M e r c e d e s C o l l e g e

Dear Parents, Staff and Students of the Mercedes College Community,

Some Uniform UpdatesYou may recall that at the end of last year we asked for community feedback on a variety of aspects of the College’s operations. One message that came through from the survey was that the community appreciates the way our students look in their uniform. I like to see our students taking pride in their appearance because that says something about their self esteem and the way they feel about being a member of this College.I ask your support with the following:• Over the last two years we have been phasing out the old ‘green’ and light grey shorts worn by the boys and by the end of this term all should be wearing the new charcoal coloured ones• This year we have instigated a new Sun Protection Policy whereby all students are expected to wear hats during PE lessons and at recess and lunch times whenever they are outside in the sun. Unfortunately, we have had some delays in the supply of the new hats but have plenty of stocks of the College bucket hats. The new caps should be available by the end of this term, the new formal brimmed hats are available for the girls and we are expecting a new ‘Akubra’ style hat for boys in the near future• In Terms 1 and 4 if the weather is cooler then students should wear their blazer to and from school as the outer garment. Jumpers are only worn as the outer garment whilst the students are at school• I ask you to refer to the College’s website for full uniform details.

Our Quebec VisitorsOver the last two weeks we have hosted a group of 38 students from Rochebelle School in Quebec. I thank all those families who have opened their homes to these young people. Mercedes is proud of its international focus and visits such as these are beneficial for both our Canadian friends and our local students alike. Part of the IB Mission Statement states that ‘others in their difference can also be right’ and visits such as these help us all to gain a deeper understanding of this.

Mercedes Old Scholars Association, (MOSA)Last Monday we held the first AGM of MOSA for a number of years and we have been thrilled with the number of old scholars from all eras of the school who are very keen to re-establish this association. A vital old scholar organisation provides an outlet to foster the friendships begun at school, build new networks and engage old scholars in activities and events that are of interest to them. I am particularly pleased that we have someone of the esteem of the Hon Carolyn Schaeffer MLC (1962), a retiring member of the Legislative Council, as our President. I look forward to MOSA going from strength to strength in the future.

A huge thank you to Mrs Anne Morse for the work that she has done in organising the AGM.

Dedicated AthletesI usually arrive at the College at about 7:30am and am regularly greeted with the sight of large numbers of our students training enthusiastically. Track runners, high jumpers and long jumpers all working very hard. They are often joined by footballers and cricketers preparing themselves for upcoming games. Our society often labels young people as lazy and only interested in playing computer games, these detractors should visit Mercedes.

Last week these athletes had the opportunity to ply their skills as we held our annual Sports Days. The Year 8 to 12 Sports Day was a warm day but our athletes were as enthusiastic as ever and achieved some wonderful results with a number of our students achieving personal bests. The Junior and Lower Middle School students enjoyed a much milder day and competed with great gusto. I thank our Sports Department for their organisation of the day and staff and parents who worked so hard to make these events so successful.

ApologyOur apology to Charlotte Twizell whose name was omitted, due to a clerical error, from the Academic Award Winners list recently published in the Fleur de Lis.

Class PartiesOne of the highlights of Term 1 are the Class Parties held on most Friday evenings. I have already attended a number of these and have thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to experience the camaraderie that the parties afford. A huge thank you to all those parents who have so generously opened up their houses to host these gatherings with a very special mention to Rebecca and Tim Haysman for their generosity in hosting two events.

Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 Rebecca and Tim HaysmanYear 3, 4 and 5 Tara and Paul Henry Year 6 and 7 Bernadette and Phil DaveyYear 8 Rebecca and Tim Haysman Year 9 and 10 Barbara and Tony Ward Year 11 and 12 Voula and Grant Forsyth

Yours sincerely,

Peter DawPrincipal

From the Principal Issue No 3 - 5 March, 2010

MARCH8 Adelaide Cup Holiday9 Yr 7 Retreat Yr 8 and 9 Immunisations Cath Schools Girls Swimming Carnival (evening)10 Orientation Walk

15 Co-ed Catholic Schools Athletic Carnival Yr 8-12 Primary Catholic Schools Swimming Carnival, 15-17 Yr 6 Camp 1 – Wirraway19 R – 3 Swimming Carnival Yr 3/4/5 Class Party20 Class of 2005 5 Year Reunion

COMING EVENTS

Mercedes College NewsletterPage 2

A Friday Thought

The Inner JourneyOne of the most important things that we do at this school is to try to aid students to live life deeply: at more than a superficial level. To do this we stress the skills necessary to be reflective and discerning. In a world of constant images and sounds it is quite a challenge for some students to be silent, yet we know that without stillness we never develop ways of listening and without listening we often make a mess of relationships. Stillness is also at the heart of the inner journey – one name for the way in which we grow in knowledge of self and God.

It was a great joy to be with our Year 12 students recently as we spent a RE Seminar Day using some psychological tools to nurture the inner journey. Most students have found the work we are doing on Jungian typology to be helpful. In the reflections written about the day many students made it clear that they felt that they had learnt some very important things about themselves and that they could see how this connected to their spiritual development.

If you would like to spend more time pursuing the Inner Journey then you may find writers such as Carl Jung, Henri Nouwen, Thomas Merton and Joan Chittister helpful.

Ian HamiltonDirector of Mission

Mercedes College Newsletter Page 3

From the Junior School

Junior School Student LeadershipIt gives me great pleasure to announce the Junior School Student Leadership Team, consisting of the Student Representative Council (SRC), the Learning Assistance Programme (LAP) Leaders and the Music Captains. The elected students are excited and very enthusiastic about working with staff and students, and are already taking on their responsibilities with dedication for the betterment of the Junior School.

