Supporting sports and launching disco fever

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Parents and friends out and about.

MP&FA supporting in the sporting arena
Intercol weekend was busy for Mercedes Parents and Friends Association volunteers, who provided terrific food and drink options at Netball on Friday night and Intercol Soccer and Football on Saturday. Funds raised through sales of toasties, baked goods, lolly bags, BBQ sausages, egg and bacon rolls, cakes, donuts, and plenty of soft drinks and water were gratefully received. We certainly kept everyone well-fed and hydrated!

Thank you to our loyal band of volunteers behind the scenes who bagged lolllies in advance, shopped for ingredients, and carted drinks between sporting venues. Also a big thank you to those families who donated items for us to sell during the Intercol weekend. It all helped make the food stalls a great success.

Also a special shout out to everyone who helped out at our stalls, and those for cooking up a storm at the footy, keeping both the Mercedes and St Ignatius' families very happy.

We look forward to future events in our new Arts and Sports Precinct!

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Disco tickets on sale!
The Junior School Disco is not to be missed on Friday 23 September with ticket sales already looking strong. Get in quick so the junior-groover in your family does not miss out. Tickets for the disco are $10, and include a glow stick and snack.

MP&FA will be selling food and drinks during and after the disco, so there's no need to feed the kids or yourself on that Friday evening, let us do that for you!

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Christine Kenny and Jo Cowain
Co-Chairs MP&FA

Old Scholars shaping our College community

By

Old Scholars giving back and achieving greatness.

MOSA Career Mentoring
On Friday 19 August, 41 Old Scholars representing 25 different career paths returned to campus to take part in the Year 11 Career Mentoring Programme. Students had the opportunity to hear from Old Scholars currently undergoing tertiary study, as well as qualified Old Scholars working in their chosen fields.

The career pathways explored by students were: visual arts, performing arts/film, architecture, business/entrepreneurship, commerce/accounting, criminology/cyber crime, dentistry, engineering, IT, journalism/media, law, marketing/advertising, medicine, nursing/midwifery, nutrition, paramedics, physiotherapy/occupational therapy, police force, psychology, science, speech pathology, teaching, and trades.

We are indebted to our talented Old Scholars who give back to the College through this very worthwhile programme.

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Intercol Open A Soccer Teams recipients of personalised guernseys
Prior to this year's Intercol competition, representatives from the Mercedes Old Collegians Soccer Club (MOCSC) attended the campus to present a donation of personalised soccer guernseys to our Open A Boys and Girls teams.

A large representation from MOCSC also supported the teams at their matches against St Ignatius’ College and continue to give back to our current students.

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National Netball Champions
Congratulations to Old Scholars Lauren Frew (Class of 2019) and Jessie Grenvold (Class of 2020) who were members of the successful SA Netball's Southern Force, who defeated Victoria Fury at the Australian Netball Championships last weekend.

Both Lauren and Jessie had outstanding games in the final – Lauren at Goal Attack and Jessie at Goal Keeper.

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Working together with Disney+
Congratulations Old Scholars Teresa Palmer (Class of 2003) and Charmaine Kuhn (Class of 2002) who are collaborating as actor and assistant director on The Clearing, by Disney+ (main image).

Together they are at the forefront of turning the story of Aussie cult The Family into a star studded eight part series thriller called The Clearing.

Yet another example of our Old Scholars doing themselves and our Mercedes College community proud!

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Anne Morse
MOSA Executive Officer

Down the rabbit hole

By Debbie Goss

Why is a raven like a writing desk?

It would not be surprising if some of our OSHC Educators feel like they have tumbled down that famous rabbit hole in a bid to find Alice and the White Rabbit in the magical world of Wonderland.

Stephen and a band of clever artists set the scene for the term when they painted our window showing poor Alice taking that fateful tumble, and over the first half of Term we have created a topsy turvy Mad Hatter's Tea Party on the ceiling! The party table includes cups, plates, cutlery, party hats and a high tea stand, making a very colourful display. Some may say it's quite mad, but we think it's very OSHC!

Many of the children have enjoyed reading the book and, of course, we have watched the movie more than once.

We are delighted by Alice's curiosity, which carries the story forward, and encourage a sense of curisosity in our children too.

