Dear members of the Mount Lilydale Mercy College community
Since our last newsletter, the weeks have been filled with celebrations marking the passing of the end of the 2017 academic year. Saturday 25 November saw the College host the Year 12 Graduation Ceremony at Melbourne Park. It was an honour and a pleasure to see the Year 12 class of 2017 dressed in their finery for a formal graduation ceremony. After the long period of exams for these students, it is important to celebrate the ending of their formal secondary schooling, as they depart to their many adventures. As a College and community wish each and every one of them well and trust that many will stay in contact and remain connected through our Old Collegians’ Network. We will always be thrilled to see them and hear of their adventures. They will continue to be in our prayers as they await VCE Results, ATAR scores, University, TAFE and job offers.
Meanwhile back at ‘the hill’, the many other years levels have busied themselves with exams, award ceremonies and for some the Academic Foundation Programs (AFP). The Academic Award Ceremonies are indeed a fitting way to finish the year as they highlight achievement and effort. But, they do more than that - they acknowledge every student for their contribution to our College through the College commendation system and I am thrilled at the numbers awarded this year. Congratulations to all students whose contribution and efforts were recognised.
With the end of the year approaching the College farewells a number of staff who move to new environments:
• Rosemary Buchanan who will take long service leave and then retire
• Sue Gunn who will take long service leave and then retire
• Brian Harvey who will retire
• Gaby Hansen who will retire
• Genevieve Schaefer who worked as our Youth Ministry Officer for 3 years
• Rod Kearney who will retire
• Dale Gleeson who leaves us to take up a Deputy Principal role at Galen College Wangaratta
• Nick Thomson who leaves to teach at another Catholic School
• Melanie Travis who has completed her replacement position
• Leah Hill who has completed her special project position
• Caitlin Ioannidis who has completed her replacement contract
• Bohdi Lindsey, Nicole Roberts and Perri Richardson - our Year 12, 2016 AFL Trainees
Each of these staff members has contributed to the broad and rich life of our College and often their work goes unseen. We thank them for their service and wish them well in their future endeavours.
Lastly I would like to thank every family within our community for their ongoing support throughout 2017. I wish each of you a happy, holy and peaceful family Christmas and look forward to your return in 2018
God bless
Philip A Morison
The School Office Hours during the summer holiday period are as follows:
Closed - Tuesday, 19 December for staff liturgy and luncheon.
Normal office hours of 8.00am to 4.30pm, Monday to Friday will operate until the end of term.
The office will close for the school holidays at 1pm on Friday, 22 December and will re-open at 8.00am on Monday, 22 January 2018
We understand some of you may not have received the previous edition of the newsletter. Please click this link to read Issue 20, published on Friday 24 November.
Let Me Not Keep Christmas
(Linda Felver, A Book of Christmas)
"Let me not wrap, stack, box, bag, tie, tag, bundle, seal, keep Christmas.
Christmas kept is liable to mould.
Let me give Christmas away, unwrapped, by exuberant armfuls.
Let me share, dance, live Christmas unpretentiously, merrily, responsibly with overflowing hands, tireless steps and sparkling eyes.
Christmas given away will stay fresh—even until it comes again."
In early December the 2017 Awards Ceremonies took place - you can read the full list of recipients in the document below. Congratulations to all our our award recipients!
The Year 9 Horticulture class entered four lettuces in the horticulture section at the annual Lilydale and Yarra Valley Show. The lettuces were grown from seeds that had been purchased from the Diggers Club. The varieties entered were 'freckles bunte', 'red velvet', and 'red and green cos'. The display won 'Best Edible Exhibit' overall. Well done to Maddy Stokes and Ebony Smark who grew a magnificent crop of lettuce.
On Thursday 23 November, Mount Lilydale Mercy College hosted the ‘Flying Solo’ evening for incoming Year 7 students who will be starting with us in 2018. As College Captains we had the great pleasure of meeting some of the 2018 Year 7s, who attended the evening with three peers from their current primary school. What an amazing night it was!
The main purpose of the program was to give these students the opportunity to make new friends before starting Year 7 next year. It was a very exciting night filled with many get-to-know-you games and fun activities run by a number of 2018 Prefects who helped break the ice for everyone who attended.
On behalf of the the 2018 Prefect team we would like to say thank you to everyone who attended and we are looking forward to a great year ahead.
On Remembrance Day, our College Choir was honoured to be asked to sing during the service. It was a beautiful, sunny Saturday morning, and our students came proudly dressed in their school uniforms. Two students from Lilydale High School both read out a short paragraph, describing what Remembrance Day meant personally to them, and there were various other speakers, with the bugler adding to the poignant service. Four of our students laid wreaths for two politicians who were unable to attend: Monica Mockiewicz and Shae Preston laid a wreath of behalf of Christine Fyffe, and Jessica Myers-Denton and Kirra Smark laid a wreath on behalf of Tony Smith. Our students carried themselves very respectfully during the service and represented our College well.