Semester One SRC LeadersRJW Katarina SamarasRTP Ella Walters1VJD Zara Tichy and Jake Tipper1LB Xavier Damiani and Sofia McGough2MW Casey Willoughby and Noah Hubner-Booth2EM Josephine Harris and Johnny George3MO Madeline Jordan and Archer Plate3HI Veronica Pena Negrette and Zac Steele4NBO Harrison Ielasi and Sofia Hunter 4TB Connor Fraser-Jones and Kali Mezic5SB Brianna Watson and Isaac Penglis5LM Tia Callisto and Daniel Siwek

LAP Leaders5LM Mark Mulders and Gus Haysman5SB Ruby Trumble and Joanna Barry Murphy

Music Captains5 SB Kate Henderson and Matthew Garrand5 LM Sophie Jordan and Connor Patterson

Professional DevelopmentContemporary research makes clear that quality Professional Development is one of the critical factors in improving student outcomes. It has also been found that the following characteristics are most effective:• ‘coaching’ and co-teaching in the classroom, with a focus on classroom practices• basing the professional learning in the classroom, usually a mix of in-class work with the opportunity for discussion, planning and reflection afterwards• providing opportunities for teachers to learn from each other • supporting and developing teacher leaders.

In my experience in education over some 20 plus years, I strongly concur with the above and believe each is significant in ensuring a professional and stimulating learning community. As a result, there will be occasions where your child’s teacher may be released from the classroom or absent for Professional Development activities. As we are committed to our learning programmes, relief teachers well known to the Mercedes College IB programme and routines and practices are substituted. Class Teachers leave their programmes in order that the students’ learning continues uninterrupted.

The Professional Development focus for the 2010 year is as follows:• Literacy – continued work with Lisa Burman, along with courses for individual teachers provided by Catholic Education SA. One teacher is part of a 2 year literacy project with Catholic Education SA• Numeracy – 2 teachers have commenced a 3 year project with Catholic Education SA. A whole Junior School focus is planned for the start of Term 3, again with the support of Catholic Education SA• PYP professional activities – these are critical for our teaching and learning programmes and as such a number of teachers

will be involved across a range of subject areas. Many of these involve holiday workshops, and thus will not impact on the school week.

Other information sessions are selected to deepen knowledge, skills and strategies in a broad range of educational areas.

I feel blessed to work with and learn alongside staff who are eager to refine and trial new ideas and practices while keeping abreast of new educational developments. The prime motivator of this is of course the children, as staff are intent making a positive difference to the learning and lives of their students.

Years 4-7 Sports Day CarnivalWhilst a windy day this year, it was wonderful to see students participate with enthusiasm and team spirit. It is a joy to continue to observe and hear students encouraging and cheering for each other at events such as these, even when they are not in the same team.

I would like to thank all teachers involved on the day for the encouragement and energy they so regularly bring. A special thank you to the PE Staff and, in particular, Mr Jeff Wray for the excellent organisation of the day.

Junior School Dates to Remember8 March Adelaide Cup Holiday16 March R-5 Performance at school19 March R-3 Swimming Carnival Yr 3/4/5 Class Party 7:00pm26 March Caritas Day R/1/2 Class Party 7:00pm1 April End of Term 12 April Good Friday20 April Term 2 commences27 April R-11 Learning Reviews

Julie HannAssistant Principal, Head of Junior School

Junior School Assembly AwardsThe following students received Learner Profile, PYP Attitude and Action Awards at a Junior School Assembly. Congratulations and well done to the following students:

(Caring) Kelsey Dekens, Helena Manavis, Archer Plate, Ethan Lehmann, Georgina Edwards and Matthew Daniell

(Communicator) Ethan James, Lars Polasek, Sienna James and Sean Green

(Principled) Finn Wallbridge and Elijah Hubner-Booth

(Respect) Darcy Herriot and Connor Patterson

(Risk Taker) Ante Androvic, Louella Wallbridge, Amelia Dantu, Andrew Attana, Eliza Talbot, Anna Francis, Will Anderson, Lily Dacombe-Bird, Josh Antony, Zoe Searle and Raine Hardman

(Confidence) James Gomersall and Matthew Gomersall

(Commitment) Grace Pihir, Mikayla Pierson, Cassius Kawecki, Isabella Raphael and Tate Steele

(Enthusiasm) Mark Mulders, Jade Muller-Freely, Jack Owen, Genina Juanta and Michela Quarisa

(Co-operation) Nathaniel Kennedy(Thinker) Anthony Colangelo

Mercedes College NewsletterPage 4

(Knowledgeable) Holly Jordan and Josi Rositano

(Inquirer) Aidan Lloyd

(Action) Abbey Burns

Shane MurphyJunior School and PYP Coordinator

From the Middle School

Student Representative Council On Wednesday 23 February the Middle School SRC Representatives and Middle School Leaders were involved in an Induction Night. The evening was coordinated by Mr Bill Deegan and Ms Roxanne Lomax and students had the opportunity to be involved in a variety of activities. This included getting to know each other, discussions about leadership and a shared meal.

I had the pleasure of speaking to the group about ‘Authentic Leadership’ and Mr Tony O’Doherty (Head of Senior School) spoke of ‘Servant Leadership’. The evening was an important occasion as the Middle School Leaders and SRC Representatives begin their work together to ensure that the student voice is heard within the College, as well as organising student activities and fundraisers at the various year levels. The SRC Representatives have recently been presented at a Middle School Assembly. We wish them well in their roles and congratulate them for their willingness to embrace the challenges of leadership.

Year 6 SRC Sophie Smith 6CO Sofia Jenkin 6MRBen Gardener 6TS Year 7 SRC Georgia Penglis 7JD Emma Haddy 7CJPatrick Stewart 7PO Year 8 SRC Sam Wilson 8JK Ellen Watson 8SSPatrick Ryan 8SR Oliver Marshall 8HAEmma Henderson 8TR Year 9 SRC Matthew Shaw 9CG Nick Shanahan 9JPGrace Cooper 9AK Jake Hordacre 9JPChristopher Mons 9JP Brittany Miller 9JMTessie Sideris 9RL Matthew Cruickshank 9RLKrystal Buckle 9RL Lincoln Bennett 9RL Class PartiesThank you to Tony and Barbara Ward for hosting the Year 9/10 Class Party on Friday 26 February. This was the last of the Class Parties for the Middle School Year Levels and I hope that everyone who took the opportunity to attend these ‘get togethers’ enjoyed the wonderful hospitality and the chance to catch up with old friends and welcome new parents to our Mercedes community.

