Semester 1 Week 6 Friday 29 May 2020

Contents Principal ...... 1 Our Generous Sponsors ...... 3 Assistant Principal Mission ...... 4 Assistant Principal Curriculum...... 5 Tue 9/Wed 10 June……….. Yr 9 Retreat Days Tue 9/ Wed 10 June .…Yr 10 Reflection Days Assistant Principal Students ...... 6 Wed 10 June……….P&F and Board Meetings Justice@Mercy ...... 7 6:00pm Quiz questions ...... 8 Auslan Club ...... 8 Indigenous Liaison Officer ...... 9 The library welcomes students back ...... 9 Weekend Mass Interact Committee ...... 10 Sports Department ...... 10 Bishop Michael has asked that St Patrick’s be opened for Mass with a limit of 10 people Cooks Corner ...... 11 including the priest. Tuckshop ...... 12 Masses at St Patrick’s are: Community News ...... 13 Sunday: 7.00am 8.30am 10.30 am Mon – Friday: 8.00am 12 noon 5.00pm

Exposition of the Holy Eucharist, Prayer & … Adoration Quote Saturday: Two sessions 10.30am—11.00am “Success consists of going from failure to failure and 11.30am—12noon

without loss of enthusiasm.” To attend a Mass, you will need to make a WINSTON CHURCHILL phone booking: Phone 0460 423 603, between 9am and 3pm. Only phone bookings to this number will be accepted. Bookings will be taken on a weekly basis. From Friday 22nd May you can book for the Week Saturday 30th May.

WORD ON THE Bookings will be taken each Friday for the following week. These are the only Masses

STREET… for all our 7 parishes. You will be limited to Word that one Mass attendance until Government Crepuscular – adjective; relating to or resembling regulations permit larger gatherings. twilight; dim; indistinct.

Sentence Saturday’s cold weather of bleak, crepuscular light, coupled with icy drizzle made for a memorable day to spend indoors. Mr David Hay welcoming students back to the College after home schooling.

Principal

A little disrespect for conventions

Pandemics are no laughing matter but the ‘Australianisation’ of them can be a rare moment of amusement in an otherwise serious situation. I had no idea that a whole new slang dialect had developed, so as to abbreviate perfectly good words but somehow exercise a calming influence in bringing the everyday to the frighteningly new.

But first I must share my surprise on hearing that Covid-19 has a gender. I imagined that viruses are much too small to bother with this contentious decision but apparently the ‘Academie Francaise’ that arbitrates on the French language has declared the virus ‘feminine’. Wisely, I will comment no further except to explain that this means that in speaking

French you put a ‘la’ rather than an ‘l’ in front of the viral name. Australia adroitly stopped exclusively naming cyclones after females some years back. Good call!

While Australia has no equivalent language academy to constrain and define the direction of our language, maybe the following extract from an article by Journalist Alice Workman in The Australian Newspaper (23 May, 2020) is a vote in favour. Then again….

“What I’ve learned in these dark times is that language is a coping mechanism and slang creates a sense of community. You’ve got to find rare moments of vernacular brevity wherever you can - iso (self-isolation), sanny (hand sanitiser), the rona (corona), soch disty (social distancing), quazzie (quarantine), the pando (pandemic) and magpie (supermarket hoarder).

Or in a sentence – “Me mum’s tested pozzie for the rona, so we can’t soch disty this arvo. The fam’s in iso. Can you run to Coles and get some sanny? Our local’s been hit by magpies.”

Now of course the purist may say that slang and Aussie vernacular has no place in the serious business of literacy development, but it is obvious how powerful an aspect of communication it really is. The richness of the English language and the culturally unique components can attract many a student to look afresh into a skill development so vital for success in secondary education.

Mr Jim Ford Principal

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Our Generous Sponsors

Progress on the Brekky Van this month

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Assistant Principal Mission

‘Miss, how can you have a relationship with someone you can’t see…especially when that someone is God or Jesus?’ This is a very real question and one that I have been asked by students on a number of occasions. The answer to this question involves the very basis on how we relate to both God and Jesus. We’ve just celebrated the Feast of the Ascension, that is Jesus’ departure from this earth after his Resurrection. Yes, you read correctly, we celebrate his departure and in fact, in the Gospel it is linked to blessing. We celebrate Jesus not being with us in the flesh and see it as a blessing! So how can this be? One way to understand this is to reflect on people who have influenced us profoundly for the good and who have since died. I had a wonderful father and I often find myself consciously living by the values he imparted. In fact, I feel closer to him as I strive to be like him.

