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The Hedge
Week 2, Term 2 | Thursday 8 May 2025 A weekly snippet of what’s happening ‘behind the hedge’ at Mercedes College...

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A Community of Hope

Yesterday our community gathered for Mass, following on from the messages delivered at last week’s Community Prayer, where we acknowledged the sacrifice of our ANZACs, Easter and and honoured the passing of Pope Francis on Easter Monday.

Father John Shanahan led our Mass, speaking of Mercy in action and being pilgrims of hope and peace. His words and prayers were wonderfully supported by live music from our choirs and jazz band, and Student Leaders participated in a Ceremony of Hope.

We were delighted to be joined by Year 5 students from St Thomas School, who visited to participate in activities with our Year 5s, led by Year 12 students Chloe (Barry), Jade (Barry), and Emma (Dalton).

Walking Together with Kaurna

This week, our Year 8s engaged in a series of games mimicking traditional Aboriginal games from around the country. Rotating between stations in small groups, students practised teamwork and precision, originally used to develop hunting skills, as well as jumping, dodging and bowling games testing agility.

Central to the games is Parntu, a traditional game using a ball made from possum hide that shares many elements of modern day AFL.

MOSA 2025 AGM

The Mercedes Old Scholars' Association's 2025 AGM will be held on Tuesday 27 May in The Loft at the Torrens Arms Hotel. 

A part of this meeting is calling for nominations for new Committee Members, and current President, Nick Pipinias (Class of 1995, McAuley), is hoping to attract some passionate minds to help him navigate some new initiatives to reinvigorate the Old Scholar community.

Whether you are local to Adelaide, or live further afield, you can have input as an official Committee Member.

The Committee meets around six to eight times per year, which you can join via Zoom if not in person, to discuss ways to support MOSA affiliated groups, give back to current students at the College, and facilitate regular reunions to keep connections strong.

Old Scholars can nominate for the Committee here, or register your RSVP to attend the AGM and find out more.

Jazz Hands

Last weekend our Stage Band, Jazz Combo, and vocal ensemble Vivace performed superbly at the annual festival, Generations in Jazz. As well as representing Mercedes College in the schools competition, students took advantage of workshops with professional musicians, and saw live music from some of the best jazz talent in Australia.

Feedback from students was glowing - they all had a great weekend - and when they opened our Mass yesterday there were definitely jazz overtones!

In addition, Old Scholar Maisie Aitken (Class of 2022, Barry) sang in competition for the national Generations in Jazz Vocal Scholarship and succeeded in securing it over the five other finalists – congratulations Maisie!

Making Learning Electric

Our Year 6 students got a chance to learn in the Science labs last week, testing out their skills in electricity.

Across 80 minute workshops, students made their own electric circuits, tested conductors and insulators, and worked out how to power LEDs, motors, propellers and solar panels.

The students’ favourite part of this experience was definitely testing the Van de Graaff electrostatic generator, which was a hair-raising good time!

Music Assessments

Wishing the best to our two Year 12 Ensemble Performance students who will be completing a recorded assessment next week in the John McDonald Music Centre. Summer (Fitzpatrick) will be singing a range including songs by Billie Eilish, The Cranberries, Lady Gaga and Radiohead, whilst Billy (Barry) will demonstrate his mastery of the drums both solo, and alongside our Senior Jazz Combo.

Friends and family are invited to attend, Wednesday 14 May from 5.00pm.

Playgroup Fun

It was wonderful to welcome so many families to this morning's Playgroup session with Annika. Children had lots of fun, taking advantage of the toys, art materials, and sensory play available, and mums happily joined in while getting to know one another.

Playgroup will be held every Thursday during Term, 9.00am until 10.30am in our OSHC room. Families interested in joining us can register on our website.

Final Retreat

Last week, our Year 12 cohort spent a few days together on their annual Retreat. The group split into two, attending either Victor Harbor or Wellington.

Retreat is a time for reflection, and in this Year of Compassion, the inspiration for their Retreat was focussed the three things that last: faith, hope, and love, with the message that the greatest of these is love.

Students committed whole-heartedly to the activities presented to them, which were designed to help create lasting memories, spiritual formation, and opportunities to connect with each other at a deeper level.

We know that this time together has strengthened the bonds of these students, fortifying them for their final months of school, and will solidify friendships that will last well beyond their time at the College

Netball Perfection

On Tuesday, 11 of our Year 6 students competed in the SAPSASA District Netball Carnival. Our Mercedes Camels team dominated the competition, winning all five of their games and conceding not a single point!

The girls showed incredible sportsmanship and commitment to their team, and we look forward to hearing the selections to represent City South at the upcoming State Netball Championship.

A big thank you to Glenn Ashmead for taking on the role of Coach for the day.

Coming up...

  • Friday 9 May | Year 5/6 MTB Championship | Mother's Day Lunch
  • Monday 12 to Sunday 18 May | Catholic Education Week
  • Monday 12 May | Year 10 Outdoor Education Bushwalking excursion | Years 6-11 Learning Reviews (night 2)
  • Tuesday 13 May | SAPSASA Year 4-6 Cross Country Carnival | French Tour Information Session
  • Wednesday 14 May | Modern Icons 'sculpt and sip' clay workshop 1
  • Monday 19 May | Year 10 STEP 3 Caving excursion | Paul Dillon Senior School presentations | Term 2 PEG Meeting (2.20pm)
  • Tuesday 20 to Friday 23 May | Year 9 Camp | Stage 2 Outdoor Education Kayaking Camp
  • Wednesday 28 May | IB ID Business Management excursion
  • Wednesday 28  to Friday 30 May | Year 10 Outdoor Education Bushwalking Camp
  • Thursday 29 May | Year 10 Vaccinations | Year 12 Legal Studies excursion
  • Friday 30 May | Year 7 Retreat

More upcoming activities can be found on the College Calendar.