The Hedge
Week 3, Term 4 | Thursday 31 October 2024 A weekly snippet of what’s happening ‘behind the hedge’ at Mercedes College...

Premier's Leadership Forum

This morning, we welcomed Old Scholar and Premier of South Australia, Mr Peter Malinauskas MP to our Campus to a Leadership Forum with our Middle School Leaders and our 2025. Captains-in-waiting.

We also invited local primary schools to come along and share in this special opportunity and it was wonderful to host student leaders from St Joseph’s Norwood, St Catherine’s Stirling and St Raphael’s school.

After a quick tour of our new Sports and Arts precinct, the Premier was engaged in lively discussion with students, who posed several questions to him about the challenges and rewards of Leadership, how to navigate difficult situations and how to stay motivated as a leader in the face of criticism.

It’s always a pleasure to welcome back Old Scholars to our Campus – and we appreciate The Premier for taking the time to share some insights with our young leaders…

PYP Exhibition on Show

Our Year 5s have been busy working on their exhibits for ‘Sharing the Planet’ as part of their assessment in the Primary Years Programme (PYP).

Their task was to choose topics of interest to them, that will hopefully influence others and help them understand that we all have a responsibility to care for one another and our planet.

This exhibition is the culmination of work done over many weeks, and is a significant ‘rite of passage’ for our Year 5s as one of their final major assessments before they leave the Junior School and graduate to our Middle School.

Bringing Joy to Christmas

It’s nearly that time of the year, when the man in the big red suit comes to town… and when we gather together as a community for the last time this year.

Our annual Christmas Picnic is on Sunday 10 November from 2pm – 4pm and will be held in our beautiful Rose Garden. This is a great event, which brings together families and friends, to enjoy some festive cheer and look back on another great year.

Bring along a picnic rug, your food and drink and we’ll do the rest. We will have free face painting, children’s craft activities, ice-cream and even a visit from Santa.

And… our Joy Boxes are returning this year. You should have all received a Joy Box kit. It has a box, ribbon and a cello bag along with some instructions on how our Joy Boxes work.

Simply fill up the box with items nominated on the instructions and return it to Jenny (resident Christmas Angel) at Strathspey House by Wednesday 6 November.

We will be selling our Joy Boxes for $25 (card payment) at the Picnic… so the perfect time to pick up a few early Christmas gifts.

If you are coming along – please register here so we know our numbers!

Celebrating PEG

Earlier this week, we held our final Parent Engagement Group (PEG) meeting for 2024. We hold PEG meetings once per Term, and everyone is invited and welcome to come along. We also stream all meetings online, as we know it’s not always possible for families to get to the meetings in person.

PEG is a great forum to share information, updates, ideas and to get your feedback and comments. We usually have a member of the Senior Leadership Team at each meeting, to talk about developments in our performing arts, sport, curriculum, staff, Campus happenings!

Thank you to everyone who joined us throughout the year – it’s a great opportunity to get together and catch up.

Governor's Civics Award Winner

Congratulations to Maddi Sutton (Year 10, Fitzpatrick) for being judged as a winner in the 2024 Governor’s Civics Awards for Schools.

Maddi wrote a speech transcript to the Premier of South Australia, and Old Scholar, arguing for a train service to Mount Barker. The basis for Maddi’s case is the growth in regional development and the need for more housing in Mount Barker, highlighting the economic, environmental and social benefits for Mount Barker residents and the greater Adelaide region.

Maddi will be presented with a medallion and certificate at an Awards Ceremony at Government House in January 2025.

Well, done, Maddi, and also to Hunter (Year 10, Barry) and Matilda (Year 10, Barry) for being highlighted for the quality of their submissions from amongst the Mercedes College entries.

It seems the future is in good hands!

Junior School Fun Day

Let’s get baking!

Show your House Spirit by baking up a storm for our Junior School Sports Fun Day on Friday 15 November.

We’re inviting Junior School families to bring along some sweet treats for students to buy (just $2/item) decorated in their House colour.

Last year, cupcakes (yes, with blue, yellow, red or green icing) were a big hit – as were all the other treats that gave our athletes some energy for the rest of the day. We also welcome Gluten Free items (please just mark them so we can identify them) and a reminder that we are a nut free College.

Please drop your baked House Spirit goodies to Jenny (McAuley) at Strathspey Reception by Thursday 14 November.

And if you can spare a few hours on the day to volunteer to our House baked goods – we’d love to hear from you. Just make sure you wear your house colours and come along for some fun and of course, free Barista made coffee!!

Please send an email to events@mercedes.catholic.edu to let our Marketing & Communications team know if you would like to volunteer on the day.

