Dear OLMC families,

Welcome to the final newsletter for 2020. And what a year 2020 has been!

As we complete the final week at the College, it has been a period of great reflection and celebration. Each day this week we have been acknowledging the achievements of every student throughout 2020. As well as significant academic achievements, students have been acknowledged for their contributions to our community in diverse areas of service and Mission. What a rich community we are, made more so by the contributions of each one of us!

I thought I would share with you some of my thoughts as I spoke with each group of students this week:

“Good morning students. Good morning staff.

Who has noticed the corner of the AMCC on O’Connell St and Victoria Rd?

Who has seen the sign on the corner of the building?

Do you know what it says?

Yes – Expanding beyond what we know we can be!

Do you know what it means?

Yes – being more than we think we can be; becoming more than we think we can become; doing more that we think we can do. It even means keeping on going when we don’t want to give up and finding more inner strength that we didn’t know we had!

2020, for all of us, has been a year like no other when all these things are true about us!

We have all expanded beyond what we know we can be!

Everyone is calling 2020 an unprecedented year and they have talked about the dreadful challenges we have all faced. They have told us we should feel anxious and that life sometimes is unfair because we have missed out on things that should have happened but didn’t. Sometimes it is okay to feel this way but it is not okay to let these negative feelings control us. It is not good for us!

So when challenges come our way we have two choices:

1. We can let challenges and negative feelings take control of us or
2. We can control those challenges and face them head on. And even though we might feel a little anxious and that life is unfair (and we all do at times!) we can act with confidence and courage because we are in it together here at OLMC!

Of course things happened: COVID-19 we didn’t see coming, but every challenge that came our way we faced together and I couldn’t be more proud of you all than I am in this moment .

I want us to think of 2020 as a remarkable year that has brought out the best in all of us! A year when we look back and see how much stronger we all are, how much more we know our true worth and how committed we all are to our Mercy community. Today we are here celebrating each other and acknowledging our resilience and persistence.

The beginning of 2020 was also still a challenge because bushfires were still affecting many Australian communities. And then the Coronavirus struck.

As a strong Mercy community, we felt these challenges keenly and initially focussed our efforts on supporting those affected by the hardship of drought and the regional communities struggling to rebuild after the fires had ravaged their homes but not their resilience. Awareness raising and fundraising became just two practical ways of trying to be of service to those who had suffered loss and hope. You might have helped to organise bucket collections of gold coin donations at the College gates or a Gelato Day where all proceeds were donated to Drought relief. Your generosity truly lives out our Mercy Values of compassion, service and dignity.

We started the year by talking about our Mercy Value for 2020 “dignity.” We agreed that:

Dignity is the treatment of each person with respect and the recognition of their inherent value and worth.

Let me remind you that we decided that we would: 

• Be aware of your value as a human being made in the image of God
• Be positive, hopeful and kind

You have all conducted yourselves with great dignity throughout every experience.

By March 2020, Australia began witnessing the worsening effects of COVID-19 on the world. International travel was halted, the pandemic was spreading and here at OLMC we began to prepare for Continuous Learning.

Not one of us saw this coming. It has never happened in my lifetime, your parents’ lifetime or yours! It really is an extraordinary event that has asked much of us and we have responded extraordinarily well.

Instead of onsite learning you were asked to learn remotely and you did! Instead of interacting with your teachers face to face you zoomed them. And you did it brilliantly.

When we all had to self-isolate for 14 days you continued your learning and patiently waited to return to the College.

I believe we have all learned some valuable insights during 2020.

• We have learned to never give up
• We have learned to try our best no matter what because that is who we are
• We have learned that a sense of humour is important
• We have learned that together we truly can expand beyond what we know we can be!

2021 marks a new beginning at the College. We will have a new College Principal to welcome, Ms Lucie Farrugia, and we are all excitedly anticipating her arrival. I am very much looking forward to supporting Ms Farrugia in my continuing role of Deputy Principal at the College. I know that she brings a great wealth of experience with her and that she will make our Mercy community even stronger and richer by her presence.

