Mercy Messenger Term 3 Week 6 20 August 2021

Next Thursday 26 August would be Mother Teresa of Calcutta’s birthday. Born in Albania in 1910, this girl grew up to work with the poorest of the poor in India. 

A journalist once asked Mother Teresa why she bothered working with the poor in Calcutta, because it was all just a drop in the ocean – there being millions of poor people in India. Mother Teresa said in reply, that she was not concerned with a big way of doing things – she was concerned with individuals: “This person”, she pointed to someone, “thinks it makes all the difference!”

I remind all students of the College motto “Serve Christ” and encourage them to focus on the foundations of Compassion, Hope and Justice.  We are all striving to be more Christlike in our daily action, in the way Mother Teresa was to the poor in India.

2021 Early School Leavers survey

The Queensland Government is seeking the support of the school community for the annual survey of Year 10, 11 and 12 students who left school in 2020, before completing Year 12. This short, confidential survey collects information about what young people are doing the year after leaving school. The results of the survey help provide valuable information to improve services available to school leavers in the future. 

Between August and September, these school leavers can expect to receive instructions to complete a web-based survey or a telephone call from the Queensland Government Statistician’s Office. Please encourage them to take part. If their contact details have changed, please assist the interviewer with their updated details or forward the survey to their new address so they can participate. 

Thank you for your support of Next Step post-school destination surveys in 2021.

For more information, visit www.qld.gov.au/nextstep/ or telephone toll free on 1800 068 587.

St Patrick’s College Enrolment Processes for 2022

Enrolment applications for Year 11 2022 at St Patrick’s College are now open and can be accessed through the Quick Links area on the Home Page of our website - http://www.stpats.qld.edu.au/i...

Dates in relation to the enrolment process are listed below for your information. Enrolment numbers for 2022 are high. If you know of anyone who is considering applying please advise them to contact the College as soon as possible. 

BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) at St Patrick’s College 

In 2022, it is preferred that all students bring their own device to college. Our recommendation is that it would be a notebook or laptop with Wi-Fi6 (5GHz is required to connect to the College Wi-Fi network), a USB-C charging port and a minimum of 8 hours battery life. Some of their text books will be available in electronic format. It is important that the device is lightweight. Some students may already have an acceptable device. Contact the College’s IT department if you need further clarification. The College has laptops available for student use in classrooms and for overnight loans in emergencies. Students will usually need to have access to a computer at home to do assignments and to access some of their textbooks which are available in electronic format.

Any students who have chosen Industrial Graphics, must have a Windows 10 device. There are certain applications that are only supported by Windows 10.

All students at St Pat’s are able to download a copy of Microsoft Office 365 for their BYOD devices. The College offers licences for up to five devices (this includes PCs, Macs and tablets). So, if purchasing a new device, please remember you do not need to purchase the Microsoft package for the student’s device.

Eisteddfod

I have been very proud to have witnessed all the wonderful performances from our Choir and Instrumental students at the Eisteddfod.  All pieces were performed at an extremely high level.  Thank you to all for showing our Community your talents.

Congratulations to Noah Williams (Midas 4) and his Grandfather Mr Lindsay Williams who submitted an entry and won $1400 in the Sugarcane Competition at the Mackay Show in June.  The winnings have been kindly donated to the Mercy College community.   We acknowledge your generosity. 

With only four weeks left of Term 3, I would like to acknowledge the staff of Mercy and St Patricks Colleges for all their hard and commitment, it is greatly appreciated!   It has certainly been a busy term and I encourage students to remain focused and continue to work hard – the holidays are not too far away.  THANK YOU!

Mrs Janelle Agius

On Thursday 9 September the college will be holding a Year 9 Student & Parent Subject Selection Information Evening from 5:30pm-6:30pm. The session will take place in the Mercy College Hall including the following topics:

• Overview of pathways for Senior Schooling - Mrs Marie Martin (Secondary Curriculum Consultant)
• Subject Selection Process for Year 10 2022 - Mr Skoczylas
• Interactive stations for each department

The aim of the evening is to ensure that everyone is aware of how this process works and directing students to the best subject choices for their future schooling here in Year 10 and also their Senior Pathway. Limiting the number of subject changes in Years 10-12 will benefit both the students and teachers, enabling a greater depth of study to take place.

Prior to the evening, subject selection information for each department will be emailed out to all Year 9 students and parents, outlining all the possible offerings going into Year 10 and where they lead to for Senior Study. It is also important to note that the Subject Selection Handbooks can be utilised through the Mercy College Website at any time. All Heads of Department will then be available during the evening to answer questions in regards to their subject area.

It is recommended that both parents and students attend to ensure all parties are clear about the process ahead. We look forward to seeing you there.

