Dear members of the MLMC community

Over this past fortnight I have had the pleasure of attending three College Debutante Balls, hosted by the Parents and Friends’ Association, for our Year 12 students and their families. Our College Debutante Balls would normally occur at Year 11, however, the last two years have seen so many events cancelled or postponed because of the restrictions associated with the pandemic that it became necessary to hold it in Year 12 this year. We will return to holding a Year 11 event in August/September this year.

The Debutante Balls are a beautiful event and one in which I am proud to attend and participate each year. It is apparent to me that balls are an important event and rite of passage for our young people. The debs are a fantastic family event whereby students, parents, grandparents and friends dress in formal wear and come together to celebrate with formal dances.

It would, however, appear that nothing can cause controversy like the concept of a Debutante Ball and it surprised me the number of comments I received about how the College intended to cancel future balls and how this was the ‘last deb’. To put it simply, this is not the case. But this, too, will need some qualification.

Some people seem to loath the whole idea of a Debutante Ball and do not understand why they would have a place at MLMC in 2022, or, for that matter, anywhere.

Firstly, we do have to acknowledge Debutante Ball history. The first such ball was in 1780, called the Queen Charlotte’s Ball, founded by King George III in honour of his wife’s birthday. The Deb, like many other Balls worldwide, like the Cotillions in the south of America, did involve the concept of presenting young girls to the social set of the time and for many it was about starting the search to find a suitable and eligible partner in marriage. We need to remember that, at that time, marriage was in many ways the only career for women of a particular social set and a way of finding financial security. Thankfully, this is no longer the case.

We also need to acknowledge that a Debutante Ball, while full of tradition at MLMC, has at its core a different meaning in 2022 and finding a future partner certainly is not one of them. Some things have, however, remained constant:

• white dresses and formal dress
• being presented in pairs
• ballroom-style dancing
• students dancing with their parents, grandparents and special people in their lives.

The Debutante Ball tradition does live on and it has adapted as it has been adopted by many cultures.

While acknowledging the importance of the tradition, we must ask ourselves if the Debutante Ball, in its current form, is serving our families and our students. For some it is and for others it is not. There are some issues with it:

• some girls do not like asking boys to be their partners or have to ask many before they find one
• some boys do not like being asked, while others fear they may never be asked
• not enough boys want to be a part of it, leaving other boys to participate two or three times
• for some the cost is prohibitive, especially the cost of a deb dress
• in the traditional format, the girl is presented and the boy is accompanying them
• some students would like to be presented in same sex friendship groups, which we have done over the past few years.

This year, we have been consulting with our Year 11 cohort and their parents about what is important to them in such a ball, remembering that it is far more than a ‘social’. Given that we will have three Year 11 balls, it provides the opportunity to trial a few options and have each ball themed around student choice. One ball might be a traditional debutante- style ball while another might be a presentation-style ball whereby students are presented in groups, dress is still formal but allows for colourful ball gowns and formal evening wear and formal dances might be more of a traditional progressive style.

Student choice and student numbers will dictate the style of ball for Year 11 in 2022, and then in 2023 we will undertake a similar process to ensure the needs of next year’s Year 11 students (Year 10 2022) are best met.

Please understand that I have tried to best explain what is actually happening with the Debutante Ball content to allay the many fears that “Philip Morison has killed off the Deb and MLMC will do them no more”. Rest assured, this is far from the truth. I have been honoured to be the guest at in excess of 60 such Debutante Balls and to see the many smiles and glee on the faces of generations of families is truly a delight and something we wish to continue.

Before finishing, it would be remiss of me not to comment on the operation of the College at this time and during these interesting times, because in many ways these times are more challenging than the past last two years.

We acknowledge that these recent years have been a struggle for many and that challenges have presented themselves unlike any other time in our history. I continue to be grateful for a supportive community and ask that you continue the Rapid Antigen Testing (RAT) RAT testing program currently in place until further notice. The College will continue to issue students with RAT testing kits to those who need them, understanding that after a positive test and seven days of isolation no test is required for 12 weeks. Please ensure that only students who need RAT tests collect them and that obtaining them and then disgorging them in garden beds and the like is both wasteful and disrespectful of our environment.