I have been privileged to lead the College as Principal (Acting) in 2020, in what has been an eventful year for us all. I wish to thank all of the OLMC Staff- teaching and support - for their magnificent efforts throughout the year to ensure things ran as smoothly as possible for everyone. A particular thank you to those staff who stepped into acting roles during the year. I am grateful for the support of the College Board and particularly the Board Chair, Ms Kerrie Walshaw. Thank you to the Sisters of Mercy, Parramatta, for their unwavering prayers and support. Thank you to the College Leadership Team for their professionalism and loyalty as we have navigated this remarkable year together. A special thank you to Ms Gemma VandePeer who has supported me so well as Deputy Principal (Acting) during 2020. And thank you to all of you parents who have supported us all and offered vital words of encouragement at crucial times.

To the students and families who are moving to new schools in 2021– I wish you a positive experience and thank you for your contributions to our Mercy community.

To the staff who are moving on to the next phases of their careers – go safely and with our best wishes. Thank you for your contributions to our Mercy Ministry.

As I encouraged the students this week to consider the following so I now encourage you: As you prepare for the Christmas break and get ready to spend time with your families and friends I would like you to spend some time thinking about your amazing achievements in this remarkable year that has been 2020!

You are different now. You are stronger in ways that you do not realise yet!

Never lose your confidence and courage -  you are a Mercy Girl!

Be proud of who you are becoming!

Merry Christmas everyone.

Stay safe and well.

Warm regards,

Marie Wood
Principal (Acting)

ADDITIONAL NOTICES

Uniform Changeover

Term 1, 2021 will mark the beginning of a new era at the College as the uniform changeover process, which began in 2018, will be complete.

All Mercy Girls in every Year Group will be wearing the brand-new uniform from the start of the 2021 school year.

This is a very exciting time in the College’s long history. This change is a tangible reconnection to our rich Mercy heritage; blue is the colour most commonly associated with Mercy around the world and many past OLMC uniforms have featured the colour blue.

We are delighted that our current students, families and staff can be part of this historic moment.

Please visit the Uniform Shop online to book your appointment, see opening hours, make online purchases and view then price list. https://www.olmc.nsw.edu.au/enrolments/uniform-shop/

To assist in the transition to the new uniform, the College set up an Old Style Second Hand Uniforms Facebook page. This will now be closed from 11 December,  2020.

Music at OLMC

In the last newsletter, you received notification that the Mercy Music and Performance Academy Parramatta would not continue in 2021.

It is important to note that this does not in any way change what musical opportunities are available to Mercy Girls. The same music subjects and co-curricular groups (such as choir, orchestra etc) will all continue with no change.

The change is to the administrative/operational structure of music at the College only. Music at OLMC is returning to the same structure that was in place before the Academy launched in 2015.

The only significant change that will occur in 2021 is that non-OLMC students will no longer receive music tuition here at the College.

The College’s strong tradition of music excellence will continue as all music curricular and co-curricular offerings and lessons will remain. Mercy Girls will have every opportunity to develop their musical talents to their potential. The College is committed to building upon our strong musical legacy; we will continue to honour our rich musical history into the future.

Dear students, families and staff,

This is a short note to wish you all well as we close the School Year for 2020 to celebrate the Christmas season.

This year has given us the opportunity to slow down, reflect upon all that is truly important to us as a community and then, to look forward with positive anticipation.

I am very excited to begin the new year as Principal of OLMC with our wonderful and welcoming staff, and I hope to meet as many of you as possible in the early days of 2021.

In particular, please mark the following occasions in your calendars; 

• House Welcoming Evening for Year 7 families – Monday 15 February
• Meet the New Principal: Parent Event – Friday 26 February

I encourage you to join in the Christmas Liturgical Season within our Church and I wish you all a safe and happy holiday with those you love.

Ms Lucie Farrugia
New College Principal (from 2021)

The entire College community - students, teachers, support staff, parents - deserves to be commended for their achievements during their 2020 learning journey.

No-one could have envisaged how the year would unfold but it has indeed been a year packed full of learning.

