Once again this year we hosted Time and Space Evenings for Year 8 students and a significant male mentor and Year 7 students and a significant female mentor in their lives. It was wonderful to welcome all to share in conversations with each other. Young people led conversations about what matters to them at the moment. Participants had the opportunity to listen and share wisdom with each other and begin to gain an understanding of other perspectives on life and growing up.

A wonderful aspect of the evening continues to be the ever-growing number of Year 9, 10, 11 and 12 students who volunteer their time to host the small groups, leading parents and students through a conversation. It was a delight to see these students lead such a significant conversation and many of them are involved for a second or third time. They are wonderful ambassadors for OLMC and great role models for our other students.

It was with great joy that we waved our first group of Year 9 students off as they began their Horizon Camp. They will no doubt relish the chance to be away with their friends and enjoy preparing meals and participating in all the great activities this camp has to offer.

On Tuesday 19 March we hosted some of the priests from the Parishes that are attended by our students. Unfortunately, not everyone was able to attend but we are grateful to Episcopal Vicar Fr Tony Kerin, Fr Bill from St Bernadette’s, Fr Vinh and Fr John from St John’s, Fr Steve and Fr Ananda from the Greensborough Parishes, Fr Wayne from St Pius, Fr Michael from St Martin of Tours and Fr Toan from Our Lady of the Pines. It was a wonderful opportunity for students from the Parish to share in the hosting. As a Catholic Community we strive to build connections for young people that allow them to see that who we are and how we live our tradition can be shared between Parish and school. We are very much looking forward to working with our priests more closely over the coming years.

Term 1 is rapidly coming to a close. As is the case every year Term 1 is an extremely busy one with so many different events for students and families. It has also been a term characterised by opportunities for families to engage with staff and each other in support of our students. We have been heartened by the positive feedback we have received and also grateful for feedback that will help us enhance experiences in the future. We value our role as partners in the education of your children and look forward to further opportunities to engage with you throughout the year.

We are in the season of Lent, a time for renewal and hope in The Resurrection. As we approach this Easter we pray for renewal and live with hope in our hearts, that all will experience compassion, justice, courage and joy; the OLMC values that we hold so dear. I hope that the Easter break brings time for family, friends, rest and joy.

God of all love and blessing,

As we enter this sacred time of Holy Week with Palm Sunday this weekend, we are reminded of the immense love you have shown us through the sacrifice of your Son. Help us to open our hearts and minds to the significance of these days.

During this week of reflection and contemplation, may we walk alongside Jesus in his journey to Calvary, acknowledging the weight of his cross and the depth of his love for each of us.

Grant us the grace to follow Jesus' example of humility, service, and selflessness in our lives. As we commemorate the Last Supper, let us remember the sharing of Jesus himself. As we stand at the foot of the cross on Good Friday, may we contemplate the depth of Jesus' suffering and the magnitude of his love for humanity. Help us to unite our own sufferings with his, finding strength and hope in the promise of his resurrection.

Lord, as we journey through Holy Week, may we be renewed in our commitment to live as disciples of Christ, sharing his message of love, compassion, and salvation with all those we encounter. We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Image by Freepik

On Friday 15 March, ten Year 8 students, along with Ms Farruga and Mrs Matthews, headed by train to St Patrick’s Cathedral for the annual St Patrick’s Day School Mass. The students were overwhelmed by the cathedral's size and grandeur and the number of school students present. They also commented on the beautiful singing and Archbishop Peter’s message of, ‘welcome home’. This beautiful Mass was followed by a special lunch before returning to school for Lesson 4.

On Tuesday 19 March, the Solemnity of St Joseph, we were delighted to welcome some of our local Parish Priests to morning tea. This was a great opportunity to reconnect some students with their local priests and thank our priests for all they do for their faith communities and their support of OLMC.

Students from Years 7 and 10 have begun a campaign to collect containers from students and staff. They are taking these containers to local Victorian Deposit Scheme facilities, where the funds will go directly to Caritas.

