This month, we were very excited to present our enchanting musical, ‘The Little Mermaid’. Filled with music, laughter and stunning performances, our talented cast and crew put in countless hours of dedication and passion to create a memorable experience for everyone involved. 

Head of Creative and Performing Arts, Belinda Angilletta and her marvellous team completed a huge undertaking by putting together a wonderful theatrical experience that all Mercy Girls should be proud of.

The orchestra provided the perfect backdrop to the story and carried the audience through the visual magic we witnessed on stage. Of note is that the orchestra consisted of 23 musicians, 18 were current students and only five were professional musicians. An amazing accomplishment in itself for such excellent and admirable musicianship.

I was warmed to see past students discuss the 1985 OLMC Production ‘Dracula Spectacular’ with such love and nostalgia on our College Facebook page recently and I know that in over thirty years' time, our current students will look back on this production with the same fondness. The ensemble cast and crew of ‘The Little Mermaid’ 2023, have created similar memories that will last a lifetime.  

We would like to express thanks to our sponsors, whose generous support helped in making this production possible.

GOLD  Parramatta Leagues Club and OrthoBoutique

SILVER Villiers Canteen and La Frutteria Northmead

BRONZE  WafflePopz Churros & Shakes, Paradise Ice Cream, Grilled Gourmet Food Truck and Enzo's Cucina Northmead

Congratulations to the Raffle winners - Amelie Easton, Charlotte Raad and Edward D'Silva.

Mother Daughter Mass 

Athletics Carnival

2024 Sports Scholarship 

The 2024 One-off Sports Scholarship will be awarded to a student in Years 8-12 (2024) who has a genuine desire, work ethic and belief that they can maximise their potential and attain sporting excellence. The candidate should demonstrate sporting achievements at an elite level (State or National) and will apply the same dedication to their schoolwork and the OLMC community as they do to their sport.

For further information please click here.

Parent Teacher Conferences 

As we are now in ‘the season’ where parents are invited to conference with their daughter’s teachers about her progress, I’d like to remind all about the importance and significance of this process. Firstly, it's visually important for your daughters to see you arrive at the College and meet the people with whom she spends so much time. It demonstrates that her teachers and parents share the same interest and commitment to her learning which becomes evident during this time together. Secondly, it helps teachers better understand the uniqueness of their student’s learning goals and any challenges which may present now or in the future after they have spoken with the parents of each girl. 

Life is of course, busy and a long day of work followed by a trip to the College, waiting your turn to see teachers and sitting in a large hall filled with lots of activity can no doubt be difficult. At OLMC we aim to make this experience as pleasant as possible and we do value your time in meeting with us, so please always remember the significance of this process and know we value your time and engagement with us in your attendance. 

World Support Staff Day 

Our College is blessed to have wonderful and generous supporting staff in the service of our students and families. We happily celebrated this World Support Staff Day on Tuesday, 16 May with our hardworking staff who attended a Morning Tea in their honour. As I shared with them on this day, they are collectively and individually very skilled in their roles and embody the true Mercy spirit in the value they place on excellence and hospitality. 

Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on Student School Students with Disability

The Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on Student School Students with Disability (NCCD) is a process that all schools must complete on an annual basis. It is designed to count the number of students who receive additional adjustments or 'help' at school because of a disability. This national data collection helps federal and state governments plan for the needs of students with disability. It is also the way that schools seek and receive funding to support the learning needs of their students. Fact Sheet for Parents, Guardians and Carers. 

Click here to view a letter from the College outlining this process.

Lucie Farrugia
College Principal

• Tues, 6 June Year 7 Study Skills Evening - Dr Prue Salter
• Thurs, 8 June - Fri, 9 June Year 10 Camp
• Mon, 12 June King's Birthday Public Holiday
• Weds, 14 June Year 10 Vaccinations
• Weds, 21 June Year 11 2024 Course Preference Evening
• Fri, 23 June Final day of Term 2

Hello to our OLMC Community

I acknowledge the Burramattagal people of the Dharug land on which we work, learn, play and pray, and thank the generations of their people who have cared for this land. I also acknowledge the Mercy Sisters on whose shoulders we stand and spirit we share.

