Dear members of the Mount Lilydale Mercy College community,

This week our Unit 3/4 VCE students (all students doing a Year 12 subject) completed the GAT, which is a General Achievement Test with the aim of assessing general knowledge in the areas of Written Communication, Mathematics, Science, Technology, the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. It is a very broad test aimed at assessing the accumulation of knowledge and skills over the entire school life of students. The GAT is a test over three hours and 15 minutes. It is important because it is used by the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) to support statistical moderation of school-based assessments, to check accuracy of external marking of assessments and to calculate derived examination scores if they are needed. The GAT also signals the final assessment period for Semester 1, which brings with it a special kind of busyness around the College.

Dance, Drama, Music and Performance

These past weeks have seen the staging of the VCE Dance performance evening, which contained a learnt work and a technique solo. The group work had the expressive intention This Is Me from the film The Greatest Showman and explored the theme of being yourself, and being a strong individual with resilience to the cruel world that surrounds you. It was obvious from the quality of the performances that all the students have worked hard to produce their best and quality interpretations. Read more about this in this newsletter.

Last week, the Year 11 and 12 Drama classes presented their Unit 1 and 3 ensemble performances to a small audience. The performance is a group task written completely by the students and about which they have been collaborating these past few months. The Year 11 performances were based on the stimulus topic of “changing Aussie culture”, whereas the Year 12 performances focused on the more abstract topic of the word “Lost”. The performances took on a non-naturalistic style — an abstract style of theatre which is based on themes and issues as opposed to the more traditional theatrical plot line, of which we would all be familiar. All the performances were a huge success and very well received.

Last week also saw the College hold the Semester 1 Music Concert, which was also well attended. Under the tutelage of our Music Coordinator Gus Garces, the concert was a celebration of College students who have the passion for learning an instrument through one of the many programs now on offer at the College. Individual lessons in strings, brass, guitar, drums and voice as well the Jazz Band, the LEAP Concert Band, the Junior and Senior A Capella groups. Seventeen performances in all heralded the great work and dedication of the students in recent months and their progress is easily evident. You can read more about the Concert in this newsletter.

Much of the aforementioned performances were in fact assessment tasks for units of work done during the semester — and important assessment tasks at that. They highlight that learning opportunities take many forms at our College and so, too, does the assessment of that learning. Assessment of performance in front of a live audience is so very different to performance for one’s self and it is so very important in the building of resilience. Congratulations to all the students, staff and audience members who supported our student growth in all the aforementioned performances.

While discussing performance, we congratulate Melanie Verhagen, who has been selected to participate in the Time to Shine concert, which is a celebration of the many talents throughout Catholic Education in Melbourne. The performance will be on Saturday 28 July. Tickets are still available via the Arts Centre website. Please consider attending, as you will not be disappointed. Jenny and I are certainly looking forward to it.

Building project update

This past fortnight, the College, too, can celebrate in another way. After months of work in finalising documents, an extensive tendering program and processes with Council, our new building project has advanced in several ways. Firstly, the Notice of Decision by Council was finalised and planning permits were issued and building permits are just around the corner. Last Wednesday the Mercy Education Limited Board approved the recommended builder and by the time you read this newsletter a letter of intent should have been issued. Contracts should shortly follow. These are substantial milestones and progress is roughly according to planned timelines. The Builders (Becon) should take possession of the site on 2 July and the rock breaking required can then begin. Hopefully you will understand that this building is a substantial undertaking and a complex build given the nature and topography of the site. All such milestones are to be celebrated. The building is a green field site, so not too much relocation of classes will be required, although there will be some noise issues in the first weeks of Term 3 which may require some re-evaluation of class location. The toilet block attached to the Heath Building will also be demolished, but a relocatable toilet block will be available for student use. At last, we actually begin.

