to work in groups doing team building exercises and practice their leadership skills.

Dave Jorna from Project Hatch led the Year 8 Retreat which aimed at recognising each other’s gifts. Students recognised each other’s talents and how people used their gifts to be good friends and be an example for others to follow.

Michael Fitzpatrick from Belum, led the Year 9 Retreat looking at relationships within the group to see how they could improve their relationships with one another and come together as one. They also began to think about how they would soon become the Senior Year level on the Mercy campus.

Glen Gerreyn from the Hopeful Institute, led the Year 10 reflection days which focused on where they want to be in the future and how to get there and what did they need to do or change to give themselves the best chance of being successful.

The Opening Mass and Ceremony kicks off the CQUniversity Carnivals on Sunday with over 2,500 people converging on the Mackay Showgrounds to celebrate Mass and enjoy some great entertainment from our combine college cultural groups.

Don’t forget to buy your ticket in our car raffle.  $20 per ticket with a maximum of 2,500 tickets being sold.  Winner will be drawn on Friday 1st July at the closing ceremony on the CQUniversity Confraternity Carnival.  You do not have to be there to win the car. 

All tickets are being sold online at www.raffletix.com.au/carnivalraffle2022 or alternatively you can scan the QR code.  Keep an eye out at the Carnivals as the car will be on display.  Terms and conditions apply and are available on the raffle website.

If you are interested in coming along and watching some great footy and netball and supporting your school, the CQUniversity Carnival draws are now available on our website.  Head to confro-qissn2022.com.au.  Or you can keep up to date with what is happening on our Facebook page.

Thank you to everyone who has volunteered to help during the carnival.  We appreciate every single one of you.  Without the community support we would not be able to hold Carnivals of this size.

Year 10 Biology students have been out and about in the environment, putting their recently learnt ecology skills to the test. Classes visited the Mackay Botanical Gardens to conduct water testing, animal and plant surveying. Each student was responsible for collecting data and reporting back to the class. The data provided an overall picture of the health of the ecosystem. Students enjoyed the experience of getting out of the classroom and considering life as an ecologist or environmental scientist.

 Angela Wright, Science Teacher

'Winners are grinners' and our Mercy netballers are smiling from ear to ear. On Tuesday three teams competed in the Regional Vicki Wilson Championships. Our Year 10 team played amazing netball against senior divisions, making the semi final. Our Year 9 and Year 8 teams both made the Grand Final in the junior division, playing off for the coveted winning spot. A fantastic game with our Year 9 team triumphantly taking out the game. They will now go to Brisbane in August to represent Mercy and Capricornia at the Finals series. 

On Wednesday 1 June, Mercy College Soccer Team participated in the knockout round of the Bill Turner Cup at Magpies Sporting grounds. The team displayed some great skills and played well together, however, were unable to get a win in both their games. Special mention must go to the two young Mercy Goalkeepers - Darby Geisler and Liam Mietzel who stepped up into the older grade and put in an outstanding performance in the goalbox.  Mr Cureton and Mrs Clancy would like to congratulate the following players on their dedication, skill and sportsmanship during the event: 

Jamon Smith, Wenlock Gould, Kaden Willersdorf, Elliott Morrison, Elliott Hamilton, Noah Newland, Mitannie Kingston, Daniel Harris, David Dogao, Ella Walz, Darby Geisler, Liam Mietzel and Liam Van lint.

Mercy College Year 10s Rugby League team thumped Mackay State High 38 - 0  in the opening round of the 2022 Cowboys Challenge at the Mackay Junior League fields.

Tom Gaviglio’s Year 8s outclassed Mackay State High 44 - 0 in a Division One Final, with strong games from Fullback - Calvin Ramos, Half Back - Miles Kerrisk, Lock - Eli Cookson and Centre - Cooper Anderson.

Year 9 Geography students had some hands-on insight into the interconnectedness of food security, industry and ecology on a field trip. Students visited the local community gardens first, where they saw first-hand how food production and sustainability goals such as biodiversity can be combined. After that, a visit to the Sugar Shed in Sarina showed just how resilient and adaptable industries can be by looking into the history of the sugar industry in Queensland. The final stop was Whitsunday Mushrooms, where the students looked at emerging trends in agriculture, as well as exploring how different businesses and industries can link into each other and benefit from synergies.

Four Year 10 girls, this week participated in Toolkit for Girls at the Mackay Engineering College. The girls are Charlotte Jones, Jorji Upton, Ischka Shepherd and Jennifer Bloxsom. This is the first time any of our Mercy girls have been asked to attend this workshop as it is normally only open to state school children.  The one day workshop allows the girls to try a variety of different trades in a workshop environment.

Last week was National Reconciliation Week and at Mercy College, the staff and students spent some time reflecting on what Reconciliation means to them. All homerooms made a display and wrote their own thoughts on Reconciliation which were displayed outside on our board. We also had cake which was shared amongst the staff and students at Wednesday lunchtime and it was enjoyed by all!

On Friday 3 June, students were invited to wear free dress in return for either an item of tinned food, a blanket or a gold coin donation. We had an overwhelming response to this appeal, with over $400 being raised and numerous cans of tinned food and blankets filling up Student Reception.

Thank you Mercy College for showing compassion to others in need this winter!

Volunteers are needed in the tuckshop. Monthly, fortnightly or weekly. Mums, dads, grandparents, relatives are all welcome. The hours are from 9am until 2.30pm. These hours are flexible. 9am till 12 is the busiest period. If you can only come for a couple of hours we would  be very appreciative. 

If you are interested in helping out, please contact Margaret Floyd on 4969 4199 or email margaret_floyd@rok.catholic.edu.au.