Year 6 RetreatThe Year 6 Retreat was held at Nunyara Conference Centre in Belair on Monday 22 February. Retreats are a great opportunity for students to reflect upon the relationships within their lives and to enjoy each others company in a relaxed and peaceful environment. Thank you to the Year 6 Home Group and Religious Education teachers for helping the students through the retreat programme. Below are some reflections from the students from Year 6 which I think help summarise the importance and

significance of our retreat programme:

On retreat I loved making our personal mask. It was a clever idea that was fun and expressed our creativity but it still had a moral.Chloe McGrath (6TS) I liked the skipping challenge because it brought the classes together as a team and you had to use strategies. I also liked learning about manners and sticking up for others. Jacob Rigoni (6TS) Making a newspaper dress was my favourite activity because you had to think fast and it was fun working with others. Alex Diamond (6TS)

I enjoyed being partnered with new people and playing in a great environment. The games were fun and I learnt a lot about myself. Daniella Chiarolli (6MR)

It was a fun, eventful day to mix and mingle with students from other classes, considering I’m new at Mercedes. I formed lots of friendships with other girls and boys.Jasmine Volis (6MR)

8-12 Sports DayCongratulations to the staff and students involved in the Year 8-12 Sports Day held on Friday 26 February. It was a good day of friendly rivalry, and team and individual endeavour. Special thanks go to the Physical Education staff for their role in preparing and running this massive event, and to the large number of parents who assisted in a variety of different roles. It was a pleasure to see the staff and students working so closely together to ensure the smooth running of the day.

ImmunisationsThe first set of immunisations for 2010 take place on Tuesday 9 March. Year 9 students will receive the Boostrix Vaccination for Diphtheria, Tetanus and Pertussis, whilst the Year 8 girls will receive the HPV – Dose 1 and the Year 8 boys and girls will receive the Hepatitis B – Dose 1. Immunisations will take place before recess and students should ensure that they have a good breakfast before coming to school. Year 8s and 9s can wear their PE uniform on this day.

Paul WadsworthAssistant Principal, Head of Middle School

Students required for Chess Teams

Students will participate in Chess Training once a week at school during lunch time, and they will compete in

interschool matches on Friday nights at the Chess Centre from 7.00 – 9.00pm during Terms 2 and 3.

For more information contact Thu Hoang for Senior Chess Year 8 to 12

thoang@mercedes.ald.catholic.edu.au, or Mark McNamara for Junior Chess

mmcnamara@mercedes.ald.catholic.edu.au

New Products available in the Tuck Shop

Fruit Platters $3.50Slices of the freshest seasonal fruit

Yogurt and Mixed Berry Pots $2.90 Pots of low fat yogurt topped with mixed berries

Mercedes College Newsletter Page 5

From the Senior School

Leadership at any College is demanding and challenging on one hand and an absolute privilege on the other. For students to put themselves forward for such positions is both courageous and displays wonderful responsibility.

The students who have been elected to lead the College in 2010 have taken on the stewardship of the individuals and community that make up Mercedes College Senior School. They are capable, knowledgeable and confident. Their personal skills, relational capabilities and organisational attributes will assist them in dealing with the many and varied issues they will face.

The 2010 Student Leadership Team:School Leaders Georgina Manos Dasha ShigapovaMarcus Doherty Joshua Lee

Sports Leaders Hannah Snelling Nicholas Maher

Arts LeadersJessica Gore Eliza HarveyAnastasia Rizos

International Student LeadersInternational Student Leaders Thomas Ma Anna Koh

International Student Leader(Sports) Heidi Choi

International Peer Support Alvin Jin

Publicity OfficerDorothy Chiang

World Culture Club Ken Wu

International Liaison Officers Yin Ai Yang Wang Qi Fang

Year 11 International LeadersHanna Lee Richard Wu (Sports focus)

Lap Coordinators Tim Cormack Peter Kenmore Charlotte Twizell

St. Vincent De PaulBrigid Symes (President) James Hallahan (President)Naomi Francis (Vice-President) Eleanor Wardleworth (Vice-President)

Middle School Leaders Kelly Bergamin Sarah CrockerHarry Baulderstone Edward Gore

SRC Executives Kelly Artis Georgia BettsAnnastasia Callisto John ForsythNikki Fountoglou Ell GranthamHarrison Hughes Peter Kenmore Sarita Kidson Annabel LampardMelissa Lorenzetti Elizabeth McCannAdeo McCormack Paige MacDonaldDahna Risborg Elisabeth Romeo

Alexis Souvertjis Brigid SymesAlexandra Turner Charlotte TwizellDeanna Varkanis Georgina WatsonToni-Rose Withall

House CaptainsBarry: Ruby McHaffie Henry JonesDalton: Rosie Hill Jake ClanceyFitzpatrick: Frances Ryan Malik MbanzaMcAuley: Bridget Lindsay James Merrigan

Year 10 SRC Jack Booker Alice Martin Chiara Brown Alice O’Connell Edward Chan Damien Quick Alice Deegan Joyce Rabbah Laura Franks Ashlinn Sambrook Damiano Fritz Zara Smith Kevin Hsiao Bianca Souvertjis Georgina Juniper Oscar Wardleworth Jess Lee LucyWay

International Student RepresentitivesLee So Min Jonathon Ong

Year 11 SRCSophie Arnold Bernadette Klavins Hamish Collins Jenna MacDonald Antony Curnow Rebecca McCarthy Nicholas Davis Gabriella McEvoy Jessica Doe Courtney Miller Sarah Donovan Erin Murray Nicholas Dowling Jack Patterson Naomi Francis Renee Tamblyn Amber Gillespie Eleanor Wardleworth Laura Hoile Joshua Weber Jordana King

I look forward to working with them in the year ahead and offer them my congratulations. As usual, if I can assist you in any way, feel free to contact me.

God Bless.