Please also continue to have students who test positive stay at home and isolate for seven days (five days of school), but also have any students who continue to show any symptoms to also stay at home.

Please understand that these same issues apply to staff. The College is experiencing a high degree of staff absenteeism at the moment due to staff testing positive to COVID-19 or the very prominent flu cycle that has started to spread through the College. Some have reported that the symptoms of influenza are worse than they experienced from COVID-19. This is, of course, a case-by-case basis.

The College is doing everything possible to maintain the best learning environment and keeping all year levels on campus. We have done this by employing casual relief teachers (CRTs), by combining some classes and by supervising some classes in private study. Thus far, we have maintained all our camps and excursion programs. Employing CRTs and finding replacement staff is becoming very difficult, as there appears to be a teacher shortage. At this stage MLMC has not considered having some year levels to stay at home, but this may be a consideration for the future should the situation continue or worsen. Hopefully, this will not be the case.

Lastly, a reminder that next Friday (20 May) is a student free day at MLMC with the staff undergoing professional development. There will be no students on campus and students should enjoy a long weekend, but still pay attention to their studies.

In the spirit of Catherine,

God bless

Philip A Morison

In the Catholic Church the month of May is dedicated to Mary. This is a good time to bring families and groups together to pray the rosary. Mary has many titles and Mary Help of Christians has been the official patroness of Australia since 1844. Her feast day is celebrated on 24 May.

A prayer for entrusting Australia to Mary Help of Christians

O Immaculate Mary, Help of Christians,
Queen of heaven and earth, and tender Mother of humanity,
at this time when a pandemic still threatens all your children,
we entrust to you our nation, Australia,
and all who live in this country.
We commit to your intercession all the members of our community,
beginning with the weakest ones,
from the unborn to the sick, the disabled and the elderly.
We commit to you our families,
our young and old, and all who are vulnerable,
those who are quarantined or anxious.
We entrust to your Immaculate Heart those who have lost their
livelihood or employment,
our pastors and other essential service workers,
and our leaders at this time.
We implore your intercession especially for the protection of 
doctors and nurses and those who minister
to the contagious sick in this crisis.
Reign over us, Mother of God, and teach us how to make the
Heart of Jesus reign and triumph in us and around us,
as it has reigned and triumphed in you.

Amen

Dates

• Monday 16 May-Friday 20 May — National Careers Week
• Friday 20 May — student free day (Staff Professional Development)
• Monday 23 May — EISM Athletics Champions Carnival
• Monday 23 May-Friday 27 May — Art Education Week
• Tuesday 24 May — Special Persons’ Day
• Monday 13 June — Queen’s birthday public holiday (College closed)

Year 7 Special Persons' Day 

We are pleased to extend a warm invitation to all the ‘special people’ in the lives of our Year 7 students to join us at the College on Tuesday 24 May, from 9.00am to 10.15am, to celebrate Special Persons' Day.

The morning will include a welcome Liturgy and Principal’s Address in Centennial Hall followed by a tour of the College and morning tea in McAuley Hall.

Please RSVP by Wednesday 18 May with the number of guests (for catering purposes) via the Parent Portal ‘Events’ tab for the ‘Special Person’s Day’ event. Car parking will be available on the green basketball courts which provides easy access to Centennial Hall.

Upcoming Lilydale rail line works

Please see the document below regarding upcoming works and buses replacing trains on the Lilydale Line from 19 to 23 May 2022.

Last week was a busy one for Year 7 and Year 8 Humanities students. On Wednesday 4 May, our Year 7 students were given the opportunity to explore ancient Egypt and Rome. The presenters from History Up Close provided students with an enthusiastic approach to sharing knowledge on how these two cultures went to war, dressed and entertained themselves. These areas were explored through the use of reproduction costume and personal hygiene tools, armour, weapons and sporting equipment.

On Thursday 5 May, it was the Year 8 students' turn to explore everyday life in medieval Europe. Students were given an opportunity to participate in a presentation on arms and armour as well as the costumes and lifestyles of the period, from peasants to kings. Students were able to try on armour from the period as well as touch and feel the weight of chainmail and swords.

Oh, what a night!

Year 12 students finally got to celebrate their long-awaited Debutante Balls over the last couple of weekends, hitting the dance floor at The Centre Ivanhoe over three nights. Each couple was presented to Principal Mr Philip Morison in front of their families and friends after hours of instruction from Sassi Dance studio.