This coming Sunday the feast of Pentecost celebrates the power of the Holy Spirit coming upon the disciples and energising them for their mission of continuing the ministry of Jesus. At this time of the Church calendar, I always recall the theme song for World Youth Day 2008 ‘Receive the Power’ by Guy Sebastian and Paulini which is based on Acts 1:8 ‘But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses …’. When Jesus left this earth, he promised us his Holy Spirit and told us to be his witnesses - an openness to accept the guidance that the Spirit brings to receive the power to continue to see and experience him in and through us. As we strive to live by his Spirit and by his words, he comes and lives within us and we become the revelation of the life and grace of God to those around us. That is, how people are to experience God and Jesus because they have experienced us. This is a great dignity. This is a blessing and we rejoice that we have this great mission. As we seek to live this way, we will discover God and Jesus up close and personally involved in our lives. We will develop a good relationship.

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth. O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, Through Christ Our Lord, Amen.

Mrs Jeanette Refalo Assistant Principal Mission

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Assistant Principal Curriculum

Learning at School Vs Learning at Home

It has been fantastic this week to see so many happy faces around the College and in class. Students seem genuinely keen to get back to school and see their friends and maybe their teachers!! There is no doubt however, that some students have enjoyed the ‘ learning at home’ experience, some may have even thrived. This can be due to a number of reasons - lack of distractions, no social pressures, the quiet giving them time to think and process, and the ability to work to a schedule that suits them. These reasons are all valid and something that we, as educators, cannot ignore. It also may lead to some parents/guardians enquire as to the possibility of flexible learning environments moving forward, however, there are many valid reasons as to why the most effective environment is the classroom at school.

At Mercy, we centre our teaching and learning approach on the work of John Hattie, a NZ-born Australian professor who has undertaken the most extensive research into the effects on student achievement in history. Hattie says that the 50% variance in student achievement is affected by what the student ‘brings to the table’ i.e. the student’s ability and willingness to learn. 20% is made up of factors such as home life, the school environment, the Principal and peer groups. 30% of the variance is the impact of the teacher. A teacher at Mercy should be consistently using in the classroom the following strategies that are shown in research to be highly effective:  Direct Instruction  Feedback  Group discussion  Intervention programs when students struggle  Peer tutoring  Reflection on set goals These strategies are a few of many that are implemented and when used properly have been proven to accelerate a student’s learning by more than twice the rate of what it would take them to learn when they are not used.

During our ‘learning at home’ experience, these types of strategies were almost impossible to replicate. The Zoom sessions went some way to replicate some of the classroom experience, but logistically are not possible to continue while students are back at school. Google classroom, while an extremely useful tool that we will continue to use, only has the ability to set work and allow students to interact with their teacher through messaging and submitting work online - it does not allow for the explicit instruction required for students to learn new content.

I do believe that the ‘learning at home’ experience can be overestimated in its ability to sustain true learning, that is the ability to learn new concepts and skills, develop a deep understanding of these and be able to transfer this knowledge and skill to real-life or unfamiliar situations. Our online learning format was effective in students learning at the ‘surface’ level only, and they may have been able to produce decent work in completing assessment, but is that what we want for our students? To be able to complete assessment and get good grades? Or do we want for them to develop real knowledge and skills, that they will build on gradually over their years of schooling, resulting in their ability to enter the workforce and not only work in a profession they enjoy, but also make a real contribution to society.

I observe with great admiration the scientists, researchers, doctors and nurses that are working tirelessly to diagnose, treat and find a cure and vaccine for COVID-19. They are our modern day superheroes, fighting to literally save the world. I am sure that behind every one of these heroes was a decent school, and supportive and effective teachers who have inspired a love for learning - and I doubt that many participated in a ‘learning at home’ program.

While we fully accept that many adolescents have enjoyed the online learning experience and that home schooling is a valid option for those students who live with debilitating mental and physical health issues, there is no doubt the highest effect on their learning is to be in a productive classroom with an expert teacher that employs highly effective teaching strategies. At Mercy, that is what we strive to provide your child every day.

