Dear families and members of the Mount Lilydale Mercy College community

Welcome back for the start of Term 4. This term is already proving to be busy with a number of events and activities occurring for students.

Firstly, I would like to welcome back Ms Ann Collins, Mrs Anne Cochrane and Mr Marco Cardinali, who return to school following leave. I would also like to welcome back the students and staff who attended the Japan and Central Australia trips during the school holidays. I am sure that these were both enriching and invaluable learning opportunities for all those involved.

2019 Prefects

The last weeks of Term 3 saw prospective Prefects for 2020 undergoing the application and filtering process. During the first week of the holidays, our Principal, Mr Phil Morison, wrote to the preferred candidates offering particular positions. The process is a detailed one and the outcome is very much about getting a balanced mix to represent the various needs of our College. Please find attached the list of students who have been offered Prefect positions for 2020. I am sure you would agree with me that they all deserve to be congratulated for this wonderful achievement. The Prefect Investiture Ceremony is scheduled for Tuesday 15 October, at 10.30am.

Year 12 Students

This is a busy time of the year for our Year 12 students. At the end of Term 3, plenty of time was spent finishing off course work to ensure that they met the requirements of both the VCE and VCAL certificates. For those completing the VCE, the holiday period was a time to enter revision mode where students were completing practice examinations. This can often be a challenging time for our Year 12 students as they balance family, work and school commitments. There is also a need to be present in the moment, as well as being future focused. There is much happening for them including final assemblies, Year 12 Mass, preparing for and completing examinations, finalising VTAC applications, graduation, receiving examination results and then receiving university offers or looking into job opportunities. As a community, I ask that we keep them in our prayers as their Year 12 year draws to a close. To our VCE students, on behalf of the College, I would like to wish you the best for your examinations. I would also like to wish all Year 12 students, both VCAL and VCE, every success and happiness in their future endeavours.

To farewell our graduating class of 2020, the College will be holding a farewell assembly on Monday 21 October, at 9.00am, and then a Year 12 Mass the following Tuesday.

Year 12 Visual Arts Exhibition

On Tuesday 8 October the College held the Year 12 Visual Arts Exhibition’s parent viewing night. This was a well-attended event that showcased a wide variety of very creative and unique pieces of Visual Art. The samples of student work on display emphasise the dedication of each student to their craft and highlights their creativity, critical-thinking skills, problem-solving skills and the high levels of self-confidence of each student to express their ideas. They are to be congratulated for their amazing work. A thank-you should also be extended to Mr Ben Brice, Faculty Learning Leader – The Arts and his team, consisting of Mrs Melanie Baird, Mr Denver Carron, Mrs Melinda Pollock, Ms Bridgette McGinn and Mrs Ruth Warr, for both working with our students along their learning journey to this point and for the effort they put in to ensure this night was a success.

The Mark Prest Award

With this newsletter you will find a nomination form for the Mark Prest Award, which is presented annually to the staff member who most exemplifies our Mercy education philosophies, values and spirit. Each staff member can only win this award once. The award winner for 2019 will be announced at the Night of Excellence on Friday 13 December. Staff members can be nominated by parents, students, other staff, or community members. Please consider this process. You can find the nomination form HERE.

Best wishes
Ms Tanya Hutton
Acting Principal

Welcome back to Term 4, a term that is traditionally jam packed with so many activities and functions that Christmas is upon us before we know it.

Student leaders for 2020

After what had been an extensive process of selecting the new student leadership team, I would like to extend my congratulations to the students listed in the attached document who will lead our College in 2020. From what I have read in applications and heard from staff that interviewed the applicants, the team will serve our community very well.

Choosing the team was not an easy process with many capable and talented students unfortunately missing out on a position. We look forward to those who missed out still serving the College community throughout 2020.

The College will be holding the Investiture Assembly on Tuesday 15 October. We look forward to celebrating with the students and their families at a morning tea after the assembly.

