Dear members of the Mount Lilydale Mercy College community

Vinnies Winter Sleepout
Last Friday night our Year 12 students participated in the Vinnies Winter sleepout. Their night consisted of a meal of various soups and bread, which was made and donated by staff, a talk from a representative from the local Lilydale St Vincent De Paul Society, a Liturgy in the chapel and a film in the Ministry Lounge. They then slept on cardboard boxes in the Quad on what was a very cold night.

Throughout the night they came to understand more about the plight of the homeless, poverty in our region and how at St Patrick's Community Centre was providing food and shelter to some 10 local homeless people on that very night.

They, and I, learnt a lot about poverty with some simple facts provided by the Vinnies:

• in Australia 2.9 million or 13.3 % of people live below the poverty line
• more than 725,000 of those are Victorian
• 17.7 % of children are living below the poverty line in Australia
• there has been an 11% increase in homelessness in Victoria over the past five years
• one in 56 people in Victoria received homelessness assistance which is higher than the national rate of one in 84.

The top three reasons for St Vincent de Paul Society clients seeking assistance were:

• domestic and family violence (44% in Victoria and 37% nationally)
• housing crisis (40% in Victoria and 44% nationally)
• financial difficulties (39% in Victoria and 38% nationally).

Clearly, there is work to be done. Let us continue to support organisations like St Vinnies and continue to educate ourselves about the need.

The Long Walk
This week also saw the College hold a student-led full College assembly. When it was originally planned it was tied to the concept of The Long Walk — which is tied to the concept of respect, that is central to our College theme this year and one of the six Mercy values. Do we actually respect our Indigenous brothers and sisters, their culture and their heritage? Michael Long, the founder of The Long Walk, did not think so.

Michael Long attended a funeral of an Indigenous colleague in 2004 and became so distraught that he took it upon himself to do something about it. He committed himself to get the plight of his people (both Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islanders) back on to the national agenda. He resolved to meet with then Prime Minister John Howard to discuss his many concerns. He was resolved to do this, even if it meant he had to actually walk all the way to Canberra. So he did. On 21 November 2004, Michael embarked on his historic trek from his home in the suburbs of Melbourne all the way to Canberra and Parliament House, which is more than 650km.

He did meet with Mr Howard and now The Long Walk is a substantial organisation committed to challenging us to action and to support the reconciliation process.

Michael would say The Long Walk is about walking the talk.

We would say respect for the Indigenous people of this country, their culture, their history and their plight is central to our belief system.

Time to Shine
In the last newsletter whilst congratulating all those students who performed in our College Musical, Back to the '80s, I neglected to congratulate one of our students who performed in the recent Time to Shine 2018 concert, which is the Catholic schools performing arts gala. Congratulations to Melanie Verhagen who sung in the spectacular event.

We Remember
Members of our community continue to suffer with the passing of loved ones and we keep these families in our prayers. We pray for and remember:

• John Peters, grandfather to Dylan Peters (Year 10)
• Gertrude Lowe, an Old Collegian who passed at the age of 89 years, grandmother to Rebecca Meyer (Year 10) and Angela Meyer, our Youth Ministry Officer
• Theodore Johnson, father to Colin Johnson and grandfather to Tynesha (Year 8), and Old Collegians Sam (2014), Simon (2005), Timothy (2007) and Freya (2013) who passed at the age of 93 in England.

Let us pray for the repose of the souls of John, Gertrude and Theodore. May they rest in peace.

God bless
Philip A Morison
Principal

Friday 24 August will be a STUDENT FREE DAY as all staff will be taking part in a professional development program.

It seems as though every time we turn on the TV news there is yet another natural disaster, whether it be a flood, fire, drought or earthquake. Over the coming weeks, please keep all people affected by these events in your prayers. Perhaps set aside some time as a family to gather in prayer and maybe explore some ways in which you could assist.

Prayer for Natural Disasters
Compassionate Lord, we pray for those who have been devastated by recent natural disasters.
We remember those who have lost their lives so suddenly.
We hold in our hearts the families forever changed by grief and loss.
Bring them consolation and comfort. Surround them with our prayers for strength.
Bless those who have survived and heal their memories of trauma and devastation.
May they have the courage to face the long road of rebuilding ahead.
We ask your blessing on all those who have lost their homes, their livelihoods, their security and their hope.
Bless the work of relief agencies and those providing emergency assistance.
May their work be guided by the grace and strength that comes from You alone.
Help us to respond with generosity in prayer, in assistance, in aid to the best of our abilities.
Keep our hearts focused on the needs of those affected, even after the crisis is over.
We ask this in Jesus' name.
Amen.

