Mercy Messenger Term 3 Week 2, 23 July 2021

Welcome back to Term 3.  This is a very important term of study for all our students and it is vital that students settle into a solid pattern of study as soon as possible. The holidays are over and now is the time for the enjoyment and satisfaction that can be achieved through diligent hard work. 

Fame the Musical 

I would like to acknowledge the dedication, passion and talent of our students, staff and volunteers. Thank you to our staff who have inspired our students to explore and extend their talents and work together to achieve things that they would not have thought possible.  These performances are a culmination of rehearsals and practices that have been happening at least twice weekly over the term. Moreover, we celebrate the talents and skills of those involved, especially our Director Ms Tania Attard, Music Director Miss Molly Rossetto, Choreographer Mrs Natalie Porter, Co-Producers Mrs Andrea Crocker and Mr Marcus McConnell and Stage Manager Ms Sandra Bayliss, Stage Crew, Singers, Dancers and Actors to produce such a dynamic production of FAME.  

I would like to sincerely thank all who have volunteered their time and am extremely thankful for the support of the families who have enabled our students to participate. 

NAIDOC Week

On Tuesday, our students attended the NAIDOC Mass held at St Joseph’s Church, North Mackay. The theme of the Mass was: ‘Heal Country!’  This was a celebration for all Catholic schools in Mackay, to come together to acknowledge and honour the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. A special thank you to Melissa Russell and Shardai Beazley and their helpers for organising this activity for us.

Netball and Rugby League Teams

Congratulations to our QISSN Netball girls and our Confraternity Rugby League boys who all represented the College with distinction in the first week of the school holidays in Brisbane. All managers and coaches were delighted with the teams’ commitment, behaviour and tenacity in this elite competition. Both teams played some amazing games before the sad news that the carnival was to stop. Thank you to all managers, coaches, support staff, parents and students involved. We now look forward to 2022, when Mercy and St Patrick’s College host the 2022 Confraternity Carnival here in Mackay.

Catholic Education Week

Catholic Education Week will be celebrated across Queensland from 25 July – 31 July 2021.

This annual event is held to promote the special ethos of Catholic schools and to highlight the great things that take place in Catholic schools every day.  

The theme for this year’s celebrations is:  A Spirited Tomorrow.

Catholic education strives to make a difference in the lives of those in our schools and in the wider community by challenging young people to live out the message of Jesus and to reach their full potential as compassionate, contributing, life-giving members of society.

There are 306 Catholic schools in Queensland that educate around 149,000 students and employ more than 20,000 teachers and staff, and most will celebrate Catholic Education Week in some way. 

Our College is planning activities during the week to celebrate this milestone. I thank parents and students for your ongoing support and look forward to Catholic Education Week 2021.

CQU Qld Pedal Prix Super Series 2021

Last weekend our amazing HPV teams participated in the CQU Qld Pedal Prix held in Emerald.  Students competed in a 16-hour Endurance race, testing their endurance and stamina. Mr Duggan and Mr Palise were the team Managers and they were very impressed with the attitude and determination of the students in all teams. They pedalled throughout the night in cool conditions, battling cramps and breakages. However, through teamwork, ingenuity and pain barriers, they managed to finish the competition. The teams were awarded the Best Presented Team award by carnival organisers. Well done!

A special thank you to the St Patrick’s College students who competed in a combined girls team and Mrs Nika Langham, teacher from St Pat’s for your support and assistance throughout the night.

A huge thank you to all staff, parents and volunteers for your guidance and assistance in this extracurricular activity. I would also like to acknowledge our sponsors – Mercy College P&F. Blair Signs and Joy Hire Compressor Hire and Maintenance.

Semester One Report Cards

Our staff have been busy marking over the last few weeks preparing reports. Reports are now available through Parent Lounge for parents to view.

Athletics Carnival

A very successful athletics carnival was held yesterday with Midas house winning the day. A special thank you to Michael Comerford and all our staff members for contributing to the success of the day. 

Mrs Janelle Agius

At times I could be called a procrastinator. My family would agree with this statement as there are certain activities, usually home chores, that I keep putting off. A recent procrastination has involved the sewing of three sets of ‘scrubs’ for my daughter which lead to a situation when I am overwhelmed by what needs to be done. It has been recently suggested to me to have an ‘hour of power’ (in the instances of the scrubs it was a day of power instead of an hour) where I commit myself to work with energy and concentration for one hour on what needs to be done, be it housework, gardening or paperwork. In manageable doses, I can face even the not so appealing chores. The trick is to break down the overwhelming task to manageable bite size tasks. 

