Mercy Messenger - Term 3 Week 10 - 17 September 2021

This is the last newsletter for the term. At the end of this week, our students and staff can enjoy a well-deserved break. A great deal always happens in Term 3 at Mercy College and it has been good to see the high level of student engagement in activities the College has offered.

Mercy Day

Today we celebrate Mercy Day. On this day we give thanks for the life of Catherine McAuley. She was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1778. In 1824, she established the House of Mercy where homeless women sheltered, Catherine ministered to the sick and dying, and where she educated young girls. Catherine and her co-workers professed their vows as the first Sisters of Mercy in 1831.

I remind all students and staff to remember our Mercy College values of Compassion, Hope and Justice. Just like Catherine McAuley did, we should always endeavour to ‘Serve Christ’ and others in our actions and daily lives.

‘The simplest and most practical lesson I know is to resolve to be good today, but better tomorrow.’

Catherine McAuley

Mercy Works donation

Thanks to the wonderful work of the Vinnie's Committee we were able to donate $4500 to Mercy Works. The cheque was presented to Sister Denise and accepted with gratitude.

High Tea and Cent Sale

Recently Justice@Mercy and the Vinnies Committee combined to hold a High Tea and Cent Sale. Almost 100 people attended and enjoyed the scrumptious fare supplied and participated in the well supported Cent Sale. Thank you to the Justice@Mercy and the Vinnies Committee.

Vicki Wilson Cup

Recently our Netball girls travelled to Brisbane to compete in the Vicki Wilson Cup. Congratulations to all members of the team who represented the College to such an outstanding level. I would like to thank all the staff who travelled with the team. I would like to acknowledge and thank our parents and sponsors for your continued support of sport at Mercy College.

Non State Schools Transport Assistance Scheme (NSSTAS)

The Non State Schools Transport Assistance Scheme (NSSTAS) is a joint initiative of the Queensland Catholic Education Commission (QCEC) and Independent Schools Queensland (ISQ).

The Scheme is administered by QCEC on behalf of all non-state schools in Queensland and is funded by the State of Queensland through the Department of Education.

NSSTAS has two programs available only to Queensland residents:

Bus Fare Assistance Program

The purpose of the BFAP is to provide financial assistance to families who pay more than a nominated weekly threshold in bus/ferry fares to transport their student to a non-state school located outside the Brisbane City Council boundary.

Students with Disability (SWD)

The purpose of the SWD program is to provide financial assistance to families of those students whose disability necessitates transport assistance to and from a non-state school by a means that take into account their disability.

Further information about the Scheme is available at: https://www.schooltransport.com.au/.

Building Mentally Healthy Kids – Zoom Webinar Thursday 7 October

Catholic School Parents Queensland warmly invite all Catholic School Parents, Carers, Principals and School Staff to join them on Zoom with Andrew Fuller on Thursday 7 October 7:00pm -8:00pm on Zoom. Andrew is a clinical psychologist, Author and Speaker and his talks are always fun and really informative.

This is a free webinar sponsored by CSPQ to support our children's learning and wellbeing. Topics for all ages Prep to Year 12.

Topics to be covered will include:

The active ingredients of resilience
How parents can develop these in their children
Friendship and relationship skills
Neurochemistry and parenting
Parenting tricky kids
Creating happy kids
Building self-esteem and dealing with set backs

Please click on the following link for more information on the event and to register online - https://www.eventcreate.com/e/andrewfuller7oct. Following registration, a zoom link for the webinar will be emailed to you.

Mrs Janelle Agius

Term 3 Interim Reports

Interim Reports, detailing the current progress of students, will be available through the Parent Lounge on Friday 17 September at approximately 11:00am.

The Term 3 interim report is provided mid-way through the semester as a guide to parents 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 which is different to their current achievement. Clarification of details or concerns is best discussed with your child’s class teacher.

Student Led Conferencing.

Parents will be able to make interview times for Student Led Conferencing with their child's teacher from Monday 20 September. Students are required to be present at the Conference with the teacher.

The date for the Conferencing is: Wednesday 6 October (week 1) - 3:30 -7:30pm

Access to make a booking will be available till Tuesday 5 October 10.00 am. Each interview will last for 7 minutes, with a 3 minute allocated to change. Conferences will take place in classrooms throughout the College and not the Hall. Parents will be asked to comply with COVID safe requirements.

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

The Following staff will not be available on the night: Mr Duggan as he finishes at Mercy in Term 3. Mrs Ciantar-Schatkowski, Mr Bettington, Miss Johnson, Mr Skoczylas, Mr Gaviglio, Mrs Meigan due to a school sport event.