Tony O’DohertyAssistant Principal, Head of Senior School

Mercedes College NewsletterPage 6

The Rochebelle-Mercedes Exchange

The Quebec Exchange is in full swing as I write but will end as you receive this newsletter for the Quebeckers leave on Friday 5 March. 38 Quebec students have been welcomed into homes by our students who will make the return trip at the end of this year, first to Paris and then to Quebec to stay with their ‘twin’.

The hosting families are enjoying their visitors, even though it does mean some early morning arrivals at school for their activities such as the departure for Kangaroo Island at 6:30 am.

Families also have to support the sun message in warning the Quebec students, who all want to go home with a suntan, of the intensity of the Australian sun.

As this is the fifth cycle of this exchange, it seems to have fitted easily into the College calendar and routine.

On their first day at Mercedes, the Quebeckers were welcomed at a Senior School Assembly organised by Mr Tony O’Doherty, Head of Senior School, with a welcome from the Principal, Mr Peter Daw and a visual back drop, composed of winter photos of Quebec and photos of the last exchange organised by Ms Elaine Grottick. Mario Lamontagne, one of the two teachers who initiated this exchange, responded warmly, followed by one of his students, Maxime Tremblay, who spoke of their excitement to be here.

On the second school day, many teachers welcomed a group of Quebec students into their classes. The Quebeckers had a taste of ‘footy’ during their lunchtime, well organised by Mr Bill Gaynor, Mr Simon Munn, supported by Mr Paul Jarvis, Mr Jeff Wray and the fist XVIII players. On other days, the Quebeckers enjoyed discovering Adelaide, its environs and water sports. We now look forward to our stay in the winter snow of Quebec.

Lesley DaviesLanguages Area of Study Coordinator R-12

Family Matters

Year 12 SACE Special Provisions The SACE Board of SA policy and procedures in relation to special provisions in external assessment (e.g. final examinations and assessment work sent to the SACE Board for moderation) requires that student applications are lodged by the end of Term 1. Further information about this policy can be located on the SACE Board website: www.saceboard.sa.edu.au.

Special provisions can be put in place when illness, impairment, learning difficulty or unforeseen incident has made it difficult for students to meet assessment requirements and may take the form of additional reading and writing time and supervised rest breaks without the loss of time for students with health or learning needs or the use of a word processor or scribe for students with identified learning difficulties.

While the SACE Board will consider diagnostic assessment reports from Psychologists, a greater emphasis is being placed on evidence gathered by schools, on the impact of the health or learning issue on the student’s ability to keep pace with assessment requirements.

All Year 12 students have been advised of the application procedures and information was provided to parents at the Senior School Parent Information Evening held earlier this term. Work commenced in Term 4 of last year to enable students undertaking Year 12 studies this year, to participate in the assessment process required as part of the application procedure, which includes the completion of a written application form, subject teacher comments and recommendations, standardised spelling, reading comprehension and vocabulary tests, as well as a thirty minute handwritten and a thirty minute word processed essay on topics set by the SACE Board. In addition, subject Teachers are asked to provide samples of student’s summative written work which has been completed under timed test conditions.

All eligible students have been advised of these requirements and invited to pursue the application process, with assistance from Mr John Brazzatti SACE Coordinator, Mrs Josi Labozzetta Inclusive Education Coordinator and from me.

While we can facilitate the application process and ensure all relevant information is provided, decisions regarding eligibility for special provisions remains within the jurisdiction of the SACE Board’s Special Provisions Advisory Panel. An appeal process exists should initial applications not be approved.

Parents of Year 12 students, who may have queries about the application procedure or about their son’s or daughter’s eligibility, are encouraged to contact Mr John Brazzatti at the College on 8372 3200.

Anne WayCollege Psychologist (R-12)

Cello for Sale

Franz Josef 1/2 Celloin hard case $550

Contact Susan: 0416 117 673

2nd Hand Uniform Shop Sale

Due to a healthy supply of boys summer and winter shirts and the pending discontinuation of this style we are now

selling all boys shirts at $10New Cricket pants Size L & XL only $20.

Open Tues 8:30-10:30am

Heather Sambrook

Mercedes College Newsletter Page 7

Careers Corner

It has been a great start to the year with the students in Year 10, 11 and 12 settling in well with their chosen subjects. A number of the Year 11 students have made adjustments to their choices and the Year 12s have now clarified options and are setting goals.

In Year 10 The students have begun their Personal Learning Plan Programme and have been involved in analysing their learning styles. We have moved on to the ‘Career Voyage’ which is a vocational interest questionnaire and on 12 March all students will be involved in the PKF School Services Assessment. A letter has been given to all students to explain what is involved in this assessment and a separate letter for parents has been posted home, so hopefully you have received it! If not, please let me know. I encourage all parents to make an appointment for a follow up interview with PKF School Services during the holidays, the available times are attached to the letter.

I encourage you also, to have a look through the Personal Learning Plan folder every now and then to see some of the activities we are doing and the resources we are using, you may find it interesting. A very early reminder what the Programme involves in Term 4, in the final 2 weeks of the year, with a week of Work Experience. The dates are: Thursday 25/Friday 26 November Monday 29 November to Wednesday December 1 inclusive.

Given that we have a split week, many students organise 2 different placements which is a great idea!

In Year 11I am encouraging the SACE students to organise their Work Experience placement now. The dates for the placement are: Monday 21 June to Friday 25 June inclusive (Week 10 of Term 2). I have a list of possible workplaces which students are welcome to and I always emphasise that the best placements often come through the Mercedes network of friends and parents and encourage students to ‘tap into’ that.

In Year 12I will be encouraging the students to make an appointment with me to discuss some of the ideas they have for tertiary courses and I will work throughout the year with the assistance of the Year 12 Tutors, to help them to clarify their options and make the connections between courses so that they have viable and interesting alternatives if they need them.

Inaugural Tertiary & Careers Expo The eastern States have always held an event like this one on an annual basis and now it comes to Adelaide on Sunday May 30 and Monday May 31 at the Entertainment Centre and it is Free! It may not be possible to take all of the Year 10, 11 & 12s to this event on a school day but the good news is that we can all go on the Sunday!! I will continue to advertise and give details about this event in every newsletter so please stay tuned.

