Mercedes College Newsletter

Key Dates Principal’s Report

Vol. 41 Number 8 / Week 6 Term Two / 5 June 2014

Friday 6 –8 June Father/ Daughter Camp 4pm Monday 9 June Peer Mentor Picnic Day Tuesday10 June School Photo Day (black tights) Wednesday 11 -13 June Year 12 Retreat Friday 13 June Trinity/Mercedes Middle School Music Night (Gibney Hall– 7pm) Sunday 15 June Dad & Daughter Heritage Walk and Afternoon tea– 2.30pm Tuesday 17 June P & F Forum 6pm– 8pm

If you can’t excel with talent triumph with effort. Dave Weinbaum

The love of God has been poured into our hearts through the Spirit of God dwelling within us, alleluia! On Sunday we celebrate the feast of Pentecost. When the Holy Spirit came to the Apostles for the first time as they were gathered together, frightened and nervous, their hearts were filled with the power of the Spirit. They were able to speak about their faith with boldness and confidence and share with others what they had seen, experienced and learnt from seeing Jesus in action. They were able to bring healing to people who were hurting. They were able to work out disagreements by remembering what Jesus had taught them. If, as the most significant people in the lives of our children, we are making a real effort to exercise the power of the Spirit within us, then, our children will really begin to “answer for themselves” and follow our example to reveal Jesus to others by engaging in Christian thinking and action. We pray that the Spirit of Our Lord be with us always and that we go in peace to love, to be compassionate and just, and to be people of mercy. Over the next few weeks, your daughter/s will be coming home with exam and test results. Hopefully they have reaped the rewards of hard work and dedication to their studies. I’m sure there will also be some disappointments and one of life’s hard lessons is learning to deal with such disappointments. We can teach young people how to cope with disappointment. That’s helping them develop resiliency – to be able to cope with the hard knocks. We need to give our children an opportunity to talk about why they think things didn’t go the way they expected them to go. We should celebrate ‘having a go’ as if it were a win and reinforce the message that what is important is the effort and positive attitude and the fact that we can learn from everything. A fatal mistake is to imagine that success is some stroke of luck. We all know people who want all the rewards and honours, but success is no accident. Success demands the whole heart, the whole intellect, and the whole time. One of the great secrets of success is just chipping away without being discouraged by disappointment. Sometimes we have to ‘run back and try again in order to take a longer leap forward’. Amelia Barr All easily said as adults; hard lessons for young people. Your daughter/s will learn a lot about themselves, their study habits, their level of commitment during these last weeks of the Semester. A recent article in The West Australian by Professor Lynne Cohen, Pro Vice-Chancellor at ECU, commented on the teaching of coping skills and the fact

Insight from Catherine

Preserve union and peace. Do this and your happiness will be so great as to cause you to wonder.

Mercedes girls making damper as part of the Reconciliation week activities.

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that children who develop positive coping skills generally grow up to be more resilient. ‘Their higher levels of self-esteem and emotional stability provide better prospects for a positive and constructive life, into adulthood.’ The article went on to say how important it is to tell our children that sometimes they may not reach their goals or meet expectations and that is okay. Over the past two weeks there have been a few wonderful community events. Firstly, Mrs Cheryl Alach, Coordinator of Careers and Vocational Educational and Training, organised the Career Mentor’s Breakfast for our Year 12 girls. A group of past students, now outstanding career women in their own right, returned for the breakfast, sharing their wisdom with the girls and their stories of how they have achieved the positions and careers they now have. It is always wonderful to have former students return and to be such great role models for our students. The second event was Run for a Reason on Sunday 25 May. A team of 175 Mercedes College students, parents and other family members, joined forces to take out the title of largest participating team. A great community effort with thanks going to Lara Fresson from the Health/Physical Education team and everyone who supported our fundraising for cancer research. Last week was National Reconciliation Week and a week of celebration for our Aboriginal girls and awareness raising for all our students and staff. The week was full of fun activities, including damper cooked by the girls, kangaroo stew prepared by the Café, and participation in the Sorry Day event at Wellington Square. It really was a week to stop and reflect on the significance of the first Sorry Day and it’s meaning for Aboriginal people. I hope the girls all had a relaxing long weekend, preparing themselves for the second half of this important term. No doubt the Year 11 and 12 girls were focused on study. Please continue to keep them in your prayers as they now await their exam results. Peace and best wishes.