Source: Catholic Relief Services

With the citrus fruit ripening in McAuley Park orchard, our Agriculture and Horticulture students have been busy harvesting and pruning the trees in preparation for the next season. Recently we harvested fruits of our lemon and mandarin trees. This produce was donated to the Discovery Community Care Centre in Lilydale to be used by the members of our local community who are in need. The Agriculture and Horticulture students hope to continue to support the centre further as they plant out their vegetable crop for the spring season.

Our Year 10 students have also been busy pruning the vineyard over recent weeks and learning about the processes of vineyard maintenance. The MLMC vineyard forms a major focus of the Year 10 program with Semester 2 students completing the pruning process and looking forward to seeing new growth, as the next season’s shoots will begin to sprout later in the year.

On Friday 10 August a number of Year 12 students participated in the Vinnies Winter Sleepout at the College. The night included a simple soup dinner, a visit from guest speaker Brenda White, who is President of the Lilydale Conference for St Vincent de Paul, a Liturgy, some games and a movie followed by sleeping out in the McAuley Quad.

The night aimed to raise awareness of the issue of homelessness in the community as students came together in solidarity to develop an understanding of what it is like to be homeless, while raising money for the St Vincent de Paul Society. I thank all the students for their participation as well as the staff who cooked soup and stayed the night.

Here are some student reflections about the night:

The Sleepout was a truly eye-opening experience. I now have a whole new appreciation for my bed, my family and my friends. — Ashleigh Clinton (Year 12 Orange)

While participating in the Vinnies Winter Sleepout, it made me appreciate now more than ever how lucky I am to be able to go home every night knowing I have somewhere safe to sleep. — Madi Poynter (Year 12 Red)

I learnt that to be homeless doesn't always mean you'll be homeless forever and that there are ways to help yourself and come back to having a home. I also learnt that there are so many places that help homeless people in need. — Gabby Shandley (Year 12 Silver)

The night was not only a great bonding experience for us Year 12s, but it really opened our eyes to how lucky we are to have a warm bed every night. Many of us have been inspired to look into community work that we can be involved in to help those in our community who aren't as lucky. — Erin Jones (Year 12 Green)

LOTE Week (30 July-3 August) at the College was a big success with many activities running at lunchtimes throughout the week. It began with sumo wrestling, with many students eager to get in the big sumo suits and wrestle their friends. It was hilarious to watch and the students had a lot of fun putting on the suits and attempting to get someone else to the ground.

In the Ministry Lounge there was an insightful presentation on the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, hosted by a few of our fabulous Year 11 LOTE students, and an art activity also ran throughout the week.

On Wednesday there was origami club held in Portable 2 (which runs every Wednesday lunchtime). We learnt how to make paper cranes, a fun new skill, and I can’t wait to perfect it and learn how to do more. Thursday provided a sugar rush with the gelati truck coming to school. The gelati was delicious.

On Friday we had a dress-up day, with students dressing in their favourite country’s colours for a gold coin donation. Some students had amazing costumes, not just colours. All the money raised went to the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre. Friday lunchtime provided the best entertainment of the week, with the Year 12s verses Teachers soccer match. Everyone put their best foot forward and the teachers took the win 3-2.

Also on Friday, two incredibly talented actors came to MLMC to perform a short romance story for all of the Year 8 Italian students. Danielle Gazzola (Year 8 Orange) has provided detailed summary of the play in the document attached. A Japanese workshop where Year 8 students dressed up in kimonos was also held.

It was an amazing week and it was so good to see so many students embracing and enjoying different activities from other cultures. Thanks to Miss Natasha McKenzie for all of her hard work to get this week up and running and also a big thanks to all the staff that helped out during the week.