Mr Scott McSherry Assistant Principal Curriculum

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Assistant Principal Students

Uniform Welcome back to the last five weeks of Term 2. I am hoping by now all students returning have settled into Mercy College and are adapting to some new procedures in this new era. As a ‘Leader In Me’ school, it is great to see nearly all students being ‘Proactive’ and taking on personal leadership for themselves. I would just like to take this opportunity to remind everyone of some school rules which align with uniform and presentation. These are published in our student diaries and were also presented on Facebook from our House SRC students. These rules were also mentioned on our School Assembly this week which was live streamed to all students in Homerooms.

As you would be aware we have introduced the rule of no wearable technology at Mercy at the start of the year. If students have smart watches, fitbits or other wearable tech, they are to be kept in their bags or lockers throughout the day or left at home. This also applies to mobile phones which must not be kept on their person, they must be in a student’s bag or locker. If these items are seen, heard or used during the hours of 8:00am – 3:00pm, they will be iLogged and returned to the student at the end of the day. On the third occasion, the item will need to be collected by a parent/guardian and a meeting arranged with the Assistant Principal, Students to discuss further consequences if this was to happen again. We have experienced great success with this new rule but as always, reminders are timely.

One of our other new rules was regarding hats. A school hat must be worn at all times except indoors. I have been very impressed with the attitude of students towards this new rule. Students have been informed on assembly that they are required to wear their hat before entering the school, which I have been monitoring and reminding them this week. This also applies to students as they hop off the bus or out of their car, during all break times and moving between classes. If for any reason your child doesn’t have their hat or is wearing the incorrect uniform, they require a note from their parent/guardian explaining the reason why.

Due to the cooler weather and all windows being open in classes to help with air circulation, we ask that all students have a school jumper to wear when they are cold. The new jumpers are a lighter material and probably perfect for our cooler months as it doesn’t get extremely cold. If a student doesn’t as yet have a Mercy jumper, they would require an explanatory note from their parent/guardian as to why and would be asked to borrow one from Student Reception.

The final rule I would like to draw to your attention is ‘hair’ which can be found in the grooming section of our student diary. We have had a number of male students return to school with inappropriate hair styles and I thank those parents who have been working with us to correct this situation. Our guidelines are very clear with photograph examples included in the diary for parents/guardians and students to refer to. Please do take the time to read over these rules with your child. If you have any questions or concerns with regard to these rules or any other rules, please feel free to contact your child’s House Coordinator or myself.

Grooming (extract from student diary) Hair and Hair Accessories Styles: Length & colour (natural looking) should be appropriate for school; hairstyles should not detract from the good presentation of the uniform. Girl’s hair is to be neat and tidy, and if touching the collar must be tied back with a band or ribbon in navy, teal, black or white. Boy’s hair is to be no shorter than gauge two. All hair is to be neat, not long and kept above the collar and above the eyes. If unsure about the appropriateness of colour, style or length parents/guardians are advised to consult the House Coordinator prior to styling. Please see examples below. Facial Hair: Boys must be clean shaven. Jewellery: Should be appropriate for school and the College uniform. Students may be asked to remove jewellery for safety reasons or where deemed to contravene the College guidelines. The College discourages the wearing of any expensive jewellery to school and will not take responsibility for its loss or theft. Guidelines : • no bracelets or wrist bands.• no more than one small stud or sleeper earring allowed in each ear lobe. • a small Christian symbol such as a crucifix or medal may be worn on a plain chain inside the shirt. • no finger, nose or tongue rings are permitted.• no other body piercing is permitted. • body art not to visible or acceptable at school. Nail polish must be clear. Make up is not to be worn at school. Hats/Helmets The wearing of both is for safety reasons and sun safety. Students are asked to abide by the law of wearing properly fastened helmets. Hats should have the student’s name written inconspicuously on the underside of the brim. The school hat is required to be worn at all times when not in a room. Owning a school hat is compulsory.

Mr Chris Sorbello Assistant Principal Students 6

Justice@Mercy  Cookies for Kindness 

A simple idea suggested by Justice@Mercy students during our Zoom meetings has turned into a reality. We decided to bake some biscuits for our frontline heroes to say thank you.

Thank you to the Mercy community who baked, or prepared the cookie dough for us to cook. Students and staff also gave up their lunch time to make, cook and package cookies, both last week and this week. We packaged over 1000 cookies and boxed them to be delivered to 11 locations on Wednesday afternoon by Justice@Mercy students.

