Dear Members of the Mount Lilydale Mercy College community

Community is a very important word in this greeting, and as I write it each time I try to address you, I often reflect on what it truly means to be a community — or is it a word that just joins us together? At information evenings and on College tours I tell interested people that I believe one of the many distinguishing features of our College is that we genuinely believe in community. When students make mistakes, part of the reconciliation process is to restore balance and respect to the community; not punishment, but harmony with community.

What does that actually mean? The word commune often has such negative conations and it might be confused it with ‘sects’ or we might think of the hippy-type communes of the 20th century, but commune is really about a group of people coming together to share in a common life, based on values, interests and moral purpose and beliefs. MLMC is such a genuine community because we, inspired by the Mercy tradition of Catherine McAuley, strive for excellence in education grounded in the Gospel teachings of Jesus Christ. It occurs to me how genuinely special, personal and different that really is. Here on ‘the Hill’, education is about the awakening of life within a tradition that in itself is life giving.

Over the past fortnight I have been reminded of this in several ways. The first was our Celebration of Mercy through Mercy Week and, in particular, Mercy Day. This day of celebration highlights the importance of celebration; of values that are indeed different to that which our children learn through social media and the many other influences on their lives and the importance of Mercy being real. In addressing the College community on Mercy Day, I emphasised the connection of each us to Catherine herself and thus to her vision of Mercy; to her vision of doing.

The first thing I want to you to understand is that you, each and every one of you is connected to a story, to a tradition to a charism and to a calling that is world wide, world rich and substantial and yet each of you has a direct link to the very beginning of the Mercy tradition. Yes. There is a direct link. The Sisters of Mercy were founded in 1831 by venerable Catherine McAuley. Catherine had recently been professed and thus the sisters of Mercy were established. Catherine only worked as a sister of Mercy for 10 years and in that time she established a total of 14 Houses of Mercy, each of which was an independent congregation.

One such house was a foundation in Carlow, south of Dublin in 1837. Carlow sent a group to Wexford, who in turn sent a group to Carrick on Suir. When gold was discovered in Gore, New Zealand, the priest from there asked the sisters from Carick on Suir to establish a house and two sisters travelled to do so, but found it untenable so they left. On the way home they stopped in Melbourne and were invited to establish a house in Mansfield and, so, in 1891, they did. A house was established and St Mary’s Primary and later Sacred Heart College, Mansfield.

In 1896, the Mansfield house sent a foundation here to Lilydale and at the same time some sisters came from the home community of Carick on Suir, one of whom was Sr Mary Gertrude Power, whom the Power building is named after.

So, you see, the link is direct:
Catherine McAuley Dublin
Catherine McAuley Carlow
Wexford
Carrick on Suir
Mansfield
Lilydale 1896
You — Student in the Mercy tradition 2019
You — 123 years after the laying of the foundation stone that still sits at the base on the verandah of the Mount St Josephs Building (the convent)
You — 123 years after the sisters, dressed in full black habits stood atop this very hill with an height differential of 32m and surveyed the land afar
You — 123 years after the Sisters, who started with very little, were poor and asked for little, but arrived and worked with the intent of service
You — 188 years after Catherine took her vows and started the work of the walking sisters
Yes. You — a direct link.

And it leads me to ask:
What does that heritage ask of each of us?
What does that direct link call each of us to do?
What of these six Mercy Values we see plastered around our school?
What is your calling?

And then I reflect.

The answer is simple — you, too, are called to act. You, too, are called to serve.
You, too, are called to better yourselves, to develop your talents so that you can serve.
You are called to be your best and then to give of your best.
That is Mercy in action.

I often think of the sisters that stood on this hill, Rourke’s Hill, 123 years ago. What would they think now? Would they be pleased? What would they think of the magnificent facilities available to you? I would think they would be pleased, for we have begun ... just begun … but there is much more to do. But, today, we stop to give thanks and celebrate. We celebrate each and every Mercy sister who has walked this hill. We celebrate the sisters who work today, especially Sr Mary who is with us each and every day.

A second event that highlighted to me the genuine nature, the uniqueness and the connection of our community, was the passing of Shannon Lowden (Class of 2016). During Mercy Week we were well aware that Shannon and her friend Caleb had been four-wheel driving and were missing. Both were in our constant prayers. During that week a number of Old Collegians were in constant contact, offering to help and seeking some consolation about their fears. Sadly, during the afternoon of Mercy Day, we heard the news of the tragic accident, with the passing of both Shannon and Caleb. The contact with past students increased and many just popped in to visit and pray in the College Chapel. They simply did not know where else to go or what else to do.