Finally, we continue to remember those within our community that suffer loss with the passing of loved ones. We remember and pray for the families of Barry Leigh, grandfather to Sam Crabtree (Year 10) and Ashtyn Crabtree (Year 7), who passed from this world on Wednesday evening, and Wendy Barnett, a valuable and well-liked past staff member of MLMC, who passed away peacefully on Saturday at the age of 65. Wendy had early onset Alzheimer’s.

We pray for the repose of the souls of Wendy and Barry. May they rest in peace.

God bless
Philip A Morison
Principal

A reminder to parents that students will be dismissed on Friday 29 June at 2.35pm due to the early arrival of contract buses. All MET bus services will run to their normal timetable. Staff will be on duty in the bus bay area until around 3.50pm to supervise students who choose to wait for the MET buses.

Please note: Term 3 begins on Monday 16 July (Day 1) for all students.

Early notification: Monday 23 July is a staff Faith Formation Day, which means it is a student-free day for all year levels.

The final two weeks of this term will be very busy with exams for Year 9, 10 and 11 students along with the completion of other assessment items and reports. The need to remain focussed through to the end of term is important and every moment at school matters. This can prove difficult after a long term and as the winter chill sets in. It might be timely to remind students of the message that was delivered at the beginning of the school year. It was about appreciating the opportunities we have and making the most of them.

We sometimes need to stop and consider the fact that we live in a country that provides us with so much in the way of freedom, lifestyle and opportunity. We are all guilty at times of taking this for granted. Our school has wonderful facilities and such dedicated teachers. The message at the beginning of the year was “begin the school year in the manner that you intend to continue throughout the year”. As parents, it is important that we develop in our children a real sense of purpose and hope in the lives we lead. Education has always been a means by which people can advance themselves and make a positive contribution to the world. Every moment matters.

In Term 2, our Year 12 students have been given the opportunity to hear from a range of Year 12 subject teachers in a series of before-school seminars entitled “The 40+ Club”. The aim of the seminars has been to encourage students to strive just that bit harder to achieve the best VCE result they are capable of. The program has hopefully provided motivation as well as practical ways that will help students to achieve their full potential. The final session in this program will occur in Term 3, when students from the 2016 and 2017 Year 12 classes will share their insights.

The question of regular attendance at school is thankfully not an issue for most students at MLMC. The vast majority of parents and students understand the importance that regular attendance plays in a successful school experience, both in terms of their academic and social development. Studies show that students who attend school on a regular basis have better health outcomes, better employment prospects and overall greater wellbeing in life. Participation in school learning activities helps develop important life skills not the least of which is persistence. The opposite is true for students who do not attend school on a regular basis. I am not referring to students who have genuine medical reasons for school absence. Indeed, experience shows that students who do experience ongoing health issues are often more determined to attend school. There are some young people who struggle in a mainstream school setting, and it is important that for these children we work closely with the families to maintain some type of engagement. This is where the various support services we have in areas of learning, wellbeing, counselling and careers can be of great help. Referrals can also be made to outside agencies. Once a certain point of disengagement with school occurs, it can prove very difficult to again establish the link. We are fortunate to have a wide range of resources at the school that can help in a situation where a young person has attendance issues but it is vital that early intervention occurs. This is an example of where the school and parent partnership needs to be strong.

As we continue our Winter Appeal to help people in our local and nearby communities, let us focus on some simple but powerful words from two great ladies, Catherine McAuley and Mother Teresa. The prayer is taken from the Australian Catholic Social Justice Council and it reminds us of our call as Christians.

A prayer for eradicating poverty

Creator God, Your image is alive in every human person
giving to each of us an inviolable dignity.
Create in us a desire to act in solidarity, the ability to work together
and a willingness to share with others
our time, our energy, our skills and talents and our wealth.

As we share and enjoy the fruits of your creation,
restore in us your vision of a world made whole,
and inspire us to commit ourselves to the common good.

Gracious God, give us ears to hear, eyes to see and hearts to love
so that we reflect you in our way of life,
and in our choices, words and actions.