This week our before school care children hosted Principal, Mr Balkwill and Head of Junior School, Ms Osborn for an Alice-inspired breakfast. The students cleverly entertained their VIPs with tales of their OSHC activities and some Alice in Wonderland trivia.

We look forward to creating a new theme for Term 4!

Debbie Goss
OSHC Coordinator

Mercedes College Playgroup is back

By Teresa Pepicelli

“Play is the highest form of expression of human development in children, for it alone is the free expression of what is in a child’s soul. Children need the time and freedom to play. Play is not a luxury, play is a necessity"
Friedrich Froebel

We are excited that Playgroup has returned to Mercedes College! Every Wednesday from 9:30am until 11am, in our Out of School Hours Care room, there's buzzing with children and parents at play. We always have a range of activities providing children ways to explore, experiment, and play while they are visiting.

Some of these activities include: water table, sand, bubbles, painting, play dough, crafts, puzzles, role play, construction, playground activities, and sensory play and our session always ends with singing, dancing, and a story. It is always a joy to watch the children sing and dance.

New families are always welcome to join our Playgroup family. Read more and register online, or call us on 8372 3200.

Teresa Pepicelli
Playgroup Co-ordinator

Elevating student voices

By Mercedes College

Sharing what young people say matters to them most.

South Australia's Commissioner for Children and Young People, and Mercedes College Old Scholar, Helen Connolly is again running her Student Voice Postcard initiative as a way of providing young people with an opportunity to be heard.

Our Year 2 to Year 6 students will complete a postcard in Week 7, fittingly aligning with Child Protection Week, answering four questions:

1. What is important to them.
2. What aspirations they have.
3. What they are worried about.
4. What they would change about their lives if they could.

No personal identifying data is collected.

This project has grown from more than 8,000 responses from 239 SA schools in its inagural year in 2019, to well over 13,000 responses from 289 schools in 2021. This year we look forward to seeing these numbers continue to grow so that our young people's voices from wide and far are heard.

You can read more about this initiative online.

The rewards of mentoring

By Stephen Heuzenroeder

Our Year 12 students reflect on their experience as a mentor.

One of the wonderful things about our College being an R-12 campus is the unique opportunity to invite Year 12 students to mentor younger students.  

Our current Year 12s will wrap up their involvement in the Student Mentoring Programme (SMP) at the end of this Term, and we took a moment to capture some of their experiences and what it means to them to be a mentor.

“Having been at Mercedes since Reception, I was part of the Student Mentoring Programme as a younger buddy repeatedly. As a result, I enjoy being part of the Student Mentoring Programme this year because I know that I am helping someone enjoy school a little bit more, just like I did when I was younger.” – Charlotte Sorrell

“I look forward to mentoring my buddy each week as we have built a strong friendship over the sessions by kicking a soccer ball, playing card games, or helping him with work. It is not only a time for both of us to have a break from school work but also a very rewarding experience, as you see the difference you are making in your buddy’s time at school.” – Jack Braddy

“Time in the SMP is so valuable because it gives us, as senior students, the chance to support a younger student and help them through their year by being a student voice and sharing key insights on the years to come. It also allows the younger students to have a role model who they can look to for support. I particularly enjoy my SMP time as it gives me a chance to get away from my studies and build an interpersonal relationship with a younger student.”- Eric Penna

“I have loved the opportunity to be a student mentor this year. It has been incredible to see my buddy become more comfortable, grow and flourish through the programme. I am so lucky to have been able to participate in this programme and assist my student with their endeavours.” – Marianna DeTullio

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When we look ahead to 2023, I encourage our Year 11 students to start thinking about involvement in the programme and to speak with the current Year 12s about their time in SMP and consider volunteering their time for this wonderful cause.

If you would like to volunteer as a mentor, it is never too late to be involved. We are currently recruiting for more Community Mentors to work with students on the SMP waiting list. If you are a parent (past or present) or Old Scholar of the College, I would love to hear from you. Please message me on SEQTA or email me at sheuzen@mercedes.catholic.edu.au for more information.

Stephen Heuzenroeder
Student Mentoring Programme Coordinator

Council of International Schools Accreditation  

By Mercedes College

Mercedes College was the first Australian school to join the Council of International Schools (CIS) back in 2005, and every five years we are assessed to maintain accreditation.

CIS accreditation drives continuous improvement, with assessment against international standards covering a raft of key areas: culture, governance, leadership, financial practices, student wellbeing programmes, co-curricular activities, as well as staff professional support.