It feels like I am already well and truly immersed in all things OLMC – even though this is only my eleventh day at the College. I have walked into the May month of madness, with events all around. But what a fantastic way in which to see staff, students and families in action. My sincere thanks to the many students and families I have met during the brief time and the warm congratulations and welcome I have received. Along the way, I have met parents new to the College and those whose connections go back generations; I have met people with whom I have previously worked, and sisters and cousins of students I have previously taught; I have met neighbours and fellow parishioners; and have even met a family friend from my formative days. You can’t be too careful!

My highlight was the College assembly on my second day. In this forum, I saw a snapshot of the life of the school – an assembly facilitated and led by the students full of music, information, activities, acknowledgements and great humour. Thank you to the Year 12 leaders! I had no doubt, at the conclusion, that I had arrived at the right place.

Of course the other highlight was The Little Mermaid. I recall being a student and being part of these productions – such an energising and energy-sapping experience, but ones I recall fondly. I have no doubt every student involved in the production will remember this for a long time. Congratulations to every student and staff member who invested themselves in a fantastic show.

In particular, I’d like to acknowledge and thank my teaching and support staff colleagues. They have welcomed me into the College and into their classrooms. Your daughters are in very good hands.

I am looking to the next eleven days… and many many more beyond.

Venerable Catherine McAuley, Pray for us.

Anthony Blomfield
Deputy Principal

Year 10 enjoyed a day of reflection and activity at their Reflection Day at the beginning of May. Time away from school is always precious and this year the students participated in several activities focusing on the theme 'More than Me'. This included the way that they can give back to other people, and also to the Earth by being responsible global citizens. 

Once again, we remember Mary, Jesus’ mother during this month. It has provided us with much-needed time to stop and pray together as a community. The Chapel has been opened on Fridays to join in praying decades of the Rosary and also for quiet personal prayer. Thank you to the Liturgy group for leading these services. 

The Mother’s Day stall this year raised money for the Baabayan Women’s Corporation in Mount Druitt. We sold a range of items and made over $1400. Thank you to all students who purchased goods and I hope all the mums enjoyed their gifts! 

The College recently received an Environmental Education Grant from the City of Parramatta to install a Subpod Garden bed. The Subpod allows us to compost and recycle food scraps from our Food Tech kitchens. The worms in the Subpod break down the food scraps and turn them into nutrient-rich soil which helps us grow fresh veggies, herbs and edible flowers which we can use in our Food Tech kitchens. Thanks to the City of Parramatta for their financial support for this project.

Any families wishing to receive a copy of some short prayer guides and reflection on The Parables are invited to email me. These guides provide an opportunity for prayer, reflection and discussion with your family or friends in a short 20-minute session. They are self-led and have been provided by Mercy Partners for our community use.

Gabrielle Scanlon
Director of Identity

Year 12

Study Week – first week of mid-year break: Monday, 26 June to Friday, 30 June. 

This has been identified as compulsory in the Welcome Email at the commencement of 2023. This is a 4–5-day program of subject-related workshops and study sessions that is designed to help the girls prepare for their Trial HSC Examinations in Term 3.

Year 10

Course Preference Evening: Wednesday, 21 June – for all Year 10 students and parents/carers

Course Preference processes for Year 11 2024 has commenced. Students have been asked to consider their interests and strengths in preparation. Course Preference Interviews are being scheduled in Week 7 and 8. Members of the College Leadership Team will conduct 10-minute individual Zoom interviews with all Year 10 students and their parents/carers. The purpose of the interviews will be to review student plans for the future, consider current progress and discuss realistic intentions for 2024 courses.

Louise Millar
Director of Teaching and Learning

Year 7 students began the school year embracing the study of a new language as part of the mandatory study. They have engaged in a variety of classroom learning activities involving games, songs and videos. Learning a new language grammar system makes students reflect on their own language and discover a new way of thinking. Students enjoyed engaging in role-plays, the ‘one pen one dice’ game and singing to practise and apply the language learnt. Japanese students are well on their way to learning their first script of Hiragana. Formative assessment takes place regularly in the classroom, particularly for language study. All students recently demonstrated their learning, completing their first assessment task. French and Spanish students presented a mini-speech in the target language. It was very impressive to hear them speak in the target language in front of the class.