A Liturgy of Comfort was held in the College Chapel on Wednesday 18 September with the class of 2016 very well represented as, of course, was Shannon’s family. The prayer contained within this newsletter, Footprints in the Sand, is taken from that liturgy. Shannon’s funeral will be held at the College in the Doyle Centre on Thursday 26 September at 12.30pm. Fr Dean, our College Chaplain will officiate.

Eternal rest grant unto Shannon and Caleb, O’ Lord
And let perpetual light shine upon them.
May they rest in peace.
May their souls and the souls of all the faithfully departed
Through the mercy of God
Rest in peace.

End of Term 3

With the end of the term today, I am aware that the College has a number of students travelling. The College Japanese tour is well underway and today two bus loads of students depart for central Australia. We wish all travellers a safe and happy trip.

Lastly, with the end of term here and the school holidays beginning, although I will be present for some days over the break I am due to start my period of long service leave. I will not return to the College until the Melbourne Cup weekend in November. During my absence, Ms Tanya Hutton will be the acting Principal for the first two weeks of Term 4 and Mr Louis Papadimitriou will take over during the second fortnight of Term 4.

God bless
Philip Morison
Principal

School Holiday Office Hours

During Week 1 of the school holidays — week commencing Monday 23 September until Thursday 26 September — the office hours will be open from 8am to 4pm. The College will then be closed on Friday 27 September due to the Grand Final Day public holiday and remain closed through the second week of the holidays. The office will reopen at 8am on Monday 7 October. You may leave a voice message which will be attended to during business hours or alternatively you may wish to email administration@mlmc.vic.edu.au

Uniform Shop Dates

The Bob Stewart Uniform Shop will be open on Saturday 5 October from 9.30am to 12.30pm (the Saturday before the start of Term 4).
During Term 4, the Uniform Shop will be open:
Monday: 8am to 2pm
Tuesday and Thursday: 12.30pm to 4pm (Note: the shop will be closed on Tuesday 22 October — the student free day for Year 7s-Year 11s).
First Saturday of each month: 9.30am to 12.30pm.
In November, the shop will be closed on Saturday 2 November (Melbourne Cup weekend) but will be open on Saturday 9 November from 9.30am to 12.30pm.

Second-hand Uniform Shop

The College’s Second-Hand Uniform Shop will be open every Thursday, from noon to 1.30pm, in Term 4. The shop will also be open on Orientation Day (Tuesday 10 December).

Uniform transition

From the beginning of Term 4, students can choose between summer and winter uniform. Please ensure the dress length for girls is the appropriate length — our uniform regulation states that the girls’ summer uniform must be worn to knee length. The choice of uniform will continue until Melbourne Cup weekend, after which time the summer uniform will be compulsory. When the summer uniform is in place, hats are required to be worn at recess and lunch as part of our SunSmart policy. The only hat that is permitted is the College bucket hat that is available from the Uniform Shop. Please check if your child has been able to locate their hat from earlier in the year, if not the Uniform Shop will have supplies. The hat is also a necessary item for Sport classes.

Footprints in the Sand

One night I dreamed a dream.
As I was walking along the beach with my Lord.
Across the dark sky flashed scenes from my life.
For each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand,
One belonging to me and one to my Lord.

After the last scene of my life flashed before me,
I looked back at the footprints in the sand.
I noticed that at many times along the path of my life,
especially at the very lowest and saddest times,
there was only one set of footprints.

This really troubled me, so I asked the Lord about it.
"Lord, you said once I decided to follow you,
You'd walk with me all the way.
But I noticed that during the saddest and most troublesome times of my life,
there was only one set of footprints.
I don't understand why, when I needed You the most, You would leave me."

He whispered, "My precious child, I love you and will never leave you
Never, ever, during your trials and testings.
When you saw only one set of footprints,
It was then that I carried you."

This year we were blessed with glorious spring weather for Mercy Day which we celebrated on Friday 13 September. Mercy Day is celebrated across the world on 24 September, which is the anniversary of the date on which Catherine McAuley established the House of Mercy in Baggot Street, Dublin in 1827. As this date falls during the school holidays, our celebration of Mercy day takes place on the second last Friday of the term.

The day commenced with an inspiring Liturgy of thanksgiving lead by the Year 10, 11 and 12 CSYMA students. Our focus was on thanksgiving for Mercy and the example of our foundress Catherine McAuley as well as our founders for each of our College Houses.