If you have any questions about subject choices, the PLP, tertiary options, career events or Vocational Education and Training (VET), please do not hesitate to contact me either via email or telephone.

Bill DeeganCareers and Subject Advisor

Email: bdeegan@mercedes.adl.catholic.edu.auDirect line: 8372 3236

School Fee Accounts

Thank you to all those families who have forwarded payment of their Term 1 2010 fee account, or have contacted the College and set in place a periodic payment arrangement to meet the 2010 school fee commitment.

Term 1 fees were due for payment in full on 26 February 2010. It is important for cash flow purpose that if you are unable to forward payment in full by the due date that immediate contact is made with the finance office.

A late fee of $50, to cover the resources required for follow up of accounts, may be applied to tuition accounts that are not paid within 14 days of the due date and for which a mutually agreed repayment arrangement has not been implemented.

Government Assistance –2010 School Card SchemeMercedes College supports the School Card Scheme administered by the State Government. The scheme provides financial assistance towards the cost of educational expenses for full time students of low income families.

It is of benefit to the family and the school that all eligible students become approved School Card students and that families complete the procedures within the specified timelines to ensure approval is granted. Eligibility for School Card provides for an automatic 40% reduction in tuition fees and Building Fund Levy.

Please telephone me or visit www.decs.sa.gov.au/goldbook/ for income limits and further information regarding School Card Assistance.

If you are experiencing financial hardship or require assistance with any other matter please do not hesitate to contact the finance staff.

Heather Burns, Administration8372 3221, hburns@mercedes.adl.catholic.edu.au

Craig Tilbrook, Accountant 8372 3277, ctilbrook@mercedes.adl.catholic.edu.au

Steve Bowley, Business Manager 8372 3200, sbowley@mercedes.adl.catholic.edu.au

Heather BurnsFinance Office

“The Dawning of a New Decade” – Cocktail Party 21 January 2010

Each year the Principal, Mr. Peter Daw hosts an event for the Homestay Parents of our International Students to personally thank them for their continuing kindness and care toward our students.

Twinkling fairy lights and glowing candles with good wine and delicious food set the scene for a relaxed and enjoyable evening. All those who attended had a lovely time!

The College truly values our Homestay families and looks forward to working with them throughout the year.

Robyn HallidayCoordinator of Student Welfare and Accommodation

International Student Programme

Mercedes College NewsletterPage 8

News From the MP&FA

Class PartiesMany of us have already enjoyed the generous hospitality of our Class Party hosts. So far, each party has been well attended, great fun and the perfect opportunity to meet fellow parents and teaching staff and all have been blessed with a perfect summer evening.

Many thanks to Mrs Voula and Mr Grant Forsyth for hosting the Year 11/12 party and Mrs Barbara and Mr Tony Ward for hosting the Year 9/10 party. Let’s hope the balmy evenings continue for Tara and Paul Henry who will kindly host the Year 3/4/5 party on Friday 19 March at 30 Mitchell Street, Millswood. The final Class Party for the year will be held at Rebecca and Tim Haysman’s home on Friday 26 March at 1 Flinders Avenue, Colonel Light Gardens, for parents of R/1/2 students.

Parties start at 8:00pm and we ask if you could bring drinks and a SMALL plate of something to share. Again, I would like to thank all party hosts and parents for supporting this Mercedes tradition and co-ordinators Mrs Bernadette Davey and Mrs Leah Gordon.

Class RepsMrs Liz Watson has been very busy allocating Class Reps to each year level. Liz has contacted each volunteer and an information package will be sent to all Representatives. A full list of Class Reps and their year level will be published in the next Mercy Vine. Many thanks to Liz and all the volunteer Reps for keeping this incentive active.

Community DayOn Monday, 1 March I attended the Mercedes Old Scholars Association (MOSA) AGM. It was great to meet so many enthusiastic old scholars who plan to re-ignite the spirit of MOSA and we look forward to supporting them during the year. The Mercedes College Community Day on Sunday 2 May will be a celebration of our current community and the newly re-established MOSA Community. The MP&FA has offered to assist with catering on that day.

Call For HelpIf you would like to help with set up for The Community Day or catering on the day please contact me or Mrs Estee Fiebiger-Briggs on 83723266 (Development Office).

We are looking for:• Volunteers to help set up, shift outdoor furniture etc on Saturday 1 May during the afternoon• Volunteers to cook &/or serve the BBQ, Afternoon Tea or serve at the Bar.Any time you can give would be most appreciated.

Diary DatesTwo dates for your diaries; the Mingle in May will be held on Friday 14 May (venue TBA) and Men’s Dinner on Friday 6 August.

The MP&FA major fundraiser and many other events and dates will be announced shortly. Please give me a call if you are available to help with the Community Day on 1 or 2 May.

Jenny Dunstan, Chairperson, MP&FA Email: jen.dunstan@internode.on.net

Phone: 8278 79 69 / 0414 860 400

Mercedes College Old Scholars Association (MOSA)

The Mercedes College Old Scholars Association held their Annual General Meeting on Monday 1 March and elected the following office bearers:

President: The Hon Caroline Schaefer MLCVice Presidents: Joseph Scales Lucy DohertyTreasurer: Daniel MoloneyCommittee Members: Tony Ward Hannah Doyle Matthew Basso Patty Burns

We are very excited about the re-establishment of MOSA and plan a busy year of activities for all our old scholars. The first exciting initiative will be MOSA Week from 2 – 7 May where we hope to bring together all members of the Mercedes College Community, past and present.

A Community Day will be held on Sunday 2 May which will feature a sporting showcase of competition between old scholars and current students in Soccer, Football, Cricket, Basketball, Volleyball and Tennis, musical entertainment, info stalls, children’s entertainment, food and drinks. In the week following we will hold a Foundation Scholars Mass and Morning Tea, School Tours, Mentoring Days, a Play Date, a MOSA Assembly and a Cocktail Party on the final night – Friday 7 May.

More information and an invitation to all of our Mercedes College Community will follow at a later date.

