Welcoming our community to 2024!
Thank you to all the families who joined us for our Pizza, Paella and Pinot night last week. It was wonderful to see so many families, students and staff sharing delicious food, great wine and good company!
It was great to have Unico Zelo introduce us to their lovely South Australian wines - they loved your positive feedback and have sent through a special offer for especially for Mercedes College families! Follow this unique link and for a limited time, Unico Zelo will give you one of their Savignon Blancs with every bottle of wine you buy.
We also thank Brasco’s Pizzeria and The Paella Man for keeping us fed on such a perfect summer evening – what a delicious start to a year of wonderful events to celebrate 70 years of Mercedes College!
SACE Art Stars
We are thrilled to celebrate three of our 2023 SACE Art students who have been selected to display their works as part of the State SACE Art Show. Congratulations Liv Pike, Yoo Jung Choi, and Violet Pye!
Book to see their work up close, along with works by other talented 2023 graduates, at Light Square Gallery, Adelaide College of the Arts, from 19 March to 12 April.
Middle Years Reflections
Yesterday our MYP students, from Year 6 to Year 10, took a step back from their usual schedule to engage in a day of reflection. Coming together in their Year levels, each cohort had their own topic of focus, about our Mercy history, living Mercy, identity and independence, relationships, and service.
Reflection Days are an important part of our curriculum, allowing students to become immersed in a deeper exploration of themselves and how they move through the world.
Seeking a Veggie-loving home!
Our International Student Programme has caught the eye of an outgoing and friendly young man from Germany who would like to study with us in Semester 2, however he needs a Homestay Host who is vegetarian or vegan to meet his dietary needs - can you help?
Being a Homestay Host is a rewarding experience that can build life-long connections for your family, plus you will receive $330 per week tax free for the cost of food, hosting, and your care. Learn more on our website and please contact us at mercedes@mercedes.catholic.edu.au if you can help us find a home for this 15 year old student.
Keeping skills sharp
Some of our cricketers from Year 7 to Year 12, had a special session this week with John Palmer, a specialist wicketkeeping coach from the Red Backs, who also coaches the State’s juniors.
John spent a morning session in the nets, going through the tips and tricks of wicket keeping – an invaluable experience for our students.
This year, John was voted Kensington Cricket Club’s Greatest Ever Wicketkeeper in their ‘Team of the Century’, alongside Sir Donald Bradman, who also made the team!
Students leading our Mentors
Last week our Student Mentoring Programme (SMP) Leaders welcomed some of our 2024 Community Mentors at a morning tea. Speaking earnestly about their belief in the Programme, they were joined by our Year 5 SMP Leaders, whose enthusiasm was the perfect example of why we include this as part of our wellbeing programmes.
If you would like to join our SMP team and help mentor students this year, please contact Stephen on sheuzen@mercedes.catholic.edu.au.
Progressing in Leaps and Bounds
2024 is a leap year, and today is 29 February – the Hedge’s first Leap Year Issue!
Did you know…
Babies born on 29 February are called Leapers, or Leaplings. There is a 1 in 1,461 chance of being born on Leap Day.
Some notable Leaplings include rapper Ja Rule, actor Dennis Farina, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, Pope Paul III, and (according to the official DC Universe calendar…) Superman!
Why not use Leap Day to reflect and celebrate what you’ve achieved in the past four years, and set goals for the next four. Perhaps you’d like to put a time capsule together with your family, to reopen in four years, or treat yourself to a leaping-inspired chocolate frog!
Sobering Exploration of History
As part of SACE Spiritualities, Religion and Meaning, our Year 12s spent time on Monday immersing themselves in the heartbreaking history of the WWII Holocaust.
They gleaned greater understanding of how communities responded to the evil and suffering that faced the persecuted Jewish people and explored how Jewish faith communities found hope and inspiration in the comfort of individuals and groups who sought to assist them. Our students were moved by survivor stories, learning about the importance of being an upstander and promoting human rights for all of humanity.
Hearing from staff at the Adelaide Holocaust Museum and Andrew Steiner Education Centre, as well as from the youngest survivor of Bergen Belsen Concentration Camp, Eva Temple, students became more informed and inspired to stand up against antisemitism and racism, using the Mercy Keys to make the world a fairer and more compassionate place for everyone.
Playing to lift the blues
This week, our sports teams donned a little blue to their uniforms in recognition of the Blue Round, which supports promotion of lifting the stigma of boys' mental health.
Sport and other forms of movement are widely acknowledged to reduce symptoms of mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety, as well as reducing stress, increasing energy, and improving concentration*. Playing with teammates, like our Middle 2 Girls Volleyball Team (pictured), also has the social benefit of forming the close bonds that come from shared experiences.
Keep an eye on this team as they are going from strength to strength each week, according to their Coach, Nathan Bassett.
*Health Direct
A helping hand…
We have a great support network of volunteers at Mercedes College, and we are looking for volunteers to join some of our excursions with our staff.
If you have availability during a school day, and would like to put your hand up, please email our human resources team on hr@mercedes.catholic.edu.au – it's a great day out with our students!
Mega run to kick off Athletics Carnivals
Sam, Year 11, and Maggie, Year 8, took out the top spots in this week’s 3,000m track event – the first event of this year’s Athletics Carnivals. There were 29 competitors involved in this contest, running the equivalent of around 16 AFL field lengths on Tuesday morning – congratulations to all of you!
More specialist events are scattered over the coming days, culminating in the Year 3 – Year 6 Athletics Carnival on Tuesday 5 March, and Year 7 – Year 12 Athletics Carnival on Thursday 7 March.
Final top times: Sam (Barry) – 10:30.9 | Maggie (Fitzpatrick) – 11:50.4, congratulations to you both!