Final days for Year 12 students

Over the next few weeks the atmosphere around the College changes somewhat with our Year 12 students finalising classes, with most then preparing for exams. Please remember that Tuesday October 22 is a student-free day for Years 7 to 11. This is a day whereby the Year 12 students will celebrate their time at the College with staff and their peers. Please be aware that although formal classes have concluded for the Year 12 students, their teachers are still available to them. An email to set up an appointment with a teacher would help ensure time is not wasted.

Uniform

Term 4 also marks the change to summer uniform. Although there is a transitional phase where winter or summer uniform can be worn (until the Melbourne Cup long weekend), a combination of the two is not permitted. We also ask that if a summer dress is short and needs to be lengthened, the winter uniform should be worn until this is rectified. Under the SunSmart policy at the College, hats are to be worn at recess and lunchtime if students are not in designated hat-free areas.

Drop-off zones

For those who drive their children to school, please be reminded that parking inspectors have again been sighted in nearby streets. Some areas around the College are signposted as no standing during school drop-off times. Stopping for even a few seconds has resulted in some parents receiving hefty fines. Please be aware of where you can or cannot stop.

Dental program

The Child Dental Benefit Scheme introduced by the Federal Government in 2014 entitles all eligible children aged 2-17 years old to general dental care up to the value of $1000 over two years. For further information, please see the attached flyer.

Second Hand Uniform Shop

The volunteers at our Second Hand Uniform shop are asking parents to bring any spare uniforms they may have to the shop as soon as possible. Our new Year 7 families are starting to visit the shop to buy uniforms for their children now.

Bob Stewart Uniform Shop — student employment opporunity

If your son or daughter is looking for some casual work, the Bob Stewart Shop located at the College has a great opportunity. Applications are now open for a MLMC student to work over the summer school holidays. Applications close on 30 October 2019 (NB: the deadline has been extended from what is stated on the attached flyer).

Spectrum Journeys is an organisation based in Chirnside Park that aims to empower and equip carers and educators as they support children on the Autism Spectrum. You can learn more about the organisation here: https://spectrumjourneys.org.au/

Spectrum Journeys is running two workshops that I would like to alert you to. The first is a workshop on 'Building resilience in children on the autism spectrum', which is on Wednesday 23 October. The second workshop is 'The anxiety of autism workshop', which is on Wednesday 30 October. Both workshops are being held in Mooroolbark and cost $15 each. You can find all of the details in the attached flyers.

ReachOut is an online mental health organisation for young people, providing practical support, tools and tips to help them get through anything from everyday issues to tough times. They also provide information for parents to make it easier for them to help their teenagers. The have recently produced a helpful reference regarding study tips called 'Five Steps to Study Success' – please see the flyer attached. You can learn more about ReachOut here: https://au.reachout.com/

In 2019, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Pope Benedict XV's Apostolic Letter Maximum Illud, Pope Francis announced that October will be an Extraordinary Missionary Month. For the Extraordinary Missionary Month, the Holy Father has chosen the theme ‘Baptised and sent’:

Pope Francis' Prayer for October 2019

Heavenly Father,
when your only begotten Son Jesus Christ
rose from the dead,
he commissioned his followers
to 'go and make disciples of all nations'
and you remind us that through our Baptism
we are made sharers in the mission of the Church.

Empower us by the gifts of the Holy Spirit
to be courageous and zealous
in bearing witness to the Gospel,
so that the mission entrusted to the Church,
which is still very far from completion,
may find new and efficacious expressions
that bring life and light to the world.

Help us make it possible for all peoples
to experience the saving love
and mercy of Jesus Christ,
who lives and reigns with you
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
One God, forever and ever.
Amen

The annual MLMC Central Australia trip continues to grow in popularity for our Year 10 cohort and during the recent school holidays a group of 80 Year 10 students and eight teachers headed to the Northern Territory for an unforgettable 10-day adventure.

The trip began at Uluru and continued through the outback to Alice Springs, Katherine, Kakadu and Darwin. The students had a fantastic time and came back to school this week with plenty of great memories and stories to tell.

Year 10 Jade student Abbey Wheeler wrote about the experience:

Weary and cold, all 80 students and eight teachers loaded on to the buses at 6am on Friday 20 September for our transfer to the airport. As we got there, we soon learnt that or plane was delayed for two hours due to a dust storm in Alice Springs that would have prevented us from landing.

