Dear members of the Mount Lilydale Mercy College community
Awards
Week two of term saw the final three College Semester 1 award ceremonies held, which happened to be the Barak campus ceremonies, and I congratulate and thank all those students who received either Academic or Merit Awards. Hopefully such Awards are recognition of goals set and achieved as well as a consistent and persistent effort to achieve. Thank you too, to the many parents who attended to support our student body as individuals and as a whole.
Sustainability Week
Although last week was a short week, it was also Sustainability Week in which we focus on caring for our earth – it is undertaken in the belief that we are the caretakers of this planet and not the owners. We have been entrusted with the stewardship of a great gift and one that we must cherish and sustain for our children and our children’s children. The week was a celebration of all things sustainable and it was very well integrated with a number of social justice activities in the Ministry Lounge which included a large jumble sale.
Other great activities included fruits and produce from our orchard and agriculture/horticulture centre being distributed freely at lunchtime and the opportunity to meet and cuddle our newest member of the community, a young lamb. Another highlight was the great debate about renewable energy. Year 12s supported the week by having a Wrap It Up Day which involved dressing up for the cold as no heating was made available to them in their classrooms. These energy savings were enhanced by the energy produced via our solar panels that day. Congratulations on a great week that encouraged all of us to focus on sustainability and caring for the earth.
LOTE Week
Not to be out done, this week the focus has been on languages other than English – LOTE. The week began with the LOTE department hosting an international lunch in the staff room last Friday. An extraordinary array of wonderful food was enjoyed by all. There have been many activities throughout LOTE Week, including sumo wrestling, origami making, a visit by a gelati van and a staff versus students soccer match. Art activities in the Ministry Lounge were run by Year 11 students with funds raised across the week going to the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre. Again congratulations to the LOTE Department for organising this great week.
College Musical
The College Musical has been in preparation for some time and this week saw the opening performance. The many odd clothes that I have seen wandering the school including leg warmers, huge earrings, fingerless gloves, parachute pants, stretch stirrup pants and fluoro T-shirts as well as hearing songs by Cindi Lauper, Wham, Queen, Michael Jackson and many others, tells me that Back to the '80s has hit the stage of Centennial Hall. Sadly I have not heard songs by the Angels, or Cold Chisel, but that is probably because they were not popular in America, where the Musical is set in an American high school.
I am yet to see the whole performance, but will do so tomorrow night. I am truly looking forward to it and I encourage you all to buy a ticket and go along and see it, if it is not too late. While I haven’t seen the full Musical yet, I have visited rehearsals several times and I can assure you of a very entertaining show. There is a cast of over 120 students, many of whom are first-time performers. Staff member Mrs Emily Cerra has directed the Musical and has been supported so very well by many other staff (too many to mention), but they include Mr Jeremy Ives, Miss Rachel Berka, Mrs Helen Savaris, Mrs Natasha Leaumont, Mr Gus Garces and the list goes on. Emily has even produced a website for https://www.mlmc80.com/ where you can learn about all our amazing student actors, crew and support staff. Congratulations to each and every one involved.
Let the busy weeks continue.
God bless
Philip Morison