Tuesday 17 June / 6.00pm - 8pm - College Staff Room

P & F Forum followed by Melinda Tankard Reist presentation on how the proliferation and globalisation of sexual imagery is harming young

people and what we can do about it. Refreshments provided and parking available.

Sheena Barber, Principal

HELP MMG REDUCE OUR ENVIRONMENTAL FOOTPRINT

BUY A KEEP CUP $10

• BPA free (non-toxic) • Microwave and dishwasher safe • Fits most car cup holders

• Fits under most barista heads.

Perfect for hot or cold drinks and winter soups. Use a permanent marker to fill in your coffee preferences.

Term 2 Café Special

Delicious hot soup and bun for $3.00. Bring back your clean ‘Keep Cup’ each day

Vol. 41 Number 8 / Week 6 Term Two / 5 June 2014

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Pastoral Care News

Year 11/12 Learning Community Year 11– Bernadette Dell With the exams concluding, some students may be stressed and some will face disappointment when their results are delivered to them. Resilience in the face of challenges is an important life skill so please encourage your daughter to view the Semester 1 results as an opportunity to evaluate what they have been doing that has led to success and the ways in which any disappointing performances need to be addressed. Many students will now realise the importance of organisational and time management skills and the role of stress management in effective performance. The College Counsellors have programs that they will introduce to students who feel they need assistance in any of these matters. Homeroom teachers have guided girls through several techniques for stress management and we will provide reminders about this information when lessons recommence for our Year 11s. There are several helpful online programs and each homeroom will display information about these for girls who prefer to use this manner of accessing guidance. “Elevate” presenters gave the girls many hints re studying effectively and it would be wise to revisit these suggestions if exam preparation was an issue for your daughter. The girls were given access to online hints and reminders so they may wish to use this information from the start of the new semester if they wish to improve their performance.

Curriculum News

Habits of Mind Quote “I really lack the words to compliment myself today.”- Alberto Tomba

Academic News - Mrs Liana Strutt, Deputy Principal - Academic Services Year 10 Exams The Year 10 Exams will be held from Monday 16 June until Friday 20 June. The details can be found by clicking HERE.

Information Technology – Mr Des Loh, Head of Learning Area - IT Year 8 Live IT Up! Excursion On Wednesday 7 May, the Year 8 Live IT Up! (Information Technology) students were involved in an excursion called Computer Game Research Through Play. Students are asked to draw on knowledge gained from this excursion and incorporate it into their coursework and assessment task. Mr Loh and Ms Langley accompanied an eager group of students to Timezone in Northbridge where they enthusiastically unleashed their gaming skills. Students were handed a Powercard enabling them to play a certain number of prize games and an unlimited number of video games and were given points for which they could exchange for prizes. In class, students engaged in discussion on the games they chose to play, what made a good game, the goals of various games and how music heightens the enjoyment of gameplay. This Term, students are guided on how to create their very own game using a program called Game Maker. They will be given the opportunity to work collaboratively on a game design task.

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General News

The Arts - Mrs Kathleen Cocks, HOLA The Arts Catholic Performing Arts Festival Specialist Dance Performance is on Wednesday 20 August at 7pm at PCEC. More information about rehearsals and ticket will be provided shortly. This is the only night our College could participate due to the College Calendar. Parents, please make sure this date is in your calendars. It is already in the students’ diaries.

Thoroughly Modern Millie rehearsals are well underway and a big thank you to all the cast who are already working hard to produce a wonderful show. Ticket Sales information will go out shortly with cast having the first opportunity to purchase tickets followed by the College Community. Please note that these performances sell out very quickly so there is not opportunity to offer tickets to the wider community. Girls wishing to be a part of the crew will be informed by Miss Nyunt via the daily bulletin. Preference will be given to girls who auditioned but did not get cast and girls who are well known for their reliability and commitment to events. Crew also need to be available for rehearsals in the second week of the holidays.