The Staff at the various organisations were very grateful for the yummy biscuits. Biscuits were delivered to both hospitals and ambulance services, Kaylan House, Mackay Women Services, Adracare, The Neighbourhood Hub, Ozcare, Sarina Police station, Sarina hospital and St Vincent de Paul.

It was an amazing experience, seeing the faces of the staff and their joy of being recognised and thanked. It is wonderful that a small gesture, just a few biscuits, could make a huge difference. A heartfelt thank you to every one of you who baked, donated or delivered.

Mrs Helen Patroni Coordinator

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Quiz questions

1. The Mariana Trench is the deepest trench that we know of, but what ocean is it in? Is it the a) Atlantic, b) Pacific, c) Indian, or d) Southern? 2. Spelunking is another name for what deep activity? Is it a) diving, b) spacewalking, c) caving, or d) mathematics? 3. In 1997, the computer Deep Blue beat the world champion of which game? Was it a) poker, b) chess, c) Mario Kart, or d) table tennis? 4. Which Nobel Prize was jointly won by Peter Doherty and Rolf Zinkernagel in 1996? Was it a) physics, b) chemistry, c) physiology or medicine, or d) peace? 5. Which of the following life forms emerged first? Was it a) dinosaurs, b) flowering plants, or c) sharks?

To find the answers, visit our online quiz!

Auslan Club

The Auslan Club meet on Wednesday 27 May for the annual National Simultaneous Storytime NSS2020 link. The story was “Whitney and Britney Chicken Divas” told by Lucinda Gifford.

This is our first group event since we had our five weeks of isolation. While the students were away we had our Thursday meetings via Zoom, which was very well attended. We meet every Thursday at first break where the students learn how to sign and understand the Auslan culture.

Mr Brett Comerford Auslan Club Coordinator

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Indigenous Liaison Officer

Reconciliation Week

In 2020 Reconciliation Australia marks twenty years of shaping Australia’s journey towards a more just, equitable and reconciled nation. Much has happened since the early days of the people’s movement for reconciliation, including greater acknowledgement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander rights to land and sea; understanding the impact of government policies and frontier conflicts, and an embracing of stories of Indigenous success and contribution.

2020 also marks the twentieth anniversary of the reconciliation walks of 2000, when people came together to walk on bridges and roads across the nation and show their support for a more reconciled Australia.

As always, we stand on the shoulders of those who came before us, and Australians now benefit from the efforts and contributions of people committed to reconciliation in the past.

Today we work together to further that national journey towards a fully reconciled country.

Melissa Russell Indigenous Liaison Officer

The Library welcomes students back

On Monday students were greeted by yet another one of our Library displays, this time showcasing some of the new books that we have been purchasing in anticipation of the return to normal classes. I think all would agree that the colours and the signage is pretty spectacular!

Books include autobiographies and fiction across various genres. Hopefully students have taken this unique opportunity of home learning to read some really good books and I can’t wait to see what the Book Club have been doing! My hope is that more students than ever will want to come into the Library to update their reading material.

Mr Stephen Crocker and the library staff

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Interact Committee

Welcome back to all the students from the Interact Committee members. We have held our first meeting and are excited for the events scheduled for the rest of 2020.

Lucy Vickers Committee Chairperson

Sports Department

Athletics Carnival The Mercy College Athletics carnival has been postponed due to the restrictions on public gatherings. A new date will be dependent on the Queensland Government advice regarding public gatherings.

Inter-School Sport At this stage no date has been set for the commencement of any Mackay based inter-school sports competitions. News or updates for the commencement of any school sport will be delivered to the students and parents/guardians from the Sports Office.

Representative School Sport Representative School Sport has been cancelled up until June 30. No updates have been given in regards to trials after June 30 or the re-scheduling of trials from Semester 1.

Training No organised/instructed team training will take place before June 12 (Friday Week 8). After this date, sports may begin to organise training sessions under the Return to Play Stage 2 restrictions.