Our Year 7 cohort are no longer new and have discovered that not only can they manage the demands of learning at secondary school level, but they can learn independently and remotely. Furthermore, they have also learnt a whole range of soft skills as they eventually had the opportunity to discover the joys of working collaboratively with their peers in the same physical space.

Students in Years 8-12 changed the way they approached their learning and assessment, and many embraced the opportunity to focus less on marks, ranks, grades and formal assessment tasks, and more on their own personal growth as they challenged themselves to learn new concepts and to master new skills for the sheer joy of doing so, rather than to determine whether they could do so faster or better than someone else.

Being presented with learning activities categorised according to whether they must, should or could complete the associated evidence of learning tasks, to demonstrate their achievement of the weekly learning targets, led many students to think more carefully about their own learning.  Teachers have reported that as their agency increased, students have been more willing to make sensible and informed decisions, and to challenge themselves to attempt the more complex tasks and grapple with more complex ideas. This learning, more than anything, has been a wonderful outcome of 2020.

Despite the added challenges the year brought, our Year 12 cohort maintained their focus and kept pursuing their goals, making the most of the myriad of opportunities afforded them throughout the year such as study weeks, masterclasses, “sprints” (timed conditions response training) and individual learning conversations with their teachers. As a result, they handled their HSC examinations extremely well and concluded their secondary schooling with a Graduation Ceremony and their much anticipated Formal.

At the Graduation Ceremony, as each student was presented with her Graduation Certificate and her House Leader provided some insight into the student’s day to day contributions to her House and Homeroom, indicating the legacy that each young woman has left. Many students also received additional commendation for outstanding contribution to the College, academic excellence, commitment to Mercy Values, sporting excellence, and vocational education. The following special awards were also presented:

• Higher School Certificate Dux – Josie Wehbe
• Catherine McAuley Award – Stephanie Arulthasan
• Bishop’s Award – Gabriella Nimmo
• Caltex Best All-Rounder Award – Katarina Butler
• Bernice Kennedy Award for Sporing Excellence – Summer Giddings
• Robert Beazley Award for Music Excellence – Angela Younes
• Gleeca Cox Award for Excellence in Musical Performance – Antonia Khalil

Congratulations to Year 12 and well done to all students for the magnificent way in which you managed your learning in this most memorable year.

Mrs Jennie Mater
Director of Teaching and Learning (Acting)

The leasing of Level 1 and Level 4 of 12 Victoria Road gives OLMC Parramatta an opportunity not only to expand its spatial footprint during a period of significant building on the main site, but also an opportunity to test and validate learning experiences that are not possible in traditional classrooms.

The aim of 12VR is to be a hub of innovative learning and teaching, providing space and facilities that can be used in a more experimental way than most facilities on the main campus. It also allows for these types of activities to occur without disruption to other events and activities on the main site.

12VR will be the launchpad for many ideas that can then be embedded in the next iteration of learning and teaching programs on the main campus.

In 2021, we will prioritise current College activities which best fit the potential of the space and then during 2021 seek to identify truly transformational experiences for education at OLMC.

Mr Matthew Esterman
Director of Learning Technologies and Innovation

Wishing everyone a very Merry and peaceful Christmas and a safe and happy New Year. To finish the year, here are a few opportunities and ideas for students and parents.

Take care all,
Louise Weihan

National Art School BFA Exhibition Opening Night

Friday 11 December. 6–10pm to 20 December
Entrance from Forbes Street

You can experience the exhibition in the NAS Gallery, Rayner Hoff Project Space, Building 25 Project Space and Open Studios throughout the iconic National Art school campus. This is a wonderful night to celebrate the contemporary, the new and the emerging as our BFA cohort is released into the world. The next new art by the best new BFA artists is on offer throughout the evening and every day until 20 December. Meet our artists and enjoy a night of music, food and pop up bars, and you can purchase works from Australia’s #nextgennas.

https://nas.edu.au/the-grad-show-2020/

2020 Sport has now come to a close. Despite very little sport being able to occur this year, we were able to finish the year off with a few events with several OLMC girls showing their sporting talents.