The CIS assessment team includes educators from local, national, and international settings. Their insights and feedback will inform our strategic direction so that we are delivering the best education outcomes for our students and continue to improve how we do this.  

As part of our evaluation, the CIS assessment team will speak with our team, visit classrooms virtually to see the learning taking place, plus meet with some of our families, representative of different Year levels, with a focus on gaining insight of the lived experience of our partnership approach to nurturing students to become confident, ethical and successful citizens.

Accreditation is a rigorous process, and we will keep you updated as we progress.

Delivering NDIS services locally

By Mercedes College

Free family information session.

Mission Australia is the NDIS Partner delivering Local Area Coordination Services in our area, and they will be visiting Mercedes College to provide information about:

• Mission Australia and the services they offer,
• Services available for people with disability,
• Understanding the NDIS and eligibility,
• Accessing supports and services for those not eligible for the NDIS, or who do not wish to access the Scheme.

Family Information Session
Wednesday 14 September 2022
1:30pm to 3pm
Mercy Lecture Theatre
Mercedes College

Click here to reserve your free place at this session.

Arts and Precinct Build blessed

By Mercedes College

Structural works are right around the corner.

With demolition completed at the build site for our high performance Arts and Sports Precinct, we were able to gather with the construction team and architects to 'turn the sod' and bless the build to come.

The turning of the sod is a traditional way to mark the beginning of a construction project and at Mercedes College we felt it fitting that the ceremony be carried out by students who will, no doubt, enjoy using the Precinct in the future. Matthew, Jasmine, Harry, Thomas, Lola, Hailey, Lincoln and Zoe were all very excited to stand on the ground where a new building will be constructed, and took their roles very seriously, tossing the soil with gusto.

With the ceremony complete and photos captured, Deacon Andrew Kirkbride honoured us by blessing the build site. In his speech, Deacon Andrew referred to the various skils God has blessed people with; from the architects and builders, to our teachers and support staff, that will work togetther to create a special place of belonging that will last into the future.

He asked God, at this starting point on the site, to bless the coming building, and bless the people working on the building and keep them safe. He prayed that the project runs smoothly so that we can return to the completed building soon.

College Leadership

Term 3 is beautifully big

By Andrew Balkwill

Term 3 is beautifully big, with Intercol, our music showcase CONVERGE, Book Week, and the start of subject and pathway discussions.

Right across our entire College community there's great experiences and excitement on offer. Fitting, then, to also have a pupil free day as an opportunity for students to pause and reflect on their efforts, and for our teachers, education specialists and support personnel to come together as a team.

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Another key milestone was attained with the 'turning of the sod' for our High Performance Arts and Sports Precinct this week. Working with our builders, we were fortunate to have some students participate in Deacon Andrew Kirkbride's blessing of the site, for the builders who will work there, and the students who will follow once complete. You can see more about this in a separate article.

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As we start identifying senior students’ subject selection preferences and developing 2023 Timetables, the learning pathways provided by the International Baccalaureate (IB) programme at Mercedes College continue to provide a rigorous learning framework.

Mercedes College is proudly South Australia's only Catholic school offering the IB curriculum from Reception to Year 12, and one of just a handful of schools delivering the programme at all three levels:

• IB Primary Years Programme for Reception to Year 5 students.
• IB Middle Years Programme for Year 6 to Year 10 students.
• IB Diploma Programme for students in Years 11 and 12, plus the option to complete the South Australian Certificate of Education if they wish, starting with their Personal Learning Plan in Year 10.

Regardless of their choice, having studied the IB programme up to Year 10, students are well equipped for success. That’s because no other curriculum more effectively opens their minds to a life of independent learning or more comprehensively prepares students for life in an increasingly intercultural world.

As part of their Personal Learning Plan in Year 10, students participate in vocational psychological testing, and meet with our Student Pathways Coordinator. By working with our highly capable specialists, students identify future employment avenues that appeal to them, tertiary options, pre-requisite needs and so on.

Our Year 11 and Year 12 students also gain insights from a wide range of people and professionals, when old scholars return to the College to share their lived experiences. Guest speakers share information about wide ranging career pathways, from business ownership, policing and working across the emergency services, to medicine, law and criminology.

