Dear members of the Mount Lilydale Mercy College community

When I arrive at work it is dark, cold and these days often foggy with little visibility. I usually arrive between 6.30am and 7.00am and sometime soon it will also be wet. When I am leaving work it is often dark and the cold and the dampness can be felt in the air. I suspect that my working day at the ‘Hill’ will be like this for some time as we approach the shortest day on 21 June and then for some time after. If this is all you knew of my working day, then you might think my work life was depressing and well it might be if I was bunkered down in my office all day surrounded by the many issues associated with our College in this time of pandemic.

But that is far from the crux of my day.

During at least recess and lunch, I walk the school grounds to experience the beautiful blue skies, the warmth of the sun, the changing yet still beautiful leaves and to soak up the energy of 1500 students who gladly greet and interact with me as they enjoy each other's company. It is genuinely life giving and I give thanks for that privilege every day. I also very much enjoy visiting classes to witness the learning that I know to be so important within the relational environment that is face-to-face teaching.

As we approach the winter solstice the days will get shorter and perhaps darker, colder and wetter which could easily create depression – if you let it. And in pausing to reflect on the unusual term and year that we have had, it is possible that you could be depressed by that too – if you let yourself.

But as we approach the winter solstice which is a turning point, the days will inevitably get longer and eventually the beauty of spring will be upon us, as will the end of Term 2. I suspect we will never have an experience like it – social isolation, remote learning, supervising children at home while trying to work, not seeing friends and family, not being able to attend and celebrate the Eucharist or attend weddings or funerals. Life for a long period is not how we would normally live it. Are we now in the COVID normal?

As we approach the end of Term 2 and looking to the start of Term 3 with restrictions easing in Victoria, I cannot help but wonder what Term 3 and Term 4 will look like.

Yesterday VCAA announced that VCE and VCAL final results will be released at 7.00am on Wednesday 30 December and the ATAR scores will be released at that same time. This is great news, as it should allow our senior students to plan the next stages of their journey whether that be university, TAFE, apprenticeships or other work. Also pleasingly, VCAA released the detailed exam schedule which will further allow the College, teachers and students to plan.

Although we do not know the full picture as yet, restrictions are easing slowly and we do look forward to finding the COVID normal. COVID-19 will be with us for a long while to come. We are still unsure of many things including attendance numbers at assemblies, formal ceremonies and parent seminars, to name just a few. But all those things will come and we will find ways to celebrate the achievements of the year of the pandemic. It just may take some time. We must remain positive and hopeful.

With the end of Term 2, I am also very conscious that all of you have experienced a term like no other and for some the experience has not been, and is not, easy. With you I empathise and sympathise. I am also eternally grateful to you for your support and for the trust you have demonstrated in the College and our staff. We have never waivered and have never lost your support in the approach to remote learning and the processes implemented to keep our community safe, both during isolation and during the return processes.

In the coming weeks, may you find the joy in family activity that the approaching holidays may provide. May you share life with loved ones and may you find peace in the protection of our God.

We remain people of hope and positivity.

With sincere thanks.
God bless
Philip A Morison
Principal

Key dates

• Friday 26 June – Term 2 ends. Please note — due to contract bus timetables there will be a 2.35pm dismissal.
• Tuesday 14 July – Term 3 begins. Please note — Monday 13 July is a staff Faith Formation Day.

Office closure

Please be advised that College Office will be open during the first week of the holidays, Monday 29 June to Friday 3 July, from 8.00am to 4.00pm. The College will be closed during the second week of the holidays, reopening in Term 3 on Tuesday 14 July.

Parking near the College

It has come to our attention since returning that we need to remind parents of a few matters in relation to parking and dropping off students. Please remember that there is a drop off and pick up zone inside the main entrance. Please be sure not to block the road near the round about — instead wait at the sign posted line until the drop off bay is clear. Also ensure you drive as far forward as possible to allow more vehicles to utilise the drop off bay.

It is important to note that parking is restricted in both Allison Crescent and The Eyrie so please ensure you observe parking restrictions. We have had some neighbours complain that parents are parking across driveways and the Yarra Ranges Council do monitor this area periodically and will issue parking infringements if required. To ensure the safety of all our students, driving on campus is restricted to the main entrance only. We have had some parents drive onto the property via The Eyrie to drop students off. We ask you to please refrain from using that gate for a drop off.