Jesus is the good news to the poor.
As his followers, may we recognise the call to be the same.

Amen.

"The poor need help today, not next week." — Catherine McAuley

On Tuesday 22 May, MLMC contested the second annual Worawa Sports Carnival hosted by Worawa Aboriginal College in Healesville. The tournament was held in recognition of Reconciliation Week, with girls from Years 8-10 participating in football and netball.

After the Welcome to Country and traditional smoking ceremony, the sporting part of the day began with the MLMC girls’ football team, The Goats, facing last year’s winners and rivals, Methodist Ladies College, first up. It was a tough and competitive battle the whole game, with the Goats unable to get over the line.

On the netball court, our Year 8 netballers progressed into the finals with six consecutive wins through the pool rounds. One of those wins was against our crosstown rivals, Lilydale High School. Before the finals, the girls were paid a visit by Australian Diamonds and Collingwood Magpies Super Netball star Caitlin Thwaites (pictured in the gallery with our students). She provided the girls with some strong advice heading into a tough finals series.

Up against Firbank in the semi-final, the girls were faced with their toughest opponents yet. After a close first half and a couple of changes at half-time, the MLMC girls won 10-5 and were grand final-bound for the second year in a row.

The girls were hungry to go back to back, and coming up against Shelford, we knew it wasn't going to be an easy task. The girls continued their strong performance, though, winning the Naomi Atkinson Memorial Trophy, 13-7.

A note from Sports Coordinator Danni Webb: A very big thanks to our amazing Year 12s — Emerson Woods, Isaac Biasuzzo and Serena Gibbs — for their coaching on the day. Our school is so lucky to have passionate Year 12s who are willing to sacrifice a day of their own schooling for the sake of others. It is really appreciated.

Although the end of the Year 12 school year still seems like a long way off, many students will have already started planning how they will celebrate an end to their secondary schooling. Many students will mark this milestone by joining thousands of others in what is now known as “Schoolies”.

If this is the case in your family, now is the time to sit down and a have a conversation about how your child will engage in the end-of-year activities, before deposits are paid and bookings are finalised.

Some things you may want to discuss could be:

• The Year 12 Graduation on Saturday 24 November and the Night of Excellence on Friday 14 December. We recommend students keep these dates free to be able to celebrate formal academic achievements.
• Celebrating safely: talking to your child about the risks associated with alcohol is an important step in reducing the risk of alcohol related harms. To help prevent or reduce adolescent alcohol use, visit the National Health Medical Research Council (NHMRC) guidelines found at the Parenting Strategies website.
• Respect for communities and ensuring young people register for the area they are intending to visit. If your child is likely to visit Victorian coastal regions during Schoolies, they are encouraged to register on the Good Times Great Breaks website, which provides useful planning and safety tips.
• If planning a celebration at the beach, please note that key Victorian coastal areas of Surf Coast Shire, Bass Coast Shire and the Mornington Peninsula run a one-week period (24 November–1 December 2018) when safety response teams will be on hand.
• Some students elect to volunteer within Australia or overseas and, in the tradition of Catholic social justice, many engage in cultural immersion programs that contribute to communities in need. If planning to volunteer or celebrate overseas, young people are encouraged to visit the Australian Government's Smart Traveller website for registration, information and safety tips.

Your child’s end-of-year celebrations should be a wonderful time for them. Please, spend some time now to plan it and ensure that they will be safe.

Mount Lilydale Mercy College Old Collegians' Association Business Breakfast

The Business Breakfast is on again this Tuesday. Come and be inspired by our guest speakers Laura Turner (award-winning journalist, drug reform advocate and Old Collegian) and John Goodfellow OAM (former Principal of the College). Please see below for further details on each of our wonderful speakers. For the first time, the breakfast will be held at the College, hosted and catered by the College VCAL students.