Sports– Greg Smith The Inter-House Athletics Carnival for 2014 will be held on Tuesday 1 July at WA Athletics Stadium, Stephenson Avenue, Mt Claremont. The first event is scheduled to start at 9.45am and the Carnival will conclude at 2.30pm. Due to time constraints, the Javelin and 1500m events will be conducted prior to the Carnival. These events will be conducted at the College, at lunchtimes, in weeks 7 – 9. Please click HERE for the schedule for the pre carnival events Please click HERE for the days program

Appointment of Principal - Community Consultation On Thursday 22 May Mercy Education Limited (MEL), the delegated authority for Mercy schools across Australia, conducted a number of community consultations to assist with the appointment of the College’s new Principal. The sessions, which were held with staff, groups of parents, Alumni and students, offered valuable information to assist the Board in its selection process. Interviews for the Principal’s position began this week and conclude June 13. The appointment will be announced to the College community on June 23.

Prepare Produce Provide The College is very fortunate to again be involved in the Prepare Produce Provide project where 700 students from 20 metropolitan and regional schools will aim to cook 10,000 meals across a 10 week program as part of the 5000 MEALS project. This initiative now in its second year aims to turn surplus food destined for landfill into healthy meals for the homeless and those in need. The project, which is supported by Foodbank WA, local producers, and some of Perth’s most successful chefs, is well under way. The Year 10 Certificate 1 Hospitality students are seen here with Executive Chef Andrew Mann who very generously gave of his time and expertise to assist the class in the preparation of meals at the College.

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Rehearsals for Mercedes/Trinity Chorale - Claire Gamlin, Director of Music The girls will rehearse this Friday (6 June) at Mercedes from 3.30 – 5pm. Year 11 and 12 students are expected at this rehearsal. The next combined rehearsals will be at Trinity on 13 and 20 June. Diary Dates Friday 13 June Trinity Middle School Music Night at Trinity College in Gibney Hall String Ensemble (with Miss Katsimbardis) Wind Ensemble (with Mr Waterhouse/Mr Talbot) Entry by gold coin donation. Girls to arrive by 7.30pm, approximate finish time 9pm, All girls must have black opaque stockings to wear with their winter uniform for this performance. Saturday 21 June Mercedes Semester Instrumental Concert for parents, friends and family Girls who are learning an instrument at Mercedes and have nominated to perform in Semester 1 will perform during the afternoon in the Mercedes Performing Arts Centre. Entry is free. Friday 27 June Trinity Senior School Music Night at Trinity College

String Orchestra, Wind Orchestra, Select Choir/Chorale, Madrigals/Vocal Ensemble Students required from approximately 6 – 9.30pm

Making Mercedes Greener (MMG) - Mrs Marg Ryan, MMG Coordinator Making Mercedes Greener The Year 7 environmental stewards were elected during Week 3 this term and presented with their badges during the MMG meeting on Tuesday 20 May.

Our next action for the group will be to promote Zero Waste lunches on World Environment Day on Thursday, 5 June. The canteen lunches and lunches brought from home should not include any plastic wrap or extra packaging. The students and staff will be encouraged to bring no-wrap lunches and the canteen will supply bread products in a paper bag or hot food requiring your own container. Students are required to bring a plate, bowl or plastic container as well as cutlery when they order hot lunch from the canteen.

Our next meeting for all environmental stewards will be held on Wednesday, 25 June in the Rostrevor Lecture Theatre during lunch time. Mr Robert Coltrona will be speaking to the group about his career in in Environmental and Waste Management Co-operative Research Centres. He has since founded two clean energy companies www.solcogen.com.au and www.carbonreduction.com.au which have installed solar energy systems for electricity and water heating. We look forward to learning about different aspects of this work.

We are also inviting Year 7, 8 and 9 environmental stewards to attend a tree planting activity at Whiteman Park on Friday, 25 July. We will leave the College at recess and travel on the College Bus to and from Whiteman Park, returning to the College by 2.30 pm. This is an initiative organised by the Men of the Trees. Letters for permission have been distributed.