Below are a few of the students' reflections of the event:

The Debutante ball. What a night to remember! Nerves were high as the time for presentations came in situ. The hours of preparation and excitement filled the minds of all debutantes and their partners. When walking out on to the stage, the bright lights and smiles from the audience on you, made your heart skip a beat. Dancing the night away with our relatives, loving partners, parents and peers, we can finally say we have been presented to society. As the tradition of a Debutante Ball is much outdated to that of today's meaning, the notion of formality has never lost its touch. With over a year in formation for this night, a ceremonious end to this exciting event made it all worthwhile.
— Stella Atkinson (Year 12 White)

For me the entire day was amazing, from meeting in the morning to leaving at night. Even if I made a wrong step or got bored waiting for the moment, I still had fun joking around with my friends and dance partner. Obviously, I was the greatest dancer on the night but everyone else's contributions on the dance floor also counted.
— Perry Leane (Year 12 Purple)

After two years in the making and many rehearsals, the Deb Ball proved to exceed expectations. Everyone took the opportunity to light up the dancefloor, providing everyone with many laughs. It was an amazing night to share with our friends and family.
— Alannah Finger (Year 12 Blue)

It was fantastic and a unique night and I was so happy to be able to spend it with my family and friends.
— Jack Drummond (Year 12 Blue)

The College thanks Parents and Friends' Association committee members Mrs Laura Nation and Mrs Deleane Leach as well as all the College staff who assisted on each night.

Mount Lilydale Mercy College's McAuley Library is a hive of activity at lunchtimes, offering students a range of cocurricular activities. Cocurricular activities are activities that are provided in addition to the regular school curriculum. Research has demonstrated that participation in cocurricular activities is linked to positive outcomes in academic achievement, social engagement, school attendance, student development and behaviour.

Some of the activities supported by the MLMC library include:

Anime Kai
A fortnightly meeting in McAuley Library where students from across the school get together to watch and discuss anime, and participate in other activities related to Japanese popular culture.

Book Club
A fortnightly social gathering where students can discuss books they are reading and participate in literary games and activities. Book Club kicked off with a big influx of new members this year. At the meetings we have played 'book title' Pictionary, The Great Penguin Book Chase, Taboo and a Harry Potter mini-quiz, all while eating lollies and chatting about our favourite reads and literature peeves. All students are welcome, with Book Club held every Wednesday in Week A.

Chess Club 
A weekly gathering, delivered by an experienced chess coach, providing students with the opportunity to learn new chess strategies and develop their chess skills through friendly games of chess. Recently strategy sessions have focused on developing chess game openings.

Homework Club 
A weekly after-school homework support session for students in Years 7 to 9. Students are supported by teaching and learning support staff, along with VCE mentors. Permission for attendance is available on the Parent Portal.

Library Quiz 
Quizzes are offered twice per term with students participating in teams of up to five students (one of them is pictured above). Quiz topics this year have included Harry Potter, Marvel and Disney Pixar. On Friday 6 May we had the Marvel Character Quiz in the McAuley Library. There were seven teams battling it out to be the Marvel quiz champions for 2022. The winners were The Marvel Bunch, consisting of team members Tahlia Dickinson, Lara Maggs, Charlotte Keech, Olivia Morse and Catarina Orlando. Well done!

A group of Year 9 Compass students participated in a community activity in Healesville on Wednesday 4 May. The group, along with staff members Mr Marco Cardinali and Mrs Tina Pike, went to a respite home for Challenge — supporting kids with cancer. The students were able to help Retreat Manager Sue with different aspects of the gardening and maintenance of the property, to get it ready for families to come and stay and have a retreat from hospital.

The students were great, hardworking and respectful as well as very energetic. They achieved a lot on the day, leaving the gardens looking wonderful. 

At MLMC we have a team of Careers practitioners dedicated to supporting our students’ career development. Mrs Jo-Anne Hopkins-Goding (jhopkins@mlmc.vic.edu.au), Mrs Jennifer Morison (jmorison@mlmc.vic.edu.au) and myself, Mrs Tamara Rundle (trundle@mlmc.vic.edu.au), are available for career counselling, mock interviews and current careers information. 