Irish Dance

Congratulations to Ellexis Hanley who competed at the State Irish Championships last weekend, placing 5^th, and qualifying to compete at the World Irish Dance Championships next year (as long as it goes ahead). Rachel French also Came 2nd and Qualified for the World Championships in her section, and former student Isabelle Fitzpatrick also won her section and qualified for Worlds. We wish the girls all the best for the year to come.

Golf

Congratulations to Annoushka Maikap who last weekend competed at the Brett Ogle Junior Masters (Goulburn) and ranked 6th in her category.

She will be playing two more tournaments in December - North Coast Junior Masters, Kew Country Club, and the JNJG 12 Years and Under State, Moss Vale Golf Club. We wish Annoushka the best of luck at these tournaments.

CGSSSA Tennis

On Monday November 23, OLMC was represented by Renee Poon, Catherine Yue & Angelene Lu at the CGSSSA Tennis Championships. The rain held off long enough for the girls to finally play. All the girls played exceptionally well, but a big congratulations must go to Angelene & Catherine who finished Runners Up in the Intermediate Doubles Division. Well done girls.

NSW All Schools Athletics

In the final sporting event for the year, albeit later than usual, the NSW All Schools Athletics Championships will be held from December 3 – 6 at SOPAC. I wish the girls competing all best and I hope you are able to record a number of PB’s. Good luck to Lara Griffiths, Lucie Francis and Summer Giddings.

Saturday Volleyball and Basketball

The Saturday Volleyball and Basketball season has now come to a close. All teams should be congratulated on their enthusiasm for the season and their continued improvements. Here are the results for weeks 4 and 5:

Volleyball

Basketball

Finally, here are the team’s overall placings:

Merry Christmas

I want to finish off by saying thank you to everyone for their continued support of sport this year. It was challenging as we were not able to hold more sporting opportunities for the girls, but it was great to finish end the year with a few events.

I look forward to working with you all again next year, hopefully with a lot more sport on offer.

I wish you all very Merry Christmas and have a safe and restful break.

Stuart Guthrie, 
Sports Coordinator

PUBLIC SPEAKING

Some competitions are still to be finalized so we have to wait till 2021 to announce results. Two girls have advanced to exceptional levels of achievement in their respective events.

Riley Rodewald, now in Year 12, has progressed to the State Final of the UN Voice competition on Monday 7 December. Riley will be presenting at NSW Parliament House on that day and the top four students represent NSW in the Australian Final at Easter next year. Riley reached the National level in Hobart three years ago in the Junior division, no doubt gaining benefit from that experience. We wish her luck in the event.

Jennifer Wang of Year 7 has achieved something in her first year at OLMC that few students even aspire to.  She is one of only two competitors who were selected to represent Australia in the World Final of the Speaking4thePlanet competition. Jennifer had to compete against students up to two years older than herself but her outstanding ability has seen her progress though all preliminary rounds, including State and National Finals. We should receive results over the next week but no matter what happens, Jennifer’s achievement is simply remarkable. Well done!

NEWS FLASH! We have just been advised that Jennifer has been crowned World Champion in the Junior section of the Speaking4thePlanet competition. This achievement is simply remarkable and is testament to the outstanding talent that Jennifer has. This is the first World public speaking champion we have had at OLMC and is sure to inspire other students to follow in her footsteps.

UN VOICE

While Riley Rodewald has made the State Final of this competition, three others were eliminated in the State semi-final stage of the competition. Gabrielle Fleming of Year 7, Ivana Stefanovski of Year 8 and Jemima McKenna of Year 9 should be proud of reaching a level that few students achieve. 

CHRISTMAS COMPETITION

Our annual Christmas Competition to decide Speaker of the Year in each of Years 7, 8 and 9 went ahead last week with some excellent speeches being delivered. As always, there were some students involved who had not done public speaking before, revealing the great depth of talent we have at the College in public speaking. Thank you to new DAPS leaders Sabrina Catania and Anne Nguyen who organized the event and provided the topic “Christmas in the future will look like…”, as well as acting as adjudicators for the event.

The three girls who won their respective events truly deserve praise for their inspirational speeches which they had to prepare without any support from others.