Students at Mercedes College are supported and encouraged to identify and follow their own path, and may select subjects from an array of IB, SACE and VET offerings. This includes Psychology, Exercise and Sports Science, Applied Fashion Design and Technology, Aviation, Design Fundamentals, and Electronic Music Production and Performance, to name just a few.

Students’ study areas of interest are supported and encouraged and can form part of their final certification as graduates of Mercedes College.

In Year 12, our students have an added focus on preparing for what comes after graduation – and that’s a path they again choose with the support of our advisors.

Through the IB and the SACE we educate the whole person, developing capability, capacity, skills and confidence in recognition of our well-developed Mercy Keys, or values. As IB pioneers in Australian education, we have evolved our programme to reflect ongoing changes in employment markets and the tertiary education sector, ensuring our graduates are sought after by universities and employers.

If you would like to know more about the pathways on offer at Mercedes College, you are welcome to contact our Heads of School and our Student Pathways Coordinator.

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Andrew Balkwill
Principal

Junior Journeys

Dreaming with eyes open

By Kellie Osborn

Instilling a love of reading through Book Week fun.

Book Week is always a highly anticipated event, providing experiences that students delight in and look forward to. In fact, we are already  planning this highlight event for next year!

The occasion is always more than an excuse to dress up - although we all love that element - as it's a symbol of our commitment to the importance of developing a strong foundation in literacy and fostering a love of reading. As an International Baccalaureate (IB) School, language is central to all that we do witih the importance of language learning described:

“The development of language is fundamental to the instinctive human need to communicate. Language learning includes the development of the home and family languages, the languages of the school, additional languages and the development of literacy… Language has the power to bring the learning community closer together and overcome boundaries. It excites and invites communication in many ways, supporting and strengthening relationships and the building of international-mindedness… Students are able to flourish in an interconnected, mobile global community using technologies to communicate and sustain relationships.”
Principles into Practice, IBO, 2019

Book Week provides an authentic opportunity for teachers and families to instil a love of reading through exposure to high-quality literature. Across the week our students swapped classes to share picture books, were transported to another world by a mystery reader, shared favourite picture books with a buddy, walked the Story Book Trail at Carrick Hill, participated in daily book related activities and competitions, and attended virtual visits from authors and illustrators Gabriel Evans, Nat Amoore, Matt Cosgrove, Eva Amores and Matt Stanton.

The culmination of this event was our Junior School Book Week Parade, embraced enthusiastically by all. With characters from fairy tales, CBCA-nominated books, picture books and novels, our students were a human display of diversity and breadth of creative thinking!

As an IB Primary Years Programme school, one of our core Learner Profile Attributes is to be a risk-taker, and this attribute was on show during the Parade, as some students stepped beyond their comfort zone, proudly wearing their costumes across our campus. This builds resilience and will prove valuable as they continue their learning.

Thank you to our families for supporting the magic of Book Week, and celebrating the love of books and reading together.

Kellie Osborn
Head of Junior School

Middle Moments

Learning outside of classrooms

By Ben Dray

Middle School students have been busy off campus.

Year 7 Camp
With revised timelines for camps this year, our Year 7 Camps saw students brave the elements at Woodhouse. Activities included the giant tube slide, rope swings across a creek, obstacle courses, and mountain bike riding.

All activities required teamwork, confidence and huge amounts of resilience, especially in the winter weather conditions. Congratulations to our Year 7 students for being exhilarating confidence builders. Participating in camps is fun, and a great learning experience that equips students with the capacity to cope with the challenges of life.

Below are some student reflections on their camp experience:

“It was great to be able to spend time with our friends in our individual tents.”
Ruby Dowd

“I really enjoyed the team building initiative activities.”
Samuel Witt

“My favourite bit of the Camp was having the opportunity to sit around the camp fire, engaging in the fun activities, as well as learning to cook damper.”
Hugh Harris

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Intercollegiate Competition
Last weekend was a wonderful experience for the College as we embarked on the 18th annual Intercollegiate Competition against St Ignatius’ College.

It was fantastic to see so many Middle School students attend the various events to support the College. There was also a great representation from a number of Middle School students competing in Open Teams across various sports,  displaying loyalty, courage and integrity. Well done to these students; these opportunities will support them as they continue to compete and represent the College in future years.