If you can help, take your containers to your local collection facility and enter the code C2000010782, and the funds from your donation will go to Caritas.

Semester One Parent/Student/Teacher Interviews will be occurring early next term. The two dates for the interviews are Wednesday 24 April and Thursday 2 May. Interviews will be held between 2.00 pm and 8.00 pm, and will be held via Google Meet.

An email communication regarding these interviews will be sent on Wednesday 27 March. This communication will include instructions as to how to join the Meets and a support number for the day of the interviews. The process for these interviews is the same as was used for Parent/Student/Teacher Interviews in 2023. Bookings are to be made via PAM, which will open at 3.30 pm on Wednesday 27 March

While you will not have to physically move from room to room, we still ask that you allow at least five minutes between interviews so that you can leave one Meet, have a debrief and then be ready to join the next interview at the booked time.

We ask that students are present for the interviews as it is about them and their learning. These meetings are an important opportunity to discuss learning and learning growth. They are an opportunity to acknowledge both effort and achievement, to discuss challenges and consider strategies and support for learning progress.

We look forward to the opportunity to have these conversations about learning early next term.

Both Wednesday 24 April and Thursday 2 May are student free days.

Help improve your child’s memory

As mentioned in a previous newsletter, OLMC works with Elevate Education to support our students with their time management, study habits and exam technique. In Term 2, on Friday 10 May, Elevate Education will be working with our Year 10 and 11 students in the lead-up to their End of Semester exams.

Through our work with Elevate Education, they also offer parents and guardians opportunities to learn about how support can be provided at home for student learning. Their most recent webinar focussed on how technology can be made an ally when it comes to learning.

The fourth webinar from Elevate Education for this term will be held online on Wednesday 27 March from 6.30pm.

The focus of this webinar is ‘How you can help improve your child’s memory.’

Over the course of the 60-minute webinar, Elevate Education will cover the following:

• An understanding of how your child’s memory works
• Optimising your child’s environment for memorisation
• Three practical memory techniques to use with your child.

If you are interested in attending this webinar, then please register via the link here.

DAT Mythbusters - the VCE ‘folio subjects’

‘I’m doing a folio subject’... You might have heard this refrain when chatting to a VCE student or you might have a student in your own family completing a folio subject and be wondering - what actually is a folio?

A VCE folio - which contributes to a student’s overall study score in Visual Communication Design (VCD), Media Studies and Art - Creative Practice in Year 12 is officially called a School Assessed Task (SAT).

A SAT runs across Units 3 and 4 during Year 12. In Art - Creative Practice, the SAT contributes 60% to the total study score whilst in Media and VCD it contributes 40% to the total study score. The rest of the study score is derived from SACs run in Units 3 and 4 and the important end-of-year examination.

In Year 11, the students will also complete a smaller version of the SAT, which is called a SAC outcome. The important thing in Year 11 is to experiment across various mediums and forms to see where a student's interests and passion lie and to develop technical skills in preparation for Year 12.

The SAT can sound overwhelming at first, but it's important to note that it is a heavily scaffolded task that actually consists of a number of smaller outcomes designed to be completed and submitted throughout the year. So, at any one time, a student is only focusing on one section of the whole SAT, and each part of a SAT has its own due date.

Completing a SAT can be an immensely rewarding experience for a Year 12 student as they will complete the year with a tangible product they can keep as a result of their hard work, which can be used to help them gain entry to a number of University and TAFE courses.

The process of working on a SAT develops students' lifelong skills in creativity, problem-solving and project management. The World Economic Forum has identified these as being key to success in the 21st Century workplace.

Tips for Parents/Carers to support their students who are completing a SAT

Consistency is the key

Students will always have homework (even if they say they don’t!) if they are working on the SAT. The timeline devised by the teachers is designed to allow students the space to continually reflect, adjust, get feedback and develop any new technical skills as needed. If they don’t follow this timeline or leave working on the SAT to the last minute, they miss out on the opportunity to create their best work.