Mr Matthew Paul

Recently ordained Fr Ashwin Acharya came back to Mackay for a short time prior to beginning his first appointment in Gladstone where he will serve with Fr Andrew Chase.

We are fortunate to have Fr Ashwin so willingly share his knowledge and faith experience with our students. He has enthusiastically presented at Wednesday morning assembly, visited Year 9 and 10 Religion classes, and also joined staff at our annual Catholic Education Week breakfast.

One particular Religion lesson I accompanied Fr Ashwin to, entailed a class of Year 9 students studying vocations. His explanation of our first vocation as Christians being the universal call to holiness, which begins in an explicit way at Baptism. He shared that we need not lose heart with unrealistic and unhelpful ideas about holiness. The Catechism explains that “charity is the soul of the holiness to which all are called,” and that love is what governs, shapes, and perfects” our pursuits of being holy.

We respond to this call from God, when we share our gifts, talents and abilities with love for those around us, and proclaim the message of Jesus in ways that seek to confront and dismantle injustice and oppression in the world.

Fr Ashwin then went on to explain that our secondary vocation as Christians is our ‘state in life’. In the Church’s imagination, these include:

• Holy Orders (Deacon, Priest, Bishop)
• Religious Life (Nuns, Monks, Consecrates Sisters and Brothers, etc.)
• Married Life
• Single Generous Life in Christ

Then finally he shared a sort of third vocation. For most of the world, people wonder what their career might be when they complete their formal schooling. As their school years start to draw to a close, students imagine what job they might take up, and if possible they might even tailor their subject selection to cater for these possible career opportunities. 

Fr Ashwin shared with students that for Christians, however, the ultimate end of our learning and our work in the world begins at our baptism; it is all caught up in our lifelong journey into holiness – a journey which we do not make alone, but with the God (the holy one), and amongst all the people God continually gathers to himself. A Christian’s work in the world, then, is meant to bear witness to the fact that they are called by God and seek to live in friendship with God and with all people. What job do they do? This might be a great surprise to them, as God leads them along the journey! And unlike our plans which sometimes turn out differently to what we hoped, God’s surprises never disappoint, because he knows us better than we know our selves and he desires us to be happy.

We have greatly appreciated Fr Ashwin Acharya being with us for this short time.  

Fr Ashwin, May the Holy Spirit shine brightly in you as you begin serving God’s people at the parishes of Gladstone.

Mrs Jeanette Refalo

Last week on our school assembly I explained to the students that one of the many benefits of reading fiction is that it helps to foster empathy; which is why we value and encourage reading here at Mercy. The Year 10 students in particular should recognise this word empathy, as it is what Atticus Finch from the book, To Kill a Mockingbird preaches to his children when he says to “walk around in someone else’s shoes for a while, to see things from their point of view”. 

To recognise the importance of reading, the Mercy Book Club will once again run its annual dress up day for Book Week. Friday of Week 7, 27 August, students can come to school dressed as their favourite characters from a book, movie, TV series, anime or video game; and there are some great prizes on offer as well! 

But first, some important rules:

Rule #1: Please keep it modest. Remember, students are still coming to school, so they need to be wearing costumes that are appropriate. 

Rule #2: face paint, makeup, wigs and coloured hairspray is allowed, but it needs to be in character and students must apply it before they come to school. 

Rule #3: the day is free! 

In conclusion, a line from Kathleen Noonan (2015) asks us to ponder the strange power that a small bundle of paper, glue and ink can have and that a book’s potency is in how they make us feel and that books will have an impact on your life, if only you let them! Food for thought.

Noonan K., 2015, “Opinion: Well-known Australian’s reveal their favourite books for the Home to Me raffle”, The Courier Mail, August, 22

Mr Stephen Crocker

Service Learning

Brekky Van – Year 10s

Students and staff are doing a great job feeding the vulnerable members of our community. Not only that, but they are having some great conversations with local residents and the wonderful Orange Sky volunteers we work alongside. Numbers are continuing to grow and some mornings we are happy to say we have given away all of our food. If we do have leftovers, these are taken to the Men’s Hostel or CASA. A huge thank you to our generous sponsors who keep us on the road, as well as Crimestoppers who recently donated over 400 sausages to the Brekky Van. A huge shout out to Cakes by Corrin who donate cake to those who visit the Brekky Van and Orange Sky Laundry.

Buddy Reading – Year 8 and 9s

Our amazing Year 8 and 9 students have been growing in numbers to visit St Mary’s each Wednesday morning. Last week we had over 45 students come to St Mary’s to visit Prep, Year 1 and Year 2 students. St Mary’s students recently made cards and biscuits for our Buddy readers to say thank you during Catholic Education Week. Our students are finding this a valuable (and fun!) experience as they are helping St Mary’s students read, write and play.