Thanks for your support MMG Committee

Career Newsletter– Cheryl Alach

Careers classes (one day a week) will continue until the end of this term with students participating in mock course selection and other activities aimed at providing them with as much information as possible.

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Student News

The Mercedes Collage team photo for the HBF Run for a reason on the 25 May 2014.

HBF Run for a Reason - Lara Fresson On Sunday 25 May, Mercedes College students, teachers, family members and other members of our College community took part in the 2014 HBF Run for a Reason. The participants ran, walked and jogged their way through the 4km and 12km courses. The overcast conditions didn't dampen their spirits as the atmosphere was buzzed with excitement and energy. When the event began it was overwhelming to see so many students, teachers and family members give their best effort to tackle the challenging course. It is with great pride that I can announce Mercedes College was the largest school based team registered for the event on Sunday, as a result of the hard work and commitment of our team, the school was awarded a $1000 sporting equipment voucher and a plaque which will serve as a testament to the effort and dedication of our school community. I am also pleased to announce that we have raised over $3000 which will go towards the Cancer Council of Western Australia. I congratulate and applaud the efforts of everyone who was involved in this event. Not only have you represented yourselves and the College with dignity and pride, you have also made a difference to a very worthy cause. I look forward to organising next year’s HBF Run for a Reason and making it even bigger!

Sport ACC Cross-country– Greg Smith The Associated Catholic Colleges Cross Country Carnival 2014 was held on Thursday 29 May, over a 3km course, at Alderbury Reserve. It proved to be a very enjoyable and successful event for Mercedes College, as the Year 8 girls finished 3rd and the combined effort of all the runners resulted in the College finishing 3rd from 54 other schools.

The outstanding individual highlight of the day was Abigail Moroney who finished 2nd in the Under 14’s with a time of 10.59 minutes.

The effort of each team member was outstanding, and the results a just reward for their commitment to training throughout Terms I and II. The results of all competitors can be accessed on either the ACC website www.accsport.asn.au or the BlueChip site http://www.bluechipresults.com.au

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Mercedes College Newsletter

Noticeboard

P & F Wine Raffle Draw Postponed New Draw Date Saturday 26 July Please notify everyone that there is still time to sell more tickets, should families want more books to sell. Thank you also to the families who have contributed wine or $15 towards the raffle prizes. There is now more time to contribute if you haven’t

already done so. Your support and help with this fundraiser is very much appreciated by the P & F.

Claudia Wins Gold Congratulations to Year 11 student Claudia Lewis. Claudia was a member of the WA Rhythmic Gymnastics team that won Gold in the "Open Group" category at the "Australian Gymnastics 2014 Championships" held in Melbourne on Wednesday 28 May. They beat QLD in 2nd place and NSW in 3rd place. She trains at her club "Rhythmic Gymnastics Academy of WA".

Friends of Mercedes

Dads of Mercedes The Dads of Mercedes group was established by the College to provide opportunities for dads to connect with their daughters and other Dads of the College.

The goals of the Dads of Mercedes are: · To have at least one social function for Dads and Daughters per term. · To have at least one Dads social function per term. · To assist with volunteering and to collaborate with the College for community events.

Tip from the Dads of Mercedes Dads, we all get busy with work, life etc, don’t forget to make time to have a date with your daughter. It doesn’t have to be anything extravagant or involve a lot of expense. The important thing is to simply spend time with your daughter doing something together.

Dads of Mercedes Meetings An email will be sent out when our next DoMs meeting is planned, these are informal and all Dads, Step Dads and Grand-Dads are welcome to be part of this group. If you would like to find out more please call Mrs Jackie Stacey at the College or Dean Davidson, Chairperson DoMs; 0438930063

Invitation to all Mums and Daughters The MOM Group would like to invite all mums and their daughters to the first ever, Mums and Daughters Self Defence class to be held at the College. Booking are essential. Mother & Daughter Self Defence Free Class (after the class, enjoy a coffee and cake together with your daughter – venue to be advised Sunday 29 June—8.30 – 10.30am. Please email Jackie Stacey on jstacey@mercedes.wa.edu.au if you have any queries. Click HERE

Vol. 41 Number 8 / Week 6 Term Two / 5 June 2014