See you there – Go Barry, Dalton, Fitzpatrick and McAuley!

Félicitations, Charlotte!

Last week, Charlotte (Year 6, Dalton), was awarded her prize for being Mention Tres Bien in the Year 5/6 category of Concours de Poésie Récitée – part of the Alliance Francaise Competition.

The competition is held across Adelaide by Alliance Francaise d’Adelaide and the South Australian French Teachers Association (SAFTA). The Award recognises students’ success in all aspects of French language.

Charlotte took out the top spot for her age in poetry recital – what a great effort.

Athletics SA Carnival

What a brilliant start to the athletics season with 14 of our students participating in the Athletics SA Carnival over the weekend.

All students achieved personal best results, and said it was great to get out on the track and field and set some goals and targets for the coming season.

Great sportsmanship was again on show from our Mercedes College students – doing their best on and off the field.

Congratulations to all our athletes for taking park and especially to those who stepped onto the track and field for the first time!

Rising to the Challenge

Last week, Year 10 Religion students took inspiration from Need Brockmann’s Uncomfortable Challenge – the challenge is unique to what makes you uncomfortable.

The provocation for the unit was “Ordinary people can do extraordinary things.”

Students undertook a variety of personal challenges over the term break including daily running, “Going Cold” for 5 days and Lucy, Mali and Ava decided to raise money for Leukemia Research by cutting their hair (and got others involved too!).

The commitment and investment in the idea of challenging themselves to benefit others was wonderful! Bravo Yr 10s.

Congratulations Helen!

We are delighted to announce the appointment of Helen Ayliffe to the role of APRIM (Assistant Principal, Religious Identity and Mission) at Mercedes College. Helen has been Acting APRIM this past year.

Helen has been a member of the Mercedes College community for the past 15 years, bringing 35 years of teaching experience to her work. She has served this community in many roles, including Mass Commentator, Lector, Children’s Sacraments leader, Children’s liturgist, and Extraordinary Minister of the Eucharist.

Helen brings with her advanced qualifications, including a Graduate Diploma of Teaching (Secondary), a Graduate Certificate in Catholic Education, and near completion of her Master's in Educational Leadership through Catholic Education, alongside her participation in the Aspiring Leaders Programme and D.U.D.F France. 

If you see Helen at the College please congratulate her on this appointment!

Setting the Standard

As we are well into Term 4, it’s a timely reminder for all students to ensure that their full Summer uniform is worn.

We all take great pride in Mercedes College and a big part of that is our students and how they present themselves.

We understand there are different uniforms for various levels throughout the school, from our youngest Receptions to our leading Yr 12s.

Presentation does not just relate to the right uniform, pulled up socks, clean shoes and tidy blazers. It also refers to personal grooming and general appearance – hair, jewellery, no make-up.

We will be conducting random uniform checks in the coming weeks – so please check our Summer Uniform Policy and please follow the guidelines.

Setting a high standard for personal presentation is something we encourage all our students to aspire to!

Year 3's Take on the Outdoors

Our Year 3 excursion to Woodhouse Adventure Park last week was a wonderful experience filled with physical challenges.

It was fantastic to see the students supporting and encouraging each other as they made their way through the activities on Challenge Hill.

We’re sure there were some sore muscles the next day, but each student should be incredibly proud of their efforts and the resilience they showed throughout the day! 

Game, Set, Match...

We are very excited to welcome our new Tennis Coordinator, Seb Henderson for the 2025 Tennis Season.

Coming from Scotch College, Seb is committed to building a new era of tennis, aligned to the Mercedes values and identity, and he is looking forward to meeting our community.

When asked what he is most looking forward to he said, ‘the opportunity to strengthen tennis at the College while fostering a culture of excellence, resilience and teamwork, and having fun while doing so!’

His final words… GO CAMELS!

We look forward to seeing our Tennis teams out on our new courts this Summer!

Coming Up...

  • Friday 1 November | All Saints Day
  • Friday 1 November | Junior School JAM Band visit
  • Saturday 2 November | All Souls Day
  • Monday 4 November to 6 November | Year 10 Outdoor Education Camp – Surfing (Group 2)
  • Monday 4 to Friday 8 November | Year 6 Canberra Trip
  • Friday 8 November | SACE Art, Design and Performing Arts Exhibition Opening
  • Sunday 10 November | Christmas Picnic, 2pm – 4pm
  • Monday 11 November | Remembrance Day
  • Friday 15 November | Junior School Sports Fun Day
  • Thursday 21 November | 70th Year Highlights Performance (Performing Arts)
  • Wednesday 27 November | Year 5 Graduation
  • Friday 29 November | Class of 2024 Graduation Ball