This year's College Musical Back to the ‘80s was a huge success. The cast, crew and band consisted of around 150 people, creating a truly community event. The show was an explosion of colour and featured everybody's favourite ‘80s tunes — we even had a few people dancing in the aisles. This year, the cast featured over 20 lead characters and the majority of our band were students, which is a change from past years. Everyone involved had an absolute blast, and we are pleased to have created such a successful and entertaining show.

The cast would like to take this opportunity to thank all teachers, parents, and community members who contributed to a fabulous musical.

On Friday 7 September, at 7.30pm, special guests and the College community will gather to celebrate the great work of students from the MLMC Music, Arts, Hospitality and Agriculture areas at the launch of the 2017 College wine. The 2017 cabernet is the first student-made vintage to wear the title of Reserve. Produced in the College winery by students, from fruit grown and harvested by them, the wine is a great reflection of the talents and commitment of these young people.

The McAuley Park Farm student-made cabernet has been collecting a range of awards since the initial vintage of 2014. These have included medals at the Victorian, Royal Adelaide and Eltham wine shows. The 2017 Reserve cabernet continues this tradition and is a reflection of many hours of hard work and attention to quality by the students.

Make sure that you put this year’s wine launch date into your diary and enjoy a wonderful evening hosted by some of the students involved in crafting the product.

We hope you can join us.

It has been an action-packed Science Week with a number of activities taking place inside and outside of our classrooms. Our Year 7 students have all been involved in assessing the health of the ecosystem in our local Olinda Creek in Lilydale. They examined a range of environmental factors such as water chemistry, type of vegetation, habitat opportunities, signs of bank erosion and the impact of human activities in the area. They also had the opportunity to apply their knowledge of classification to identify the bugs that are present in the water system as indicators of the creek’s health. All the data gathered by our Year 7 MLMC Scientists will be placed into the River Detectives database, which is used by Melbourne Water to monitor the health of our Victorian waterways.

The Year 7 students continued with their explorations of the animal kingdom and how it is classified by learning about a range of animals during this week’s Reptile Encounters incursions. The presenters explained how a range of features that each animal has, allows scientists to classify the animals and why. Students also learned about the range of animal adaptations and some of the environmental issues these animals face in the wild.

Here are some student reflections about some of the Science Week activities:

During the excursion, I learned about how to measure the pH of water, the temperature of water, and the temperature of the air. The excursion helped us to understand how to tell whether an environment is healthy. — Celeste Tisbury (Year 7 Green)

Our water testing excursion taught us how to use different equipment and tools and how to properly read them. — Ciara De Vincentis (Year 7 Blue)

The reptile incursion was really fun. We got to look at really cool animals like a snake, a possum, a bird, a frog and even a saltwater crocodile. — Daniel Roper (Year 7 Blue)

On Thursday 9 August, MLMC hosted Glen Gerreyn from the Hopeful Institute, who used the day to inspire our Year 8 students to take control of their lives and aim high.

He challenged the students to develop a vision for their lives and to overcome their limiting beliefs in order to set them on their path to achieve their goals. Glen was engaging and inspiring; the students responded to the challenges he set them.

Here are some student reflections of the experience:

I really liked Glen’s talk, all of the things he said I could relate to and I’m sure all of Year 8 could. I liked the analogy of the $100 note, where he said you could take a $100 note, place it in in mud, stamp on it and it will still be worth $100 — it’s important because it means you can make mistakes and come back from it; you dust yourself off and try again. — Matisse Fanfulla (Year 8 Jade)

Glen was very strong on positivity. He was teaching all of us how to have hope and the steps towards getting hope. He had many quotes that helped us all in some way or another. My favourite was: "I am stronger than what I know". Glen made us write down five goals we were going to set for nine areas of our lives. The nine areas were: professional/career goals, financial goals, family/friend goals, health and fitness goals, educational goals, spiritual/ethical goals, adventure/travel goals, community service goals and material goals (material goals meaning an object that you would like). Glen also said that there were six Hurdles of Hope: People that 'love' you, people that don’t love you, life, time, self doubt, negativity, and laziness. Glen had a lot of enthusiasm and was very helpful, helping us all change our ways of dealing with depression and sadness, to be happy and hopeful. — Seamus Coffey (Year 8 Red)

Year 12 student Melanie Verghagen has had a very busy few months on the performing arts scene both at the College and in other productions. Most notably, she was part of the third annual Time to Shine concert at the State Theatre on 28 July (pictured above, in centre) and recently was one of the leads in the College Musical Back to the ‘80s.

