From the Principal

Dear members of the Mount Lilydale Mercy College community,

Welcome to Term 4 after what I hope was a relaxing holiday period which provided opportunity for shared family time and relaxation. The weather certainly provided the possibility of experiencing time in the great outdoors in spring, unlike this week which has seen a return to winter-like conditions. We certainly enjoy a degree of variation and lack of predictability in Melbourne. I also hope the AFL Grand Final, which was a great and exciting game of football, provided you with some joy. It certainly did in our house.

(1) Travel experiences

Over the holiday period a number of other exciting things were celebrated.

Firstly, the College conducted three interstate and international study experiences. A group of Year 10 students travelled to Tasmania to experience the history and vast beauty of the state, while a second group of Year 10 students travelled north for the Central Australia experience. At the same time, a senior group of students travelled to Japan in a cultural and Study Tour. All three of these trips provided positive experiences for our students. All of the feedback I have received is that our students were great ambassadors for our College and we can all be proud of their interactions. I am told that travel sickness on planes and the Spirit of Tasmania was not a highlight. I do publicly acknowledge and thank the staff who volunteered to give up their holidays to lead these trips for without them, such experiences would not be possible.

Thank you to the following staff members who attended these tours:

Central Australia: Matthew Reilly (Tour Leader), Sarah Battersby, Liam Charles, Michael Dunstan and Victoria Minichilli

Tasmania: Cassandra Poynter (Tour Leader), Krissy Collins and Paul Wulfrun

Japan: John Rodgers (Tour Leader), Greg Hysted and Kassidy Grant-Whiting.

(2) Student Leadership

Before the end of Term 3, we finalised the Student Leadership process for 2024, after an extensive application, interview and voting process. I was pleased to write to all the 2024 Prefect applicants over the holidays offering congratulations to those who were appointed to positions. It was pleasing to receive a large number of applications, which of course means there will be some students who are not appointed to official leadership positions, but hopefully that does not mean that their leadership is not realised in a whole lot of ways. The 2024 Prefects were to be inducted at a whole College Assembly next Tuesday (10 October), however, circumstances outside of our control means that this assembly will be postponed until Monday 16 October. This is the last full day of school for our Year 12 cohort and the induction of new Prefects will be a part of the process of farewelling our Year 12 students.

In considering our Year 12 Class of 2023, we must acknowledge and celebrate their leadership and their presence within our student body. As they prepare to depart the College, let us keep them all in our prayers as this is a time of celebration for them and it is also a time of great trepidation as many prepare for exams. I will write to each Year 12 student in the near future and I look forward to celebrating their Graduation with them on Friday 17 November.

Please congratulate the following students on being appointed to Prefect positions for 2024:

(4) Referendum

This past week a number of our Year 12 cohort attended the filming of Q&A whereby a number of topical issues were under discussion, including the upcoming Referendum. You can read more about it HERE. Our Year 12 students asked a number of insightful questions around varied issues, but the episode highlighted the need for informed discussion. As you know, Mount Lilydale Mercy College is committed to a reconciliation process and being inclusive of all people. However, we also recognise that some might consider discussion around issues like the Referendum to be political and not the role of the College, and may understand that such issues are also moral and ethical. I hope that informed discussions are happening within the home and I offer you some reflections from the Australian Catholic Bishops to aid in this:

In the spirit of Catherine,
May God bless each and every one of you.

Philip A Morison