The wisdom behind this is we can only deal with life one moment at a time, and if we focus our energy, attentiveness and wisdom into that moment, we can face tasks that might otherwise seem intimidating. One situation, one moment at a time is what we are often reduced to in dealing with our children’s challenging behaviours or difficult people. We can’t control or change the whole situation, but moment by moment, we can provide loving attention. Actually, this is how St Benedict teaches us to pray: keep it short. What God wants and what we need to give is a moment of attentive love that truly expresses what our heart feels. Here, now, moment by moment are challenges to be met, opportunities to love, through the gift of prayer. 

Everloving God, you know how easily life can pass without attention. Give me an attentive heart that I may live in your love and witness your life to those with whom I live. We make this prayer through Christ our Lord. Amen 

Mrs Jeanette Refalo 

A reminder that enrolment applications to St Patrick’s College Mackay is due by next Wednesday 28 July. If you haven’t already done so, please complete your online enrolment application through the following link - St Patrick's College Enrolment Application. A reminder that Mercy students are not required to pay the $100 enrolment fee. When you receive the email request through the automatic process, please disregard it. Subject Selection documentation also needs to be returned to the College by next Wednesday, 28 July. Upon receipt of your subject documentation, you will be notified of your Enrolment Interview time. If you have any questions, please contact the College office on 4994 8700.

Juliene Benson

Principal Administration Officer - St Patrick's College Mackay

With another successful Athletics carnival come and gone, we would like to say well done to all students and thank you to all of our staff.  What a beautiful day to spend outside enjoying the fresh air, sunshine and team spirit. The winning House on the day was MIDAS who add another trophy to their impressive list. 

Mr Michael Comerford

Monday 19 July, five Mercy College teams competed in the Interschool Cricket Competition at Harrup Park. There were four divisions and the Mercy College teams won them all to progress onto the next round, well done to all the players. Thanks to Mrs Rowena Bartlett, Mr Chris Dunn and Mrs Michelle Bettini for their hard work. Special thanks to our scorer Mrs Angela Beardmore.

Mr Adam Knezevic

Last weekend the Human Powered Vehicle team raced in the Central Highlands Pedal Prix 16 hour event. Mercy students combined with St Patrick's College students to create three new teams to race in Senior Boys, Senior Girls and Junior Mixed Categories. The teams consisted of six or seven students who raced teams of up to eight riders with two mechanics. The race was held overnight, starting Saturday afternoon and ending at 8:00am on Sunday.

The team criteria for the race were: Junior teams - students from Year levels 7 to 9. Senior teams - students from Year levels 10 to 12.  Junior Mixed teams - junior boys and girls new to the event.

Our Senior Boys team was made up of two Year 10 students and four Year 9 students and were up against some very mature, fast teams from other schools. The team managed 6th place in their category and 8th place overall. This was an amazing achievement considering the team lost over one and half hours due to mechanical issues. The senior team achieved a top track time of one minute and four seconds over the one kilometre track, equalling an average speed of just under 60km/hour and coming in only slightly behind the fastest laps performed at the event.

Our Senior Girls team came 3rd in their category and as a new team working together, competed extremely well ensuring the vehicle was on track for the entire time and with only one roll over, well done girls. 

Our junior mixed team, included many new Year 7 students, raced incredibly well and achieved an overall 4th position, an outstanding effort by the newbies who raced for hour long stints in the middle of the night and early into the morning which was quite an achievement.

Our Mercy students picked up a trophy for best presented team. This trophy is not awarded every year and is for the team that presents themselves the best for the race. Some of the criteria for the trophy include, vehicles being well presented, pits are kept well and organised and the team's behaviour must be exemplary both on and off the track - basically showing our Mercy Values.

Was the racing exciting? - well, when you have speeds over 60km/hour, roll overs, breaking components to fix and close racing with vehicles sitting as close as a couple of centimetres from the one in front for extended periods of time - you betcha!!

 Well done to all of our students from both campuses for a great weekend of racing.

Mr Michael Duggan

Well done to the cast and crew of FAME - The musical. Below are a few photos of the fabulous performance by our amazingly talented students for you to enjoy.

NAIDOC Week is an exciting time of the year where Mercy staff and students pay respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history and also acknowledge and celebrate the achievements made by Aboriginal and Torres Islander peoples.

NAIDOC 2021 theme this year was Heal Country. Healing Country means embracing First Nations cultural knowledge and understanding of Country as part of Australia’s national heritage.

This year our Indigenous committee students helped to organise cultural events for the school. These events were a huge success and we are proud of the students who take pride in representing their cultures. Events included, guest Didgeridoo player Lyndon Francis from My105.9FM, a Staff NAIDOC High Tea, NAIDOC All school BBQ and the Teacher Vs Students touch football game.

Proceeds raised were donated to the Indigenous Literacy Foundation.