Encourage your student to plan for the long-term

Look at the school SAC calendar with your student for the weeks when many SACs are due in other subjects, and then plan their personal SAT goals to avoid leaving a lot of SAT work to those particular weeks. There is no penalty for being ahead of the timeline in completing the SAT!

Don’t avoid dealing with any creative or organisational blocks to work

Encourage your student to let the subject teacher know ASAP if they are stuck with their idea or foresee any issues in the near term. We can always troubleshoot when we know early enough!

The work doesn't stop once you submit the SAT in September/October

The final marks awarded for the SAT are moderated by the VCAA based on the students' examination result.

This means doing well on the end-of-year examination can also possibly push up your final SAT grade (or it can also pull it down if you don't do as well as hoped). Occasionally, we see students put their heart and soul into the SAT but then drop the ball and do not put the same effort into exam preparation. Sadly, this means they don’t get the grades for the SAT that we know they deserve. Students should use the exam revision period after formal classes finish to come into school and get feedback from their teachers and revise with their peers by coming together to help each other.

Stuck for ideas? Check out past student work on our Design, Art & Technology Instagram page

https://www.instagram.com/datolmc/

Mark Jenkinson
Design, Art & Technology Learning Leader

Music has started off with a 'bang' in 2024 and students, new and old, have hit the ground running!

So far we have managed to fit in a Music Expo for Year 7 students to meet the teachers and try the instruments; over 100 students undertaking instrumental music lessons; weekly rehearsals; a Music Camp; and preparations for our first concert.

On Tuesday 26 March, students will perform the music from the well-known movie, The Greatest Showman. Tickets are selling fast so we encourage you to book as soon as possible. Whilst this concert is a culmination of approximately six weeks work (due to the short term) and a day of intense rehearsals, the students are to be congratulated on what they have achieved and how fabulous they are sounding.

Our Music Camp Experience was not only a day for rehearsing but also a day to build relationships with others who also have a passion for music. Students undertook group activities throughout the day and ended with a karaoke competition featuring Ms Russo as a guest appearance.

It has been a pleasure hearing students and ensembles improve across the term, and I look forward to seeing even more progress next term.

Jo-Anne Mileto
Instrumental Music Coordinator

On Tuesday 19 March, the Year 11 and 12 VCE VM students worked with students from Marcellin College and Catholic Ladies College in a full day program at OLMC conducted by Glenn Manton. Glenn is a youth advocate who focuses on engaging students through powerful story-telling. Communication, relationships, connectivity, respect, resilience, positive life choices and responsibility were just some of the themes touched on throughout the day.

The VCE VM students enjoyed the opportunity to work collaboratively with students from the other schools, and were pleased to share our wonderful kitchen facilities with their peers in the opening muffin baking session. It was a great way to initiate a positive working relationship with the Marcellin and CLC students in an authentic and fun activity. Plus we got to enjoy our delicious muffins in a lovely shared morning tea! The students across the three schools will have further sessions with Glenn in Terms 2 and 3 as part of their VCE VM Personal Development Skills studies.

Helen Hamblin
Senior Vocational Program Coordinator

Physical Education Units 3 and 4

On Wednesday 6 March, Units 3 and 4 Physical Education students took part in an incursion run by METS Performance Consulting. Students observed their classmates undertake two laboratory tests, the VO2 Max Test and a 30 Second Wingate Anaerobic Test. An exercise physiologist from METS explained these tests and made important real-life links to the study design while inviting questions from our students. Congratulations to Holly C (11AJGU) and Annabel B (12CCTR) who carried out these challenging tests for us and also to the Physical Education students for their engagement and in-depth questions during the session.

Alicia McHugh
Teacher – Health and Physical Education Teacher

Year 7 Aquatics Excursions

This term, Year 7 HPE classes have been participating in water safety sessions at Ivanhoe Aquatic Centre. During the one-hour sessions, students receive instruction on the significance of water safety, hazard recognition, and measures to avoid accidents. The sessions are designed to enhance their water confidence and equip them with lifelong knowledge and skills.