Students and staff busied themselves with the running of the various stalls and activities through the day including rides such as the cha cha, visiting the op-shop and participating in various competitions that added to the day's enjoyment and our fundraising efforts. CSYMA Ministry Lounge hosted an op-shop, bake sale and lucky jars stall. All items were donated or baked by volunteers. This has enabled 100% of the money raised to be given to Mercy Works. The stalls were run by the senior CSYMA classes. Well done to everyone involved.

Mercy Idol is another hugely popular event, with students stepping up and displaying their talents to earn points for their houses. There were many entertaining acts. Congratulations to First Show winner Erin Dean (Year 12 Green) and Second Show winner Georgia McAleer (Year 12 Orange) (pictured). Frayne House was the overall winner.

The Mercy Day Parade continues to draw big crowds. The Yellow Ribbon Ambassadors led the parade and reminded us of the importance of reaching out and asking ‘RU OK?’. There was stiff competition this year, with Year 12 White stealing the show with their Christmas theme, highlighting naughty and nice with a mischievous Grinch and Santa stirring things up. There was a tie for second place as Year 12 Blue celebrated everything that is ‘True Blue’ Aussie while 12 Red’s ‘Radio Rewind’ had us finding the beat. Third place winner was 12 Gold ‘Gym Junkies’, who certainly put enormous effort into its exercise regime. Our thanks to all our Year 12 students for this wonderfully entertaining parade.

So many people are involved in the running of Mercy Day at MLMC. It truly is a community endeavour by staff, students, parents, families and friends and we look forward to advising next term the final amount raised which will be handed over to Mercy Works.

Each year, before our Mercy Day celebration, we take time to give thanks for our Mercy heritage with representatives of the College visiting Lilydale Cemetery to pay our respects at the graves of a number of Mercy Sisters. In glorious sunshine on Wednesday 11 September the College held a short Liturgy of thanksgiving for our foundress Catherine McAuley and the many Sisters of Mercy who have contributed so much to the College.

We also remembered the tragic events of 9/11 in the United States of America, which took place on this day in 2001.

The Liturgy was attended by a number of Mercy Sisters, past and present members of our College community, as well as representatives from the Old Collegians’ Association and Years 11 and 12 CSYMA students.

The 2018 vintage of the McAuley Park Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon was successfully launched on Friday 6 September in Centennial Hall. The evening showcased and celebrated the wonderful work of our students in the areas of viticulture, hospitality, art and music.

Our winemaking students hosted the evening, along with the Principal Mr Philip Morison and Agriculture teacher and coordinator of the winemaking program, Mr Tim Thompson. Our Music students entertained the guests with terrific performances, our Hospitality students did a wonderful job of providing delicious canapes and many eye-catching artworks from our students were on display.

The patron of the College’s winemaking program, Mrs Suzanne Halliday, was again one of our special guests and she spoke highly of this latest vintage and in particular noted the students' excellent bottling technique which is all done by hand.

Acclaimed opera singer Mr Adrian Li Donni, a member of The Ten Tenors, officially launched the wine and performed two works —a traditional operatic piece along with a more contemporary work.

The launch is the culmination of a great deal of work. The students are involved in every stage of the winemaking process — they manage the vine canopy and check for pests, take yield estimates, monitor sugar, flavour and acid levels, harvest the grapes, bottle the wine and design the wine labels.The 2018 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon will now be entered in a number of wine tasting competitions and we wish them well in this exciting next stage.

On Friday 6 September, our Year 7 students had the opportunity to meet Deborah Abela, who is the author of their English text Grimsdon. Deborah thoroughly engaged the students with anecdotes about her life, explanations of the writing process and useful tips for their own writing. This was a unique opportunity for the students to be able to ask the author all those questions they had become curious about while they were reading her novel.

After the formal session, some students were able to have their copy of Grimsdom autographed and to share their thoughts on the novel with Deborah. We know that her sessions were successful as there has been a queue of students in the McAuley Library to borrow her other novels.

The coordination, communication, teamwork and social skills of Year 8 students were given a workout this week at Sassi Dance studio in Lilydale as part of the Physical Education curriculum. The program aims to broaden the students’ skills and to expose them to an activity they may otherwise not participate in. There was plenty of practice and quite a lot of feet-watching to start with, but when Ricky Martin's Livin' La Vida Loca boomed out of the speakers it all came together. The students brought their energy and enthusiasm into the studio and by the end of the second class, they were able to enjoy their newly aquired dance skills.

Over the past fortnight our Year 7 students have had the opportunity to examine the health of our local Olinda Creek in Lilydale. As part of the River Detectives program, we tested a range of chemical and physical indicators of water health and shared that data on a statewide Melbourne Water database that monitors our Victorian waterways.