Year 10 language students have continued to develop their language skills, learning more sophisticated linguistic patterns and grammar. Year 10 Japanese students created a weather report and poster relating to their favourite season. They really enjoyed being the weather reporter!

We congratulate all language students who participated in the World Languages Championships earlier in March run by Education Perfect. Our College achieved 60^th place globally for their category and 16 awards. Certificates will soon be presented to students.

Sixteen OLMC students, accompanied by our Head of Library Services, Mr Ford, had the wonderful opportunity last week to attend TEDxSydney Youth, which was held for the first time in Western Sydney at the Riverside Theatre. TEDxSydney Youth is an extension of the annual TEDxSydney flagship event and is aimed at inspiring and engaging young people to make an impact in their communities.

The theme of the event was ‘Future Creators’, with our students hearing from a diverse group of speakers and performers, aged between 14 and 27, gaining new insights and connecting with like-minded youth who are passionate about making a difference in their communities.

The event certainly inspired our students to pursue their passions and potentially to develop their own ‘big ideas’. They had the opportunity during the lunch break to share their thoughts on the question of ‘What kind of future do you want to create?’ and based on their responses, it’s clear that our students are thought leaders of the future.

Two of our Year 11 students, Mia Fogolin and Laurice Behan, were also chosen as finalists in the Big Ideas Parramatta competition, which was held in the lunch break during the TEDxSydney Youth event. Mia and Laurice’s pitch for their Parra-Sol initiative certainly received the loudest cheer from the audience and we look forward to them sharing their wonderful idea at an upcoming College assembly.

The College will host the ICAS Science Competition online on Wednesday, 23 August. Permission notes have been emailed to all students and completed forms must be signed by parents and returned to the Student Centre no later than Friday, 5 June. For further details regarding the competition, please visit the following link: https://www.icasassessments.com/products-icas/subjects/science/

MASSH is our after-school students’ study, homework and assessment support. We offer general study support and subject-specific support every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 3:30pm to 5:30pm.

Subject-specific support is available on the days below:

• Monday – Technology, Religious Studies and all junior subject support
• Wednesday and Thursday – Science and Mathematics
• English support available upon request for Wednesdays.

If you would like small group or individual academic support please contact Mrs Rugg, cheryl.rugg@olmc.nsw.edu.au with the following details:

• Name and Year group
• Subject the student would like to work on with a MASSH Supervisor
• Preferred afternoons.

OLMC is launching a new student support program and we are looking for volunteers from the community who are willing to work with our Diverse Learning team to support our students with their assessments and exams.

We are starting with our Reader and Writer Program and are looking for community members who can support our students during the day, throughout the year. Full training will be provided.

A few requirements are needed including:

• A volunteer Working with Children Check
• An ability to work with a range of students in exam settings.

Unfortunately, this volunteer opportunity is not open to parents or siblings of current Year 11 and 12 students, but we hope that as this program develops you will join us in future years.

For information, questions and expressions of interest please contact Monica Searle, Head of Diverse Learning - monica.searle@olmc.nsw.edu.au

It is always lovely to be able to report and congratulate the girls on the positive impact our students are having on those they meet. At our recent photo day, we received a number of compliments from the photographers on the way our students not only presented themselves but also on the polite and respectful manner with which they spoke to their staff on the day. I was also recently made aware of two Year 7 students who assisted a woman who was having trouble being understood when travelling on the bus along Pennant Hills Road. The girls between them acted as her interpreter and then sat near her to ensure she knew which stop to get off – a true example of Mercy in Action. 

On Tuesday 6 June, Year 7 Parents/Carers and their daughters are invited to the Year 7 Study Skills Evening in the Ailsa Mackinnon Community Centre (AMCC).       