Anne MorseMOSA Executive Officer

Entertainment Books

The 2010/2011 Entertainment™ Book is about to be released and features many of the best restaurants, cafes, hotel accommodation, attractions and activities with over

$10,000 of savings in valuable 25% to 50% off and 2 for 1 offers.

Books can be purchased directly from The College Shop.At $65 with part proceeds donated back to the school it’s

great value.

Look for an order form with the next Newsletter. Books will also be available from The College Shop from 19 April.

Mercedes College Newsletter Page 9

News From the Sports Desk

We welcome the re-establishment last week of the Mercedes Old Scholars Association headed by a very strong committee, after some excellent work by Mrs Anne Morse. This augers well not only for the re-invigoration of current sporting groups such as the Netball, Cricket and Soccer, but also the establishment of many others that are in their formative stages such as Tennis, Football, women’s Soccer and Volleyball to name a few. I am sure there are many other groups such as those associated with LAP and mentoring programme that will find great satisfaction in the support that this organisation can offer. It will provide an improved link for students leaving the College with their friends and associates and improve the collegiality that is already very strong amongst old scholars across many disciplines. We look forward to the many opportunities planned, including Old Scholars week and the sporting games between Old Scholars and current students on Sunday 2 May at Mercedes. These include Cricket, Football, Soccer, Basketball, Netball, Volleyball and Tennis.

The programmes for major swimming and athletic meetings have been received and therefore representatives will be selected for the SASSSA Swimming, Catholic Co-ed and Catholic Girls Swimming Carnivals as well as the Catholic Co-ed Athletics and SASSSA Teams. Students selected are generally the best two performers in their age group- a very significant achievement.

Swimmers were recently selected in Boys “B” Grade SASSSA Carnival and prior to competing were presented with their green caps by Mr Peter Daw. The team that competed at the Adelaide Aquatics Centre last Tuesday against Westminster, St Ignatius College, Brighton High, Henley High and Trinity College were: Ciaran Sambrook, Jack Heath, Timothy Quirk, Angus McFarlane, Thomas Rogers, Matthew Shaw, Harrison Hughes (Team Co-Captain), Dylan Scott, Nicholas Samson, Craig Theron, Claudio Fabian, Benjamin Tripodi (Team Co-Captain), George Trumble, Lachlan Marshall, Mark Chu and Nicholas Marshall.

Last Friday, all Year 8-12 students attended Santos Stadium for the annual Inter House Athletics Carnival (Sports Day). For the second year running it was affected by the heat nudging 36 degrees, causing the programme to be shortened. Consequently all Relays, the 1000m Steeple and the U/14 and U15 Long Jump were postponed until Wednesday 3 March. The Steeple will need to be re-convened after school at Santos Stadium at a date to be advised as it needs specialised facilities such as a water jump and steeples. A date during school hours is not available as the facility is fully booked. Additionally, we were not able to book a date for 2011s Carnival as State Government authorities are not able to confirm the finishing date of the work being done to re-lay the athletic surface. This may force the major inter-school Athletic Carnivals to move to Term 2, thus allowing schools prior access to Santos to conduct their respective Sports Days.

One major development in 2010 has been the inclusion of both St Michaels and Nazareth Colleges into the Catholic Co-ed Athletics. Both schools have developed Years 8-12 Co-Educational status and will bring much to the competition with large enrolment numbers and considerable athletic strength. St Michaels has year 8-12 enrolment of approximately 1,150 students compared with ours of 700 students.

Mercedes has been promoted to A1 SASSSA Athletics for both boys and girls on Wednesday 31 March at Santos Stadium. Boys will compete against Henley High, Kings Baptist, Loxton, Bordertown, Far West and Trinity College, whilst our girls will compete against Henley, Kings Baptist, Loxton, Mt Gambier, Immanuel, Walford

and Trinity College. This is a very tough competition and will be a massive challenge to all athletes. It is indeed very prestigious to be selected in this College team, along with any swimming team. They all carry significant point scores towards colours.

We recently nominated a Knockout Baseball team in the Open Competition providing the 6-7 Club players in years 8-10 an opportunity last seen at Mercedes in the early 1980’s when a parent, Trevor Hughes coached a side in a local competition. The current team of 10, with four non club players are being coached by Paul Mildren, a past Australian team representative in 2005, 2006 and 2009. Paul played for the Kansas City Royals and the Florida Marlins to name just a few Baseball teams in USA and is now completing a degree in Exercise Science at UNISA. The team plays Unley High and Pulteney Grammar at West Torrens Baseball Club on Wednesday 10 March and is training at the Sturt Baseball Club.

Coaches working with athletes at Mercedes include Mr Trevor Wiseman (HJ), Mr John Hamman (Pole Vault, TJ and LJ), Mr Peter Thornton (discus, javelin and shot put), Ms Ellen Bailey and Sarah Thomas (sprints) and Mr Gary Zeuner (Middle distance). Sarah is in the Tea Tree Gully Athletics Club. She is coached by Steve Butler who is also coaching both Gabriel Cole (Yr 12) and Jesse Cordoma (Yr 10). Sarah was a finalist in the National U/20s last year and a semi finalist at the Bay Sheffield. This collection of coaches is quite outstanding and I have no doubt that the very best in athletic performance is possible under the watchful eyes of this group of mentors.

Gabriel Cole flew to Sydney last Saturday to compete in another Grand Prix Athletics meeting in his bid to record a “B” qualifying time of 11.6 secs or better to gain selection in the Commonwealth Games team to travel to India (New Delhi) later this year. Gabriel recorded a hand timed “flying” 11.3 secs at Santos last Friday and has recently recorded good times at training. His time in Sydney was in fact a “B” qualifier of 11.50 which is 0.1sec outside the “A” qualifying time. He has another interstate Grand Prix opportunities in Melbourne this Thursday and is working very hard to make the Para-Commonwealth Games team.