• Date: Tuesday 19 June
• Time: 7.00am
• Venue: Mount Lilydale Mercy College (McAuley Hall)
• Cost: $35 per person
• Bookings: https://www.trybooking.com/VIOM

We hope you are able to join us. In the meantime, if you would like to join our Business Registry, please register here or you can call Lucia Tabacchiera on 03 9735 4022.

Laura Turner
In 2001, Laura Turner graduated from the College, going on to study Journalism at RMIT University. Laura worked for WIN Television and TV3 in New Zealand and received a Rural Press Club Award and Quill Award for her journalism. Laura joined Nine Network Australia and travelled the globe reporting on many big stories including the shooting down of flight MH17, Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines and the disappearance of flight MH370. She became Nine’s US correspondent, reporting on the mass shooting in Orlando, the San Bernadino terrorist attack and the United States Presidential Election campaign. Laura now works on Channel Nine’s A Current Affair and has campaigned for drug reform, while showing enormous courage in sharing her own personal loss since the passing of her sister. Laura’s professionalism, compassion and determination to strive for social justice demonstrates to our students how they can go on to create positive change. In 2017 Laura was inducted into the MLMC Old Collegians' Mercy Honour Roll. We are thrilled to have Laura back at the College again.

John Goodfellow
John Goodfellow OAM was the Principal of MLMC from 1990 to 1995. Appointed the first lay Principal of the College, John has been described as a hugely enthusiastic and energetic leader who empowered staff and allowed them to flourish. In 1996, he became the founding Principal and a longstanding Director of Kardinia International College near Geelong. He retired as Principal at Kardinia College in 2015, having grown student numbers from 26 in 1996 to 1900 at the time of his retirement. He was Principal of four Colleges over a 29-year period, taking his first Principal post at the age of 26. He was also a senior lecturer at Catholic University, Canberra, and Edith Cowen University, WA. He received his Order of Australia in the Australia Day Honours of 2013 for his service to education. He remains very passionate about human values and the important outcomes of education. We look forward to welcoming him back to the College.

The annual MLMC Winter Appeal is well underway. But it's not too late to make a contribution — we will be accepting donations right up until the end of Term 2.

Please see the attached information flyer with further details about the Winter Appeal and the type of goods that are needed.

Goods collected will be distributed to the St Vincent de Paul Society and the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre. Please do not send in any used clothing.

Thank you for your support.

Year 7 History students dressed as gladiators or pharaohs on Friday 1 June as part of an incursion on ancient civilisations, while Year 8s learnt about medieval times when the organisation History Up-Close visited again on Wednesday 6 June.

Each incursion gave the students a way to consolidate their learning. It gave students the opportunity to touch, feel and ask questions of experts on the topic.

Here are some of the student reflections about ancient civilisations from the Year 7s:

The first part of the incursion was with Gina, who was dressing us up in ancient Egyptian, ancient Roman and ancient Greek clothes. Gina taught us the reasons they wear the certain types of clothes. The second part of the incursion was about gladiators where we got to wear different pieces of armour and two lucky people got to fight … and I was one. I can definitely say it was a lot of fun fighting in different armour with different weapons. That incursion was great fun and all of us really enjoyed it. — Spencer Hill (Year 7 Red)

On Friday we had an incursion that was about ancient civilisations. There were two parts to the incursion: one about ancient clothing, the other about gladiators and how they fought. For the first part, a lady brought in items of clothing that the ancient Romans and Egyptians used to wear, and we got to try them on. There was the clothing of farmers, priests, pharaohs and emperors, just to name a few. The second part was all about gladiators and soldiers. We learnt the differences between Roman, Greek and Egyptian armour and weapons. The Greeks mainly used bronze, but the Romans used predominantly iron. It was a great incursion and I learnt many things. — Campbell Manser (Year 7 Red)