Market Garden – Year 7's

The Year 7 market garden is producing lots of fresh vegetables. These are sold within the staff community to raise money for an adopt a family for Christmas at the end of the year.

Justice@Mercy and Vinnies High Tea and Cent Sale 

The upcoming High Tea and Cent sale is busily being planned by the Justice@Mercy and Vinnies Committees. We have over 20 prizes for the cent sale that have been generously donated by staff and local businesses. Thank you to the following businesses for supporting our event:

• Kylie Ferriday Art
• Nelipot Co-Op Walkerston Hairdressers
• Sorbellos Italian Restaurant
• Marian Fleabag and Co.
• Little Bit Country
• Potless Plants QLD
• SH Tait & Co. 

You can purchase tickets from the finance office in person or by calling the College on 4969 4199. Make sure you bring along your favourite cup, with a prize for the quirkiest tea cup. Cent sale tickets are $1 each, to be purchased on the day. There will also be a giant 4.5 kg Toblerone chocolate raffle for $1 a ticket. A lucky door prize will be drawn on the day.

Mrs Louise Mullaney and Ms Cecelia McLoughlin

Congratulations to the Mercy Junior Voices on their recent success at the Mackay Eisteddfod. After a year off, our students were very excited to take to the stage and perform again. The students competed in four choral sections: Secondary folk group, Secondary Modern, Secondary Hymn and Folk and the Secondary Open section. Our wonderful group placed in all four sections against excellent competition. Thank you to our conductor Miss Molly Rossetto for ensuring the group was ready to take the stage and Mrs Caireen Holt for accompanying our students.

It has been lovely to see so many of our students compete in the Choral, Vocal, Highland and Irish Sections, with many earning places for their outstanding performances. Special congratulations to Sophie Reilly who was awarded the The Butch Bernet Bursary, selected by the adjudicator to a competitor 11-14 years who shows Most Promise as a performer. 

This Week our Instrumental students took to the stage to compete in their respective categories. Due to the ever changing Covid situation, we have taken to a new format where we performed at the College and the adjudicator came to us to enjoy a wonderful evening of entertainment. The following ensembles performed in the following sections:

517 Percussion/Handbell Ensemble (tuned and untuned instruments) for Secondary School Students 

1. Holy Spirit Drum Corp 
2. Mercy College Drum Corps 
3. St Patrick's Percussion 
4. Whitsunday Anglican School Handbells 
5. Mercy College Handbells Ensemble 
6. Mercy College Concert Percussion 
7. St Patrick's Handbells 
8. St Patrick's Drum Squad

518 Large Community Group of any Instruments - Open Competitors 1 to 5 performing at 

1. Mackay City Band 
2. Mackay Youth Orchestra 
3. Mackay City Strings 
4. MOI Jazz Band 5 Bluewater Big Band
5. Mercy College/St Patrick's College Combined Ensemble 

514 Concert Band for Secondary School Students 

1. MCC Wind Ensemble 
2. MNBSHS Junior Concert Band 
3. MNBSHS Senior Concert Band 
4. Whitsunday Anglican School Symphonic Winds 
5. Holy Spirit Band 
6. Mackay North State High A 
7. Mackay North State High B 
8. Mercy College/St Patrick's College Combined Concert Band 
9. Pioneer State High School 
10. Sarina State High School 

515 String Orchestra for Secondary School Students 

1. Mackay North State High 
2. MNBSHS String Ensemble 
3. Mercy College/St Patrick's College Combined Ensemble 
4. Whitsunday Anglican School Senior String Ensemble

Students were awarded gold, silver and bronze based on their individual performance and the music score on the evening. At the completion of the Eisteddfod, schools will be awarded places once the adjudicator has completed his travels. So please stay tuned for the results. 

Thank you to our conductors: Samuel Bauer, Timothy McClelland, Chelsea Jansen, Carmen Bennett for their continuous work with our groups also to Marcus McConnell, Annaliese Mauchline and Ellis Kettle for playing in our groups during the term and supporting our younger student’s development and sound. The students have truly appreciated the time given to them each week to perfect their talent.

Miss Cassandra Gillespie

2021, another phenomenal year in the world of Women's Rugby League. At the beginning of the year, NRL adopted the theme ‘Play your part’, and Mercy College have done just that. Over the last four weeks, 60 Mercy College girls have participated, respected, engaged and flourished in the Bianca Bobongie Cup (Year 7 and 8) and Sam Ramsamy Cup (Year 9 and 10). Continuously manifesting passion, discipline and sportsmanship, these 60 young girls are graciously paving the way for endless possibilities in the world of women in the sports. These opportunities could not have been fulfilled without the support of Tania Attard, Vikki McGrath, Shaunagh Bella and Val McKenzie. 

