From Year 7 through to Years 12, students are immersed in Mercy education throughout their years with us. As our College name speaks proudly of being under the protection of our Lady, Mother of Mercy, our College community celebrated the Feast of the Assumption on Monday, 15  August. During this celebration, I reflected upon Mary’s legacy that exists at the heart of the Mercy Values and our College Mission.

At the conclusion of any prayer, Mercy Girls are reminded of Mary’s courage and selflessness as they speak the words ‘Mary Mother of Mercy, Pray for Us.’ And as we celebrated Mary’s assumption, I began to reflect on her unconditional love and mercy that has shaped the faith of over two billion Christians living across the world. Empowering generations of women, it is Mary’s inner strength and persistence in times of uncertainty that inspires student life at OLMC.

One of the things I love most about being the Principal of an all-girls College is the confidence and courage that is fostered among the young women of the future. As I walk through Francis Kearney Playground and Kavanagh Place at recess and lunchtime, the joyful conversation and laughter shared between Mercy Girls is a pleasure to observe.

We don’t have to look far to discover the future experiences and impactful careers that a Mercy education offers. Our latest issue of OLMsCene details the life of Mary Rossi, who attended OLMC from 1936-1939 before completing her Honours in Arts at the University of Sydney at age 18. Later hosting the television show ‘Women’s World’ on ABC, Rossi epitomises the role of a Mercy education in inspiring excellence and lifelong learning.

Outside the educational sphere, inspirational women are continuously advocating for social change across Australia. The late Olivia Newton John was a famous entertainer in a younger life but also beautifully remembered for dedicating her life to raising awareness and fundraising for cancer research. It is the lives of these courageous advocates that make me so proud to be part of the Mercy community. Female empowerment exists within every sphere of College life.

We have just announced our 2023 College Musical ‘The Little Mermaid’, that will transform a classic tale into a College production. The Creative and Performing Arts department is already underway with planning for this community event and I will certainly be sitting front row on opening night! 

Celebrating the achievements in Art and Design at our 2022 Showcase, I was in awe of the creativity of our Year 12 HSC students. Held for the first time in three years, it was exciting to experience the thought-provoking works of Mercy Girls.

The College was buzzing with excitement on the first Sport and Cocurricular Photo Day in over a decade, and I was amazed to see all the Mercy Girls who are getting involved in co-curricular activities. A special mention to the 166 girls participating in Public Speaking, setting a new record for 2022. Student participation in Mercy Action, Eco OLMC the College Chamber Choir, Cross Country and Netball was equally remarkable, and we will hopefully see even more Mercy Girls trying something new next year.

Finally, reminder to all, looking forward our Father Daughter Mass, we have scheduled this College event for 2 September, featuring a mass in the Chapel followed by a delicious breakfast. At this vibrant and busy time for the College all our events in the coming weeks of Term 3 will bring lasting memories for years to come.

Ms Lucie Farrugia
Colllege Principal

At lunchtime on Monday 15 August, we celebrated the Feast of the Assumption with a lunchtime prayer service led by College Liturgy Leaders, Katherine Baker and Joanna Davino. The prayer service was a recognition of Mary’s miraculous journey, body and soul, to heaven and allowed staff and students to pray the Rosary and spend time in quiet prayer.

On Wednesday 17 August, I accompanied Mrs Angilletta and Ms Plummer who took 40 students down to Parramatta Square to participate in the annual Busking in the Mall event. This is a fundraising event that raises much-needed funds for St Vincent de Paul. The students played beautifully and entertained the people walking through the area. After two hours, these amazing musicians raised $690 which was added to the $600 donation from the City of Parramatta. This money will be sent to our local Vinnies Chapter and will be used to assist families living in our community.

On 17 August, the College Orchestra, Chamber Ensemble and Concert Band, made their way to Parramatta Town Square to perform as part of a fundraising initiative for the Vinnies Winter Appeal.

We performed a variety of music for the public and whilst we played, those of us who weren’t involved in the music-making were holding buckets for donations. People would donate whatever they could – the coins and notes that made their way into the buckets ranged from twenty-cent pieces to ten-dollar notes. The people who passed us were extremely supportive and often showed a lot of interest in what we were doing, sometimes pausing to ask questions.

Along with the ensemble performances, there were also a number of solo performances from Miriam Chacty, Anna Janczewski, Danielle Ma, Seraphima Beame, Jennifer Wang, Erin Lee and Grace Mahony.

Within the short time that we had at the event we managed to raise more than $1,200!  

We’d like to thank all the people involved for making it such an enjoyable experience, from students to teachers, as well as Vinnies Staff, who welcomed us with open arms. 

Seraphima Beame, Jennifer Wang, Emma O’Rourke, Daniella Ma & Anna J (Orchestra students)

Thank you to the students and families who joined me at St John XXIII last week for the launch of World Youth Day which is being held in Portugal next year. The launch included songs of praise by Fr Rob Galea and his band, information from Fr Chris D’Souza and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.