This interactive evening, facilitated by Dr Prue Salter, will outline tools and techniques for students to achieve their personal academic best. Parent/carer(s) and students must attend together to experience the full value of the session. The presentation will commence at 6:00pm sharp, with the gates open from 5:30pm for arrival, and will conclude at 7:30pm.

I also extend my congratulations to all those involved in the recent College Musical. Whilst the actual performance was incredible and clearly showcased not only the talents of both the staff and the students, I was also so impressed by the camaraderie and support that was shown by the girls. On the occasions when I was supervising the girls it was truly heartwarming to see how they supported, encouraged and cared for each other.

Finally, I thank you for your continued support of the girls. If there is anything we should be aware of to assist your daughter/s please don’t hesitate to reach out to a member of the Wellbeing Team.

Take care

Ann-Marie Herd
Director of Wellbeing

CSDA DEBATING

The first five weeks of CSDA Debating have proven to be exceptional. Our girls have worked hard with their coaches, meeting at least once a week to develop their skills. The results speak for themselves, with 40 wins and only 20 losses at this stage. This is an impressive record and we wish them all well in the last round which will determine finalists.

As of Friday 26 May, with one round to go, results are as follows:

Good luck to all teams as they strive to reach the finals.

PARRAMATTA COUNCIL DEBATE SHOWCASE

Two weeks ago, we were invited to send a team of debaters to attend a special debate at Parramatta Council Chambers. We could hardly go past our amazing 9B team who have currently won 22 of 23 debates over the last three seasons of CSDA competition. Their report is below. Thank you to A’ishah Ali, Lizzy Butler, Pia Goradia, Bianca Mina and Matilda Webb whose achievements continue to set records.

'We recently had the opportunity to attend the Youth Debate Event at Parramatta Council Chambers at the new PHIVE building in Parramatta Square. It was such an incredible event where we got to see an interesting matchup between Macarthur Girls High School and Arthur Philip High School, both from our local area. They were debating the topic “A popularly elected Lord Mayor would better serve the City of Parramatta and its community.” Very interesting points were raised by both sides, and we learned a lot. 

Both teams provided us with great insights into their overall arguments, giving us the chance to understand and accept the reasons and arguments which were brought forth. Both teams had undeniably strong cases and both teams spoke eloquently. On the Affirmative team, Arthur Philip encapsulated the ideas of multiculturalism and giving a voice to the people. They immersed us within these understandings and ideations of their arguments, providing us with a strong case. The Negative team spoke about the very need to elect someone with experience as well as an understanding of the role, and this gave both the audience and our team the very reason to be compelled to believe them by their encompassing arguments. Overall, we witnessed an exciting debate, filled with back-and-forth arguments trying to prove why their case was more believable until the adjudicators came to the final decision that Macarthur Girls High School had won the debate. As a team, we were very pleased with the result and were very appreciative to having been provided with this learning experience.  

We are so grateful to have had this experience, and thank Mr Ostrowski and Mr Esterman for providing us with this opportunity.' (Year 9 Debaters)

ROSTRUM VOICE OF YOUTH REGIONAL FINALS

In the last edition of Parragraph, we announced that there were three girls who reached the Regional level of Rostrum Voice of Youth: Gabby Fleming of Year 10 as well as Kavya Samtani and Sofia Tong, both of Year 9. Regional winners progress to the State Final. All girls spoke very well in both prepared and impromptu sections, with Gabby and Sofia both being declared runners-up in their sections. A near miss for both girls but it shows the quality of speakers we have at the College.

PLAIN ENGLISH SPEAKING COMPETITION

Last month, outstanding speaker Gabby Fleming continued her run of successes by qualifying for the Regional Final of the Plain English Speaking competition. She competes this week and we wish her well. Results will be in the next edition of Parragraph.

PARRAMATTA EISTEDDFOD

With over 100 girls competing in the Parramatta Eisteddfod over six weekends, we are hopeful the long list of successes we have had over the years will continue. This has certainly proven to be the case over the first two weeks of competition. OLMC students contested eight separate events. Well done to all girls who participated but below are those who received significant awards.

