A weekly snippet of what’s happening ‘behind the hedge’ at Mercedes College…
Our College has been named a Science Active School by the South Australian Science Teachers Association.
The recognition is in response to the dedication, innovation, and engagement of our teaching staff, who also pursue continued professional learning of Science Education.
This is a great recognition for our school, particularly after recent successes in the Oliphant Science Awards, participation in robotics and STEM workshops, and competitions such as the LaunchBox satellite build, escape room incursions, and the SA Titration Competition with the University of South Australia.
Congratulations to all of our teachers, laboratory assistants, leaders, and advocates in our Science Team for this well-deserved acknowledgement!
Last Friday evening, we welcomed dozens of families to the Rose Garden for our first community event of the year: our Garden Party.
It was lovely to see so many families sharing delicious fresh food and enjoying a beverage or two! Students loved the cool balloon art and the cooler sno cones!
Thanks to our choir for their performance and the lovely solo by Alexis – so great to have live music by our students at our events.
Our next major event is always a sell-out, so pop the date in your diary: our Mother’s Day Lunch will be held on Friday 8 May…
An important part of our Physical Education programme, and perfect in the lead up to their 2026 Swimming Carnival (Friday 20 March, Week 8), our Junior School students took part in Swim Safety lessons last week.
These practical pool sessions were designed to build confidence in and around water, revise essential water safety skills, and demonstrate teamwork and resilience.
Our students were fantastic at encouraging each other, showing persistence in the face of challenges, and being enthusiastic and engaged in the activities, which will be vital for their future swimming endeavours.
Last week, four current international students hailing from Germany had the opportunity to speak with Estella Urban (Class of 2012, Fitzpatrick), who was visiting from her home country of Germany. She stopped by to catch up with some familiar faces and enjoyed seeing how the Campus has evolved since her time here.
After completing the IB Diploma with us, Estella went on to study Medicine and has undertaken social work in India. During her visit to Adelaide, she also met with her former Homestay Host, fellow Old Scholar Liesl Von der Borch (Class of 1984).
It is always wonderful to welcome Old Scholars back to the College, and for Estella to give some advice about life at Mercedes College as an international student, was a great experience for everyone.
Over the weekend, our Year 11 and Year 12 students enjoyed their Senior Formal at the Adelaide Convention Centre.
In line with their ‘Oscars’ theme, our Senior Leaders tallied votes from both cohorts and presented the sought after ‘gold statuettes’ to students from both year levels. Categories included Academic Weapon, Most Likely to be Late to Everything, Dynamic Duo, Class Clown, Most Like to be Famous and Future Olympian. Oscars were also awarded to the Best Dressed and Best Couple.
There was dancing, games, a photo booth, ice cream and of course, lots of dancing!
Our Co-curricular Sport Team is pleased to announce the appointment of Daniel Caire to the position of Coach for our Boys’ First XVIII Football team for 2026.
Daniel is a Year 10 Home Group Teacher and has built strong, positive relationships with our students.
He also brings significant football experience with him, having played more than 200 SANFL games with West Adelaide, including their 2015 Premiership, and is a SANFL Life Member.
Daniel’s experience will be a great asset to our Boys’ Football. There is already great enthusiasm among the students, and we are excited about the direction of the programme under his leadership.
Last night, our Year 9 students came together with their parents for our Introduction to RISE Programme.
Curated specifically for our Mercedes College students, RISE is an immersive learning journey that combines academic growth, personal development, and spiritual exploration, during a year that can be particularly challenging as students navigate the complexities of moving from childhood to adolescence.
Each term, Home Group Teachers will mentor our Year 9 students through themes of Identity, Responsibility, Relationships and Emotional Intelligence, and Resilience.
It was great to have our Year 9 families together and we look forward to a great year with our Year 9s for this programme.
We are proud to celebrate student athlete Hayley (Year 11, Dalton), who recently smashed a 30-year old record with a World U20 qualifying time in the 200m sprint of 24.27 seconds.
Hayley has qualified for the Australian Athletics Nationals this April and has the opportunity to be selected to compete with the Australia Junior U20 team.
Several USA universities are taking an interest in Hayley’s on track achievements… we think her future is looking very bright (and fast) indeed!
Last week, our Year 7s were tutored in the art of riding mountain bikes, and erecting tents as part of their preparations for their Narnu Farm Adventure Camp next month.
Students adapted their riding style to incorporate the skill of changing mountain bike gears and managing slopes using hand brakes as they trailed around our sweeping Campus.
In the Sunken Garden, it was a test of patience as small groups collaborated to correctly set up and then pack down the tents they’ll be using while on camp.
This pre-preparation is an important part of the camping experience for our Year 7s, to help ensure they will sleep soundly each night after hitting the trails all day.
Our Secondary Athletics Carnival will be held tomorrow, Friday 27 February, at the SA Athletics Stadium, in Mile End. We are looking forward to our students and supporters donning their House colours ready to enjoy the excitement of this day.
Students can wear t-shirts in their House colour (no slogans or logos please), and add ribbons, socks, tutus or any other accessories to support their House. No Zinc is allowed (venue stipulation).
Check out the event schedule here.
Our Primary Athletics Carnival follows close behind the Senior event, being held next week on Friday 6 March, on Campus.
Students who don’t have a House shirt from the Uniform Shop can wear any plain t-shirt in their House colour (no logos or slogans please), and we encourage family supporters to do the same! The more colour on the day, the better!
Please RSVP here if you intend to join us at the 3-6 Athletics Carnival, this will assist us with checking visitors in on the day.
Next Thursday 5 March, our school photographers AdvancedLife will be on Campus to take photos of our Junior School students, and any pre-ordered sibling groups.
To order these photos:
Please remember : all students need to be in their formal summer uniform, including blazer (excludes Reception to Year 2 students), and neat and tidy personal presentation.
If you have any questions about your order, please contact AdvancedLife directly.
Yesterday, our 116 Year 12 Spiritualities, Religion and Meaning (SRM) students were grateful for a visit from Father Philip Marshall, former Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Adelaide, and Ms Rose Kelly, Beauty Therapist for the Mary Potter Hospice.
Both speakers shared personal insights with students into the different ways communities and individuals respond to adversity and trauma in their lives.
Our SRM Team was grateful to share our Mercy hospitality with these guests in the College Cafe after this important and relevant session.
Just a friendly reminder, that this is your last chance to nominate for Winter Sport, Performing Arts and Clubs and Society CEAs.
Please click on here to access our CEA Portal – nominations close Sunday 1 March at 5pm.
All secondary netball grading forms need to be submitted by Sunday 5pm.
So get in quick, to make sure you can enjoy all the CEA opportunities on offer!
More upcoming activities can be found on the College Calendar.
