College Leadership

New investments and commitment to loyalty

By Andrew Balkwill Email this article

Exciting times at Mercedes College.

Term 3 has been action-packed and the campus abuzz with learning in and outside the classroom, complete with Year level camps, retreats, celebration of the Arts through performance and exhibition, and the College’s 25th trip to Mimili in the APY Lands.

Student attendance has been steady, mindful of cold and flu season, with learning on track across our Junior, Middle and Senior Schools, and exams on the horizon for our Year 12 IB and SACE students.

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Investing in play
Construction of our new high performance Arts and Sports precinct is on track, and we’re hopeful of more carparking opening up on campus next Term, with further investment allocated to improve our the play experiences of our Junior School students.

New play equipment will see them climbing, stretching, bouncing and swinging their way to stronger, healthier bodies. Incorporating feedback gathered from our educators, our preferred design has been lodged with the City of Mitcham for development approval.

This $250,000 playground upgrade features a range of equipment that complements our existing nature play areas and open spaces, with interactive elements catering for our new learners in Reception through to Year 5.

All the activities on offer will develop children’s sensory skills as well as support fine and gross motor development. Design flexibility also means we can add, or move items, as needs change.

The play spaces on offer across our campus are rich, with nature play and open spaces, as well as quiet areas where children of various ages, stages, energy levels, and interests can play.

Subject to development approval and weather, our learners will be climbing on new equipment from Wednesday 1 February 2023 – the start of Term 1 next year!

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Mercy Day Mass
It’s taken 18 years, but today Mercedes College students returned to St Francis Xavier Cathedral in the city to celebrate Mercy Day Mass.

And what a delight it was to see the Cathedral filled with Mercedes College students from Reception to Year 12 wearing their uniforms with pride as we came together to celebrate the legacy of Catherine McAuley, reflect on the Mercy Key of Loyalty, and announce our two prestigious awards: the John Fanning Justice Award and Mercy Award.

Each of us has our own understanding of what it is to be loyal, and this year, as a community, we know that it’s not a blind allegiance or form of tribalism, rather a place of unconditional love and faith: central to living with the spirit of Mercy and accepting others for who they are; supporting them without judgement and being a constant, faithful and steadfast friend.

I encourage everyone in our community to think of Mercy as a verb and find ways to support those less fortunate that ourselves; to be welcoming, genuinely inclusive, caring and respectful.

The keys given to us by the Sisters of Mercy, who in the footsteps of their founder Catherine McAuley established our College in 1954, are there for all of us to use, every day, when we make decisions about what to do, and how to do it.

2022 Mercy Award
Today in recognising a member of our community who inspires us by their actions, we announced Commissioner Helen Connolly as our 2022 Mercy Award recipient.

Helen advocates for the needs of others as South Australia’s Commissioner for Children and Young People. She has held this role for five years, drawing on a depth of experience gained in policy, planning and senior management positions within the community services sector, with a focus funding and delivering the best possible community services.

A respected leader and social change advocate, Helen is passionate about working with children and young people, making sure they are heard, engaged and central in how services are planned and delivered.

Like the more than 1,000 students in the Cathedral this morning, she attended Mercedes College, learning from her teachers and embracing the values central to our school.

Recently, our Year 2 to Year 6 students wrote her a postcard – to ‘Tell Helen’ about the best things about being a kid, plus their hopes and any worries for the future.

Helen will use this information from you and other children, so that schools can make their best better.

Since her appointment as the inaugural Commissioner, students of all ages have been sharing their views, thoughts and experiences with her, and in turn improving the lives of all South Australian children.

And our Year 11 student, Sanna Sandhu, is part of the Commissioner’s SA Student Representative Council that is further empowering young people’s contribution to decisions that affect them.

Helen Connolly, thank you, for everything you do for the children and young people of South Australia, and congratulations.

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Andrew Balkwill
Principal