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Yr 6 Reflection Day
Recently our Year 6 students participated in their Reflection Day. Below is a reflection from student Amelia Ciplys.

“On Friday 19 August, the Year 6s went to a local monastery for our Reflection Day. Our first activity was painting rocks with words and symbols. The second activity we did was a countries game, where we were put groups of six and received a package. The aim of the game was to make the most money by making shapes with the resources in the package exactly to the correct dimensions, then trading them with the teachers for money, however not all groups were given the same amount of resources. For the third activity we did a role play of the Good Samaritan. Finally, we ended the day with a liturgy.

I think Reflection Day was a great way to reflect on the Term and ways we could improve ourselves as individuals. Everyone had a great time and enjoyed meeting and socialising with the others in a different environment.”

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Father’s Day
On behalf of the students in the Middle School, I would like to extend my best wishes to all the fathers in our College community, and I wish you all a wonderful Father’s Day this September.

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Ben Dray
Head of Middle School

Senior Stories

Student learning and achievements

By Michael Francis

A special Senior School cohort.

Entrepreneurship in 2022
Our MC8 Entrepreneurship group is continuing its work through Term 3.

The venture emerging is called Daisy Dogs and is exploring the possibility of a business to assist pet owners look after their precious pets.

To help the group gather important market and customer research, please complete this short online survey. Your feedback will help students review possible services offered by Daisy Dogs and locations to focus on.

If you work in the pet industry or have used pet services before, we would be especially keen to hear from you.

With Entrepreneurship continuing in 2023, and you'd like to support opportunities for students at Mercedes College then please make contact with Sarah Marinelli and Michael Francis.

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Senior School commitment to quality education
IB curriculum and their hallmarks right through Primary Years, Middle Years and ultimately the Senior Diploma align wonderfully with our purpose as a College. The central tenets of internationally focused education, critical thinking and developing caring and knowledgeable people for future leadership in our world are well developed in both our SACE and IB curriculum areas.

With discussion about the IB programme in the media recently, plesae get in touchto clarify any information or ask us questions. Programme Coordinators in our Middle and Senior Years are well regarded in the educational sector and we welcome converastion with you about these programmes and how well they assist students to grow and develop into well skilled and principled young people.

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Student achievements
Congratulations to Elise Fitzgerald (11CL) who will be representing the South Australian Gymnastics team in competition in Darwin this week. Elise’s sister Laura Fitzgerald (10WG) is also preparing for National Junior Diving Championships in early October, in Queensland.

In more news, Emma Ielasi (10NG) will also be competing at the National Gymnastics Championships in late September on the Gold Coast.

Congratulations on your achievements Elise, Laura and Emma – we wish you every success.

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Honorary Graduate | Class of 2022
Early this Term we hosted Lachlan Emery in some volunteering experience on campus, and took the opportunity to surprise him and show him how much the Year 12 cohort feels that he belongs.

Lachlan has joined the 2022 cohort for short periods each academic year since Reception, whilst travelling around the world with his family. His continued presence within this group demonstrates a clear love for the Mercedes College community and he has built a strong bond with his peers here. To demonstrate the cohort's connection with Lachlan, we gave him 'Class of 2022 Honorary Graduate' status in a surprise presentation (pictured).

In receiving this gift Lachlan made a short speech of thanks, telling our Year 12s, "I don't think you realise how special this cohort is" and we can certainly agree with that sentiment.

It was a lovely gesture, warmly received, and we wish Lachlan every success as he steps out with his set of Mercy Keys in his pocket.

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Michael Francis
Head of Senior School

Director of Mission

Religious Education across campus

By Catholic, Identity and Mission Team

Holy Communion, First Nations culture, and reflections.

Sacrament News
Congratulations to all families and students who received their First Holy Communion this year. As a College we are very lucky to have strong affiliation with the Emmaus Parish, and St Paul of the Cross, both of which have a wonderful Sacrament Program helping families prepare their spiritual journey. We look forward to acknowledging all of these students at assembly later in the Term.

If you would like to enrol your child into the Emmaus Sacrament Program for 2023, please collect a printed copy from Strathspey Reception or message me on SEQTA direqt message.

Teresa Pepicelli
Religious Education Coordinator R-5

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Welcome to Community
Niina Marni; greetings!