Trevor Wiseman will leave for Europe in April, A Manager of the Australian Cross Country team, of which Year 11 student, Eleanor Wardleworth is a member. Eleanor ran very well at the National Cross Country Championships at Nowra, NSW in 2009 and as a consequence earned National team selection. Eleanor recently broke the U/17 and U/20 State Steeple chase records.

Recently a surf boat crew featuring current and past students, Joshua Lee (2010 School Leader), Sam Grant (2009), Matt Van Der Wiingaart (2009) and James Merrigan (2010 McAuley House Captain) travelled to Sydney to compete at Manly and Freshwater Beach Carnivals representing Grange SLSC. In 5-6’ surf the crew qualified through the heats for the final at Freshwater and were placed 5th. They are preparing for the State Championships on 5/6 March at South Port Beach and for the Nationals in Queensland in mid March. Ruby and Isobel Hume (Somerton SLSC) will to also travel to Queensland representing their club and we wish them all well in their endeavours to win Australian Championship honours. Other secondary students who are members of surf clubs include Justin Healy, Sarah Donovan and Henry Jones (Grange), Cameron Clarke (Henley), Charlotte Twizell (Somerton) and Dylan Scott (Glenelg).

The Open Volleyball teams are faring well with recent wins against Adelaide, Scotch, Concordia and Westminster. We are fielding two teams, one comprising predominantly Year 12

Mercedes College NewsletterPage 10

players and the other all Year 10s. An additional team has been entered in the Unley Sport for All club competition on Friday nights and there are many primary teams starting up on Friday afternoons, providing opportunity for some growth in the sport over the next few years. Lewis Einarson is exerting a strong influence in Open matches and his State team experience has been a great motivator for his playing colleagues. Old Scholar, Tom Putland, himself a very good player, is doing some great work in promoting the game throughout the College. Condolences go to Oscar Wardleworth who has suffered a setback with injury prior to State team selection.

Bill GaynorPE Coordinator/Head of PE Dept/Boys Sport 8-12

8-12 Girls Sport ReportTerm 1 sport is well under way with most teams having already played two rounds. After an unsettling start due to frequent changes to the game draws our teams have now settled into their respective competitions and it is pleasing to see so many girls attending training and working on improving their skills. In addition to our normal competition we have also participated in the Open Softball Knockout Competition. This was played on Tuesday 23 February at Waite as a round robin series against Tatachilla Lutheran College, Unley High and St Peters Girls School. We began with a close game against a strong Unley team winning 10-7 due to the excellent batting performance of the girls.

In our second game we came up against Tatachilla whose team had not played together before. It was a very friendly game and it was good to see the Mercedes girls encouraging and supporting Tatachilla throughout the match. Mercedes came out winners 19-4. Our final match was against St Peters whose pitcher is an U19 State Representative. After initially taking a 2-0 lead St Peters then batted well to take the scores to 5-2. Mercedes then replied with another good batting innings and levelled the score. Despite time running out we still had to continue playing as a result needed to be recorded for this match. St Peters scored another run at the top of the innings to lead 6-5. Mercedes were then up to bat for the final time. We had two out and one person on base when Liz Ward (9RL) came in to bat for us. With two strikes on her she then hit a home run to lead Mercedes to a 7-6 victory. As a result our girls are now in the final which will be played at Softball Headquarters, Barrett Reserve West Beach on Monday 15 March.

On a final note I would just like to remind all parents and players that once a student is placed in a team, they need to see out their commitments for the whole season. It has come to my attention that players are leaving their teams in the lurch without any notification and this has been disappointing, as they are letting down their team and opposition on game day. I would just like to reiterate that non-attendance at trainings and games will result in a notification, with three notifications being a detention as per our College Sports Policy.

Please note that there will be no games on Saturday 6 March due to the long weekend. Below are the results to date for the weekend and mid week competitions:

Jackie Kerr8-12 Girls Sport Coordinator

BASKETBALL WEEK 1Senior A SHC 1 (54) def Mercedes 1 (44)

Senior B Mercedes 2 (37) def Mercedes 1 (18)

Junior B St Dominics 1 (36) def Mercedes 1 (8)

Mercedes 2 (34) def NMHS 1 (14)

VOLLEYBALLSenior A/B St Ignatius 1 (3) def Mercedes 1 (0)

Mercedes 2 def Nazareth 1 - FORFEIT

Senior B Mercedes 3 (3) def Loreto 2 (0)

Mercedes 4 def St Ignatius 3 - FORFEIT

Junior A/B OLSH 1 (3) def Mercedes 1 (0)

Loreto 1 (3) def Mercedes 2 (0)

Junior B Loreto 2 (3) def Mercedes 3 (0)

OLSH 2 (3) def Mercedes 4 (0)

SOFTBALLSenior A Mercedes (8) drew Pulteney 1 (8)

Junior A/B Mercedes 1 (16) def St Ignatius (8)

Mercedes 2 (14) def Pulteney 3 (11)

BEACH VOLLEYBALL

Tuesday SAC1 (3) def Mercedes 1 (0)

Kildare 2 def Mercedes 2

Mercedes 3 def Mercedes 4

Mary MacKillop def Mercedes 5

Wednesday Mercedes 6 (3) def Mercedes 8 (0)

Mercedes 7 def Nazareth 1 - FORFEIT

WATER POLOSenior Mercedes (7) def Loreto 1 (2)

Junior Scratch match against SAC1

BASKETBALL WEEK 2Senior A Mercedes 1 (45) def St Ignatius 1 (44)

Senior B St Michaels 1 (36) def Mercedes 1 (26)

St Michaels 2 (36) def Mercedes 2 (26)

Junior B Mercedes 2 (22) def Mercedes 1 (20)

VOLLEYBALLSenior A/B OLSH 2 (3) def Mercedes 1 (0)

OLSH 1 (3) def Mercedes 2 (0)

Senior B Marryatville 1 (3) def Mercedes 3 (0)

Cabra 1 (3) def Mercedes 4 (0)

Junior A/B Mercedes 1 (3) def St Ignatius 2 (0)

Marryatville 1 (3) def Mercedes (0)

Junior B Cabra 1 (2) def Mercedes 3 (1)

Loreto 2 (3) def Mercedes 4 (0)

