A weekly snippet of what’s happening ‘behind the hedge’ at Mercedes College…
This week was Mercy Week – always celebrated at the end of Term 3 – which will culminate with our Mercy Day Mass tomorrow.
Earlier this week, our whole community gathered on the Terraces for Community Prayer, before our Campus came alive to the cheers and House chants of our Mercy Fun Run.
Students from Reception to Year 6 ran laps of a 600m circuit of the grounds, proudly wearing their House colours, with some students completing up to 20 laps – an amazing effort. Students collected donations for each lap, to raise money for local charities through Mercy Works – to help women and men experiencing homelessness, and refugees.
The highlight of the day was the lunch time sausage sizzle – where we served up over 1,100 sausages! A great way to bring everyone together and raise funds for and awareness of Mercy Works.
Last week, our Reception students took a flying visit to France’s capital, taking in all the sights, sounds and tastes of a day in Paris!
This has become an annual highlight on our College calendar, introduced by our Junior French Teacher, Madame Belinda Roberts. With passports in hand, students went through security, checked in for their flights, chose their in-flight refreshments, and talked their way through customs, before spending a delightful day touring past the City of Light’s most iconic monuments.
This unique experience is a memorable and engaging way for our youngest learners to use their language skills in real-life situations acting like tourists, ordering hot chocolates and croissants and even picking up a souvenir or two!
C’est magnifique!
There is still a full Term of school left in 2026, but with final study periods and assessments coming up, our Year 12 students have very little time left on Campus.
This is especially bittersweet for a group of the 2026 cohort, who have been at the College since Reception.
They have all been wearing the Mercedes green every day for the past 13 years – a lifelong and school long memory.
We look forward to celebrating the achievements of all of our Year 12 students at our upcoming Graduation events – and are sure that the last time this group of Mercedes ‘Lifers’ leave our gates, it will be especially memorable.
As part of their final year at Mercedes College, our Year 12 students have the option to mentor a younger student each week.
In 2026, more than 60 of our Year 12 students put their hand up to become a Mentor. This experience helps build strong connections and offers great two-way benefits for our students.
Our younger students make connections with their Mentor across the year, which helps build their confidence and navigate some of the everyday challenges of school life. For our Year 12s, it offers time to step away from study for a short while to spend time helping someone else.
This is a great commitment from our Year 12s, and we hope to see many of them return in 2027 as Community Mentors, to continue their role helping other students.
After a huge success in its inaugural year, we’re delighted to host the Business H-Edge Lunch again this November at Adelaide Oval.
This lunch receives great support from our families and Old Scholars – and is a wonderful opportunity to build connections and networks within our community.
A key feature of the lunch will be a panel discussion on the theme of Integrity in Leadership, hosted by the Chair of our College Council and current parent – Sam Dighton.
Our panel features:
Grant Stevens
Commissioner, SA Police – Past Mercedes Parent
Alf Ianniello
CEO, Codan – Past Mercedes Parent and Council Chair
Jamie Briggs
Chair, Adelaide Oval Stadium Management Authority – Current Mercedes Parent
Buy a table for your business or with families from your year level and enjoy the opportunity to network over a delicious lunch.
All wine served on the day have been provided by one of our Event Sponsors – Small Gully Vineyard – owned and operated by one of our current parents and Old Scholars, Joe Black (Class of 1998, Fitzpatrick).
A big congratulations to Sam and Josh (both Year 12, Dalton) on their recent achievements at the annual Sports Association for Adelaide Schools (SAAS) Awards.
This is a significant accolade, as it takes into consideration players from all competing high schools who played throughout the Winter football season.
Sam won First XVIII Division 2 ‘Player of the Year’, which was decided on votes from umpires across the Season, and Josh was Runner Up.
We are so proud to have two of our players recognised for their efforts and taking out the top two places. Go Camels!
We will miss your skills and talents on (and off) the footy field next year – and wish you all the best with your next adventure beyond the Hedge!