Year 12 Religion Studies students enjoyed visits from two inspirational guest speakers, Senior Kaurna Man Uncle Mickey Kumatpi O’Brien, and Old Scholar Liesl Von Der Borch, who works at Ngutu College at Woodville with many Kaurna cultural educators across Adelaide.

Our guests offered fresh, authentic, contemporary, and historical insights to inform the students for their Folio 2 assessment task about Australian Indigenous Spirituality.

Student reflections:

"Uncle Mickey O’Brien's sharing of the traditional Kaurna culture was accompanied by an extremely reverent atmosphere from students and teachers. Uncle Mickey took his time with his presentation, explaining the traditions, practices, and overall culture, with several activities involving students. His presentation will no doubt prove to be an invaluable resource for all the students for their current task addressing Indigenous Spirituality."
Jake Tipper

"The year 12 Religion Studies classes were fortunate to have guest speaker and Mercedes Old Scholar, Liesl Von Der Borch speak about Indigenous spirituality for our Religion assignment. It was very interesting and inspirational to hear about indigenous culture and it will certainly help with our assignment. Thank you, Liesel for giving back to the Mercedes College Community."
Lara Fox

"I am so grateful for the experience of listening to Mickey O'Brien share his wisdom and culture with us. It was a wonderful opportunity enabling me to further learn about the importance of Aboriginal Spirituality and understand how vital it is to listen to the voices of First Nations people. Thank you."
Marianna De Tulio

Wishing all 2022 Year 12 Religion Studies students every blessing as they complete their remaining assessment tasks, and thank you for your energy and engagement in learning.

Peace
Helen Ayliffe
10-12 LAL RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

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 Year 6 Reflection Day
“The simplest and most practical lesson I know is to resolve to be good today but better tomorrow”
Catherine McAuley.

Our Year 6 students walked to The Monastery for a day of reflection and contemplation. Student focus, led by year level leader David Carosi, was on positive relationships and having a positive mindset. With this in mind, students creatively painted pebbles with words and symbols of faith, love, and gratitude.

Explorations of the Good Samaritan parable, as well as Jesus’ example of washing the feet of his disciples, were part of our reflection time. Students looked at what these messages mean in today’s world, and how we can be loving, non-judgemental, and positive people in a complicated world. Students interacted beautifully and took the time to hang out with their cohort in a different, very positive environment.

Looking forward, our musicians, singers, linguists, and dancers are preparing for a wonderful Mercy Day Mass at the College on Fridy 30 September and I look forward to sharing that experience with you in the next Mercy Vine.

Blessings
Therese Wilson
Director of Mission

Director of Mission

Limited time to nominate for the 2022 Mercy Award

By

Nominations close on Monday 5 September.

At Mercedes College we are a values-driven, Catholic community, where we actively live the Mercy Keys of –

1. Compassion
2. Loyalty
3. Justice
4. Integrity
5. Responsibility, and
6. Mutual respect.

Our Mercy Keys are the values that guide who we are, and every year we recognise a community member with a Mercy Award.

Each Mercy Award acknowledges an individual (excluding students), or family, who has made a difference in the lives within their local community, nationally, or internationally.

They demonstrate respect and compassion for others, show loyalty, lead with responsibility, are just, and have integrity.

Previous recipients include Old Scholars, staff and parents, as well as friends of Mercedes College.

It’s now time to nominate someone you believe worthy of the 2022 Mercy Award.

Nominating is easy – simply tell us who you think best lives our Mercy Keys, before 9am, Monday 5 September 2022.

Mercy Awards are bestowed on Mercy Day, and we look forward to announcing the 2022 Mercy Award recipient on Friday 30 September 2022.

Blessings
Therese Wilson
Director of Mission

Good Sports

Intercol 2022

By Jeffrey Wray

Twenty one shield encounters over a week and a half.

This year, with crowds back in vogue, it was pleasing to see many students from across the College, parents, staff and Old Scholars attending events. The College community united and the spirit it creates is something Mercedes College should be proud of.

Each year at Intercol there are highlights that may not be reflected on the scoreboard, or by the eventual 7 - 14 shield count. One of these highlights is observing the character of the young men and women being raised within the competing Colleges. As I reflect upon the event, I can't help but compare the relationship between students to the stereotypical teenage sibling relationship; they may argue, try and get each other into trouble, and say they don't like each other, but at the end of the day, it is noticeable that there is a love between them and they will stick by each other.

