A weekly snippet of what’s happening ‘behind the hedge’ at Mercedes College.
Earlier this week, our Year 9 to 12 students and their families spent time at our Career Expo, which featured over 50 exhibitors, from Universities, Professional Training Organisations, Industry bodies as well as our subject specialist teachers.
The night was very busy and full of questions, ideas, decisions and more questions! We also invited some of our Old Scholars to talk about their various career paths, so students could get some ‘real life’ insights into the world of accounting, architecture, midwifery, psychology, law, medicine and business.
This Expo is a key experience for our students, as they start to plan for their years in the Senior School. It was a wonderful opportunity for them to talk to so many organisations and learn about the options available for their life ‘beyond the hedge’!
Nominations are now open on Clipboard for our Term 4 Summer Sports programmes, which will run in Term 4.
When you log into Clipboard, click Activities and all sports options will be linked to your child’s year level, so you can see what is available for them.
All nominations need to be made by Sunday 9 August.
This is the deadline set down by our State Sporting Associations – they can’t add or adjust teams once they have been confirmed – so please nominate early to make sure your spot on a team is secured.
Any families who are not signed up to Clipboard need to send an email to ictapplication@mercedes.catholic.edu.au and they will help set you up.
Please note: Term 4 2026 sports are not a continuation of Term 1 2026 sports. A new nomination will need to be resubmitted for Term 4.
Looking forward to a great summer of sport at Mercedes!
Last weekend, 22 French and 8 Spanish Year 10-12 language students went on a Senior Language Immersion Retreat at Woodhouse Manor.
This allowed students to strengthen their speaking skills beyond their traditional classroom learning. They took part in a range of team activities, meal preparation and social interactions, all in their selected language.
These included structured speaking workshops, language games and film viewing, as well as cultural experiences including yoga and a nature walk conducted in either French or Spanish.
The experience helps them develop greater confidence, fluency and communication skills, as they prepare for their Senior oral assessments, and gave them a ‘real-world’ environment in which to practise their language skills.
Another great ‘out of classroom’ experience for our students, to fully immerse themselves in their learning!
Intercol 26 starts on Monday 17 August and runs through to Saturday 22 August and this year, it is our turn to host St Ignatius!
We are dusting off the banners, polishing the shields and getting everything ready for this week-long carnival – an annual highlight on the College calendar.
Our best teams will take to the stage, court, lectern and field as they compete for 21 Shields across 9 Sports. Most of the games will be held on site, with the exception of Open Football, Open Soccer and Cross Country.
This year, we are also introducing a new Shield – Music – and our Choir, Jazz Combo and Rock Band are looking forward to a chance to perform for the College.
You can see the Intercol 2026 schedule here.
We are looking for some volunteers to help with hosting. We need some support cooking the BBQ and working in our ‘Camel Café’. If you are able to spare an hour or two, please complete this Intercol Volunteer form – we’d love your support.
Go Camels!
Being on a debating team develops important life skills – collaboration, confidence, listening, leadership, and of course public speaking.
Debating is offered from Year 5 through to Year 12, and our two Year 5 teams have had a great season so far.
They have had 4 wins out of 8 debates across the 2 groups, as well as 4 ‘speaker of the night’ awards.
The topics have covered everything from the classic ‘cats are better than dogs’ to ‘children should be paid for household chores’ to ‘homework should be banned in Junior School’.
We have one round left and look forward to their final result.
Well done Year 5s!
It was all hands-on deck last week as our Year 9 students stepped into the world of detectives, challenged with solving a murder mystery.
Students acted as forensic scientists to examine and analyse crucial pieces of evidence from the scene of the crime, using their critical thinking skills to piece together the story of what happened to the victim.
Students got to put their theoretical learning into practice in an engaging and interesting series of activities, including DNA analysis and viewing CCTV footage.
It was something a little bit different and maybe planted the seed for future careers in criminology or pathology. Our Career Expo was the perfect follow-up to help inspire students interested in this area.
One of our Year 11 students Charlie (Dalton) flew to Western Australia and Victoria recently to represent South Australia at the Under 16 Football Championships.
South Australia won two out of three games at the Carnival, and came 2nd overall – a fantastic result.
Charlie was named in the Best on Ground for Game 3. He had 10 disposals, 3 marks and 6 rebound 50s.
His write up said he ‘flashed his impressive defensive abilities with some key intercept marks – but it was what he did with the ball that stood out.’
Superb achievement Charlie – Bravo!
This week, the world of maths and marshmallows collided in our Year 3 classrooms!
Students were asked to construct 3D objects using toothpicks and marshmallows, to identify and describe features such as faces, edges and vertices.
They were encouraged to use mathematical language to discuss their models and compare different 3D shapes… what a delightful and delicious way to learn maths!
Yesterday, Sharni Bowden, Youth Development and Schools Engagement Officer for Vinnies dropped in to catch up with the students who took part in the 2026 Vinnie’s Winter School Sleep Out, to present them with certificates to acknowledge their support.
Late last Term, 80 of our Year 12s, spent the night on Campus, listening to speakers, sharing some soup before sleeping in the Yitpi Centre. Collectively, they raised $4,000 for the Winter Appeal.
The final piece of our support for Vinnies, are donations of warm clothing, blankets and non-perishable food items.
We are still taking donations, which will all be collected next Friday 7 August.
So please continue to drop your items into Strathspey House or McAuley Reception areas… it is greatly appreciated.
One of our Year 10 students, Jensen (Dalton) is a F4 driver and is currently leading the national F4 Championship by 10 points, ahead of a competitor from New Zealand. Jensen has been racing since he was 5 years old, and started in dirt karts before moving to bitumen and then into cars.
Jensen recently raced in Round 3 of the Australian F4, held at The Bend and had great success on track. He secured Pole position in both qualifying sessions and went on to win Race 1 and Race 3. There are 5 rounds in the Australian F4 season, with the last round being held in Sydney in September.
Brilliant driving and all the best in Sydney Jensen!
Yesterday was OSHC Educators Day – a chance to thank and acknowledge our Team who provide before and after school care for students, as well as run our Vacation Care programmes during the holiday breaks.
We surprised our OSHC Director, Kosti and his team this week, with a cake and goodies to say thank you!
Students who spend time at OSHC, are in a familiar welcoming environment, and get the chance to play, study, enjoy a snack or two either before or after school.
All casual and permanent bookings are welcome!
More upcoming activities can be found on the College Calendar.