SOFTBALLSenior A Loreto 1 (10) def Mercedes (4)

Junior A/B Mercedes 1 (14) def Pulteney 4 (4)

Mercedes 2 (20) def Pulteney 2 (5)

Boys Open VolleyballWeek 1

Concordia def Mercedes 3/0 Mercedes 2 def AHS 2/1

Week 2

Mercedes 1 defeated Scotch 3/0

Mercedes 2 defeated Immanuel 2/0

Mercedes College Newsletter Page 11

1st XI Cricket Report

Match Report v St Peter’s College 2nd XI (13 February)Following a disappointing loss to Marryatville High School, the 1st XI returned to Waite Oval, keen to notch up a win against St Peter’s College 2nd XI. Batting first, the top order found it difficult against a very quick opening attack, and we soon found ourselves in trouble at 3/10. Some solid batting from Alexander Borghesan (28) and Bill Kouts (5) steadied the ship for a while in the middle of the innings, but in the end, St Peter’s were too strong, bowling us out for a meagre 77.

With bowling our strength, we still felt within grasp of an unlikely victory, particularly with the hard-working Luke Crocker and Henry Jones opening the attack. However, as delivery after delivery sailed past the outside edge, the St Peter’s openers got away to a reasonable start and then never looked back, their side cruising to the target for the loss of only two wickets. This match was a hard lesson for our batsmen, who are starting to realise the type of concentration required at 1st XI level.Mercedes College 1st XI: 77(A Borghesan 28, J Venn 14*, N Hundertmark 9)St Peter’s College 2nd XI: 2/78(L Crocker 1/23, H Jones 1/29, J Venn 0/2)

Match Report v Cabra Dominican College 1st XI(17 February)After reaching the third round of the SSSSA Knockout (Pool B – Metro South) in 2009, the 1st XI took to the field in Round 1 of the 2010 competition with one eye on progressing even further this time around, and the other on defeating our opponents from Cabra.Bowling first, James Venn, Henry Jones and Patrick Kerrish tore through Cabra’s top order, leaving them struggling at 6/21 after just 14 overs. A steadying hand from their lower order batsmen took the score to a respectable 94, however, leaving us with a difficult run chase. Pleasingly, Mercedes batted sensibly and confidently, with opener Thomas Maegraith and captain Henry Jones leading the way. Jones’ return to form helped him score his 300th career run and become the leading runscorer in Mercedes College 1st XI history. The captain’s form boost could not have been timelier; with his big hitting helping the side reach the target for the loss of only five wickets. The side now moves confidently to Round 2 of this Knockout Competition.Cabra Dominican College 1st XI: 94(P Kerrish 2/10, J Venn 2/14, H Cooray 2/16)Mercedes College 1st XI: 5/95(H Jones 28, T Maegraith 20, A Borghesan 19)

Match Report v Blackfriars Priory School 1st XI (20 February)Full of confidence after achieving a victory only three days earlier, the 1st XI took to Waite Main Oval against Blackfriars. Having lost to the same side during the Twenty/20 competition in Term 4 2009, this was an important match and one that required full concentration from all players. To their credit, the Mercedes side bowled and fielded brilliantly to place Blackfriars under enormous pressure – Luke Crocker leading the way with

3/21 and Harin Cooray dangerous in the field with a run out and a catch. Consequently, after only 27 overs, Blackfriars were bowled out for 70.

Chasing small targets has never been the side’s strength, so when we set about reaching our target of 71 to win, we knew that it wasn’t going to be easy. Openers Thomas Maegraith and Nicholas Davis again looked good against some quality bowling, and despite losing their wickets, their hard work paved the way for Cooray and Captain Henry Jones to attack during the middle part of our innings, and they did just that, putting on 47 runs together in a quality partnership. Jones was destructive with the bat, hitting five boundaries and one six in his innings. With the Captain back in form and the side full of confidence, we eagerly await our next matches in both the SAAS (Saturday afternoon) and SSSSA (knockout) Competitions.Blackfriars Priory School 1st XI: 70(T White 3/10, L Crocker 3/21, P Kerrish 1/10)Mercedes College 1st XI: 2/74(H Jones 32*, T Maegraith 15, H Cooray 6*)

Jarrad McCabe1st XI Coach

Primary Sports Report

9A Cricket Report vs. St John’s GrammarFor the first game of our new season, we ventured to Belair National Park to face a strong St John’s Grammar. We lost the toss and bowled, and couldn’t break through, as their openers amassed a century plus partnership, and looked as though they would carry their bat, until Harry Prosser (1/17) broke through on the very last ball of the innings. Other bowlers who kept it tight were Timothy Quirk, 0/8 off 4, Nicholas Maegraith 0/10 off 4, and Harry Baulderstone, 0/12 off 4.

We then batted, confident of scoring 109 in 22 overs. However, when we lost both our openers for a duck, things were not looking good. A fantastic partnership between Jake Cavanagh (30) and Matthew Heptinstall (27) got us back into the game. In the end, we needed 8 off the last over, and could only amass 6, meaning we finished one run short. Nicholas Maegraith also batted well, finishing 20 not out. In the end, we just couldn’t get over the line in a sensational game of Cricket.

Nicholas Maegraith (Year 9)

Old Schholar Jordan Steffens (2007) - Strong Man Competition

After coming 3rd at the Oceania and Pacific Games in New Caledonia, Jordan Steffens retired from weightlifting. Jordan turned his focus towards Strongman Competition and on the 21st of February, he became the South Australia’s strongest man at the Mt. Barker Highland Games.

After 3 years of coming second, Jordan broke a 5 year drought and became the 2010 South Australias Strongest Man at 20 years of age. He won all 5 events and was obviously pleased with his performance.

BEACH VOLLEYBALL

Tuesday Marryatville (2) def Mercedes 1 (1)

Kildare 1 (2) def Mercedes 2 (1)

Mercedes 3 (2) def Marryatville 2 (1)

Mercedes 4 def SAC 2 - FORFEIT

Nazareth 2 (0) def Mercedes 5 (2)