Students can come down to visit the Careers department to request a booking time with Mrs Nives Gamble (or email careers@mlmc.vic.edu.au), during recess or lunchtime for McAuley students and during study periods for our senior students. If you are a parent or guardian wanting to support your child by, for instance, clarifying the requirements of tertiary courses or Work Experience, you are also more than welcome to attend with your child.

What’s new?

In Term 1 we were busy creating a Careers Resource Hub for the students (pictured below). This is a dedicated room in the Careers department where students can come and learn about current universities, TAFEs and private Institutions with access to course guides, pathway programs, scholarship opportunities and early entry pamphlets. Students can also access our hardcopy suite of Careers development GROW resources. These booklets are designed to aid students step by step through the Career Decision Wheel as they progress through the College.

Over the Term 1 holidays we updated our MLMC Careers website to be a more modern, student-centric platform. There are key resource links for opportunities in employment and study beyond school, such as our Careers Newsletter and Careers Event Calendar — a 'go to' for students in our senior years to keep on top of upcoming university and TAFE Open Days. Other areas such as the 'Student Secure Zone', where they can find tools such as the resume and cover letter builder, have been updated. We encourage students to register to the new Student Secure Zone and explore the website with their parents. For those that have used this resource on the older platform, follow the simple email re-verification of username process to re-access your saved documents.

A snapshot of MLMC’s holistic 7-12 Career Development Program

Year 7 Stepping Forward program

Every Year 7 student has attended a Careers introductory Lesson. A keystone of starting our career development at this age is to establish a foundation of understanding innate attributes and values so these remain the guiding force for future pathways decisions in the later years. We encourage parents to continue this dialogue at home throughout the junior years, using age appropriate prompts like do you think you prefer activities where you are with others or where you are by yourself? or, do you think you prefer being outside or inside more? Why? Students were also introduced to the concept of ‘career’ and postgraduate study through alumni stories of how they achieved their dream careers. And yes, there were some surprised faces when the realisation set in that accessing these occupations meant more school after high school.

Year 9 Future Me Program

All Year 9 students will undertake Careers Profiling using the Morrisby System and attend excursions to tertiary institutions such as RMIT, Deakin University and Holmesglen TAFE for campus tours. To learn more about the Morrisby psychometric surveying that our students will participate in on Friday 27 May, please read the Parent Info Fact Sheet or listen to the Morrisby parent information video. You can view the video by clicking HERE.

Year 10 Work Experience

All Year 10 students will participate in Work Experience in the final week of this term, from 20–24 June. This is an immersion experience where students decide on their own industry, identify an employer and apply for a position where they will observe how the workplace operates to get a sense of whether they are suited to that career. Authentic learning experiences such as this are priceless and memory making. It is always a pleasure hearing about our students’ adventures once they return to school in Term 3.

Year 10 parents are reminded that if your child is yet to return forms to please make it a priority over the coming week to finalise these. If you require assistance please contact the Careers department. Virtual Work Experience will take place on campus all week for those that do not organise a placement.

Micro-credentialing with white card qualifications

On Wednesday 4 May and Friday 6 May, Year 10 students undertook Work Experience in construction and worked very hard on day-long programs with Mr Tim Allchin from Ranges Tec to attain their white cards. This is an industry standard Occupational Health and Safety qualification that tradespeople require to enter a worksite. Students enjoyed the way Mr Allchin linked theory to practise using the Woodwork room (pictured below).

Year 11 Careers Expo Excursion — A Day all about Tomorrow

On Friday 29 April, Year 11 students (some of them pictured above and in the gallery below) went on an excursion to Australia’s largest annual Careers Expo at Caulfield Racecourse, armed with the brief to be inspired and informed about future possibilities. 

Students were wowed by over 200 stallholders. Victorian and many interstate tertiary institutions’ Future Students Teams were there to answer questions and explain what they have to offer our students as well as explain their entry requirements. 

In addition, there was a huge range of private institutions such as Carlton College of Sport, William Angliss and Endota Wellness College as well as volume employers offering apprenticeship and traineeships such as Sheen Panel Service and Peter Stevens Motorcycles. Industry bodies were also represented, with the Australian Institute of Quantity Surveyors keen to show off their drone skills to our students. 