Another off-field highlight was the atmosphere at the soccer on Wednesday night, with two music students bring their instruments to lead the chants for the first time. Well done to Clancy Cvetko (drums) and Charlie Tan (saxophone) who played tunes all night for the other spectators and broke into “Camel Land” during the girls' winning match. I sat listening on the far side of the pitch filled with pride.

My final highlight is probably shared by those who attended a variety of events: the atmosphere at the netball on Friday night was unbelievable. The stadium was rocking, and having an Open A game with scores level and a minute to play meant the crowd was as invested as the players. I'm sure the Middle School netballers sitting courtside aspire to experience similar situations in future years.

Many thanks go to our coaches and parents across the entire winter sports programme. In many ways Intercol is the end-product of a whole-school sports programme, but it's also evidence of our community coming together in a display of sportsmanship and living the Mercy Keys with a respected fellow College. Well done and thank you to all that were involved as officials, players and spectators.

Jeff Wray
Intercol Coordinator

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Intercol 2022 Results

Middle Boys Cross Country Mercedes 10 d St Ignatius' 26 MVP: Sam Glasson	Middle Girls Cross Country Mercedes 10 d St Ignatius' N/A MVP: Summer Hudswell
Open Boys Cross Country St Ignatius' 13 d Mercedes 23 MVP: Lachlan Mowbray	Open Girls Cross Country St Ignatius' 10 d Mercedes 26 MVP: Layla Kinnane
Open A Chess St Ignatius' 4 d Mercedes 1 MVP: Jack Kirkwood	Open B Debating Mercedes 2 d St Ignatius 1 MVP: Simon Aylward
Open A Debating Mercedes 2 d St Ignatius' 1 MVP: Abigail Ranford	Open Mixed Hockey St Ignatius' 14 d Mercedes 0 MVP: Holly Goode-Smith
Open A Girls Soccer Mercedes 1 d St Ignatius 0 MVP: Sascha Spoor	Open A Boys Soccer St Ignatius 1 d Mercedes 1 Penalty shoot out 4-3 MVP: Foti Ntafillis
Middle Table Tennis St Ignatius 25/55 d Mercedes 7/19 MVP: William Catinari	Open Table Tennis St Ignatius' 35/107 d Mercedes 5/20 MVP: Ryan Schuurmans
Middle Basketball St Ignatius' 62 d Mercedes 35	Open C Basketball Mercedes 38 d St Ignatius' 18 MVP: Miles Paul
Open B Basketball St Ignatius' 44 d Mercedes 31 MVP: Will Goss	Open A Basketball St Ignatius' 55 d Mercedes 24 MVP: Max Burton
8A Netball Mercedes 27 d St Ignatius 25 MVP: Ava Barton	9A Netball Mercedes 39 d St Ignatius' 21 MVP: Layla Timbs
10A Netball Mercedes 34 d St Ignatius' 7 MVP: Macey Lange	Open C Netball St Ignatius' 29 d Mercedes 15 MVP: Harriet Milne
Open B Netball St Ignatius' 34 d Mercedes 28 MVP: Sophia McArthur	Open A Netball Mercedes 33 d St Ignatius' 31 MVP: Emerson MacDougall
Middle Boys Soccer St Ignatius' 7 d Mercedes 0 MVP: Johann Ninan	Open C Boys Soccer St Ignatius' 2 d Mercedes 0 MVP: Max Kafetzis
Open B Girls Soccer St Ignatius' 2 d Mercedes 1 MVP: Lotta Nielsen	Open B Boys Soccer St Ignatius' 4 d Mercedes 4 Penalty shoot out 3-1 MVP: Sam Taverna
Middle Girls Football St Ignatius' 37 d Mercedes 7 MVP: Summer Hudswell	Middle Boys Football Mercedes 130 d St Ignatius' 0 MVP: Eddy Martins
Middle Girls Football St Ignatius' 25 d Mercedes 13 MVP: Kiara Pierce	Open Girls Football Mercedes 57 d St Ignatius' 0 MVP: Zoe Prowse and Zoe Venning
Second XVIII Football Mercedes 93 d St Ignatius' 15 MVP: Xavier Conway	Open Girls Football Mercedes 61 d St Ignatius' 7 MVP: Violet Patterson
First XVIII Football St Ignatius' 118 d Mercedes 70 MVP: Patrick Case	Intercol Shields St Ignatius 14 d Mercedes 7

ARTStanding

Instrumental music concert series on the horizon

By

Coming mid-September.