Thank you for your cooperation and support in this important safety matter.

Uniform Shop

The Bob Stewart Uniform Shop will not be open on Saturday 4 July (first Saturday of the month). Instead, it will be open on Saturday 11 July, 9.30am-12.30pm. In Term 3, it will be open on Tuesdays only, 12.30pm-4.00pm, and on the first Saturday of each month, 9.30am-12.30pm.

Second Hand Uniform Shop

During Term 2, the Second Hand Uniform Shop is open by appointment only. Please contact Emily Cerra at ecerra@mlmc.vic.edu.au to arrange a suitable time.

What an interesting year it has been for world literacy and numeracy! We have all learnt the meaning and application of the terms ‘social distancing’, ‘personal protective equipment’ and ‘remote learning’. We have also learnt how to apply 1.5m for ‘social distancing’ in a variety of settings and read COVID data on a state, national and global scale.

At MLMC students have spent approximately 84,000 hours in online learning during their seven weeks of remote learning. Teachers worked a staggering average of three hours extra per day planning, assessing and meeting in teams to ensure online learning met the wellbeing as well as the academic needs of students.

There is no denying that this year has brought with it unprecedented challenges least of all, on the educational front. Many students have risen to these challenges using a growth mindset, a dose of optimism, a dash of humour and a degree of diligence to ensure they continued their learning.

The benefits are visible and evident in student reflections and dialogue about the experience.

Many of our students have shown resilience beyond their age. Others have developed a greater understanding of how they learn best. E-learning has flourished and so have the opportunities for students to do deep learning. With more variety and flexibility in their learning activities the opportunity to grow was certainly there.

At MLMC our Vision for Learning continues to be our guiding principles and remote learning has certainly brought much of the vision to light. As we move towards Semester 2 may we continue to be people of hope and compassion as we strive to ‘Be our Best’ and ‘Give our Best'.

O Lord, open our eyes that we may see the needs of others
Open our ears that we may hear their cries;

Help us to stand before all that we could do
and seek what you would do, and do that.

Let us not be afraid to defend the weak because of the anger of the strong,
Nor afraid to defend the poor because of the anger of the rich.

Lift from us our need to achieve all that we can be
and instead, surrender to what you can be in us.

Show us where love and hope and faith are needed,
And use us to bring them to those places

That we might be the instruments of peace.

Amen

Reading for pleasure has been shown by many researchers to be one of the most beneficial activities for improving social, emotional and academic life. Unfortunately, research is also showing that reading rates have been dropping off steadily over the past 20 years, particularly among boys. It is for this reason that MLMC maintains a daily reading session for all junior students and a full period each cycle in which to visit the library, return and borrow items and enjoy some relaxing reading time. We are always looking for ways to encourage students to read more frequently and for longer periods. Neglect of this area inevitably leads to struggles in the classroom and daily life.

With students unable to visit libraries for most of this term, MLMC library staff formed a partnership with Eastern Regional Libraries to supplement MLMC’s collections. Over 60 students now have access to ERL’s digital collections, including ebook and audiobook fiction and a huge array of research materials, in addition to the comprehensive MLMC digital and print materials.

Virtual Book Club also started up during the remote learning period, allowing students to connect with other book lovers and find inspiration to read more. The Virtual Book Club is open to students at all year levels. Students join via a Google form. Google Classroom also allows them to submit reviews, share their favourite books and photos of their own or desirable ‘dream’ reading nooks, enter competitions and find a range of publications and lists that promote Young Adult literature. It is hoped that the Virtual Book Club will further strengthen the culture of reading among our students.

Some favourite books have been The 100 by Kass Morgan, Mao’s Last Dancer by Li Cunxin and Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas. Students from my Year 7 English class (pictured) have also been sharing books.

Now that we are all back on campus, face-to-face get-togethers are a possibility, with literature-related games and activities. Regardless, the online presence will continue, and new members will be warmly welcomed.

The return to on-site schooling has allowed music students the opportunity to reconnect with their Instrumental Music tutors, interacting and collaborating face to face.