These outstanding results are testament to the talent and hard work of our girls. Many other students put in a big effort and we are proud of all of them. Over the next few weekends, many others will be vying for success at the Eisteddfod. We are sure they will do us all proud.

Chris Ostrowski

Debating and Public Speaking Coordinator

Rhythmic Gymnastics

Congratulations to Alina Onis (Year 8) who represented Australia in Rhythmic Gymnastics at the recent World Challenge Cup held in Portugal. Alina competed in the discipline of Ball and Ribbon in the Teams' events finishing 8th in the Junior category. We wish her all the best of luck in her future events.

PDSSSC Teams Tennis

On Monday 8 May, OLMC competed at the PDSSSC Teams Tennis Championships. The OLMC team consisted of Mia Fogolin, Talia Lahoud, Archa Chavan and Zali Lazarevic. The girls all played singles matches and doubles matches. After winning all their matches and only losing one game all day the girls were crowned PDSSSC Teams Tennis Champions for the 2nd year in a row and will now compete at the NSWCCC event later this month. Good luck girls.

Saturday Netball

Netball fixtures, results and ladders can be found here - https://www.playhq.com/netball-australia/org/eastwoodryde-netball-association/erna-day-competition-2023/bbc0f47b

Saturday Soccer

Results from Round 2:

OLMC 1 were Defeated by Loreto Kirribilli, 3-2

OLMC 2 were Defeated by St Scholastica’s, 6-2

OLMC 3 were Defeated by Ascham, 6 nil

Results from round 3:

OLMC 1 were Defeated by St Catherines, 5-1

OLMC 2 were Defeated by Kambala, 6-2

OLMC 3 Defeated Kambala, 3 nil

Results from round 4:

OLMC 1 Defeated Abbotsleigh, 3 nil

OLMC 2 Defeated Frensham, 4 - 2

OLMC 3 Defeated Frensham, 7 – 1

Well done to OLMC 2 and 3 who experienced their first trip down to Mittagong to verse Frensham. Both teams only had 10 players and the girls all played exceptionally well. Well done!

PDSSSC Cross Country

On Thursday 11 May, OLMC competed at the PDSSSC Cross Country Championships held at the Sydney Equestrian Centre, Horsley Park. The team was represented by Irene Ding, Nadia Naresh, Sophie Ackroyd, Gargi Umesh, Anni Cheung, Amber Haywood, Aruvi Nadarajah, Audrey Chan, Lily Hall-O’Dwyer, Amy Cai, Matilda Webb, Sarah Stewart, Alexis Hedges, Claire Scanlon, Kasey Bolt, Caterina Valore, Marisol Carey, Stephanie Lake, Rhos Shi Wang, Claire Giffney, Niamh Nolan, Bronte Herberstein, Mia Fogolin, Tamara Rajendran, Lucie Francis and Sofia Polson. The results can be found here - https://www.multisportaustralia.com.au/races/parramatta-diocese-secondary-cross-country-2023

Well done to all the girls for their exceptional results. OLMC ended up with a top 10 finisher in every age group. Not only did we have top 10 finishers, but we finished with 6 girls qualifying for NSWCCC Cross Country:

Sofia Polson (2nd 18yrs)

Lucie Francis (1st 17yrs)

Niamh Nolan (6th 16yrs)

Matilda Webb & Kasey Bolt (2nd and 3rd 14yrs)

Amber Haywood (5th 13yrs)

Congratulations girls!

I would also like to thank Miss Connor for her help with the team.

Cricket

Congratulations to Jaaniya Shah who has been selected in the U15 NSW Metropolitan Academy. Well done Jaaniya.

Golf

Annoushka Maikap continues to showcase her golfing skills at the JNJG Illawarra Junior MastersGolf Tournament in April, which took place at the Kiama golf course and Shell Cove golf club. Despite the challenging weather conditions, including relentless rain, strong winds and extreme cold, Annoushka displayed remarkable resilience and determination. After a gruelling two days of intense competition, Annoushka emerged as the victor in the 14-15 year age group, both in the Scratch and Nett event. Congratulations Annoushka!