When we finally arrived at Yulara at 7pm, we all collected our bags and headed to the buses where we met our drivers, Steve and Brian. When we arrived at our campsite, we set up our tents and sat down with our dilly bags for dinner. We were welcomed with soft drinks and a platter and, thinking that the food was going to be this good throughout, we were all happy. But we later learned that this was meant for our picnic at Uluru's viewing area.

The rest of the trip was filled with amazing experiences, amazing sights and amazing food (thanks Di and Tracy) and more amazing people. Throughout the 10 days we visited Uluru, Curtin Springs Station, Mt Connor and Lake Amadeus lookout, Kings Canyon, Devils Marbles, Banka Banka Station (where we slept under the stars), the iconic Daly Waters pub, Mataranka thermal springs, Berry Springs, Simpsons Gap, ANZAC Hill, Alice Springs, Darwin, Kakadu National Park, Nitmiluk National Park, Nitmiluk Gorge, Karrke Aboriginal Experience, the Royal Flying Doctor Service, Darwin Ammunition Storage, Darwin wave pool, Yellow Waters Cruise, Mindil Beach Market and we had a Darwin Harbour disco cruise.

During the school holidays a number of MLMC Agriculture students performed at the Royal Melbourne Show, displaying the skills they had learnt throughout the year in working with poultry and with cattle.

Poultry

Students in the College’s Young Farmers Poultry Club have had the opportunity to show birds at agricultural shows for the last three years. This year, students have been busy each Monday lunchtime in caring for and preparing the birds for show. Ancona, Aracuana, Speckled Sussex and Rhode Island Red birds were entered in the 2019. The Black Ancona hen won first prize in the soft feather, light breed section and we send our congratulations to all the students who have been involved in the program this year on this wonderful result.

Students at MLMC have worked with poultry in the Science classroom at MLMC for 20 years. Wagners Poultry in Coldstream and Abundant Layers in Nar Nar Goon have supplied vaccinated chicks and point of lay birds over this time.

Cattle

Members of our Young Farmers Club also proudly represented the College at the Royal Melbourne Show. From early on the first Saturday morning of the show, the student cattle team of Perry Leane, Bella Green and Tegan Banks was hard at work in the livestock pavilion preparing the cattle for judging. Bella finished third in her senior handlers class, which is a fantastic result. It is great to see the commitment and the skills of our future farmers in action.

We would like to thank our sponsors Melbourne Polytechnic, Ridellview Angus Stud and Tibooburra Angus for their investment in our students.

A group of intrepid MLMC students enjoyed a trip of lifetime and put their language skills to the test these school holidays with a Study Tour to Japan. The experience was divided into two sections; the first week was spent exploring Tokyo and Hiroshima and in the second week the students were on a homestay with families from our sister school in Nara, the Horyuji International High School. MLMC has had a 24-year partnership with this school which has become an integral part of developing cultural understanding for our students. A group of students from this school visited MLMC in March this year.

In Tokyo, we visited Ikebukuro, Shinjuku, Shibuya and Harajuku, as well as traditional sites including Meiji Shrine, Sensoji Temple and Imperial Palace East Gardens. In Hiroshima we visited the Atomic Bomb Dome and delivered our 1000 paper cranes to the Children's Peace Monument. In between we also visited a digital art museum (teamLab Borderless), Disneyland, Tokyo Skytree and went on a bullet train to Hiroshima, ferried out to Miyajima (an island off the coast of Hiroshima), played in gaming arcades, took photos in the purikura machines and had a great night of karaoke.

Some of the students reflect on the experience:

Tiarna Jackson (11 Gold):
Tokyo was breathtaking. It was so different from what I was expecting. A place that is full of lights and structures that all had a reason. We went to the busiest pedestrian crossing in the world, Shibuya crossing. It was so cool to see so many people crossing from all directions and all together.