Our champions for 2020, who now have their names engraved on their respective winning shields, were:

• Year 7   Sierra Lake
• Year 8   Mia Fogolin
• Year 9   Ambeikaa Mishra

Thank you to all the other girls who entered the competition and made it such a success.

LOOKING FORWARD

Finally, a sincere thank you to all the teachers and many other members of staff who have helped in making 2020 such a success for public speaking.  Above all, thank you to our wonderful girls who made the impossible, possible, in a year that will always be remembered for its challenges.

We look forward to an even more promising year ahead.

Christopher Ostrowski
Public Speaking Coordinator

OLMC Parramatta is committed to providing excellence in education for our girls. The College operates on a not-for-profit basis and our fee structure has always been designed to cover costs of operating the College.

Each year, the costs involved in operating the College increase. In 2021, the College has secured a rental space at 12 Victoria Road, which will be used as a learning space as we undertake the new building program as part of the next Masterplan. This arrangement avoids the use of demountable classrooms, ensuring our girls can continue to learn in high-quality facilities. The cost of this rental is $427.00 per student for the year. This, together with teacher salary increases under the Award, government mandated superannuation increases, and increased IT costs, creates a total increase in College operational costs of $654.00 per student. 

The College has taken the decision to recover only a portion of this increase in costs through Fees, and to increase Tuition and Resource Fees by only an average of $335.00 per student (from Years 7-12) in 2021.

This fee increase is smaller than the 2020 increase; it takes into consideration the current climate, endeavouring to ensure a Mercy Education continues to be widely available to families in our community seeking an education in the Mercy tradition.

Michael Cuzic
Director of Business Services

Despite the challenges presented this year, there is still much to celebrate about 2020 and I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for the support you have given to the College this year. The girls have shown determination and resilience and continued to be caring of each other and deserve a very relaxing Christmas holiday.

For your information, the arrangements for Friday December 4 are:

• This Friday December 4, 2020 is the final day for students and an opportunity to fundraise for Jesuit Refugee Services, who require urgent financial assistance to continue their mission.
• Girls are encouraged to wear appropriate Christmas themed casual clothing (no midriffs showing) on Friday in exchange for a gold coin donation. Closed in shoes are compulsory.
• There is also approximately 90 minutes dedicated to fundraising activities and girls are encouraged to bring some gold coins to participate in the Prize Wheel, Coin Toss (for chocolates), Flowerpot ping pong, Sporting challenges, Christmas song request, Instant photo booth and more.

Uniform Reminders for 2021

When purchasing shoes for the commencement of the 2021 school year please note:  

• school shoes should be black, leather, low heeled and lace up and with no coloured stitching, or coloured laces. Shoes should be polished regularly. Flat heeled, leather shoes that resemble a black jazz shoe are not acceptable, nor are slip on ‘boat’ shoes.
• Sporting shoes should be a predominantly white lace up sport shoe. Volleys, Rabens, high tops and skate shoes are not acceptable.

Mrs Anne-Maree Donnelly
Director of Pastoral Care

Cambodia Stall

Thank you to all staff and students who purchased items from the Cambodia Stall which we ran least week. We raised over $800 through sales. These funds will go towards our next Cambodian Immersion. We have had to put this on hold for the moment due to the pandemic but we look forward to being able to build houses once again for the local people in Cambodia once travel restrictions lift!

JRS Donations

The Jesuit Refugee Service has also benefited from the OLMC community's generosity; thank you to our girls and families for the donation of toiletries and gifts. We were able to donate a boot-full of goods for the refugee families living in our local community.

The Mufti Day on the final day of his Term will raise money for JRS and we will use this money to purchase much needed gift vouchers for the families. If anyone would like to contribute a $20, $30 or $50 Coles Myer Gift Card, these can be taken to Student Services for collection.

Guard of Honour

The passing of a Sister of Mercy is always a time when the entire community reflects on the wonderful contribution that the Sisters have made, and continue to make, to the life of our College and community. Sr Pauline Smith was a much loved Sister of Mercy who worked at OLMC as an RE and Languages teacher and was also the Congregation Leader for six years from 1986.

