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The Hedge
Week 8, Term 2 | Thursday 19 June 2025 A weekly snippet of what’s happening ‘behind the hedge’ at Mercedes College...

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Winter Wonders

Our team is here for families these school holidays, with a bumper programme of activities and excursions on offer to keep young minds and bodies active. A whole range of activities for Reception to Year 6 students is on offer!

Favourites include a morning at the movies, bouncing at AFL MAX, and an onsite gaming party along with new adventures like building solar powered cars and creating pouring paint art.

We’re even getting festive with Christmas in July, complete with a Christmas feast for lunch!

Check out the programme and complete your booking form so no one misses out, as some activities have limited numbers.

Sell out Success!

Last week, our Campus was transformed, taking a trip back in time to capture the spirit, fashion and music of 1950's Rydell High. Our 2025 College musical, Grease was stellar success - people are still singing songs and talking about the show!

When too many pom poms, leather jackets, and hand jives is never enough – our Year 7 - 12 students put on briliant performances to sell out crowds. Congratulations to everyone involved - Grease is definitely the word around Campus this week!

Thriving VET Pathways

Vocational Education and Training (VET) continues to grow in popularity, with a record 57 students currently doing VET courses.

VET is a nationally recognised qualification allowing students to build practical skills and industry experience while still at school, and contributes credits toward SACE results.

Our current VET programmes include:

Animal Care Automotive Beauty and Make-Up
Business Construction Dance
Early Childhood Education Electrotechnology Fashion
Fitness Health Services Hospitality
Information Technology Music Plumbing
Screen and Media Sport and Aquatic Recreation Veterinary Nursing

These VET programmes develop technical skills and also build confidence, independence, and industry connections for our students.

VET Information Session

Students and families are invited to a dedicated VET Information Session next month to learn more about navigating these pathways. This session will be held in conjunction with our Subject Information Sessions and inaugural Career Expo, and will be an excellent opportunity to understand how VET can complement academic study and open doors to exciting futures.

Stay tuned for further details, and congratulations to all students taking bold steps through VET. The future is hands-on—and it’s looking bright!

2025 Winter Appeal

Tomorrow, we are holding our annual Beanie Day, to launch the 2025 Vinnies Winter Appeal. Everyone is encouraged to wear a cosy beanie to school tomorrow, and bring a gold coin donation.

As our Beanie Day lands on World Refugee Day, gold coin donations will go to the Circle of Friends, Wayville III, to help them support refugees and asylum seekers.

This is the beginning of our winter generosity campaign, with donations for the Vinnies Winter Appeal being collected in Home Groups, College Reception areas and our Library until Friday 8 August (Term 3, Week 3), when our Senior School students join the Winter School Sleep Out.

Items being sought include clothing, non-perishable foods, blankets, toiletries, and household cleaning products. Check this guide for the best way to support the Appeal.

SAPSASA Soccer

Congratulations to our SAPSASA Soccer players who participated in last week’s Carnival – you all did brilliantly!

Our Boys’ Year 5/6 team won three matches and secured their place in the next round of the competition, whilst our Girls’ Year 4-6 team won four matches – an impressive result from teams who have only recently been formed.

The soccer future at the College is in good hands.

Go Camels!

Open Council Meeting | Monday

We hope to see you on Monday evening for our 2025 Open Council Meeting, from 6.30pm - 8.00pm in Gleeson Theatre.

Join us as we launch our strategic vision for the next 5-10 years, and share some ideas for the new College Master Plan.

After the meeting, you are invited to enjoy some  light refreshments and catch up with our College Council members and Senior Leadership Team.

Please register your intention to attend for catering purposes.

We'd love to see you there.

Quality Support for our Performing Arts

We’re delighted to celebrate the recent achievement of Performing Arts ESO, Raff Raschella, who is this year’s recipient of the Dr Ruby Davy Prize for Composition, from Adelaide University’s Elder Conservatorium of Music.

This prestigious prize is awarded annually to an undergraduate who obtains the highest average mark in all composition courses of their second year of study.

It was during Raff’s second year that he was able to grow and expand on his favourite elements of his writing, under the tutelage of Dr Anne Cawse.

We are very lucky to have Raff on staff, to support our next generation of performing arts students!

Reflecting on Relationships

Our Year 12 students recently gathered for their Seminar Day at the St Francis Xavier Cathedral Hall.

With a focus on healthy relationships, students and their teachers continued conversations initiated in their Religious Education classes, and their time away at Retreat.

This day of honesty and vulnerability continued to create bonds amongst the cohort, and also solidified students' understanding of humanity, and how communication, respect and honesty can impact positively on each other.

Supporting Siblings

Mercedes College parents are invited to join a live webinar presented by Kate Strohm of Sibs Consulting.

This has been created for parents of children with a disability. The session will explore the challenges and needs of siblings of children with disability, improve family communication, increase confidence in parenting, and more.

Tuesday 15 July
7.00pm – 8.30pm
$15

Click here to register.

Assessing Knowledge Beyond the Classroom

Students in Year 2 to Year 6 are invited to test their thinking and problem-solving skills in the internationally-recognised ICAS Assessments.

Considered the gold standard in academic competitions, ICAS has been taken by more than 10 million students, from 16,000 schools across 41 countries since 1981.

Unlike the NAPLAN assessments, which assess students against their year level curriculum, the ICAS competition assesses subject knowledge beyond the classroom.

Our students have the opportunity to sit tests in Writing, Digital Technologies, English, Mathematics, Spelling, and Science.

Families wishing to register their children for ICAS must do so by 28 July. Please refer to this letter from our ICAS Assessment Coordinator and Head of Junior School.

Amazing Pipes

At Mercedes College, we seek to uncover and celebrate the talents of everyone, including our staff! 

Dave, one of our new Chefs in the College Cafe,  surprised a group of students and staff with a wonderful rendition of Amazing Grace, played on his bagpipes in full Scottish attire.

The performance was a fitting close to the week's staff reflection and prayer, which was led by the Middle School Captains.

Their reflection was on our Mercy Key of Responsibility, and this lovely musical interlude was a good reminder for us to engage with each other more often. Now we know we have a Piper in our midst!

Coming up...

  • Friday 20 June | Year 11 Adelaide University Presentation | Beanie Day (gold coin donation)
  • Monday 23 to Friday 27 June | Year 11 Semester 1 Exams
  • Monday 23 June | Year 4/5 Readers Cup | Open Council Meeting
  • Tuesday 24 June | Year 1 Carrick Hill Story Book Trail
  • Wednesday 25 to Friday 27 June | Break Free and Being You Camps
  • Thursday 26 June | Playgroup
  • Friday 27 June | Junior School French Day
  • Monday 30 June | Urban Rhythms
  • Monday 30 June to Wednesday 2 July | Year 11 Work Experience or CAS
  • Tuesday 2 July | Year 3 Cultural Day
  • Wednesday 2 July | Sing Your House Out Finale | Last day Term 2, regular dismissal 3.20pm
     
  • Saturday 12 to Friday 18 July | Year 11 Ski Trip (New Zealand)
  • Monday 21 July | First day Term 3
  • Friday 1 August | Quiz Night 2025

Save the Date: 2026 Student Orientation Day | Friday 28 November

More upcoming activities can be found on the College Calendar.