Ryan Finette (11 Silver):
Compared to Melbourne, there are so many things to do in Tokyo at night that are easily accessible. The buildings on either side of the main street were full of game centres and restaurants. We arrived at Disneyland at 9.00am and stayed until the park closes, at 10.00pm.

Kirsten Moerth (11 Bronze):
I loved Ikebukuro! I found the culture there very laid back and fun especially when it came to the arcades and cool restaurants. I saw many people casually wearing cosplay as everyday clothes and I thought that was awesome. I also really liked the shrines and temples.

Amie Edwards-Tesselaar (11 White):
My favourite part of the trip was in Tokyo. Other than the brilliant city lights everywhere we went along with the amazing food, a small group of students and teachers went to a Light Museum that was beyond fascinating.

Hayley Jackson (11 Bronze):
While we were at the temples and shrines in Hiroshima we got to see a couple of traditional weddings which was really cool. It was really interesting to see how Japanese schools are run and how they differ from Australian schools.

Riley Van Bockel (11 Orange):
Being able to attend the Hiroshima museum and see how the bomb affected millions of people’s lives was an eye-opening experience for everyone on the Study Tour and showed us how devastating it truly was.

Shelby Dewar (11 White):
Hiroshima was one of the most beautiful places, enriched with such history. I felt so many different emotions while I was here.

Alesha Gray (11 Red):
My host family was the Senga family — Sakura, my host sister, and Sayuri and Tatsuya, my host mother and father, who insisted that I was to call them okaasan and otousan. Although listening to Japanese teachers talk at what seemed to be the speed of lightning was enjoyable at the start, we quickly realised that we could not understand more than 10 words of what they were saying.

Joel Bogojevic (11 Blue):
I made a lot of good memories and I loved experiencing the Japanese culture with a family that I will dearly miss.

Amber Gosling (11 Red):
I loved learning about Japanese culture as well as experiencing how Japanese home life was during the homestay. I will always remember my kind, loving and welcoming host family, and the fun we all had together.

Ashley Herrod (11 Silver):
My host parents fed me fantastic food, takoyaki, gyoza and cakes for dessert! My host sister and friends went out everyday as they showed us around Kyoto and Osaka. At school we joined classes, sitting in to listen to their lessons and practise our Japanese speaking to other students that were not hosting.

Throughout the year our highly creative and talented Year 12 Art, Design and Media students have been working hard to develop their art works and the amazing results were on display in the first week of Term 4 in McAuley Hall. The Year 12 Visual Arts Exhibition (Art, Design Media) 2019 provided other students and their families the opportunity to see the incredible talent we have at MLMC. The exhibition included artist statements positioned next to each work which gave context to the works on display. The students’ folios were also on display which provided a great insight into how their ideas progressed over the year and the developmental stages that Art, Design and Media works go through in order to take their final forms.

On display were:

• Paintings
• Drawings
• Prints
• Sculptures
• Graphic Design
• Product Design
• Architectural Design
• Films
• Animation
• Webdesign

On Tuesday 8 October we held the awards ceremony which was well attended by students and their families. A full list of award recipients is attached and we send our congratulations to each of these students for their hard work and their wonderful contributions to the exhibition. I would also like to thank all the Visual Arts staff for putting this show together.

Here is a report from our Arts Prefect, Kanit Lewis:

This year's Studio Art, Visual Communication Design, Media and Creative Digital Media students had the pleasure to set up and showcase artwork they have worked on throughout the year. As you entered you were greeted by artworks of all kinds hanging on the wall with multiple folios presented on tables. At 7.45pm all family members and students were brought together, preparing for the announcement of award winners. Both captains of the school made a speech, including myself, as the Visual Arts Prefect, and Mr Brice, and Deputy Principal — Learning and Teaching, Ms Tanya Hutton. Straight afterwards, awards were announced by the teachers of each class, with Mrs Melanie Baird appointing awards to her VisCom class of 2019 as well as Mr Denver Carron for his Studio Art class. The display of everyone's work gave everyone the acknowledgement they deserve after working so hard in producing creative works all year. It was an enjoyable event which was filled with proud family members, food and socialising.

