Semester 2 Week 2 – Friday 1st May 2020

Mercy Messenger

Mon 4 May ................................... May Day Public Holiday

Contents Principal 1918 – Not just War’s end ............. 3

Assistant Principal Mission ............................................. 2

Assistant Principal Students ............................................ 3

Assistant Principal Curriculum ........................................ 4

Brekky Van Sponsors ...................................................... 5

Online learning with Mercy College teachers ................. 6

Library ............................................................................. 7

ANZAC Day - with a difference ....................................... 8

Interact Committee ........................................................ 9

Indigenous Liaison Officer .............................................. 9

Quiz ............................................................................... 10

Year 7 - Enrolment 2021 ............................................... 10

What is Cooking? .......................................................... 11

Community News .......................................................... 12

Abby Smith participating in ‘Light Up the Dawn’ for ANZAC DAY

…

The ultimate test of one’s conscience may be his or her willingness to sacrifice something today for future generations whose words of thanks will not be heard.

- GAYLORD NELSON

WORD ON THE STREET…

Kitsch – noun; something of tawdry design, appearance or content created to appeal to popular or a discriminating taste.

In certain social settings kitsch clothing is considered quite fashionable.

See our ‘Light up the dawn’ and ANZAC day

photos on page 6.

Principal 1918 – Not just War’s end

ach year the University of New South Wales and NewSouth publishing produce a hard copy book titled “The Best Australian Science Writing”. I’ve been buying it from QBD for several years now and the 2019 version was once again an eclectic mix of Ecology, Oceanography,

Astronomy, applied Physics and even some poetry. Of the thirty plus individual articles, I remember reading one written by Tegan Taylor titled “The 1918 influenza pandemic affected the whole world – could it happen again?” Her premise was that given knowledge of what happened a hundred years ago it could and will recur in the future. Prescient, yes but she was simply communicating what has been anticipated in scientific/medical circles for many years. That is the nasty, semi-living, nanometer sized objects called viruses with more coat changes than you’ve had hot dinners and is eventually going to come up with a lethally infectious version just as it did in the year 1918.

Three months later and as predicted, a lapse in vigilance and the highly connected world is witnessing a mercurial virus dispelling any complacency about who is in charge. Arguably, the virus of 1918 was more lethal but can and has taught us a lot about mitigation. Perversely it was the young with stronger immune systems that were disproportionately infected by 1919, while Australia, still experiencing a tragic toll, was much less affected than other countries. Then as now, there was essentially no community resistance to this new mutated virus with the nation experiencing several waves or peaks before ‘herd immunity’ was achieved.

In 1919 most people didn't know what a virus was or really understood the manner in which they spread. There was no international air travel or masses of foreign students/tourists. There were, however, millions of troop movements as exhausted combatants returned to their home countries. In 2020 the opportunities for spread are legion, but containment is pretty much the same as a century ago; separate people and isolate the infectious. We have antibiotics for secondary infections but vaccines and community resistance is still a fair way off. This brings us to what should schools do to be good community citizens, educate the young and set an example for discipline in the era of indulgent media.

The Chief Medical Officer has consistently maintained that it should be considered safe for children to return to school. While parents generally have been doing a champion job in supporting good work routines at home and online lessons are building continuity for most students, there are deficiencies and widespread inequity for Australian kids depending on their circumstances. An important consideration is of course the health of the teaching staff who will interact for many hours a day with large groups of young people, while potentially being more susceptible to COVID-19. Understandably, Teacher Unions are expressing concern for their members and advocate for a delay in restarting general classes.

Economists are predicting, as a result of the economic stimulus to counter the economic effects of the pandemic, Australian debt to GDP ratio will go from 15 percent rising to 40 percent. This represents many billions of dollars of debt that the current generation of young people will have to pay for. No responsible Government can allow National debt to grow to the point where no response to future crisis is possible. Economic considerations are important and community health is important. Schools may well need to absorb some risk while maintaining effective hygiene procedures.

‘Lifeline’ phone counselling service had its busiest day ever on Good Friday. There will come a point where other health indicators result in real community alarm. School systems will naturally follow State and system-wide directives but stand ready to reinstitute normal routines for students and parents Reference Acknowledgement – The Best Australian Science Writing 2019 Edited by Bianca Nogrady (A NewSouth Book)

Mr Jim Ford - Principal

E

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Assistant Principal Mission

Too much on your plate?

That caught your eye, didn’t it? It seems to me that nearly all of us, especially parents and carers

of families, seem to be racing through life with more on their plate than they can cope with. In

the pandemic situation we are currently experiencing the demands and expectations which seem

to come from all directions: family, work, society, and yes the various media outlets we are

constantly connected to. Then we have our own internal taskmasters who often make

contradictory demands. It wasn’t meant to be like this. When Jesus said he wanted us to have the fullness of

life, it wasn’t meant to be a blur that we can’t catch hold of.