Mrs Melissa Russell

Holidays are great!!! No pressure to wake up early, no strict bedtime necessary.  Rules can be relaxed during the holidays.  However, now we have returned to school, it’s time to get back into a good routine.  Adequate, good quality sleep is crucial for all of us, especially adolescents. Sleep research suggests a teenager should be getting between eight to ten hours of sleep per night. A good night's sleep not only improves their moods, but also will make them happier and increase their learning potential. Tired kids do not learn well. This could be due to not going to bed until late or more psychological concerns such as worrying or overthinking.

Effects of poor sleep patterns include:

● Impaired classroom learning

● Mood and behavioural issues

● Increased risk taking behaviour

● More emotional

● Reduced sports performance

● Lowered self-esteem

● Poor coping skills

● Poor immune system

One major reason for lack of sleep in teens is increased night time use of electronic devices. This is due to a number of factors including:

● Device activity takes up time when they should be sleeping.

● Using a device while lying down in bed confuses the brain of when and where to sleep.

● Screen activity, particularly gaming and texting stimulates the brain, waking the brain up.

Here are some practical strategies that can help improve your teens sleep:

● Come up with an agreement on a sleep routine together. Let them have some say and control over this agreement and be sure to discuss the benefits of a good sleep.

● Establish a pre-sleep routine. Relaxing activities before bedtime will help calm the mind and get the body ready for sleep.

● Gradually make bedtime earlier each week.  Big changes straight away may make your teen more resistant.  

● Retrain the brain and get your teen to sit at a desk or chair when using their device, not their bed.

● Avoid having digital devices in the bedroom. 

● Avoid stimulants in the evening such as caffeine and energy drinks.

● Increased physical activity during the day. 

Regularly not getting enough sleep can have a drastic impact on a teenager’s life, impacting their wellbeing and increasing their risk of anxiety and depression. A good sleep will improve their mood and happiness, their learning capacity and has a positive effect on their mental health. 

(Information from “Nuturing Young Minds, by Dr Ramesh Manocha)

If you have any questions regarding this topic, or any other concerns regarding your student’s mental health, feel free to email me (donnetta_trannore@mercymackay.qld.edu.au).

Mrs Dee Trannore

Year 7

Pikelets

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup flour self raising flour
• pinch of salt
• 2 tablespoons caster sugar
• 190ml milk
• 1 egg
• oil spray
• 1 tablespoons butter 
• jam

METHOD

1. Sift flour and salt in a medium bowl. Stir in the sugar.

2. Whisk milk and egg together, then add to dry ingredients, whisking until smooth.

3. Heat a non-stick frypan over medium heat and lightly spray with oil spray. Drop level tablespoonfuls of the mixture into the pan and cook for half a minute or until bubbles appear on the surface.

4. Turnover and cook other side for 1 minute until golden.

5. Allow to cool and serve with butter and jam. 

Year 9

Jacket Potatoes

INGREDIENTS

• 2 large baking potatoes
• 1 tablespoon butter
• ¼ stalk celery finely chopped
• ¼ carrot grated
• 2 tablespoons sweetcorn 
• 3 rashers bacon, diced 
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• ½ cup tasty cheese grated

METHOD:

1. Wash and pierce the potatoes with a skewer or fork.

2. Place potatoes on a microwave safe plate with paper towelling and microwave for 20 minutes or until cooked.

3. Gently dry fry the bacon in a frypan.

4. Cut a cross on the potato and squeeze the potato with both hands, take care.

5. Place the cooked potatoes in a foil tray. 

6. Add butter and then fill with celery, carrot, corn, bacon and cheese. 

7. Bake for 20 minutes or until potato is golden.

8. Top with sour cream and serve.  

Year 10

Savoury Mince Envelopes 

INGREDIENTS:                                                               

•  2 sheets low fat puff pastry 
•  150g lean mince
• 1 medium potato
• 1 small onion
• 1 carrot and ¼ cup peas (optional)
• 2 teaspoon tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon barbecue sauce
• cooking spray
• salt and pepper
• ½ egg

METHOD:

1. Wash, peel and grate potato and carrot. Cut onion into small cubes. 
2. In a microwave safe jug, put mince and onion and microwave for 30 seconds, stir and break up the mince until meat has browned. In a large bowl add mince mixture, potatoes, barbecue sauce, tomato paste, salt and pepper, carrots and peas (optional). Mix well.
3. Cut each sheet of pastry into 4 squares. 
4. Place about 1 tablespoon of the mixture in the centre of each square. 
5.  Moisten along the edges, then pinch the four corners of pastry to the centre and press edges firmly together to form an envelope shape.
6. Prick using a fork and glaze tops with a beaten egg.
7. Place on a greased baking tray and bake in a hot oven for 30 minutes or until golden brown.