The Hedge

Holiday Hedge | Term 2 A quick look ‘behind the hedge’ before the holiday break!

Semester One...

The first half of the year has been a whirlwind of learning and community spirit, and there's more on the horizon, including two big student experiences in the mid-year break.

We have students heading interstate and overseas for an International Netball Carnival and the annual Ski Trip.

Term 3 will be full of activity, including Book Week creativity, the Vinnies Winter School Sleep Out, Intercol Competition hosted by St Ignatius’ College, our annual Quiz Night and, of course, Mercy Week and Mercy Day Mass.

Over the holidays, our Grounds and Maintenance Team will be busy, installing new lockers, refreshing the interiors of student bathrooms, overseeing painting and carpeting of some classrooms and of course, looking after our green spaces so they’ll be flourishing on your return.

Finally, families can expect to receive mid-year reports which will be delivered over the next fortnight through ManageBac.

I hope you all enjoy the break with your families and friends, that it is restful and relaxing... and we look forward to seeing you back on Monday 21 July.

Andrew Balkwill
Principal

And the Singing Award goes to...

Today our students and staff gathered in Yitpi for our very first Performing Arts House Competition - Sing Your House Out!

Our House Spirit actitivies help build vertical connections between students from R - 12, which helps to foster a sense of belonging across our Campus.

Dalton opened with Survivor's 'Eye of the Tiger', bringing big energy and some slick choreography.

McAuley brought the dramatic boom of drums with the Imagine Dragons hit 'Believer'.

Fitzpatrick swayed together while crooning the Queen classic 'We Are The Champions'.

Barry closed out the competition, belting out Journey's 'Don't Stop Believing', surprising the audience with ribbons, cheers, and even a guest appearance by a guitar shredding banana!

Our judging panel, featured Old Scholar and Tertiary Performing Arts student Maisie Aitken (Class of 2022, Barry), String Ensemble Leader Danika Hecht, Old Scholar, Performing Arts ESO Raff Raschella (Class of 2022, Fitzpatrick) and our Director of Excellence and Culture, Fergus Grant.

Performances were judged on participation, preparation, energy, organisation, House Spirit, X-factor, and connection to the Sister of Mercy, after whom the House was named...

And the 2025 Best House Sing Off went to... Barry!

Congratulations to everyone for getting into our House Spirit activities - a great way to end Term 2.

Stay tuned for Term 3's House event theme - Academia.

Student Holiday Experiences

Many staff have put their hands up to chaperone students to two exciting trips during the holidays.

Our top netballers are heading to Victoria for the 2025 Waverley International Schools Netball Championships, where they will compete against girls from around Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, and the Pacific Islands.

Meanwhile, our Year 11 students will be heading to New Zealand for their 2025 Snow Trip. Always a highlight, this trip creates life-long memories of adventures on and off the slopes.

Celebrating Diverse Cultures

To celebrate the end of their Unit of Inquiry and learning about diverse cultures, our Year 3 students enjoyed some 'hands on' activities with family volunteers from our community.

Students spent time decorating a candle holder for Diwali and learning the unique sounds and traits of Arabic language, but it was the edible experiences that were certainly the favourite! From Greek yiros to Italian meatballs, the food prep was just as much fun as sampling the end product!

A big thank you to our parents and grandparents who generously spent the morning sharing their family's culture with our students.

NAPLAN 2025

The results from this year’s NAPLAN testing have revealed some great highlights that we want to share and celebrate with you.

The national participation rate for NAPLAN averages around 95%, but at Mercedes College our cohort participation rate was between 96% and 100%, giving us great confidence in the validity of our results.

The national average for students achieving in the upper two levels (strong and exceeding) in any area is approximately 70%. Our students achieved higher than this in all areas, across all year levels.

With the current format of NAPLAN having begun in 2023, we have been able to explore the growth of our cohorts across the past two years of learning.

Highlights include a 7% increase in achieving in the upper two levels of Numeracy from Year 5 to Year 7, a 12% increase in achievement in Grammar and Punctuation between Year 3 and Year 5, and a huge 17% improvement in Writing from Year 7 to Year 9.

Full results can be viewed on our website.

Ready, Set, Quiz!

When we return to Campus next Term, there will only be two short weeks to get your trivia minds working, ready for our ‘M’ themed Quiz Night!

Will we see a table of Minions testing their mettle? Perhaps a bevvy of beautiful Mermaids? Or get super creative with Super Mario Bros!

Don’t miss out on this fantastic evening, book your table today!

Sponsor a Round!

Families are again invited to take up a Round Sponsorship for their business as part of the Quiz Night.

An investment of $200 will offer naming rights of a round, with your logo on that round's answer sheet and the big screen, plus an introduction from our MC and Quiz Maverick.

Get in touch with Jennie Bell if you’d like to snap up this great opportunity.

Career Expo to Highlight Diverse Paths

In Week 2 of Term 3, we are holding our 2025 Career Expo for students in Year 9 to Year 12.

An important step in navigating future learning and career opportunities, students will speak with universities, TAFE SA, professional associations, Registered Training Organisations, and industries, as well as educators from the College’s various subject and programme offerings.

Running concurrently to the Expo, students and their families will attend Subject Information Sessions for IB and SACE, plus learn more about Vocational Education and Training (VET) opportunities through the College.

This is an important event for our Year 9-12 students, and a great support to help clarify or discover new subjects and learning pathways - so we look forward to seeing you all there!

Families can register their student here.

Urban Rhythms

On Monday evening, our curricular and co-curricular Performing Arts students put on a showcase for family and friends in Gleeson Theatre.

Curated by Year 10 Drama students, the dance, drama, and music performances were designed to communicate key messages against the backdrop of rhythms found in urban settings.

Featuring our CEA bands and dance troupes, alongside Year 8 to 10 Drama, Dance and Music classes, it was a spectacular array of talent!

Positive Student Mentors

Our Student Mentoring Programme (SMP) has seen 130 students from across the Campus benefiting from spending time with our 118 SMP volunteers.

These positive relationships are fostered through activities as varied as baking, board games, sports, and art, but no matter how our Mentors spend time with students, they are supporting them in achieving their wellbeing goals.

With many students still interested in joining the Student Mentoring Programme this year, it's not too late to become a Community Mentor - everyone has a way they can connect.

To register your interest, or for more information, please contact Student Mentoring Programme Coordinator Stephen Heuzenroeder.

Uniform Top Up?

Does your family need to top up on some uniform items ahead of Semester 2?

The College Shop is open Wednesday 2 July, 8.00am – 12.00pm, and Wednesday 16, Thursday 17 July, 8.00am – 1.00pm.

Our Second Hand Uniform Shop, upstairs in Strathspey House, will be open on Friday 18 July, 12.30pm - 3.00pm.

Remember: Dress the part, looking smart - it's the Mercedes Way!

Key Reminders for the Holidays

All families | Please visit the Community Portal to ensure that student medical information is up to date
Next Playgroup session Week 1, Term 3: Thursday 24 July
The College Shop is open Wednesday 2 July, 8.00am – 12.00pm, and Wednesday 16, Thursday 17 July, 8.00am – 1.00pm
Term 3 begins at 8.40am, Monday 21 July