Government industry representatives were available to discuss free TAFE schemes, for example in Nursing and Early Childhood Care. Emergency services such as Victoria Police, the Australian Defence Force and Ambulance Victoria were also present and eager to explain their unique career training pathways. 

Overall, the excursion was a success with exhausted students walking away with inspiration, information and showbags full of merchandise, leaflets and course guides.

Year 12 Preparing for Success Career Seminar

In Term 1, we held a seminar explaining the VTAC process for researching and preparing a shortlist for courses and how trends in the labour market should be used to understand future work environments. This was followed by intensive one-on-one careers counselling sessions. 

Many Year 12s require more than one session, and that is perfectly okay, we’ve seen some students three or four times. We encourage our Year 12s to come to Careers as often as they need to feel comfortable and confident with their career decisions.

Upcoming Careers event — ACU guest speaker David Plant 
Monday 23 May (12.45pm) 

To further support our senior students and their parents this year with the big questions about tertiary study, we will be hosting a number of informal dedicated lunchtime Careers sessions in the MLC building, and parents of Year 12 students are welcome to join us. 

Starting on Monday 23 May, at 12.45pm, we have invited David Plant from one of Australia’s leading universities, Australian Catholic University (ACU), to come along and speak to our Year 11 and 12 students and parents. Mr Plant will focus on how MLMC’s partnership with ACU affords our students a five-point preferential adjustment advantage for any ATAR when applying at ACU. Mr Plant is an expert on ACU course offerings, campus offerings and study abroad opportunities. This is an opportunity for Mr Plant to take the time, face to face, to explain the ACU Guarantee Early Entry Program, as well as where and when Campus and Faculty Open Sessions are taking place. We do hope to see some Year 12 Parents come along.

Parents must register for this informal lunchtime Careers session directly with Mrs Nives Gamble via email to careers@mlmc.vic.edu.au by Thursday 19 May, and then sign in and out on the day at College Reception.

On Friday 6 May, Visual Arts staff took the VCE Visual Communication and Design students to the Melbourne Museum where they viewed the Top Designs 2021 exhibition. The exhibition displays the top designs from a range of works across many subjects at VCE level in 2021. 

It is always a fantastic opportunity for students to see what the best and brightest can achieve in their final year of school. Many students found it very interesting and looked through the whole collection of work, taking photographs and discussing the most appealing designs.

Visual Arts Prefect Cooper Murray (Year 12 Purple) said:

Top Designs was a great experience, particularly for the Year 12s who are starting our own SATs in the coming weeks. I found a lot of inspiration looking through the pages of the students' folios and getting to see all the development and work that goes towards producing a final design. Following their creative processes from start to finish provides a unique appreciation for all the work that goes into a final piece. Top Designs definitely set the bar high for the standard of work this year, but it was rewarding to see how it paid off for these talented VCE Design students.

Year 11 Visual Communication and Design student Elle Enright (Year 11 Gold) said:

The Year 11 and 12 Visual Communication and Design classes attended the Top Designs exhibition. Our classes looked at the most popular and favourable designs created by Year 12 students from different schools. There was a diverse selection of design areas on display ranging from Vis Com, Woodwork, Textiles and Media. It was really fantastic to finally be able to go on such a beneficial excursion for the first time in two years. I found it very inspiring and helpful to have a look at what will be required from me next year and also to start thinking about some possible ideas I could look into to further my learning this year. It was also really good to be with the Year 12 class for the excursion. It gave us the opportunity to talk to the Year 12s about what they had been doing in the class, gaining some extra tips and advice. Overall the experience was so much fun and worthwhile.

Senior Agriculture students recently participated in the Gear Up For Safety program run by the Farmer Health Network and Deakin University. In this four-hour incursion, students learned about the common causes of farm injuries and accidents, how to prevent them, significant risks within primary production and safe approaches to managing risk.

Covering a range of topics, from hearing loss to lethal poisoning, mental health and child safety, students undertook hands-on and engaging theoretical activities to better understand rural risk management.

One of the more popular activities was dressing up in Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and then being exposed to a ‘chemical’ (shaving foam). The students then had to remove the PPE safely without coming into contact with the foam. This was not as easy as it looked.

We really value the time spent talking safety and would like to thank the team from Western Health who delivered the program.