This Sunday is known as Good Shepherd Sunday and the Gospel according to John (10:1-10) calls us to listen

to the voice of Jesus as the primary influence shaping our lives. Now that’s a little scary. Not because of what

he might challenge us to take up, but rather what we might have to put down. Many of the demands we put on

ourselves give us a false sense of security or importance that really isn’t life-giving. When I got married, there

was a high expectation for women to have a well-run, pristine clean and tidy house. Thank God, my Mum

hadn’t bought into this ideal! She chose to do other things – like be a good cook and she bred British Shorthair

cats. The point I want to make is that she chose something she really wanted to do and what gave her life.

Here is a challenge if you feel overwhelmed in your life, during this coming week take some time to ask Jesus,

the Good Shepherd what it is you should drop out of your life. Then don’t fill it with something else. Just take

the time to be. ‘Just to be is a blessing, just to live is holy.’ (Abraham Heschel)

Loving Jesus, people can expect so much of me. I can expect too much of myself. Help me to share with you all

the demands that are made on me. Let your Spirit show me what is truly good for me and those around me and

let me drop what I don’t need to do. Amen

Adapted from Sr Kym Harris osb

Mrs Jeanette Refalo - Assistant Principal Mission

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Assistant Principal Students

Homeroom Zoom Sessions

I hope all parents/guardians are coping as well as students are at the moment in this current learning

environment. An important reminder for students is to maintain routines. It is essential that they are setting a

daily schedule and following it as much as possible. Students need to continually check their Google

Classroom at the start of each lesson throughout the day for new postings of work and Zoom sessions. Please

also ensure your child is aware they are required to log into their Homeroom Zoom session every Monday and

Thursday morning commencing at 8:35am. They are to be dressed in their school uniform and be prepared to

engage with their Homeroom Teacher and peers. All parents of students who are unable to log into our

Homeroom Zoom sessions on Mondays and Thursdays will be contacted by our Office staff to enhance

connectivity and ensure we minimise any technical issues.

Some feedback from parents/guardians is that they have appreciated that they have been able to leave for

work in the morning and their child has organised themselves for the day. Others have also identified the

struggle they are having with their child not engaging in all Zoom sessions and classroom activities. All of our

teachers are busy preparing work and it is the responsibility of the student to complete the work. Please know

that some students who don’t excel at school are actually thriving in this situation of learning from home. If at

any stage you feel your child is struggling, please contact their Homeroom Teacher or House Coordinator for

some extra support.

Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any feedback on ways we can improve our Pastoral Care of

students during this time of learning from home.

Mr Christopher Sorbello - Assistant Principal Students

Students participating in Zoom Homeroom class from home and teachers connecting with their students from the classroom.

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Assistant Principal Curriculum

Now that we are two weeks into our ‘Learning from Home’ environment, it is time for some reflection and

feedback, both from us to you and from you to us. As has been stated many times in the media, these are

uncharted waters. Teachers do not train to facilitate learning in this fashion, and the learning curve for them has

been very steep indeed. In saying that, at Mercy we do strive for educational excellence and that is why we are

continually in a review and improvement process. Early next week teachers, students and parents/guardians will be asked to complete a short survey. We are very

interested to be aware of your experiences in an online learning environment, so that we can make

improvements for the duration of this ‘learning from home’ environment and that we are well positioned in the

unfortunate circumstance that we would have to do this again. The survey should be out to you on Monday and

your feedback is incredibly valuable to us. In the meantime, just a few points from me to help support your child/children who are learning at home:

Teachers are still the teacher, encourage your child to email or message on Google Classroom if they

need to ask a question.

Working to the school timetable is the best way to manage their time.

Emails from teachers are just to keep you in the loop and to remind your child about work to complete.

Please don’t be frustrated by them, their teacher just wants them to be in a good spot when they come

back.

If your child is struggling to get all the work done, it is important that they feed this back to their teacher

so adjustments can be made.

Assignments are still set and due dates are still enforced. If your child is struggling to get through all the

work, prioritise the assignments.

Encourage them to take breaks. On a normal school day, they have a break between classes by moving

to the next class. Get them time to have a stretch, rest their eyes and have a drink of water before

beginning the next class. Stick to lunch breaks as well, we timetable these breaks for a reason!

Have a place for them to work. Sitting up straight in a chair working at a desk or table is very important.

Posture and having their device correctly positioned will reduce fatigue and increase their productivity.

I hope these points help. This is all very new to us and we are

adjusting all the time. As much as we hope the learning from home

experience has been positive for you and your children, we can’t

wait to have them all back at school! Please feel free to contact

me at any time to discuss any concerns by calling the College

Office.

Mr Scott McSherry - Assistant Principal Curriculum

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Brekky Van Sponsors

Our Generous Sponsors

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Online learning with Mercy College teachers

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Library

What’s going on in the Library?

This year the Library has created a display around various themes regarding ANZAC Day. The first being of

the implications and disruptions as a result of a global flu/virus pandemic and secondly, expanding on the

Principal’s address on Friday regarding boy soldiers.

First of all, in the photo you will notice the picket fence with the poppies to symbolise our celebrations this year

in Light Up the Dawn. You will also notice various newspaper cut outs relating to the current pandemic, in

addition to the obvious symbols of ANZAC Day - the archive photos, slouch hat, cablegrams and flags, etc. But

what may not be so clear, are the titles of the books on display.