Friday’s incursion was fun. I like the style of learning that this incursion gave (very hands-on). I especially loved looking and dressing in Egyptian, Greek and Roman armour, and then having a fight as if we were gladiators. The people were good at talking to us. Their sense of humour was amazing and I would definitely recommend this for years to come. — Caleb Prentice (Year 7 Jade)

On the 1 June, the MLMC Year 7 students were given the chance of a lifetime when we were invited to an incursion about ancient life. At this event, we learned more about ancient Egypt and Roman war. In these lessons we got dressed up and had battles to learn about the history of different civilisations, I love how the two lessons had different activities and games. — Malindu Chandrasekara (Year 7 Jade)

The history incursion was a fun, yet informative, experience. We had to dress up as pharaohs, gladiators and much more. We even got to experience what a gladiator fight would have been like at the time of the Romans. It was an awesome experience. — Schemaiah Perera (Year 7 Jade)

I thought that the incursion was a really fun way to learn about what has happened in history. We got to dress up as gladiators, pharaohs, Egyptian priests and lots of other things and also have fun (and safe) gladiator fights. We even got to wear ancient Egyptian underwear! I found it really interesting to hear about the different roles from the past. — Vivienne Mackenzie (Year 7 Jade)

Here are some student reflections of medieval day from the Year 8s:

On Wednesday 6 June the Year 8s participated in a history incursion. We learnt about medieval music and dance. We were shown many instruments that were used by people in the Middle Ages for entertainment. We all participated in a medieval dance, which included us holding hands and following the leader. We then went to the old gym and were shown a variety of medieval weapons. We participated in a shield wall. Others threw tennis balls at the wall we had created with shields. My highlight was the dancing because it was different to how we are used to dancing today. — Nicola Bryce (Year 8 Orange)

The medieval day was very energetic and exciting. We got a better understanding of medieval music, instruments, armour and weapons. In the first period we got to see some of the instruments played in the medieval times and how some people would dance. In the second period we got to lock our hands on the armour and weapons. I think that the best part of the day was learning about the shield wall and how they would use it against the enemy. — Jack Halion (Year 8 Orange)

We learnt about the music and dance in the medieval times. We learnt about different instruments and how to use them. We also learnt about the armour and weapons in the medieval times. My favourite bit was when we did the shield wall because it was fun to experience what the knights might be going through. — Sabina Lantouris (Year 8 Orange)

In the music workshop, we learnt about how instruments were used for signalling, hunting and protection purposes, such as the trumpet for signalling an attack, and the cow's horn for wild hunting. Then we participated in a medieval peasant dance in which we all held hands and skipped around in patterns, going under people’s arms and around poles, while some of the students played ancient instruments like an old drum, tambourine, etc. This was one of my favourite activities. After that, we looked at a couple more medieval instruments and then moved to the old gym to look at medieval weapons and armour. I got to hold a full 10kg chain mail armour suit while other students wore it, and other armour such as the metal gloves and arm and leg plates were passed around. The last activity we participated in was another of my favourite activities, where we were shown a proper shield wall and we had a mini war. Eight people were chosen to hold shields while the rest of us threw tennis balls to try and break the wall. Overall the entire morning was eventful and we had lots of fun. — Danielle Gazzola (Year 8 Orange)

Over the last few weeks, the College’s Year 9 Super Coaches have visited some of the local primary schools in our community to run sporting activities and games for the younger primary school students. Our wonderful students were fully in charge of the planning, running and safe implementation of the program and did themselves and our school very proud. A huge well done to all the students involved.

Our Super Coach program is a Year 9 elective that focuses on giving students exposure to coaching skills and building on their leadership qualities. The course looks at different sports and covers basic skills, group organisation, planning and conducting training/practices, umpiring, safety and the practical coaching of younger children.

MLMC students visited Lilydale Primary School on 6 and 13 June, and St Richard’s Primary School in Kilsyth on 8 and 15 June.