WYD23 will be an amazing opportunity for young people from around the world to meet together and say prayer, community and catechesis as they make their pilgrimage across four countries. All students aged 16 or over are invited to apply to be a part of this event, you do not need to have attended the launch. At the moment, expressions of interest are open and the non-refundable deposit is due in October. Please see the relevant information below and check with your local parish or the website for updates.

• Express your interest to join the pilgrimage at www.parrawyd.org
•     More information can be found here: https://qrco.de/bdF941/

All students should now have placed their orders for lunch on Mercy Day. This is optional and students are reminded that they can also bring in their own food - perhaps enjoy a picnic with friends! We will continue to take payment for pre-ordered food before school and at lunchtime all week. Please remember to bring your cash or keycard as you will not be able to pay with a mobile phone.

We look forward to sharing this community event which starts with Mass and then becomes a wonderful day of stalls, music and friendship.

Mrs Gabby Scanlon
Director of Identity

We will be conducting an online Parent Information Evening (Year 12, 2023) via Zoom for Year 11 Parents/Carers and Students on Tuesday, 18 October 2022 from 5.00pm – 6.00pm.

Further details to be sent by Mrs Louise Millar, Director of Teaching & Learning.

What’s happening in Language classrooms?

Year 7 Language Students have been very busy this term using their target language of study in creating a variety of end products.

Year 7 French Students have now learnt to communicate in French to give details about themselves and their families. They created an album of their own family or an imaginary family. They enjoyed presenting extensive descriptions of their family members and some were accompanied by drawings. Year 7 Japanese Students also produced introductions of their family members applying the script of Hiragana and Kanji. They will also be creating pet posters and making origami to attach to these posters.

Year 7 Spanish Students created a rap song in Spanish using Band Lab to produce their music with a Latin or Spanish ‘flavour’. They then recorded their own lyrics in Spanish using the language they have learnt thus far. Students enjoyed the experience using their creative and linguistic skills.

The use of games is one of the strategies to engage students in learning the target language. Students in Year 7 really enjoyed using the ‘One dice, One pen’ game in the lessons. A simple and fast game to drill the newly learnt sentences or vocabulary in the target language.

This week, OLMC is celebrating Book Week, with the theme Dreaming with Eyes Open. 

The Library is organising lots of exciting activities throughout the week for students and staff to enjoy, culminating on Friday, 26 August with a Character Dress-up Day and Lunchtime Parade. 

On this day, students can wear appropriate mufti clothing to school and then change into character costumes at school. They will then change back into mufti for the journey home from school. In exchange, students will be asked to make a $2 donation to support Mercy Works.

Apart from favourite book characters, students may also take their inspiration from ComicCon (Cosplay) and dress up as a character from television, film, or comics. There is no need for elaborate or expensive costumes. The key is for students to use their imagination and get together with friends in a group theme.   

Please click here to see the guidelines regarding appropriate mufti and character costumes. This has also been shared through the students’ weekly newsletter. 

During Study Week last term, Year 12 PDHPE students had the opportunity to attend the Sports Science Centre at Narrabeen to put Core 2 theory learning into practical experiences. After theoretically revising components and functions of the body’s three energy systems, we participated in activities that utilised each system. Activities included the vertical jump and Wingate tests using anaerobic energy as well as the VO2Max test to measure aerobic oxygen uptake. The advanced technology at the centre allowed us to measure our own absolute power and lactate levels during these tests to compare with elite athletes and it also produced various charts that represented our exercise intensity so we could visualise our output.

To conclude the day, we learned appropriate ways to develop types of strength and followed this with a strength training session of our own. The excursion was an engaging way to revise content and was highly valuable to our HSC preparations. Many thanks to Mrs McIntosh and Mrs McManus for arranging the excursion and supporting us on the day.

Charlotte Gillies (Year 12)

Boundaries are not just about saying ‘no’ or keeping people and their demands away. Boundaries give us a sense of agency and control over ourselves, they define us and also provide safe and permissible ways for other people to behave toward us.

Boundaries are essential for our immediate and ongoing mental health, well-being and even safety. 

MSP Photography attended the College last Friday to take Sports and Co-curricular Photographs.

Currently, the images are being processed. Upon completion, a letter will be sent to every student involved in these group photographs. It will contain instructions on where families can view and order the photos.

CSDA Debating

After being crowned Year 8 CSDA Debating Champions last week, our 8B team heard the news that the State Finals are being reinstated after a break of about three years. This means that the team will now compete for the State Title on Friday, 11 November at a venue to be decided.

The girls of 8B were officially presented with their winning shields at Assembly this week in front of the whole school, and deservedly so. Well done again to A’ishah Ali, Lizzy Butler, Pia Goradia, Bianca Mina and Celina Wassef as well as their coach, ex-DAPS Leader Lily Tambrichi.

I apologise to Ms Naomi James whose name was inadvertently left out when I thanked the many people who helped out at the Grand Final. Ms James was instrumental in the success of the evening, performing a wide range of responsibilities essential in such an event. Her contribution was very much appreciated.