Titles such as Light Horse Boy, Letters Home, Young Digger, Road to War, Heroes of Tobruk, Gallipoli, The

Trenches and A Fortunate Life. But two titles in particular I would like to draw your attention to are, The

Deadly Flu and Soldier Boy – the true story of Jim Martin.

Mr Stephen Crocker – Librarian/Teacher

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ANZAC Day - with a difference

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Interact Committee On behalf of Mercy College and the Interact Committee Eva Neilson presented Louise with a bus card for her transportation to get herself around Mackay. Louise, who has been supported by the St Vincent de Paul Housing scheme, was a guest speaker for the Year 10 students studying Catholic Social Teaching as part of their Religion studies. Louise shared the story of her life and how she has overcome personal struggles. Eva was inspired to take action and give back in any way she could, taking initiative to obtain the funds needed to organise a bus card for Louise. As she presented the card to Louise, she expressed her hope that it helps in some small way.

Louise and Eva Neilson

Mr Brendan Gunning – Committee Coordinator

Indigenous Liaison Officer

We would like to introduce Shardai Beazley, our new Indigenous Teacher Assistant. Shardai will be working twenty hours per week and has extensive experience in education. Classroom teachers will be provided support for their Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander students individually or in groups. We are excited to welcome Shardai who will be a wonderful asset to our Mercy community.

Mrs Melissa Russell – Indigenous Liaison Officer

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Quiz Quiz questions

1. The numbers 1, 3, 6, 10, 15, 21 … form a famous sequence, but what is it called? Is it a) the square numbers, b) the triangular numbers, c) the Fibonacci sequence, or d) the seven times table?

2. You can find astroblemes at Vredefort, Chicxulub and Wolfe Creek, but what

exactly are astroblemes? Are they a) impact craters, b) particle accelerators, c) grassy marshes, or d) burial mounds?

3. What is the scientific name for cows? Is it a) Felis catus, b) Bos taurus, c) Ovis aries, or c) Canis lupus?

4. What do you call an animal that is only active during the daytime? Is it a) nocturnal, b) diurnal, c) crepuscular, or d) cathemeral?

5. CSIRO’s Australian Animal Health Laboratory just got a new name – what is it? Is it a) the Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness, b) the Coronavirus Science Secure Infection Office, or c) the National Open Pathogen Experiment?

To find the answers, visit our online quiz!

Year 7 - Enrolment 2021

Please Note: Parents/Guardians of Year 6 siblings of current Mercy College Mackay

students are required to complete the online pre-registration

Enrolment packs to be returned to the Office by Friday 22 May 2020

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What is Cooking? Year 8

Pancakes INGREDIENTS: 1 cup self-raising flour To serve: 2 tablespoons sugar 2 tablespoons of syrup 1 cup milk (250ml) whipped cream 1 egg oil spray METHOD:

1. Place flour in sifter and sift into large mixing bowl. Add sugar.

2. Break egg into small bowl. Add milk and whisk.

3. Make a well in centre of flour mixture. Pour in egg mixture. Beat with wooden spoon until smooth.

4. Lightly spray frying pan with oil spray. Heat over a medium-high heat.

5. Pour 3-4 tablespoons of batter into pan. Cook until bubbles form on top of pancake. Turn pancake over. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until second side is brown.

6. Place cooked pancakes on a plate. Repeat with remaining pancake batter to make ten pancakes.

7. Stack three or four pancakes on each serving plate. Serve with syrup and whipped cream. Year 9

Orange & Poppy Seed Muffins INGREDIENTS: 12 muffin papers 2 eggs ½ cup (125g) butter, softened ¾ cup caster sugar 2 cups self-raising flour 125ml cup milk 1 orange, juiced and zest 2 tablespoons poppy seeds METHOD:

1. Pre-heat oven to 180°.

2. Place all ingredients in a large bowl and beat for 3 minutes with electric mixer.

3. Pour evenly into each of the muffin cases.

4. Cook in oven for 20-25 minutes.

5. Cool and serve

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Community News

NSSTAS is a joint initiative of the Queensland Catholic Education Commission (QCEC) and Independent Schools Queensland (ISQ). The Scheme is administered by QCEC on behalf of all non-state schools in Queensland and is funded by the State of Queensland through the Department of Education and Training. NSSTAS has two programs available: • Bus Fare Assistance program (BFAP) - to provide financial assistance to families who pay more than a nominated weekly threshold in bus/ferry fares to transport their student to a non-state school located outside the Brisbane City Council boundary. • Students with Disability (SWD) - to provide financial assistance to families of those students whose disability necessitates transport assistance to and from a non-state school by a means that takes into account their disability. Each semester parents and carers can apply for assistance for student transport costs to and from school through this scheme. Applications can be made online during the month of May for Semester One and October for Semester Two. Parents and carers are encouraged to apply online. For further information, please click on the following link – https://www.schooltransport.com.au/schools/