Among all of our highly-skilled Instrumental Music tutors, Mr Emilio Kormanic has provided guitar and bass tuition at MLMC for the past three years. There is no doubt that our students have benefited from the mastery of Mr Kormanic. He is a professional sessional musician who has worked for TV shows such as ‘Dancing with the Stars’ and ‘The Masked Singer’ and backing Isaiah Firebrace, a young singer who won ‘The X Factor Australia’ in 2016 and represented Australia in Eurovision.

Mr Kormanic was exposed to music and guitar playing at a very early age as his father also played guitar professionally. He has followed his father’s footsteps and is taking his passion for music to the next level. He is able to motivate students from all year levels and give them tips on how to maximise their individual and group performance. The opportunity to receive first-hand advice and tuition from a gifted and creative artist certainly helps to prepare the students for their new challenges ahead.

Tayler Allwood (Year 10 Blue), pictured, is very pleased with Mr Kormanic’s tuition as she was able to find her passion firstly playing electric guitar and then bass guitar. Tayler is studying VET Music and she “hopes to become a professional live musician one day like Emilio or maybe a Music teacher travelling the world”.

Private Instrumental Music lessons are up and running again, with lessons available in Term 3 in brass, drums, guitar, piano, strings, voice and woodwind. All private lessons are run during school hours. If you are interested in joining this exciting program please download an enrolment form from the MLMC Parent Portal or you can email Music Department secretary Mrs Sharon Flint at sflint@mlmc.vic.edu.au

MLMC also offers an array of Music ensembles. As the College pays for all ensemble rehearsals, fees are not passed on to our families. All ensemble rehearsals commence on Tuesday 14 July. Contact Mrs Flint for further information. Ensemble permission forms can be collected from the Music department in Term 3. Students can join one or more ensemble from:

• Senior A Capella (Monday lunchtime SLR 1.1)
• Senior Guitar Ensemble (Tuesday lunchtime SLR 1.1)
• Junior A Capella (Wednesday lunchtime SLR 1.1)
• Junior Guitar Ensemble (Wednesday lunchtime SLR 1.2)
• College Choir (Wednesday afterschool 3.30pm to 5.00pm in CEH)
• String Ensemble (Thursday lunchtime in CEH Foyer)
• Stage Band (Friday lunchtime in SLR 1.1)
• Concert Band (Friday lunchtime in SLR 1.2).

The College’s Year 12 Food Studies class is studying proposed solutions to global food insecurity. In class they have been learning about the different factors that can impact food supply including natural disasters, war, poverty and the demand for biofuels.

In the practical lesson this week students were given the scenario of an Australian family experiencing food insecurity — the family lives in a remote area and they have limited availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods because of a flooding disaster, they have experienced loss of income and their access to clean water is unreliable. The students only had one bucket of water each for cooking and cleaning and they had to produce the meal with limited cooking equipment.

The challenge was to create a healthy family meal from a list of basic household food items, including chicken mince, bread, couscous, polenta, vermicelli noodles, tomato paste, eggs, carrot, capsicum, zucchini, oil, flour, butter and a limited range of dried herbs and spices. Despite this, they came up with a diverse range of meals, including sausage rolls, an omelette with vegetables and toasted bread, meatballs, zucchini noodles, stuffed zucchini, stir fries and a buddha bowl.

The exercise let students experience food insecurity and the challenge of cooking with limited resources. They had to use a variety of skills, including budgeting, creativity and adaptability.

The College has long been part of the Vinnies' Winter Sleep Out each June, raising awareness of issues relating to homelessness and much-needed funds to support St Vincent de Paul Society's homeless services.

Traditionally, senior students and staff have camped out in the McAuley quad at the end of Term 2, coming together in solidarity for those who do not have a place to stay this winter. It has included a simple soup dinner, Liturgy, activities and a movie before sleeping using only basic resources.

While our students and staff are unable to sleep in the quad this year, they can still take part. This year we are encouraging families or groups of friends to arrange a virtual sleepout from Thursday 18 to Sunday 20 June, choosing to sleep somewhere less comfortable than normal — perhaps in a tent outside, on the floor or without blankets.

