Senior Stories

New Beginnings

By Michael Francis Email this article

The 2017 academic year has started well, and I would like to thank all students, parents and staff for their enthusiasm in the way they have approached the first weeks of school.

We are fortunate to have a number of new members of the Mercedes community join us this year, and to those new students, parents and staff who are part of the Senior School for the first time in 2017, I hope that the year ahead is an unbridled success and that you enjoy what it is that the Senior School has to offer.

Over the summer break, I have been thinking about what it means to be a member of the Mercedes College Senior School. There are a number of key aspects, I believe, and these have been communicated to staff and students in the Senior School over the first few weeks.

Over the course of the year, these aspects will be revisited and used as a reminder for staff and students to be unified in their approach to their interactions in the Senior School. The major elements of the Senior School can be expressed in the following points:

• It’s built on the MERCY KEYS
• It’s being ACCOUNTABLE
• It’s EXCITING
• It’s part of a TRADITION
• It means being OPEN to growth
• It means looking to be INTERNATIONALLY MINDED

As parents involved in the Senior School, I welcome your thoughts and feedback on these points and am happy to discuss these with you further if you would like. The Senior School Information Evening on Tuesday February 14 provided an opportunity for this and I thank those parents who attended this evening – even on Valentine’s Day!

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Party Guidelines for Families of Mercedes College

Toward the end of 2016, both Mr Jarrad McCabe (Head of Middle School – Pastoral) and I included in our Mercy Vine articles a link to a document that outlined intended guidelines for parents around the hosting of parties involving Mercedes College students. These guidelines were revisited at the recent parent information evening and are included here for your reference also.

I would like to stress that these guidelines have been developed in conjunction with Senior leadership staff at our College, and reference practices that are similar to other schools and colleges across Australia. In order for us to continue to provide an educational experience that nurtures the whole person, I would like to ask for your support in reading through these guidelines and being mindful of them when planning a social occasion that involves your children. Of course, I am happy to discuss this with you if you wish for clarification or to make a suggestion for improvement.

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Swimming Carnival 

A big congratulations must go to all students for their participation and involvement in the 6-12 Swimming Carnival held on Friday 10 February, 2017. Under some trying conditions due to the heat and humidity, students were fantastic in the way they approached the carnival with such enthusiasm.

The student Sport House Leaders worked extremely well with the staff involved in organising the event and I am so proud of the spirit in which the competition was held. Well done, and I look forward to seeing more of this when the Athletics Carnival takes place in March.

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Student Attendance

As a reminder to students and parents, if a student is to be absent from school for any period of time, please contact the student's Tutor Group teacher and/or the McAuley Office Administrative staff so that our duty of care can be maintained for your children. This is particularly pertinent if a student is to be leaving the school (or school activity – like a sporting carnival or excursion) for any reason during the school day, as we must be aware of the student absence for our records. 

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Senior School Spirituality

Throughout the year, students in the Senior School will have a number of opportunities to engage in developing their understanding of their faith and spirituality. Whether through class prayer in their Tutor Groups, through their Religious Education programme or through retreats and masses, students are expected to participate actively and to be mindful of the Catholic Mercy traditions that are the bedrock of our College.

Many wonderful opportunities exist at Mercedes College and certainly the capacity to reflect on one’s relationship with their God is one that is very special and important in our College.

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Looking Ahead…

In the coming weeks there are a number of activities involving students across the Senior School and as always these key dates are available on the School Calendar located the College website or through the calendars provided by Year Level Coordinators for their respective year levels.

I welcome your participation as families in the Senior School and look forward to seeing you throughout the year. I wish you all the very best for a successful and rewarding 2017.

Michael Francis 
Head of Senior School