Here is a student reflection of the awards night:

On the Tuesday 8 October, the Year 12 Arts students, had an amazing night filled with awards and red carpet walks. After the Art and Design awards were announced the Media awards section of the night began. In pairs, the Year 12 Media students stood in front of everyone and made a speech about what each 'Oscar' award entailed, they got handed two envelopes, one with all the nominees and the other envelope held the name of the winner of the MLMC 'Oscar' Award. In between, Mr Brice showed the short films. Once the award winners were announced, they had walk up to receive the Oscar and they were asked to give a short speech. The Oscars presented by the Year 12 class were ‘Best Original Screenplay’, ‘Best Film Editing’, ‘Best Cinematography’, ‘Best Documentary’, ‘Best Actor’, ‘Best Actress’, ‘Best Director’, and ‘Best Picture’. It was a great night to show how much effort the students put in all year for this work and it all paid off in the end, with some amazing films that we had the luxury of watching — all back to back — at the end. I would also like to thank all the Visual Arts staff for putting this show together.
— Danielle Whelan (Year 12 Green)

It's not too late to get tickets for the Old Collegians' Gala on Saturday 19 October.

The 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 occasion.

(1) Student Achievements

Equestrian
A huge congratulations goes to Khaia Howlett, Madison Jackson and Jasmine Dillon (all in Year 10) who travelled to Sydney during the school holidays to compete for Victoria at the National Interschool Equestrian competition. This competition is not only difficult to qualify for, it saw the girls (pictured) competing against some of the best riders across Australia and New Zealand. All three girls finished in the top 10. Well done!

Basketball
Congratulations to Brody Hull (pictured), Liam Westlake, Ryan Nunziante (all Year 7) and Baylin Spencer (Year 8) who represented Kilsyth Cobras at the Basketball Australia Under 14 Club Championships in Ballarat. The team secured a top-14 finish and won the silver medal in the Shield Division. Well done, boys!

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

(2) MLMC Sports Awards

Save the date! The 2019 MLMC Sports Awards will be held on Thursday 24 October, from 7.30pm to 9.00pm, in Centennial Hall. We are looking forward to welcoming Richmond AFL young gun Jack Ross as our guest speaker. Award winners have been notified. Everyone is welcome to come along.

(3) Weight Training

During Term 4 the supervised open gym is available Wednesday mornings, 7.00-8.00am, starting next week (Wednesday 16 October). Either train with your own program or we can help you out. Breakfast is provided afterwards. See Miss Webb for more information.

(4) EISM Results

Year 9 Results - 10 October

On Saturday 26 October the Class of 1989 and the Class of 1999 will return to school to celebrate their 30 and 20-year reunions.

There will be tours of the College from 5.30pm as well as a photo exhibition in celebration of the 1999 College year. Finger food will be available throughout the night, along with drinks at bar prices and music by DJ Josh Daly. Parntners are also welcome.

Class of 1999 — 20-Year Reunion

Ticketing closes on Friday 18 October and you can make your booking here. You can also contact reunion organiser Allison Penhale via email at apenhale@shyea.catholic.edu.au

Class of 1989 — 30-Year Reunion

Ticketing will close on Friday 18 October and you can make your booking here. You can also contact reunion organiser Fiona Haynes-Curtis via email at fifi.curtis@gmail.com.

If you have any queires please don't hesitate to contact me in the Old Collegians' office on 03 9735 4022 or oc@mlmc.vic.edu.au We do hope you will be able to join us on this special occasion.

STEM MAD (Making a Difference) was a student showcase held on Thursday 11 October at Catholic Education Melbourne. MLMC students were given the opportunity to brief their peers on an exciting High Altitude Balloon (HAB) project that they have been working on all year. The students have built the balloon, coded the tracking device and are now preparing to launch it into ‘near space’ next week — the exact date and location are to be confirmed. The students will be recording data that is not readily available and collecting scientific information for further research. We will be accompanied at the launch by students from Catholic Regional College who will be there to launch model rockets that they have been building, one of which is the scace model of Saturn V.

An ambitious project like this, lets our students address real-world problems and take action that matters. You can learn more about the STEM MAD Showcase here.