Maths teacher Mrs Nerrida Burnham (pictured with Ministry Officer Miss Ava Brown) has gone one step further this year. Nerida has generously donated a Carlton Football Club rug that she has hand-knitted. Anyone who donates $5 or more will go in the draw to win the rug, which would be perfect for sitting in the stands watching the Blues on a chilly winter day. It is just one of many footy rugs Mrs Burnham has produced for family and friends.

We understand not all families are able to donate at this time, but if it is possible, please donate HERE.

For many of us Covid 19 was a time to stay indoors, isolate and keep our hands clean. Well that’s the theory, but not for some inventive VCAL students who had just started their Personal best projects when the dreaded bug hit. Unperturbed our trusty crew went outside and got their hands dirty creating some truly magnificent items that had real personal meaning and some real challenges to say the least. Here is a sample of the extraordinary projects they undertook during remote learning:

• Joe Corrone created an agricultural hole-puncher for the family strawberry farm
• Lachie McIntyre’s need for speed was translated into a Ute rack to cart his precious dirt bike.
• Declan Russell reused a gas cylinder turning it into a professional looking roaster-BBQ
• Tamara Craig not to be outdone designed and manufactured an eye lash application station that is envied by beauty salons in the region.
• Charlotte Vranken took on the greatest challenge by purchasing 1964 caravan and then totally restored the interior — it will now be the home of her new jewellery making enterprise
• Mark Vanderkolt created an exceptionally crafted Adirondack chair and wanted to let people know that he is happy to take orders
• Lily Trewin produced menus and a series of three course meals, each based on a different cuisine from around the world. In addition to this she catered the Personal Best class celebrations
• Macky Wilson produced a Wildlife Warrior first aid kit for those people who find injured wildlife on the side of the road and want to assist them. Profits made from sales will go to Wildlife Shelters that survive on donations. Mitch made a portable greenhouse with an irrigation system that is designed to grow seedlings.

Considering the implications of Covid and the resulting remote learning that students undertook, all VCAL staff were very delighted with the efforts of our Year 11 VCAL students and their excellent Personal best projects. The next phase for these students will see them undertake a series of Community projects based at MLMC and the wider community.

During our remote learning period we continued with a lot of theory work and our teachers tried to make it as much fun for us as they could. Coming back to school, though, has been great in subjects like Agriculture because we get to do things that are not possible on a computer.

In Year 10 Agriculture and Horticulture, we have learnt about goats and how they breed, we have also learnt about how they act throughout the day and what activities they get up to. A buck has recently been born, too. We have also learnt about sheep and have learnt how to crutch and drench them.

In our Agriculture classes, we have learnt about integrated pest management and the benefits of cultural and biological methods of control. We do this while maintaining the weeds in the vegetable gardens, vineyard and orchard. We like doing maths, calculating sulfur doses in the wine, and we like pruning the vineyard.

Why did the scarecrow get an award? For being outstanding in his field.

On the return to the College we have been aware of the need to care for the whole community by changing behaviours. Social distancing is an important step that shows respect for the elderly and vulnerable in our community. Our students have been mindful of this and are to be commended.

Our Year 12 Class Captains and McAuley prefects decided to celebrate social distancing with the Year 7 students by running a socially distant dance-off on Monday and Tuesday at lunchtime. Drawing a large crowd, the event was planned, conducted and run by our wonderful group of senior leaders. There were many lucky prize winners as we demonstrated that social distancing does not need to be the end of fun while at school.

The College is working on a creative project to remember the period of remote learning and isolation from the COVID-19 pandemic. The ‘Living and Surviving A Pandemic’ project will see a range of creative pieces and artefacts from this lived experience brought together as one collection, with potential for an exhibition.

Members of our community can remember their isolation experience by sharing videos, music, performance, art collages, drawings or paintings, journal entries, poetry, narratives and more. You could write about your remote learning experience, interview family members, or write about how you think life will look in the future.

The attached flyer provides a long list of prompts to get you started or maybe you could work together with your family. No artistic skills are required.

Take a photo or send a brief description of your contribution and email it to counsellingwellbeingteam@mlmc.vic.edu.au. Items can be left at the office of Counselling and Wellbeing Coordinator Mrs Tina Tasiopoulos.