Newsletter Page 2 260506

Mercedes College Mercy Vine From the Principal Issue No 7 – May 26, 2006 Dear Parents, Staff, Students and Friends of the Mercedes College Community The CIS Team Visit – a Point of Significant Growth They came, they saw and they left us with much to ponder. The Year 12 Retreat – The week of the visit was a very positive experience albeit a little Special Moments more stressful than usual. Classrooms were visited, teachers, ESO The recent Retreats were once staff, students and parents were interviewed, processes observed again, special occasions for our and policies and procedures scrutinised, areas of the curriculum Year 12 students. The level of were analysed and each aspect of College life was placed under the sharing, the sense of community microscope. It was a thorough process! Throughout the week the and the opportunity for personal reflection all combined to provide the students, staff and leaders with three days of significant memories. I believe the sentiments expressed by our Year 12 students say it best. “The reflection and meditation time gave me a chance to relax and not think about the stresses and what is still ahead for Year 12. I think that the Year 12 Retreat is a necessity and the year would not be the same without it.” “The Retreat was really special for us and it helped us in many ways. It was a Team developed their report which will be submitted to the CIS time to get in touch with our own selves and to further understand who we are as Head Office in Spain for further scrutiny. individuals. In the process, the Retreat gave us the space necessary to reflect on our life goals and to reassess these in the light of our current thinking and At the end of the week the Chair of our Visiting Team, Dr Chip experience. The Retreat was also important because it helped us reflect on our Barder, briefed members of the College’s Leadership Team on faith, our relationship with God and the way in which we share our thoughts some of the findings. Firstly, it was clear that the Team was about our faith with each other.” impressed with much of what they saw and made positive comment about the wonderful students, the dedicated and caring staff, the “During the Retreat, we were affirmed by other members of the group in many strong sense of community that was evident, and the excellent ways. This helped us in our self-belief and self-confidence. We were able to educational programmes in place. Perhaps the highest praise was affirm the value of others, and let them know how much we value them. “ the unanimous agreement amongst the Team Members that they “The Retreat was a great opportunity to step back from the daily work of Year would be happy to send their own children to Mercedes. 12, to reflect on life and to offer and receive the support from others which is so important in this challenging year.” We were also briefed on the major recommendations of the Team and upon receipt of the final report these, along with the rest of the “The Retreat was a good experience, because it allowed me to establish recommendations, will provide us with areas of growth for future friendships with people I wouldn’t have normally spoken to. The candle work. These recommendations will form the basis of our next ceremony was enlightening as it allowed everyone to forgive people with whom Strategic Plan. The final report, which we will receive in 8 to 12 they had conflict. It made the retreat more relaxed and joined people together.” weeks, will include the decision on our accreditation status. “I learnt about how much I rely on myself and others and the faith that I have. A review of this nature is risky business as it is not easy to open the I feel fulfilled in trying to help others and reflect on my life to try and answer school to such thorough scrutiny. It is a sign of the maturity of this some questions, although now I realise some questions just can’t be answered. College and our commitment to excellence that we have, not only The Retreat was memorable, sentimental and reflective.” been involved in this process, but have done so in such an honest “The Retreat was a great bonding experience. Many of the exercises we and transparent manner. completed helped us gain a better understanding of each other and the lives we Congratulation to all members of our community who worked hard lead. The bonfire was the best part of the Retreat and enabled us get to know to ensure the Self Study was done thoroughly, and who so warmly the international students. Overall it was a welcomed our visitors. valuable experience and I would gladly do it again.” Coming Events 31 May Year 8/9 Learning Reviews 4-6pm, 7-9pm 1 June Year 8 Immunisations Peter Daw 2 June Year 11-12 Music Night – Parlour Principal 7-8 June Year 10 Examinations 9 June Staff Professional Development – Student Free Day 12 June QUEEN’S BIRTHDAY HOLIDAY Mercedes College Newsletter Page 2 A Friday thought… in our musing on the film by our own inner deepening and the Conspiracy theories. The world thrives on them. Dan development of our relationship with the person of Jesus. Brown’s “The Da Vinci Code” has been the latest in a long Peter Williams line of works of fiction to weave together the usual elements The Australian Catholic Bishops' Committee last month set up a web – intrigue, murder, power – with an added dose of mystery resource site on the book and movie about alleged secret manoeuvrings within the church. The (www.acbc.catholic.org.au/DaVinciCode.html). For international problem is that the central and apparently erudite historical Catholic perspectives on the Da Vinci Code, as well as for information on presentation of the relationship between Jesus and Mary Jesus Christ, Mary Magdalene and Opus Dei, go to the US site Magdalene is totally fictitious and unsubstantiated by any www.jesusdecoded.com or to the UK site historical research or an alysis. Nevertheless, having the novel http://www.life4seekers.co.uk/the-da-vinci-code/the- on your shelf has become desirable, if not for a good read da-vinci-code.html. then for the purpose of being able to sensibly discuss both the literary merits and the spectacular claims made about key theological issues in Christianity. Now we have the movie. A production which is destined to reap millions for its backers and which will further provoke sometimes heated discussion. Fortunately, our Catholic community and most Christian communities have avoided the knee-jerk reaction of imploring authorities to ban the film or asking people to boycott it. Such responses usually give the work in question a free kick and are counter-productive. Adelaide’s Archbishop Philip Wilson, the newly elected President of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, has rejected the call to boycott the movie, saying people should see it but take it as just a fictional story. Perth Archbishop Barry Hickey, Chairman of the Bishops Committee for the Media said that the Catholic Church in Australia welcomes any interest in Jesus Christ that has been generated. So, rather than being defensively on the back foot, this is a good opportunity to raise consciousness of just who Jesus is for people of faith. Not in a didactic or haranguing manner but simply, with an approach which speaks more from the heart than from an often frustrating argument about “who’s right”. And for a good, readable source of information to deepen our faith, Melbourne’s Archbishop Denis Hart, also discussing the movie, suggests that “people should read the Gospels to discover the truth about Jesus.” For me, the novel was a pleasant holiday read. Set in Paris, London and Scotland, Brown takes you along with him on his mix of adventure and elaborately drawn fictitious history. However, the movie was a very different experience. The best that could be said was that the cinematography was of high quality. Unfortunately - and perhaps inevitably – such a complex story becomes very expository and didactic on the screen in order to achieve intelligibility and suffers as a result. The marathon (two and a half hours) takes us in search of the Holy Grail but for anyone unfamiliar with the book, the journey would, I suspect, be even more difficult. The lead characters lack warmth or interest and there is little chemistry between them. You wonder at the end whether the characters played by both Tom Hanks and Audrey Tatou breathe a sigh of relief not at their new discoveries or freedom from being pursued but that the unlikely series of events have resolved sufficiently for them to re-enter the real world. In short, you might find better things to do with your time. However, if the novel and the movie achieve a heightened VINNIES SOUP DRIVE interest in Jesus and if they lead some to deeper searching of Next week, the annual St Vincent de Paul Soup their own lives, then Brown has done us a service. And, for Drive will be held within the school. Members of the those anxious about the potential for deleterious effects, I Vinnies Group will collect cans each day and they suspect the real substance of our faith is not so easily battered will be used on the Soup Run which assists by unsubstantiated nonsense but is rather potentially enriched homeless and needy people. Your generosity in sending a can or two would be greatly appreciated.

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