Our Year 7 Scientists also had the opportunity to examine the range of water bugs that live in the creek. By classifying these creatures and completing a bug count, we collected data on a biological indicator that is also used to establish the health of the waterway.

Here are some reflections from Year 7 Purple students on their field work:

For the last two weeks during our double periods of Science each of our Year 7 homerooms has gone to Olinda Creek to check the quality of the water. This has been a good experience for us because it shows us that even as a child we can still help the environment.
— Zac Prentice

In the past two weeks all the Year 7 classes got the opportunity to go down to Olinda Creek. We got to explore different things like the temperature of the water, our surroundings and much, much more. We also got to look at different types of bugs and classify these into what we thought they were.
— Hannah Griffin

On our water testing excursion I learnt that there can be many bugs hiding in the water and you won't even see them. Most of the bugs are small so they can't be seen easily. I also learnt that the water quality in the Olinda Creek isn't bad, and that it can be disturbed by human waste and pollution.
— Megan Rieschieck

(1) EISM Cross Country Carnival

Congratulations to all runners who competed at the EISM Cross Country Carnival at Ruffey Lake Park in Doncaster on Wednesday 11 September. With many top 10 finishes and even a couple of podium finishes. Max Benson (Year 10 Blue) won silver in Under 16 boys and Kelly Whitchell (Year 10 Green) won gold in Open Girls. MLMC went on to finish third overall. This was our best result for a number of years. Well done to everyone, particularly the Under 13 boys who won their age group.

(2) Nitro Athletics Competition

Congratulations to Luke Phillips, Max Benson, Daniel Ryan and Sam Green (all Year 10) who represented MLMC at the Nitro Athletics Competition at Lakeside Stadium last week. In some very strong fields, our boys did extremely well finishing 10th out of 22 teams. Thank you to Mr Andrew Leaumont and Ms Serena Gibbs for their coaching. Well done, boys!

(3) VNA Junior Finals Day

Last Wednesday, the Year 7 and Year 8 girls’ netball team from MLMC went to the State Hockey Netball Centre in the city to contest the Netball Victoria School Championships Finals Day. We won our first game, against Mackillop College Werribee, 5-4. It was a very exciting day for all of us coming home with four wins and two losses. It was an enjoyable day with court time spread evenly and a few laughs here and there. Each of the girls got along beautifully and loved each other's company throughout the day. There was great sportsmanship both on and off the court, along with a good attitude towards the umpires as well. There was great communication throughout the team and respect was shown to everyone including the coaches. We finished third in our pool with a great effort shown by everyone. Go Goats!
— Teagan Bethune and Rebecca Course (Year 7 Red)

(4) Student Achievements

Football
Well done to the following students who won best and fairest awards at the Eastern Region Girls Football League awards night:
Sophia Zappia: Under 18 Premier — 2nd
Bridget Deed: Under 18 Division 1 — 2nd
Lily Toomer: Under 16 Premier — 4th
Gabby Woods: Under 16 Premier — 6th
Paige McMaster: Under 16 Division 1 — 7th
Millie Barker: Under 16 Division 2 — 7th
Stacey Mercuri: Under 16 Outer East — 4th
May Flamsteed: Under 16 Outer East — 7th
Torey Burns: Under 14 Division 2 — 7th
Perry Byron: Under 14 Outer East — 2nd

Well done to the following students who won best and fairest awards at the Eastern Football League awards night:
Max Hall: Under 17A —2nd
Jeremy Conte: Under 15D — 1st
Tyron Galbraith: Under 15C — 3rd
Josh Pettinella: Under 15C — 9th
Rowan Tucker: Under 14B — 2nd
Alex McIlfatrick: Under 13D — 2nd
Joel D'Angelo: Under 13D — 3rd

Netball
Congratulations to Danielle Gazzola, Sabina Lantouris, Indiana Pinnock, Ayesha Saba, Paris Saunders and Brooke Scully (all Year 9) who recently won two netball premierships within 24 hours — the EFL Division 3 premiership and the L&YVNA Under 15 Division 1 premiership. Both teams are pictured.

Squash
Congratulations to Will Cerini (Year 9 Red) and Mitchell Mazzarella (Year 8 Bronze) (both pictured) who recently finished runners-up in their Junior Pennant finals — an excellent achievement, especially after only playing for a short time.