Subject Preferences for 2022

Students have received their subject preference information for 2022 in homeroom this week and along with parents via their Mercy College email. Students will be required to add their subject preferences online as well as returning their signed planning form back to their homeroom teacher. I would encourage parents and students to make subject choices by referring to the Subject Areas and Handbook section of the College internet site, which can be found here:

http://www.mercymackay.qld.edu...

If you have any questions relating to a particular subject then I would advise speaking to the Head of the Department for that subject.

Unit preferences for Year 7 and Year 8 students are due by Friday 8 October (Friday Week 1 Term 4) and Unit preferences for Year 9 are due by Friday 15 October (Friday Week 2 Term 4)

Mr Adam Skoczylas

Today as a community of faith we celebrate Mercy Day. For me, Mercy Day this year is bittersweet, it is my final Mercy Day as my tenure here at the College comes to an end early next term. Of all the significant days we acknowledge and observe here at the College, Mercy Day is my favourite. Why you might ask?

It is certainly an opportunity to commemorate the day with which Catherine McAuley opened the House of Mercy. We give thanks for the life of Catherine McAuley who had a mission and education vision which centered around being Christ-like to others. Catherine and her community of women commenced their work of Mercy 194 years ago which has since seen the work of Sisters of Mercy expand to over 46 countries around the world. And yes it is the day that we acknowledge and celebrate, even though a little early, the feast day of Our Lady of Mercy.

For me it also provides an opportunity to stop and reflect on community and what being a Mercy community is truly about. It’s about the C’s - Christ, Catherine and Connection. We commence our day with Fr Don presiding over our liturgical celebration. We acknowledge as a community the ‘Mercy in Action’ Encouragement award recipients from Year 7, 8 and 9 who have been identified as living out the Mercy Values: Compassion, Hope and Justice to uphold the dignity of all people, with a particular focus for the poor and vulnerable. Afterwards, we moved our celebration to the Harbour. As I stand with my feet implanted in the sand at the beach I observe community taking place in another setting. The connection between the students and staff in a more informal setting.

We come together as community for a double purpose to help each other to get closer to God and to fulfil the common mission. This purpose is summed up in our Vision statement ‘To serve Christ through humanity and grow in wisdom’. We can’t fulfil this vision in isolation and maybe it seems at times we aren’t getting far. Like all Christ-centred communities, we have our challenging times of hardship and struggle. By acknowledging that our world desperately needs communities of people with big hearts whose lives, and presence challenge the wrong of materialism, selfishness and greed, this community will continue to grow and share in the gift that God offers, to pour out love on us all.

Happy Mercy Day

Congratulations to the ‘Mercy in Action’ Encouragement Award Recipients”

Year 7 - Rexjan Melocotones
Year 8 - Elena Mathew & Reagan Tame
Year 9 - To be announced Week 1 Term 4

Mrs Jeanette Refalo

What a term it’s been for the Vinnies Committee! The students have been busy with a number of fundraising events to raise money for Mercy Works including the following:

Teacher Personal Assistant Auction

On Friday 10 September, the Pavillion was a hive of activity with 13 teachers auctioned off to be personal assistants’ for a lunch time. The students who secured the highest bid now have the opportunity to have their teacher help them with their homework, cut the tuckshop line for them, perform a dare etc. A total of $350 was raised for Mercy Works.

Tape a Teacher to the Wall

On Tuesday 14 September, three brave teachers volunteered to test the theory that a teacher can indeed be literally taped to a wall! Students purchased a length of tape for 50 cents and Mr Bettington was the most popular target. Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough tape purchased for him to literally stick to the wall, but all had fun in the name of charity.

High Tea and Cent Sale

The High Tea and Cent Sale, held on Sunday 12 September, was a huge success, with $1500 being raised for Mercy Works! Almost 100 people were treated to a lovely afternoon under the shady trees of Glennon Gardens at the College. The Vinnies committee organised the cent sale (over 30 prizes) and two raffles. Justice@Mercy did a fantastic job of the Op-shop fashion parade and serving all present with a wonderful high tea fit for royalty. There were also talented Mercy students providing musical entertainment. It was great to hear that there were many positive comments about this event and the student helpers enjoyed this service opportunity.

Mercy Day stall

Finally, the Vinnies Committee has been busy preparing for the Mercy Day stall on the last day of term. Students will be selling soft drinks, chocolate slices, chocolates, chips and lollie bags at the Harbour. The Vinnies Committee had a lot of fun preparing the lollie bags earlier this week.

On behalf of the Vinnies Committee I would like to wish you all a safe and relaxing holiday.

Mrs Louise Mullaney