Time to Shine (July)

Time to Shine featured over 450 students from 50 schools across the Archdiocese of Melbourne, and it has become a key celebration for Catholic secondary schools in Melbourne to display the performance talents of students. This year’s Time to Shine included 75 individual singers, a choir of 160 students and over 200 dancers.

“When the show was advertised in the school’s daily bulletin last year, I auditioned, and I was very lucky to be given a solo singing role in a trio performance of Rhythm of the Night,” Melanie said. “The whole experience was one I will never forget, as I was able to work with and learn from many industry professionals. I also had the pleasure of meeting many other talented performers who I plan on keeping in touch with for a very long time.

Be More Chill (June)

“It was during my time here at the College that I fell in love with performing and this led to my decision to pursue some other amazing opportunities for performing outside of school this year,” Melanie said. “Earlier this year I was very excited to secure a role in Lightbox Productions’ Victorian premiere production of the off-Broadway musical Be More Chill.

“I played the role of Jenna Rolan in the show that performed a sold-out season in June this year. It was a huge success for Lightbox Productions, which is a company founded and run by three old Collegians of MLMC.”

Melanie’s brother Peter (class of 2016) founded the production company and this year’s show was directed by him along with fellow Old Collegians Jared Smith (class of 2014) and Darcy Myring (class of 2016). Melanie was also joined in the cast by MLMC Year 12 students Georgia McAleer and Maddy Leane. Georgia and Maddy both also appeared in the MLMC production of Pink Panther Strikes Again in May.

Back to the '80s (August)

Melanie again joined Georgia and Maddy on stage when the three girls performed in Back to the ‘80s, the College Musical, earlier this month, with Melanie in the role of Tiffany Houston. “This show was an absolute blast to be a part of, as it was a dream come true to perform as a lead role in my last show on the Centennial Hall stage,” Melanie said. “I would encourage anyone with an interest in Performing Arts to get involved in the wonderful Performing Arts community at the College.”

This week the MLMC Kool Skools team (comprising 13 students) spent two long, but fun, days at Studio 52 in Collingwood where they recorded the songs they have been developing over the last semester. It again proved to be a fantastic experience for all involved, especially those students who joined us for the first time this year.

Our 2018 CD is going to be quite different from previous years as it will feature a broader variety of styles including rock, metal, country and pop. This diversity demonstrates the musical skill found within the school and what can happen when a group of students work collaboratively. Nine of the 10 songs featured were written by our students.

Special mention must be made to the musicians who worked with our songwriters. Their passion and skill transformed each song and took them to a higher level. Special thanks also to Ms Rachel Berka and Mr Greg Hysted for their assistance throughout the semester and, of course, the guys at Studio 52 for their professionalism and expertise. We look forward to releasing the CD a few weeks from now, copies can be purchased for $5 from Student Reception.

Here is a student reflection about Kool Skools:

Kool Skools was definitely worth being a part of and I gained an extensive insight into the world of music production and songwriting. This has been one of the best activities that I have been involved in at this school. I would recommend this program to all musicians who would like to take their skills further. — Samuel Johnston-Bailey (Year 12 Purple)

Since 1953 Ozanam House has provided supported accommodation to around 40 single men over the age of 18 each day. It is a program run and managed by VincentCare, a branch of the Catholic Church’s St Vincent de Paul society, which channels its resources towards poverty and inequality.

Every Friday fortnight, staff from MLMC drive into Ozanam House in North Melbourne as a social justice activity to help serve the evening meal to these single men. It is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Ozanam House also provides the following services and programs:

• Catering Services
• Volunteer Program
• Community Development Program.

In exciting news, a new Ozanam House facility is being built (pictured in the gallery), due for completion in March 2019. It will extend the current accommodation services provided to around 112, for both men and women who are experiencing homelessness in Melbourne.

Some of the photos show teachers Mr Richard Wicks and Mr Tom Warren and Brian (the assistant chef) about to serve last week’s meal comprising curried sausages and rice, along with chocolate pudding for dessert.

On Monday 6 August, some of the College’s Year 11 VCAL students had a day to explore the two religions of Hinduism and Buddhism.