Fencing
Well done to Lachlan Nicholls (Year 9 Bronze) who recently competed in the Cadet and Under 15 Fencing National Championships in Sydney. Lachlan (pictured, centre with his team) finished 12th overall and was the fourth-placed Victorian fencer, qualifying him for the Victorian team. This team went on to win gold and become the 2019 Under 15 National Champions.

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

(5) EISM Results

Year 8 Results (10 September)

Year 9 Results (12 September)

The Alumni Gala is the premier event of the year for the MLMC Old Collegians’ Association. It's where we celebrate the excellence of our alumni, catch up with old friends and make new ones. .

This year the Gala includes: a two course dinner catered by Essential Catering (old collegian Sean Robertson); a live band Rock Revival (old collegian Charlie Timboli); a silent auction with donations from Bared Footwear, Four Pillars Gin and Puffing Billy among others and some of the finest beers, wines and ciders that Yarra Valley has to offer including Punt Road, Napoleone and the Detour Beer Co to name just a few.

A highlight of the evening is the celebration of four MLMC alumni who will be inducted into the Mercy Honour Roll.This year's inductees are: Dympna Beard (Class of 1965), Michael McLindon (Staff member 1984 to 2010), Patrick Boucher (Class of 1993) and Rebecca Collins (Class of 1999). Please join us as we listen to their stories and celebrate their success.

DATE: Saturday 19 October 2019 at 7pm

LOCATION: Centennial Hall, MLMC 120 Anderson Street, Lilydale

BOOKINGS: https://www.trybooking.com/BDEHX

(NB: Discounted tickets are available for University and TAFE students)

If you have any queries please contact me on 03 9735 4022 or oc@mlmc.vic.edu.au

We hope you can join us on this special occassion.

This semester our Intermediate VCAL students forcused on a range of projects that benefit the school community. Two of the projects included building bike racks for the Outdoor Education department to hang their mountain bikes from and landscaping and revegetating the frog pond.

The students also had the opportunity to build sheep sheds for the College’s Young Farmers club (pictured). The sheds had to be designed and constructed in flat-pack so that they could be transported and rebuilt off campus.

The projects not only provided students with a rich learning experience but also the opportunity to give back to their school community. The next component of the community projects will be working with Yarra Ranges Council on improving our local bushland. Congratulations to each of the Intermediate VCAL students on the great work that they have done this semester.

Learning to play a musical instrument at MLMC offers plenty of benefits, including improved coordination and reduced stress. If you think that you’d like to learn the saxophone but aren’t quite sure where to start, we would be happy to guide you through the enrolment process of signing up for saxophone lessons with Mr John Barber in Term 4.

Once you are enrolled, Mr Barber will have an important role in teaching you to become a musician. He will be able to teach you how to properly play the saxophone and will instill great habits when it comes to posture, technique, practice, and more.

At the start of your journey, make time to listen to different types of saxophone music. From classical to pop to jazz, the saxophone is a versatile instrument and you’ll discover all sorts of different tones and techniques simply by actively listening to music. You’ll also get a better sense of what style you are most attracted to. Listen to talented artists. For example, if you want to get a feel of great jazz sax playing, or a feel for classical saxophone music, check out John Harle, Jess Gillam, Marcel Mule, Amy Dickson, Wilbur Wilde, Mindi Abair, Charlie Parker or Candy Dulfur, to name a few.

As you listen to music, think about which of the styles you like the most. This will help to give your teacher some ideas when it comes to finding music that you will enjoy playing, and can help you to develop a great tone, too.

For further information on saxophone lessons at MLMC, please email Mrs Sharon Flint on sflint@mlmc.vic.edu.au or call on 9739 2217.

Did you know that Australian apprenticeships and traineeships can lead to some amazing careers in over 500 different job areas? Proudly supported by the Eastern Metropolitan Partnership, local employers and TAFE, OELLEN (the Outer Eastern Local Learning and Employment Network) is holding another free information session for parents and students on Thursday 24 October in Lilydale.

The previous event, in Ringwood, was hugely successful and had over 100 people attend. Click HERE to watch a short video from that event.

The session aims to increase awareness about apprenticeships and traineeships and future pathways. MLMC students (and their parents) from Year 9 onwards who are considering vocational education pathways will benefit from attending. Students who will be finishing school this year will also be able to make connections with local employers and apprenticeship providers.

While the event is free, parents do need to register through Eventbrite due to limited seating. Click HERE to register.

Date: 24 October 2019
Time: 6.00pm-8.00pm
Where: Aunty Dot Peters Auditorium, Building LA
Box Hill Institute Lakeside Campus, 1 Jarlo Drive, Lilydale