Year 9 students stood proudly to form a Guard of Honour, a sign of respect and a final farewell to a Sister of Mercy who has left a long lasting impact on the whole Mercy family.

Thank you to the staff and students who assisted on this day, especially to the six students and Ms Lonergan who remained after the funeral to serve lunch to the guests in the Convent. Your service on this day was very much appreciated.

Clare House Leader        

What are the key responsibilities of your Portfolio? As Clare House Leader, I am responsible for leading Clare House. This means I must act as a role model for the girls, representing the notion of Mercy through my everyday actions. It is my job to promote participation in co-curricular and leadership roles, as well as provide a safe place for the girls in my House. As for school events, I willingly offer my assistance whereever needed and actively participate in discussions focusing on improving morale at the school.       

What is your vision as Leader of this Portfolio in 2021/2021? My vision for the Clare House is to be different. I want the House to shine as a whole, showcasing our excellent morale and family-like atmosphere. I will strive to reach every single girl and personally try to connect with them, starting with juniors. Ultimately, I would like to strongly indicate to the girls that I will always be available for them if ever they are in trouble, or even just need someone to listen to them speak. My mind is overwhelmed with ideas that aim to broaden the relationship between fellow Clare girls as well as motivate students to strive for more - academically and socially. In essence, my vision as a Clare House Leader for 2020/2021 is to inspire my girls to be better.        

What is something about yourself that others might be surprised to know about you? At the start of high school, I came to a school knowing absolutely no one and was forced to overcome my shyness and make friends. After only a few months, I joined multiple co-curricular activities. The OLMC community broadened my interests in sports (specifically soccer), in music (specifically piano), and community service. Now, in Year 11, I have built houses in Cambodia, hiked for days in the rain, and gained enough courage to become a student leader at the school. All of these things are voluntary acts that 'five years ago Rose' would have never accomplished.   

What would be a good theme song for your life? A good theme song would be ‘I was here’ by Beyoncé. Whether I end up in history books or as a warm memory for my loved ones, I would like to make a difference to the world. My goal is to inspire people so much so that they will never forget me. My goal is to leave this world having changed it for the better. My goal is to better the lives of people who are suffering and to be remembered.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

Stewardship Leader       

What are the key responsibilities of your Portfolio? To bring awareness to the many environmental issues in our Australian society, and to inspire and challenge the school community to be conscious of their role in maintaining the environment for future generations.  

What is your vision as Leader of this Portfolio in 2021/2021? I hope to inspire girls to develop a greater passion for the environment by bringing forth awareness in an engaging and insightful manner. My goal is for girls to be conscious of the power their voice holds in making a difference, and caring for the environment. Specifically, I aim to bring attention to the many (at least 40) Aboriginal sites that are being destroyed for profitable gain, hence providing a cumulative loss to the cultural values of the Aboriginal people.                               

What would be a good theme song for your life? I wouldn’t label it as a theme song for my life, however a song that continues to motivate me during many of my hardships is here comes the sun by The Beatles. I would say that this song is fitting for my life because life is very bumpy with many ups and downs, and during those hard times I strive to maintain a positive mindset in that it’s only going to get better from there, and with the right support and influence, academic improvement or a heightened well being is inevitable.

Name one person whom you would like to share a meal with and why? I would love to share a meal with Jacinda Ardern. In my opinion, Jacinda Ardern is a model leader, in that she is kind, sympathetic and holds a high standard of integrity. I would commend her on her incredible and truly motivating reactions to the Christchurch shootings, and Covid-19 crisis. I am hoping that she would share some tips on how she maintains such integrity during stressful moments, and what difficulties she faced being a woman in politics.        

A prayer by St Francis Xavier

O my Lord Jesus!
Teach me to be generous;
teach me to serve You as you deserve;
to give, and not to count the cost;
to fight and not to heed the wounds;
to toil and not to ask for rest;
to labour, seeking no reward,
save that of knowing that I do Thy will. Amen.