Our Year 11 and Year 12 students recently lit up the stage in the John McDonald Performing Arts Centre with an intimate showcase for family and friends.
In addition to a monologue by IB Theatre student Patrick (Dalton) and Music Studies student Archie (McAuley), Drama students presented their adaptation of the iconic play, Our Town, written by Thornton Wilder.
It was a great opportunity for students to demonstrate the on- and off-stage skills they’ve developed this year and was an outstanding example of character development and portrayal.
Bravo to all involved!
Earlier this week, one of our students attended a ceremony for Year 12 Aboriginal students in South Australian Catholic Schools. At this event, Mercedes College student Alexis (McAuley) received a certificate and framed limited edition print of artwork commissioned by David Booth, who collaborated with our students in our 70th year to create a unique indigenous artwork for the College.
The ceremony included a Welcome to Country by Kaurna Man, Cliffy Wilson, and prayer by Father Tom Gleeson, who is known for his important work listening and journeying with Aboriginal communities on Country.
It was a wonderful day for Alexis and her family.
In Term 4, our students will swap over to their Summer uniforms so please remember to pop into the Uniform Shop in the McAuley Building, or visit our Second-Hand Uniform Shop in Strathspey House.
During the October holidays, the Uniform Shop will be open on Wednesday 7 and Thursday 8 October from 8.00am – 2.00pm.
During Term Hours
Monday and Tuesday: 8.00am – 2.00pm
Thursday and Friday: 9.00am – 4.00pm
Volunteer assistance is available during Term 4, on Thursdays, 3.00pm – 4.00pm
If your child has had a growth spurt in the past months, please consider donating pre-loved uniform items to the PLUS to help other families.
Cleaned uniform items can be dropped to Jenny at Strathspey Reception.
Last week, our Year 2 and Year 3 students received visits from local educators, Science for Real, who had lots of hands-on experiments and demonstrations to help spark an interest in science.
In Year 2, students learned the basic principles of magnetism and sound, including energy and force, and were guided to use equipment to help with understanding these invisible concepts.
Our Year 3s learned about the extensive use of minerals in everyday life, including getting to see and feel a whole range of minerals and crystals.
These breaks in classroom routine are a great way to introduce young learners to different scientific practices and help them develop a new-found curiosity for all things science!
Our 2026 Night of Reunions is coming up on Saturday 24 October and we’ve been having a great time exploring the classrooms, fashions and hairstyles of our students going as far back as 1976!
If you or someone you know is part of a reunion year, get in touch and remind them to book their tickets!
50-year Reunion – Class of 1976
40-year Reunion – Class of 1986
30-year Reunion – Class of 1996
20-year Reunion – Class of 2006
10-year Reunion – Class of 2016
5-year Reunion – Class of 2021
Click here for full details of the event
It is a great night at Adelaide Oval, and is always wonderful to see our Old Scholars re-connect and share stories of their time since graduating from Mercedes.
Hope to see you there!
Our final group of Year 9 students taking part in our Being You and Break Free camps for 2026 returned to our Campus last week.
After ten weeks of activities and experiences at the College, exploring gender identity, stereotypes, peer harassment and societal expectations, they completed the programme at our annual camps. These camps give our male and female students the opportunity to spend time together at separate camps, to reflect on what they have learned as part of this integral Year 9 initiative.
Whether they were hitting the surf or squaring off for a paintball tournament, these camps create lifelong memories and bonds between our students before they enter the Senior School for their final three years of schooling.
This is the final week of Term 3 – we hope everyone enjoys the glorious weather of our Spring break.
The Term ends tomorrow with our annual Mercy Day Mass, and an early dismissal time of 1.15pm.
If you’re looking forward to Term 4 as much as we are, make sure you keep this list of Key Dates handy for your calendars.
We look forward to seeing everyone on Monday 12 October 2026.