Instrumental Music Concert Series
Every child who learns an instrument at Mercedes College has the opportunity to perform during the season of Instrumental Music Concerts. 

Our season starts in mid-September with a joint Piano and Guitar performance, presented by students of Patricia Heller and Lincoln Brady, and then various dates until 10 November.

Most performances are in Strathspey's Parlour, with piano students able to perform on the grand piano. Other performances are scheduled using our Senior Music room.

Stay tuned for further updates, including invitations to your child’s performance.

Australian Music Examination Board (AMEB) Exam Results
Congratulations to Nicholas Oleksyn (5AK), who achieved a grade of A+ in his recent AMEB Piano for Leisure exam.

Nicole Moxham
Instrumental Music Programme Coordinator R-12

ARTStanding

Just singin' and dancin' in the rain

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Our Year 8 musical is on its way.

Our Year 8 Arts students are working towards their November artistic showcase, which will include an exhibition of art and a performance of Singin' in the Rain Jr.

In addition to forming the show's cast, students are grouped into classes covering choir, costume, tech, art, and props/sets, providiing an immersive experience of live theatre.

This year our students will perform at the Goodwood Theatre.

Some reflections from students so far:

"It has been amazing already doing drama, I am in the ensemble crew and it is a blast to be in the musical, watching how it is created. Everyone has had a chance to be on stage, and while watching others audition for ‘All I do is dream of you’ we can get to know the other cast."
Freya McBryde, Cast Class

"So far this term, we have been investigating the clothing styles and characteristics of the 1920s through character development, researching our own mood boards, and undertaking tasks talking about the 1920 appearance. First, we created mood boards for each of the four main characters, then started to fill out a character development sheet, which will aid us with how we see the characters. From researching the emotion of colours, lines and expanding our general knowledge of the era, we know not only how the costumes will look, but what kind of person each character is."
Ella Harvey, Costume Class

"The music class has been looking at a range of different songs to learn for our Year 8 musical, Singin' In The Rain Jr. Each lesson we have been splitting into small groups to learn each song. When we are not in groups, we are together as a class around the piano with Mrs V, or with the Drama class putting our music together. The songs we are learning now are Moses Supposes, Fit As A Fiddle, All I Do Is Dream Of You and Singin' In The Rain."
From the Music Class

We'll keep you up to date with our progress, and look forward to you joining us for our big production in November.

Sandy Lee
Drama Key Teacher 6-10, SACE and IB Theatre

ARTStanding

Awards and accolades

By Lauren Vilanova

Celebrating our music tutors and student representatives at a major event.

With our music showcase CONVERGE hitting the high notes this week, congratulations to all performers from Years 2 to 12 who put on a fantastic show. We can't wait to share more from this major event in our next edition. (You can catch a glimpse of the night on our Facebook and Instagram pages, too!)

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Congratulations! 
Two familiar faces in our Music Department, Sue Peters and Robin Pratt, were recently awarded certificates that recognise their many years of service to the Mercedes College Music Department.

Sue Peters has worked at a number of Catholic schools in South Australia, including Mercedes College for more than 14 years. Teaching piano and accompanying choirs, Sue’s outstanding service was recognised with the Don Burrows Award for Long Service of Music Tutors in Independent Schools.

Our Director of Guitar, Robin Pratt, received the Bob Hower Award for Exemplary Contribution of Music Tutors in Independent Schools.

Mercedes College students are incredibly lucky to have excellent music tutors and we congratulate Sue and Robin on this special achievement.

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Catholic Schools Music Festival 
Back at the impressive Adelaide Festival Theatre, the Catholic Schools Music Festival will run over four nights from Monday 26 to Thursday 29 September. Our Festival Choir, comprised of Year 5 and 6 students will be performing on the Tuesday night, along with around 400 students from other schools.

Mercedes College is also honoured to be supporting this Festival with two support acts – Year 12 pianist, Katarina Samaras, will feature as a soloist on the Monday night, and our Vocal Jazz Ensemble performing on Tuesday.

Tickets for these performances go on sale Monday, 5 September from Ticketek.

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Lauren Vilanova
CEA Music Coordinator R-12