Wellbeing 

Dear Parents/Guardians,

Mercy Day 

As you would already know, this week we celebrate Mercy Day on Friday 9 September.   It is the highlight of the College calendar and brings together the community in a special and most profound way, even more so this year as we have not been able to celebrate this special day since 2019. 

The day begins with the Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral at 10.00am. Parents/guardians are warmly invited to the mass as we celebrate our Catholic identity as a Mercy school founded upon the very values which we espouse and live each and every day – courage, compassion, hospitality, justice, respect, and service. We ask that if you intend on coming to the Mass that you are seated by 9.45am in readiness for the liturgy.

Please be aware that it is a compulsory school day and that all students are expected to attend. Students are expected to be at the College at normal time wearing full college winter uniform including the College Blazer. After Mentor Group, students will leave for St. Patrick’s. After Mass, students will return to the College for a BBQ lunch and entertainment will be provided, followed by The Mercy Day Concert where performers representing Frayne, Goold, McAuley and Sherlock will entertain Staff and Students.

Students are expected to attend for the whole day; and will be dismissed from the College after 3.00pm.

Please also note that students who are not in attendance at the Mass at St Patrick’s Cathedral will not be permitted to attend the rest of the festivities planned on the day. The Mass is the formal and most important part of the day and celebrates our Catholic community.  

If a student arrives at the College after the Mass, they will be sent home. Further to this, if a student is absent on the day, they will need to provide a medical certificate upon their return.

Unfortunately, the College is unable to accommodate parents or past students at the Mercy Day Concert back at school due to the restrictions on seating in the Dillon Centre as there will be 690 students and 80 staff in attendance.

I would like to thank in advance all the parent helpers for all their hard work in preparing, cooking and serving the BBQ lunch and then assisting with the clean-up and pack-up afterwards. Your support will ensure a wonderful day of celebration of our Mercy story.

MACSSIS 2022 School Improvement Surveys

A reminder that all families received an email last week, with log in details and a pin, inviting them to participate in the 2022 MACSSIS School Improvement Surveys. They surveys are totally anonymous and as many families as possible are invited to complete them as they will provide us with very rich information about what we as a College community are doing well and perhaps highlight for us areas that we may need to focus on. The survey window will close on Friday 16 September.

Fathers’ Day Breakfast

Thank you to the many fathers and grandfathers who attended the Fathers’ Day Breakfast last Friday morning. With close to 250 attendees, the morning was a most successful one and symbolised the strong relationship the College has with the parent community.  The Academy Big Band provided wonderful music to complement the delightful food provided. A big thank you to Parent Association members, Mr. Chris Morris and Ms. Anna Skeels who were instrumental in the organisation of the day.

I am sure your daughters were most appreciative of the special time they were able to spend with their dads and in some cases, their grandfathers, during the morning.  We hope that the breakfast can continue to grow each year and we thank you for your support.

Public Transport Concerns

In a 24-hour period mid last week, we received three separate communications from members of the public who had been extremely disappointed by the behaviour and conduct of some of our students on public transport. And to be perfectly frank what they described was more than extremely disappointing. It was embarrassing, frustrating, selfish, childish and placed not only the students themselves but also the Academy name in a very bad light. It has been made explicitly clear to the students, that behaviour of this nature is not acceptable in any way, shape, form or under any circumstance.

We ask all parents/guardians to support the College in reinforcing the following: 

• A mask must be worn at all times on public transport unless a student has a valid exemption
• Other passengers have the right to alight before a student boards on a train/tram or bus
• Students are asked to sit or stand quietly and respectfully with their bag on the ground beside their feet; Members of the public should be able to move freely in a train or tram carriage and not have to negotiate bags strewn in the ground
• Students should walk on the left of the pavement, allowing members of the public to walk freely and without impediment;
• Students need to use appropriate tone, volume and language in all conversations
• Students are to follow the directions from members of the Senior Student Leadership Team and/or PTV staff.

The above is the bare minimum we would expect. 

It is disappointing that I do need to end my article on this note as a result of the actions of a few. I will be following up with individual students in the coming days because of the complaints that we received. There will be serious sanctions for those involved and for any students involved in this type of behaviour in future. Again, I ask you to spend some time in conversation with your daughters about appropriate public transport etiquette and the points covered above.

As always, please never hesitate to get in touch with me if you have any questions or concerns.

Mr Sam Di Camillo

Deputy Principal, Wellbeing & Operations