18/08/2021 Grand Final Day..... and the results were

Year 7/8 Mercy Blue team were runners up for the Bianca Bobongie Cup, well done girls. Mercy Teal displayed great resilience and determination battling against Holy Spirit College, unfortunately going down in the dying minutes. 

The two Year 9 and 10 teams Mercy Blue and Mercy Teal went head to head in a thrilling performance in the Sam Ramsamy Cup. The result was a nail biting draw.

Well done all of our players for a well fought season and to the teaching staff who have supported them. 

Miss Abbie Johnson

Teacher/Coach

Careers Expos provide students with opportunities to reflect on their personal characteristics, interests, abilities and values, and to explore their post-school options. They allow students to connect with career advisors, employers, education and training providers and explore potential job opportunities. On Wednesday 4 August, 42 students studying Year 10 Work Education attended the JCU Career Connect Expo. This community event was hosted by Northern Beaches State School from 11:00am to 6:00pm with involvement and support from various schools in the Mackay region including Mercy College. 

Prior to entering the Expo, students and accompanying staff watched a short welcome video designed to provoke questions about career options, pathway choices and regional opportunities. In the first tent there were various exhibitors such as North Queensland Technical College and Aurizon. The Police Force and Defence Force stands were particularly popular with several students spending time in discussion with representatives. Outside there were a variety of businesses represented such as Ergon Energy and Mastermyne. Most of the university displays were located in the hall including JCU and CQU together with various school and local business exhibitions. 

From all accounts the students valued the excursion experience with some students even returning to attend in the evening with family members. The students represented the College with good behaviour, wearing their uniforms with pride and engaging with exhibitors respectfully. For more information on career opportunities, students can refer to the Jobs noticeboard near the library, ask their Careers teacher, speak to the Career Counsellor, Mrs Susan McKay or visit myself 

Mrs Cherie Hess

Year 7

Easy Cheesy, Herb & Bacon Muffins

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups self-raising flour
• 1 cup grated cheese
• 2 slices bacon chopped 
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 125g melted butter
• 1 cup milk (250ml)
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon sweet paprika

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 180C. Line a muffin tray with muffin papers.
2. Sift flour and salt into a medium bowl.
3. Melt butter in microwave safe jug, stir in the bacon, cheese, parsley and milk until well combined.
4. Spoon mixture into prepared muffin tray.
5. Sprinkle paprika if you wish.
6. Bake for about 15- 25 minutes until golden brown and cooked through.

Year 9

Yoghurt and Banana Muffins

INGREDIENTS

• 2 large over ripe bananas
• 1 cup natural yoghurt 
• 1 egg
• ⅔ cup vegetable oil
• 1 ¾ cup self-raising flour
• ½ cup caster sugar
• icing sugar for dusting

METHOD

1. Mash the banana with the back of your fork in a large bowl.
2. Add yoghurt, egg and oil to the banana and stir to combine.
3. Sift the flour and add sugar into the banana mixture and stir to combine.
4. Add a little extra flour if the mixture appears too runny.
5. Spoon banana and yoghurt mixture into prepared muffin pan.
6. Bake muffins for 20-25 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre of muffin comes out clean.
7. Stand muffins in the pan for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool.

Year 10

Pork Ribs with Smashed Potatoes & Cabbage Salad 

INGREDIENTS

• 350g Pork ribs
• 1/8 green cabbage 
• 1/4 cup sweet chilli sauce
• 1/8 red cabbage
• 2 tablespoons tomato sauce
• ½ carrot
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon sushi ginger
• 4 baby potatoes
• 2 tablespoon fresh coriander

Salad dressing:

• 2 teaspoons sesame seeds
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• Salt & pepper

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 200*C. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
2. Place washed baby potatoes in a small saucepan and boil for 15 minutes until fork tender. 
3. Combine chilli, tomato and soy sauce in a medium bowl. Reserve ¼ cup and set aside. Add pork rasher, turning to coat with marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 10 minutes.
4. Transfer pork to prepared tray and bake for 25 minutes or until golden and cooked through.
5. Flatten potatoes with a masher and baste with the reserved chilli sauce. Bake for 10 minutes, baste again and bake for a further 10 minutes and sprinkle with sesame seeds
6. Finely shredded cabbages, peeled and grated carrot, chopped ginger, coriander leaves and sesame seeds placed into a bowl. whisk oil, vinegar, salt and pepper in a jug. Add to salad and toss to combine. 
7. Place pork on plates and serve with cabbage salad and smashed potatoes. 

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