Hopefully this provides some clarity for where we are at with School Sport. I am hopeful of seeing Mercy teams return to the sporting field later in the year and we will be doing everything we can to give our students an opportunity to represent the College in 2020. Mr Michael Comerford Head of Department Sport

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Cooks Corner

INGREDIENTS 1 cob loaf 125g cream cheese 2 rashers of bacon 1 eshallots 150ml sour cream ⅓ cup of grated cheese salt and pepper spray oil

METHOD  Pre-heat oven 160°C.  Cut the top of the loaf off and pick bread from the centre in chunks.  On a baking tray, place loaf in the centre and small pieces of bread around the loaf. Lightly spray with oil.  Place in the oven for approximately 10 minutes.  Chop bacon and eshallots.  In a microwave safe bowl add bacon and eshallots. Cook on High for 2 minutes  Add cream cheese, sour cream and cheese. Cook on High for 2 minutes.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Pour into the centre of the loaf and use the smaller pieces of bread to dip into the cheesy mixture.

INGREDIENTS Pizza Base Pizza Topping 2 cup plain flour 2 tablespoons pizza sauce 1 teaspoon salt 2 slices pineapple-chopped 2 teaspoons sugar 2 slices bacon 2 teaspoons instant dry yeast ½ cup grated mozzarella cheese 2 teaspoons oil ¼ capsicum-finely diced 1 cup warm water 1 boiled egg-chopped

METHOD Prepare dough:  Preheat oven to 180ºC. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper.  Sift dry ingredients into a large bowl. Make a well in the centre then pour in oil and water.  Mix with a wooden spoon until well mixed.  Turn onto a lightly floured bench and knead for 5minutes until dough is smooth, elastic and shiny.  Roll out the dough into 20cm rectangle.  Spread sauce over dough.

Prepare topping:  Dice the bacon, capsicum, pineapple and boiled egg into even pieces and sprinkle over the dough. Sprinkle grated cheese over evenly.  From long edge, roll up tightly incorporating the filling.  Use a sharp serrated knife to cut through log into 1-1.5cm slices.  Place slices cut side up on greased trays.  Bake for approximately 20 minutes or until cheese is golden.

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INGREDIENTS 250g sweet potatoes ¼ teaspoon nutmeg ¼ teaspoon black pepper ¾ cup plain flour salt to taste 1 egg yolk 8 sage leaves 2 tablespoons butter seasoning parmesan cheese shaved to garnish

METHOD  Microwave the sweet potato on high for 10 minutes or until very tender. Set aside to cool.  Remove skin and mash the sweet potato using a potato masher until smooth. Add salt, nutmeg and pepper.  Add the egg yolk and stir with a wooden spoon until combined. Add the flour in batches and stir until well combined and a firm dough forms. (If dough is too soft, add more flour.) Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth.  Line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper.  Divide dough into 2 equal portions. Roll 1 portion into a 2cm-diameter log about 30cm long. Use a lightly floured knife to cut into 2cm pieces. Repeat with remaining dough portion.  Lightly flour your hands and roll each piece of dough into a ball. Use your thumb to roll each ball over a floured fork. Place on tray.  Bring a saucepan of water to the boil over medium heat. Add one-half of gnocchi (drop onto base of pan in a single layer, but do not overcrowd as they can stick together) cook until they rise to the surface and then 15 seconds more. Use a slotted spoon to drain and transfer to a bowl. SAGE BUTTER:  Melt butter in a small pan and continue cooking until golden brown colour appears in the thinnest liquid of the butter. Add sage leaves and remove from heat.  Toss gnocchi in sage butter. Serve and garnish with parmesan and parsley.

Tuckshop

Fortnightly Volunteer Roster

Monday 1 June Michelle Goodman, Nikita Kinnane, Elizabeth Kennedy Tuesday 2 June Kylie John, Sarah Colleton Wednesday 3 June Julie Harding, Jody Zimmermann Thursday 4 June Joy de Froberville, Jenny Scott, Marnie Walsh Friday 5 June Michelle King, Deirdre Comerford

Monday 8 June Colleen Best, Sadeta Jakupovic Tuesday 9 June Rania Heke, Kirsty Hoani Wednesday 10 June Rob Ely, Judy Orr Thursday 11 June Shirley Sorensen, Amanda Zammit Friday 12 June Lucia Atta, Lisa Sorbello, Lauren Henaway

elcome back to all our volunteers, we are looking forward to seeing your friendly faces once again. We are always looking for more volunteers, if you are interested offering a helping hand, please W contact me on 4969 4199.

Mrs Margaret Floyd Coordinator

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Community News

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