In the Year 10 Food Fabulous Food class last week students were learning about the importance of garnishing. Students were able to recognise that garnishes can add colour, flavour, texture and a focal point to a dish; turning ordinary food into fabulous food.

We put this into practice by making pumpkin soup. Students were then set a challenge to garnish the soup to make a show-stopping statement. It was terrific to see students embrace the challenge and come up with so many unique ideas to make their soup look attractive. Some students baked pumpkin seeds, others made pumpkin ‘chips’, some fried bacon strips and crunchy croutons, others caramelised onion and some piped creme fraiche. Fresh herbs and flowers were also selected from our garden and used to add interest.

Students were reminded that garnishes must be edible and often give a clue of the flavours to come. Congratulations students on putting your new knowledge into practice, you should be very proud of your work.

(1) EISM Athletics

Congratulations to all athletes who represented MLMC at the EISM Division 1 Athletics Carnival on Thursday 5 May at Lakeside Stadium in Albert Park (pictured below). MLMC finished seventh overall against some very strong competition. All students who competed represented the College with great enthusiasm and sportsmanship.

Students will be notified on Monday 16 May if they have qualified, but if they finished first at the Division 1 carnival students can assume they have qualified for the EISM Championship Carnival. The carnival will be held on Tuesday 24 May, from 2.00pm-6.00pm at Lakeside Stadium.

(2) Student achievements

Football

Congratulations to Brylee Anderson (Year 8 White) who has qualified for the School Sport Victoria Under-15 football team, which will be competing in the School Sport Australia Australian Football Championships from 23-30 July in NSW.

Football

Congratulations to Cameron Nyko (Year 11 Bronze) and Cody Anderson (Year 11 Purple) who have both been selected to play trial games for Vic Metro under-18s after playing in the NAB League.

Softball

Congratulations to Karri Pritchard (Year 12 Red) who has been selected for the Under-18 Australian softball team. She will be competing in Canada in June this year.

If you have any other student achievements, please email them to dwebb@mlmc.vic.edu.au

MLMC has been nominated as a finalist for the ResourceSmart Schools Awards in two categories  — Community Leadership School of the Year and Curriculum Leadership School of the Year.

Sustainability is featured at the College in nearly every subject from Humanities to Religious Education and Science. We are one of the schools leading the change in becoming a sustainably-functioning school by helping others begin the transition. The College is aiming to achieve its five-star rating under the ResourceSmart schools program conducted by Sustainability Victoria later this year.

Sustainability Leader Mr Andrew Feher (pictured) said “the recognition shows that our programs are working and we are on the right path”.

Winners will be announced in June.

A recent study released by Sydney University emphasised and reiterated the positive correlation between students who participate in regular physical activity and academic performance. Ask any staff member to provide examples of past students with high levels of physical activity, and they will tell you there is a common thread; that these students were able to attain higher academic results.

Through their passions these students have developed the skills required to do so; organisation, self-motivation, reduced stress levels and higher concentration skills, to name a few.

What was interesting about the recent study was that it highlighted that the areas of the strongest academic growth experienced by participation in physical activity was in the subject areas of Maths and Science. The study also stated that physical activity engaged in during school hours was most beneficial.

So, to all our wonderful students, if you don’t already, take up the opportunities to participate in practical classes — be it PE, elective PE classes or outdoor education, EISM sport or other recreational sport programs offered at the College.

Our Active April campaign was one way to encourage students to undertake physical activity and to raise awareness of the importance of being physically active. During April, including the school holidays, students were invited to represent their College House and participate in ‘Active April’ whereby they logged any physical activity that they engaged in across the month. Over 100 students participated and logged their activity hours.

Along with recording their hours of physical activity, they also recorded the types of physical activities they engaged in. The most popular activities for our students were walking, running, riding, basketball, AFL and going to the gym.

The House with the highest number of participants was Frayne. The House with the highest number of hours logged was Terry Dunn with 459 hours of physical activity logged for the month of April.

Congratulations and thank you to all students who participated. An extra congratulations to the following students who excelled in the hours undertaken:

It was also great to see many staff participate, with Mr Greg Hysted, Ms Simone Esmonde and Lachlan Riddiford (our Health and PE trainee) leading the way.