December 3 marks the feast day of St Francis Xavier, a Spanish missionary who gave up all that he had to go and work with the poorest of the poor. This week, let us reflect on the way that we can help other people, and be Mercy to another friend or family member. 

Book Binding Tub

As 2020 concludes, and students start looking at emptying out their lockers, we have placed some cardboard boxes outside the Chapel. Please leave your exercise books in here so that we can sort them and bring new life to the paper! Click here to view the poster.

Vinnies Hampers

Thank you to our families who made significant contributions to our annual Vinnies Hampers. The Mercy Action Representatives packed the hampers and had them arranged and ready for collection by our local North Rocks Vinnies volunteers.

How to access support during the holidays 

As Christmas approaches, it is important to note that not everyone finds this time of the year the easiest. There are often high expectations placed on us to see family and friends, enjoy one another’s company, share a meal, exchange gifts, laughter and merriment. The reality is often nothing like this and the higher your expectations the more disappointment you might feel. For some, spending time with family can re-open old wounds, for others it is a reminder of those no longer with us to celebrate. Some will find that they feel an overwhelming sense of loneliness and isolation despite being surrounded by loved ones, possibly leading to low moods and/ or anxiety about why they feel this way. 

If the holidays are a time of stress or distress for you or a loved one, please reach out and get some support. This can be informal support through family and friends, or more formal support via a counsellor or a crisis helpline.  

If you would like to access a counsellor, often the best place to start is with a trip to your General Practitioner who may provide you with a mental health plan allowing you to access a psychologist for a number of sessions at a subsidised rate. 

Crisis helplines provide free, confidential support, usually 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  

Lifeline: https://www.lifeline.org.au/ Phone: 13 11 14 

Kids Helpline: https://kidshelpline.com.au/ Phone: 1800 551 800 (A service for anyone from 5-25 years of age) 

The College Counsellors wish you and your families a safe, healthy and restful break and look forward to supporting your daughters in 2021. 

Mrs Sandra Portela
Senior Counsellor 

Worn Up- Uniform Collection and Recycling

As the year draws to a close we reach the end of an era with the “old style” College uniform. As there will not be an option to pass these on to younger students, we have been able to engage the services of a company called “Worn Up.” This company takes unused uniforms and processes them into new raw materials that are then used to create new products such as desks, acoustic tiles and other small products. Imagine our old school uniforms being transformed into new school desks! This saves them from contributing to landfill as branded items are not able to be sold in charity stores. Soon in the Student Centre, there will be our very own OLMC recycling pod.

Succulents

The Mission Leaders are always looking for ways to add a little bit of brightness to people’s days. As a small gift to the Mercy Action Representatives at the conclusion of 2020, the Mission Leaders decided to 'pot up' some home grown succulents. This is a wonderful initiative as the little plant will be able to grow and provide a little bit of colour to our OLMC community! Next year we are hoping to have a succulent and herb trading day where we can all bring in cuttings and samples to share and grow at home!

Christmas Wreaths Upcycling of Uniforms

As we transition next year into the new College uniform for the entire school, we have been thinking up creative ways of recycling the “old” summer uniforms. The Mercy Action Girls have been making some lovely Christmas wreaths which are a terrific final activity for the year and is another way to save the material from going to waste!

As the end of the year seems to draw to a close, it is amazing to reflect on the work of the Mission team this year! We are in full swing to ensure that our donations are all distributed to needy families. We have been making the most of the resources we have available to upcycle, regift and recycle gods in our local environment and we are set for our End of Year Liturgy this Friday.

To say the Mission Leaders of 2020-2021 have been resilient is an understatement. These girls have continued to amaze me with their innovation, passion and dedication to ensuring that we all have the best possible experience here at OLMC. From our moving liturgies and Masses to the initiatives for Mercy Action and EcoOLMC, the girls have always been prepared to adapt as necessary to our ever changing world.

Thank you to all girls and staff members who have worked hard to ensure the continuation of Mission at OLMC. I look forward to working with you all in 2021 and wish all a joyous festive season where we pause to remember the birth of Jesus Christ.

Mrs Gabby Scanlon
Director of Mission