Here is a student reflection about the day:

We first visited the Sri Vinayagar Hindu Temple in The Basin where we were kindly greeted by the Temple’s Cultural director Dr K Sundaralingam (“Sundar”). He welcomed us into the temple then introduced us to his wife, who took us on a tour. She pointed out the various Gods (they have three million) and how they can be seen in various ways, such as a snake or a monkey. After our tour we were asked to stand in a line so the priest could bless us before we left. This blessing consisted of him reciting a mantra to the God in the temple, then individually blessing us with white ash on our forehead, then offering us a piece of fruit as we left.

Our next stop was Mahamevnawa Buddhist Meditation Centre in Mount Evelyn. During our time there we met two monks who gave us a brief introduction into their lives and how they became who they are today. We asked many questions about their roles and beliefs; we found out that they have 227 rules to follow daily. We then had 20 minutes to meditate. During the meditation the monks were praying in a song-like way to protect us and wish us the best in life and that we had no suffering. Overall our experience of that day was only positive and allowed us to experience other religions for ourselves and not just off Google. It was truly an eye-opening day. — Erin Muscat (Year 11 Purple) and Mikayla Mortimer (Year 11 White)

Like most good Australian Indigenous stories, they get retold over and again and so it is with a book titled The Way Bunjil Flies. First published in 2010 the book has been reimagined and relaunched in 2018.

The Way Bunjil Flies is the brainchild of MLMC’s School Wellbeing Coordinator Ms Tina Tasiopoulos. It was created in 2010 as collaboration between students from MLMC and Worawa Aboriginal College in Healesville. A story told by elder Aunty Dot Peters to the students in 2010 for their book has now been reimagined, this time with the language simplified and the story aimed at much younger children (aged five and under). The new book was launched last week by the Shire of Yarra Ranges, with now 88-year-old Aunty Dot Peters at the launch along with Ms Tasiopoulos.

“I’m impressed it wasn’t just a one-off — that it wasn’t just a project done and then forgotten about. An Indigenous story needs to be told again and again. It (the book) has life,” Ms Tasiopoulos said.

She said the first book was the result of an idea she had for a project that would help engage students back into learning and do something fun together. “I love indigenous stories and I have a passion for capturing oral stories and putting them into print.”

In 2010, students from MLMC and Worawa College did the artworks, listened to the stories told by Aunty Dot, helped with the editing and were involved in learning about culture. “This is the same story, but it has more simplistic language and professional Indigenous artists have done the illustrations this time,” Ms Tasiopoulos said. Again local author Spiri Tsintziras is the editor, with artists Rex Campbell and Miranda Madgwick providing the colourful artworks that illustrate the story of Bunjil, the spiritual totem of the Wurunjeri people, set in Healesville.

On Tuesday 7 August, eight students from MLMC from Years 7-11 went toe-to-toe with a team of visiting Luther College students in our third annual interschool chess tournament. The event was hosted in the McAuley Library this year, with laughs and pizza for everyone.

Our MLMC representatives gave it their best, however, we were outclassed on the day by a very strong Luther team which was fresh from winning the EISM championship. Among the MLMC players were (pictured) Ethan Prentice, Will and Edward Cerini, as well as Frankie Salomone, Emma Di Paolo, Karen Laan, Chris Fox and also Jack Woodward (not pictured).

An honourable mention must go to Chris Fox (Year 10 Purple) who only lost one game from eight, scoring 6½ points against a very formidable team. MLMC looks forward to next year’s tournament, with hopes of recapturing the trophy back from Luther College.

The College has welcomed six students from Italy and Germany to our community for a short time this year. Most of them them are living with families of MLMC students and will heading back to Europe next month. Philipp Woedel, from Germany, has come here through the Rotary Organisation’s exchange program and will be staying for 12-months. In a meeting with the Principal Mr Philip Morison, the students explained that they are all here to develop international relationships and an appreciation of other cultures, customs and tolerance in themselves.

Elena Boerio, Margherita Carini and Arianna Roetta are all here from Italy and studying Year 11 at the College. Elena has been staying with the family of Ciara Robinson (Year 11 Orange) and Margherita with the family of Antonio (Year 12 White) and Josie Molluso (Year 10 Gold) and Arianna have been staying with the family of Michelle Richardson (Year 10 Brown). Francesca Magni is also here for a short stay from Italy, staying with her cousins and other family relatives of Tyler Wraith-Tenson (Year 12 Blue).