Taekwondo

Chelsea Gomez (Year 8) has once again excelled in her chosen sport of Taekwondo. Recently, Chelsea competed in her first local competition for the season at the Gold Coast Open. She won gold competing in her division - Cadet (12-14year) - 44kg and gold in the older junior division (15-17year) - 44kg. Congratulations Chelsea!

Earlier this year, Chelsea attended a two-week training camp in Thailand and went on to compete at the Choi Young Seok Cup in Pattaya. Although she didn't take away the gold medal this time, it was a valuable experience.  

OLMC Athletics Carnival

On Friday 5 May 2023, the annual Athletics Carnival was held at Sydney Olympic Park Athletics Centre Warm Up Track. The College community, once again, entered enthusiastically into the spirit of the day. The girls enjoyed participating in the arena at a traditional carnival. The weather was superb and a wonderful day was had by all.

A special thank you to the PDHPE staff for assisting in the setup and running of the carnival. A big thank you also to all the staff that helped with the various duties on the day.

It was great to see the OLMC spirit overflowing with enthusiasm and commitment. In future, we hope to again see the wonderful colourful House outfits that were on display.

A special thank you to the Sports Leaders, Amelia Harvie and Sofia Polson, and all the House Leaders for their help in preparing for the carnival, as well as their enthusiasm and leadership illustrated on the day.

Congratulations to Clare on their success as House Champion and to McAuley on their success as Spirit Champion for 2023. All Houses should be congratulated as the results were all extremely close.

A wonderful result was achieved in the Junior 800m Walk with Matilda Webb setting a new record of 3:28.97, beating her 2022 record.

Congratulations also to the following girls on their efforts and achievements at the carnival and as a result being crowned age champions:

17+ years – Lucie Francis
16 years –   Eleni Mestousis and Leah Kolosakas
15 years –   Lily Johnston
14 years –   Matilda Webb
13 years –   Amelia Johnston and Amber Haywood
12 years –   Mia Er-Yucel and Irene Ding

Finally, thank you to the PDHPE department for their assistance prior to and during the carnival.

Stuart Guthrie
Sports Coordinator

Opening Hours 

The Uniform Shop will be open Monday to Thursday, from 8.00am–9.30am and 3.00pm–4.00pm on Monday and Wednesday (school days only).  

Online purchases can be made via the Online Uniform Shop (https://shop.olmc.nsw.edu.au/) and all orders will be delivered to the Student Centre for collection by students.  

Please note the shop will close at 9.00am on Wednesday, 31 May 2023

Back-to-School Vouchers

Just a reminder that the Back-to-School Vouchers expire in June and can be used with the uniform – so don’t forget to use them if you haven’t done so already!

Scarves 

Scarves are due to arrive at the beginning of June and can be purchased either online or at the shop.  In the interim, until the stock is received, you may wear a black or dark navy of your own.

Hair Ribbons 

Hair ribbons will be distributed via Homeroom. This first hair ribbon is a gift from the College and if any further ribbons are required, they can be purchased from the Uniform Shop. 

Previous stock for Sale

Sharp Calculators - In case you need a spare calculator, the Uniform Shop has a small batch of the previous Sharp calculators for sale at a discounted rate of $10.00 while stocks last!! 

Black tights - In size Medium, $4

End of Term and Stocktake 

Please note the last day for online ordering or picking up items from the Uniform Shop will be Thursday, 15 June. The Shop will be closed for the term from Friday, 16 June for stocktake and reopen in Term 3. The online shop will also be closed for this time. 

If you have any concerns regarding uniform items, please don't hesitate to contact the Uniform Shop on 8838 1275 or uniformshop@olmc.nsw.edu.au  

College Fees

School fees were due on Friday, 5 May 2023. If your account remains outstanding, please ensure that the Finance Office receives payment promptly.

Any queries on fees can be directed to the Finance Office on 8838 1214 weekdays from 8.00am – 4.00pm or email to finance@olmc.nsw.edu.au

Mrs Anne-Maree Ironside
Finance Manager