Parents/grandparents, family and friends had the privilege of watching 52 of our very talented musical students within the College perform on Thursday 7 June in our mid-year Music Concert.

The students were from the Instrumental Music program, LEAP Music program, Junior and Senior A Capella ensembles, College Choir, Jazz Band, LEAP Concert Band and the guitar and strings ensembles.

The Music Concert comprised seven soloists (drums, piano, voice, guitar, bass guitar and violin) and eight ensembles. They all blew the audience away with the outstanding variety of performances and enthusiasm.

Our Jazz Band, run by Tamara Rundle, opened the concert with three diverse pieces, while the LEAP Concert Band, run by Ms Innes, closed the concert with a piece called Latin Magic by John Higgens.

We are also very proud of the performances given by the Junior A Capella and Senior A Capella ensembles, Choir, advanced guitar ensemble and strings ensemble. It was obvious how much work our students and teachers had put into these ensemble rehearsals each week.

The Music Department would like to thank our Music teachers Mr Gus Garces, Mrs Tamara Rundle (Jazz Band and woodwind teacher) as well as the Instrumental Music tutors Ms Caroline Dickason (piano and voice), Mrs Tanya Bradley (violin), Ms Innes (brass and base guitar), Mr Dean Cooper (drums) and Mr Emilio Kormanic (guitar), for the dedication and time they put into our music students each week.

Last but not least, a very big thank you to our amazing technical crew — Chris Keuken, Ryan Abblitt and Travis Rowden — who made sure this night ran as smoothly as possible behind the scenes at all times. We would also like to congratulate our student Master of Ceremonies Aragorn Keuken and Brianna Moore.

The students competing in the Debating Association of Victoria competition have now completed three of the five rounds for 2018. MLMC has three teams entered this year — a Year 8 team and a Year 9 team which both compete in the D Grade competition, and a Year 10 team which competes in C Grade.

On Wednesday 6 June the Year 10 team, competing in C Grade, debated their first 'advised topic', in the area of politics and government. The topic they were presented with on arrival was That we should directly elect our prime minister and we were arguing the affirmative case. Each team has one hour to prepare their speeches without the aid of any electronic devices or teacher support for research. This was a very challenging topic to prepare for without the benefit of prior research. It required the students to have knowledge of our own voting system but also to understand the reasons for direct election and the process that would be required for direct election of the Prime Minister. The negative team had the benefit of being able to rely on the status quo argument — that our electoral system is fine so why should we change it. In the end, this saw the MLMC team beaten by two points. It was an excellent effort by Rebecca Snell, Jamieson Manager and Caitlyn Crymble.

The Year 8 and 9 teams, competing in D Grade, have had some very interesting propositions to debate in their three rounds so far. Preparation for the debates begins about three weeks in advance, with the students meeting at lunchtime to brainstorm topics and to work out what their main arguments will be. Students learn about the specific roles that each speaker has, they learn about presenting a model and the importance of signposting their arguments. The students then prepare their speeches, ready to present on the night of competition at Tintern Grammar

We have had an enthusiastic response to debating this year at D Grade with over 20 students wanting to participate. It has been an absolute privilege to watch these students shine on the night and our results have been fantastic with a majority of wins and several students ajudged best speaker.

Round 1 (24 April): That the Olympics should expand to include non-sporting events. Both teams represented the negative.
MLMC 1 (Brianna Moore, Keisha Sinderland, Ethan Prentice) lost to Yarra Valley Grammar.
MLMC 2 (Endia Hicks, Baxter Lil, Jamie Speight) defeated Norwood Secondary College. Best speaker: Baxter Lil.

Round 2 (16 May): That we should prohibit gambling advertisements. Both teams represented the affirmative.
MLMC 1 (Kahlia Dewar, Ella McNair, Charlotte Lorbeck) defeated Vermont Secondary College. Best speaker: Charlotte Lorbeck.
MLMC 2 (Amy Wahrenberger, Chelsea Emary, Emma Di Paulo) defeated Yarra Valley Grammar School. Best speaker: Chelsea Emary.