Annika Voelling, from Germany (absent from the photo), will be at MLMC until the end of the year while staying with the family of Abigail Van Bergeijk (Year 11 Orange).

We extend a very warm welcome to each of these students and we hope they enjoy their time in our community.

Volunteers are an integral part of our College community, contributing to a range of events throughout the year. The Parents and Friends' Association is the hub of volunteers at the College, who work together to organise and contribute to community events, and give back to the College by purchasing items for the College grounds and items that enhance student learning.

If you are interested in becoming a volunteer at the College, you may like to read the Volunteer Guidebook HERE, or contact Emily Cerra at the College via email. You can easily apply to be a volunteer within our community at the following link https://www.linksafe.com.au/mlmc-volunteer/

Our next Parents and Friends' Association meeting is on Tuesday 21 August at 7.30pm in the staff dining room. All are welcome, and there is no ongoing commitment with the meetings. We hope to see you there.

(1) Student Achievements

Mountain bike riding
Congratulations to Cooper Downey (Year 11) who will race for Australia at the World Cup and World Championships in France and Switzerland next week.

Running
Congratulations to Max Benson (Year 9) who recently finished second overall at the Lillydale Lake Parkrun in a time of 18.14 minutes (5km event) — a PB by over one minute! Max was also first in his age group (15-18 years). Looking forward to seeing you run at the EISM Cross Country event, Max!

Karate
Well done to Stephen Cameron (Year 7) who has just returned from The Australian Karate Championships in Queensland where he won the bronze medal and was selected to represent Victoria in the Team Kumite. He also won a bronze medal for this event. What a fantastic achievement!

Umpiring
Congratulations to Sam Green (Year 9) who umpired his 100th EFL game on the weekend, a huge effort, especially for someone so young!

(2) Results

Year 8 Results 7 August

Senior Results 9 August

Year 9 Results 10 August

Year 8 Results 14 August

Senior Results 16 August

Year 9 Results 17 August

Mount Lilydale Basketball Club (known as the Lakers) was founded by MLMC teachers more than 20 years ago. It started with three teams and has grown to now number 50 teams, yet the connection with the College remains strong.

Many of the players are either current or past MLMC students, have siblings attending MLMC or are at a feeder school to MLMC. The club is run by passionate volunteers of which many have their own connections to the College. Teams train in the Doyle Centre and games are played at Lilydale, Kilsyth and Oxley stadiums and Croydon Leisure Centre is also used on Saturdays for the boys.

The summer season begins in Term 4 and the club is looking for more players. The youngest players play in mini ball for under 8s (girls) and under 7s (boys) and can continue up to under 21s. The under 8, 9 and 10 girls play on Tuesday nights, and under 12 to 21 girls play on Wednesday nights, while the boys play on Saturdays.

For further information please contact the following coordinators:

• Girls - Solina on 0412 784 489 or girls@mlbclakers.com.au
• Under 7-13 Boys - Carrie on 0407 568 612 or boys@mlbclakers.com.au
• Under 14-21 Boys - Jessica on 0402 446 977 or boys@mlbclakers.com.au

or visit our website

Photo: Steph, Alex (Class of 2016), Jasmine (Class of 2018), Emily (Class of 2016), Ashleigh, Daniella, Maddison (Class of 2017) and Emma (Class of 2015) finished runner-up in the Under 21 B Grade 2017-18 season.

On Wednesday 1 August, the VET Music class was treated to a visit from a guest speaker to help give the students further insight into the music industry.

Here is a student reflection from Charlie Lilagan (Year 11 Purple):

Maddison McNamara, a contestant from TV show The Voice Australia spoke to us about her experience in the industry as well as behind the scenes of the TV show. We were able to discuss subjects that we had been studying within our course such as copyright, legal disputes, contracts and many other topics in the entertainment industry. It was extremely useful to be able to ask questions and discuss the music industry with someone so directly involved with it. It was incredibly insightful and educational, giving everyone in the VET class information on how to deal with others and carry ourselves if we were to pursue a career within the entertainment industry.