Teresa Cerra
Health & Physical Education Learning Leader

On Tuesday 12 March the Year 8 students commenced the exciting mat-ball competition that was organised by the Year 10 Sport class.

To make the competition more exciting and to gain as much participation as possible in extended Pastoral, each class created a team cheer that involved all students across the Year 8 level. The cheers had to be creative and were to be used before each mat-ball game. The Pastoral Group with the most participation, teamwork and the best cheer would be rewarded with a pizza lunch.

It was wonderful to see nearly the whole Year 8 cohort involved and participating in the games, with many of the Year 7 and Year 9 students watching and supporting the students. The atmosphere was excellent.

On Thursday the semi-finals took place, with 8MDG versus 8MMA and 8BFA versus 8MFO. Both games were very close, however the stronger two teams on the day won. 8BFA and 8MDG made it through to the finals on Friday 15 March.

All Year 8 students came to support their peers and the game was so competitive and both Pastoral Groups were determined to win. With the music pumping and the students cheering the teams demonstrated skill, team spirit and hard work. The scores were close from the beginning and in the end 8BFA won the mat-ball competition by just one point. They were also rewarded with the pizza lunch, which was enjoyed on Tuesday.

It was a wonderful week and all Year 8 students should be proud of their efforts and for supporting each other through the games.

Mat-ball was a great experience for our class and brought us together, helping us form a really good bond. Everyone showed great sportsmanship and it was a really fun competition to participate in. After all our hard work we were all grateful for our pizza lunch. The Year 10s did a great job organising a fun week for us all and organised it really well.

By Phoebe K (8BFA)

I never usually do sport, but I love to participate in mat-ball. It is a great way to bond with other girls and make new friends! It was especially fun to have a fantastic prize like pizza! Even though my class didn’t make it to the finals, we gave it a go and demonstrated great sportsmanship. It was great fun coming up with a class chant, and using it before the game!

By Claire W (8MMA)

Deb Butterworth
Year 8 Level Coordinator

Congratulations to Stephanie R (9NWA) for receiving the Young Community Leader Award at Nillumbik Council’s International Women’s Day Event. The awards recognise the achievements and contribution of young women in the local area.

Stephanie is the co-founder of Hayden's Helping Hands, a charity aiming to alleviate homelessness in Australia and raise awareness of the issue. She has been recognised for her exceptional leadership and engagement with young volunteers.

https://www.haydenshelpinghands.org/home

A Good Friday reflection, Way of the Cross, will take place around the streets of Heidelberg West on Good Friday 29 March.

The 25^th Annual Melbourne Easter Passion Play will take place on Palm Sunday 24 March and Good Friday 29 March.

For more information please visit the Melbourne Passion Play website

SAVE THE DATE!

The OLMC Parents’ Association invite all students to come along with their Mother, Grandmother or a special person in their lives to our

Mother’s Day Celebration 2024

Thursday 9 May, 7.00 pm

McAuley Hall, Cape Street, Heidelberg.

This is a wonderful opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate the wonderful women in our lives and to get to know others in the OLMC Community. The evening will commence with a short liturgy and will be followed by a delicious supper served by the Parents’ Association Committee.

So please save the date! Further details will be sent out early in Term 2.

Marie Jenkins
Community Development Coordinator

SIMON Everywhere

SIMON Everywhere is a new App for smart phones that allows parents to access all information relating to their daughter such as reports, grades, attendance and much more. It also allows you to update medical information, advise on absences, late and early leave passes, give permission for excursions, access teacher emails and also receive notifications from the College.

During the next few months, it is requested that all parents have the SIMON Everywhere app installed. For parents familiar with PAM, the new App works mostly the same as PAM and you can still access PAM via the web however, the app has additional functionality such as push notifications and the ability to sign in without having to enter your username and password each time.

Instructions for the downloading and installation of the app can be found in the flyer below.

Doug Wright
Digital Strategies Coordinator

Follow the official Our Lady of Mercy College accounts on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. We’ll be sharing regular news, student achievements and stories from around the College.