Round 3 (6 June): That we should introduce a congestion charge on motor vehicles entering the Melbourne CBD. Both teams represented the affirmative.
MLMC 1 (Ebony Damen, Cheyenne Moore, Ethan Prentice) defeated Vermont Secondary College 2. Best speaker: Ebony Damen.
MLMC 2 (Sylvie Dyson-Taylor, Victoria Prasel, Millie Barker) defeated Yarra Valley Grammar School. Best speaker: Millie Barker.

The next round of debates takes place after the holidays, on Wednesday 25 July. The C Graders will have a secret topic and D Grade will debate the proposition That employers should adopt a four-day working week.

The final round will be held on 25 August.

Student Achievements - Equestrian
Congratulations to Jasmine Dillon from Year 9 (pictured above) who competed in the Melbourne International Day Event at Werribee Equestrian Centre over the long weekend. This event is one of Australia’s premier events and Jas was the youngest competitor to qualify — a huge achievement for someone so young. She finished 4th in this event. Jas has also qualified for the Victorian Interschool Team for eventing at the Nationals later this year. Congratulations on your achievements so far, Jas.

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

Cross country training
It’s that time of year again. With only one more MLMC sporting carnival left for the year, it would be great if we could get as many students as possible participating in cross country training. Training days and times are:

• Monday 3.30-4.30pm
• Wednesday 7.00-8.00am (breakfast provided afterwards)
• Meet at the Doyle Centre for both sessions. All abilities and fitness levels welcome. For further details, contact Danni Webb.

EISM weekly sport reminders
With the winter seasons of Year 8, 9 and Senior EISM sport all now either under way or about to begin, please remember the following:

• Check the sport plans — up on the Doyle Centre window at the beginning of every week.
• If you are unable to play in your team in a particular week, you need to let your coach know as early as possible.
• Please be on time to the Doyle Centre on your sport day — all EISM teams need to leave at the start of lunch to get to venues on time to play.
• Your uniform needs to be 100% correct to ensure no forfeited games — hockey, soccer and football players must wear long navy socks (available at the Doyle Centre for $10 each) and mouthguards must be worn for hockey. NO CORRECT UNIFORM, NO GAME

Late returns
Please be aware that there may be late returns from EISM away games. Check the sport plan on the Doyle Centre window to make sure you know when they will be.

Fixtures
Live fixtures for EISM matches can be found online at eism.org (click on “Weekly sport”, then “Junior” for Year 8 and “Senior/Intermediate” for Year 9 and Senior fixtures. Change the sport in the drop down box and click “Go”.

EISM results

Year 8 results - 5 June

Senior results - 6 June

Year 9 results - 7 June

Year 8 results - 12 June

Year 9 - results 15 June

Applications close on Wednesday 27 June 2018 for the Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF). Fee help is available ($225 per student) for eligible applicants.

Parents holding a current Health Care Card or Pension Card are eligible for a discount off their tuition fees. If you applied for the CSEF at your child's school in 2017, you do not need to complete an application form in 2018 unless there has been a change in your family circumstances. Your child's school will apply for the CSEF on your behalf.

To be eligible you must be:

• As of the first day of either Term 1 (29 January 2018) or Term 2 (16 April 2018), a holder of a valid means-tested Centrelink Card or be a temporary foster parent

Or:

• Be a student 16 years or older who holds a Youth Allowance Health Care Card
• New student enrolments — your child has started or changed schools in 2018 or did not apply at the same school in 2017
• Changed family circumstances, such as a change of custody, change of name, concession card number, or new sibling commencing at the school in 2018
• If you have NOT ALREADY APPLIED for the CSEF Funding at the College in 2018, please complete the attached form and return to the College or contact the Finance Office on 9237 1315, for more information.

NOTE: a signed copy of your valid Centrelink card (we can copy the card for you at the College) must be attached to the form to ensure your application can be processed.

FINAL APPLICATIONS CLOSE ON WEDNESDAY 27 JUNE 2018. Late applications cannot be accepted. Funding will be applied to your College School Fees.

On Wednesday 23 May in Centennial Hall the very talented Unit 1 and Unit 3 VCE Dance students performed their technique solos and learnt dance work to This Is Me from the film The Greatest Showman.

You can see them in action in this video: VCE Dance Students 2018 - Semester 1 Concert

The night was a great success with many parents, friends and past VCE Dance students coming along to watch and support our performers. As part of the VCE Dance course, students are required to perform their solos to an audience. The eight students who took part were Emily Leach, Jade Fairweather, Hayley Crymble, Ciara Robinson, Katie Lowry, Georgia McAleer, Grace Clinton and Katelyn Ennis.

We will be having another showcase in September, where the students will perform their composition solos before their performance exams are held in October. Further details will be available on the website. We hope to see you there!

Students joined forces last week to bottle wine and finish the 12 months of hard work it took to produce. Working both in class and through lunch and morning tea breaks, over 60 students carefully and proudly bottled the fruit of their labours.

The exceptional vintage of 2017 was particularly kind to our school vines. With careful management, the students have produced a fruity yet well-integrated cabernet, which is looking simply stunning.

The hard work starts again now to produce the 2019 vintage, with students from Year 10 Agriculture this week starting the vine pruning process.

We hope to see as many people as possible at the wine launch this year, on Friday 7 September at 7.30pm. Make sure to put this date in your diary and join us to celebrate the very best of food wine, art and music created by the rich community of MLMC.

Two MLMC Year 11 students will soon be chosen to represent the College at this year’s Australasian Mercy Secondary Schools Association (AMSSA) student conference, which will be held at Santa Maria College in Perth, WA, from Saturday 22 September to Wednesday 26 September.

Santa Maria College is nestled in picturesque gardens overlooking the Swan River in Attadale, WA, about 15km from the Perth CBD and a 30-minute drive from Perth Airport. Students will stay in the boarding facilities at the College for the duration of the Conference.

On Mercy Day, students will journey up the Swan River by ferry, following in the footsteps of Ursula Frayne and her companions, and have the opportunity to explore on foot how the Mercy story flourished in the City of Perth. Mercy Day celebrations will conclude at Mercedes College, the oldest continuing girls’ school in Australia, located at Victoria Square Perth, the original site of foundation.

Other activities include guest speakers, addressing their personal formation stories founded in Mercy traditions, and Heritage Marketplace, which shares our Mercy foundations.

Applications should take the form of a letter stating what being part of a mercy community means to you, how you have contributed to our mercy community during your time at the College and why you should be chosen to represent MLMC. Please place these in a sealed envelope marked for the Attention of Miss Elizabeth Keogh and hand it in to student reception. Please sign the sheet when you hand these in. The College will cover costs other than spending money

Applications close at the end of lunch on Tuesday 19 June 2018.

MLMC families are being asked to host our Japanese Language Assistant, from Term 3 through to April next year. This is a great opportunity for both students and your family to gain cultural experience in the home.

The 22-year-old woman from Nagoya, Japan, went to New Zealand as a high school student and it was there that she realised that she wanted to learn more about the Japanese language and went on to study Japanese at university. She recently went to Thailand to teach Japanese to foreign students and looks forward to teaching Australians about Japan.

A family will need to provide a room (which can be shared with the same gender), three meals a day and transport to and from school. The duration of the hosting period is negotiable, however it is appreciated if families can host for at least one month.

For details, contact Ms Natasha McKenzie via email to nmckenzie@mlmc.vic.edu.au

(NB: The picture above was taken earlier this year at the Japanese Festival held in Federation Square which was attended by many of our LOTE students and their families)