Intraschool Debating

The Intraschool Debating Competition is in full swing and has discovered many outstanding debaters. Thank you again to all those involved but there is a need for two special mentions. First of all, thank you to Year 12 student, Cassidy Turrell, who stepped in at short notice to adjudicate when others could not make it. Cassidy was most professional in her assessment of the debate, so much so that she has also been asked to adjudicate again.

Also worthy of mention is the Year 9/10 White team of Hasini Madukuri, Akanksha Gowda, Nyssa Suraj and Lohita Gollavilli who graciously agreed to postpone their debate when their opposition encountered problems at the last moment. True Mercy spirit, girls!

Public Speaking

Many girls are in the preparation stage for upcoming events. There was some disappointing news when we found out that the Australian Debating and Public Speaking Titles as well as their Junior counterpart, Speakfest, were no longer to be held live in Melbourne in September but have now reverted to an online competition. Nevertheless, the girls involved are well on the way with their preparation. The Senior team consists of Sophie Assaad, Megan Keller, Hayden Rodewald and Neha Sharma while the Junior Speakfest team is Lizzy Butler, Celeste Ieronimo, Ashlyn Kumar and Sofia Tong.

This week, talented Year 9 speaker Hasini Madukuri is competing in the Regional Final of the Legacy Public Speaking competition. We wish her well and a report will be in the next edition of Parragraph.

No fewer than 17 students are preparing for the upcoming Soroptimist Competition. This is a record number of entries we have had (or in fact, that any school has had), a testament to the enthusiasm of our public speakers. We wish them well in their preparation.

Christopher Ostrowski
Debating and Public Speaking Coordinator

This term has seen several activities undertaken with our partner organisations that offer unique opportunities to our students.

Students in our VET Hospitality and VET Business Services courses completed work placement with our partners at VenuesLive NSW, who run Commbank Stadium and Accor Stadium. Our Year 10 PASS class also attended a bespoke visit to the Stadium to explore event management and entertainment services, with backstage access to several teams and facilities who help make amazing events happen! All students who undertake work experience or induction for casual work at the stadium can then take on positions at either Commbank or Accor stadiums.

Our Powerhouse Museum partnership has grown to include a program called Hidden Lessons, which is a project that will culminate in students curating an exhibition based on the experience of learning and education in recent times. 18 students have taken part in workshops on Wednesday and Saturday evenings to build their understanding of museum curation and working with themes and objects.  We also continue to contribute to the work of the Powerhouse Parramatta project through the Community Reference Group.

The Future Not Followers financial literacy program with Western Sydney Women wrapped up with a graduation ceremony at Parliament House on Thursday, 18 August. Students were presented with their certificates of completion and given a private tour of Parliament House to deepen their understanding of the role of advocacy and politics in achieving better outcomes for the people of our state.

Year 10 Photography and Digital Media students have also been engaged by a client called Goliath Coffee Roasters from the Western Sydney Women network to design and print a range of t-shirt options to assist in building their brand. These designs were on display at our recent Art and Design Showcase.

Western Sydney University continued to provide outstanding opportunities for our students to engage in the world of higher education, with both Year 10 and Year 11 students taking part in their ‘on campus’ days at 1 Parramatta Square (1PSQ) as part of the AcademyU program, and our Year 11 group, in particular, beginning their university studies with a unit called Leadership in Complexity. WSU has also provided access to their 3D printing services as part of our Mercy 6 project for this year, and more information on this will be provided in September.

We also helped establish a project through the Greater Cities Commission and the University of New South Wales called UpMasking: a project that involved collecting used face masks in order that they would be converted by the UNSW SMaRT Lab into building materials.

If you’d like to know more about partnerships at OLMC, please go to www.olmc.nsw.edu.au/life-college/community-engagement/partnerships/

The Duke of Edinburgh's Award is a structured youth development program, empowering young Australians, aged 14-24, to explore their full potential and find their purpose, passion and place in the world. There are four sections that participants need to complete to attain the Award. These include Physical Recreation, Skill, Voluntary Service and Adventurous Journey.

Last weekend, 36 students from Year 10 and Year 11 completed their Practice Adventurous Journey for the Award at the Silver level. They spent two days at Camp Somerset, beside the Colo River. The purpose of the Practice Expedition is to develop skills that will assist them in leading and completing the Qualifying Journey, which is 3 days and 2 nights in duration.

On Saturday, students canoed in pairs for several hours up the river to the campsite. This was a new experience for most participants, providing not only a physical challenge but a very useful lesson in collaboration and problem-solving. On Sunday, students formed small teams and devised a plan to successfully navigate and hike through the Wollemi National Park and back to base camp. This experience helped them to build skills in communication and leadership. Additionally, the students got to apply some camp craft skills they learned from the Bronze Award and develop new skills such as packing a rucksack, pitching a tent and cooking on a Trangia stove. The group will embark on their Qualifying Adventurous Journey during the Term 3 holidays to complete this section of the Award.

Metro Minds STEAM Challenge invites students in Year 7 to Year 10 to work together to come up with an innovative solution to an authentic Sydney Metro challenge or opportunity.

This year was the first time OLMC entered the Competition. Our team consisted of six students from Year 10 including, Deeya Vashi, Tia Monga, Rhea Bindroo, Ruwindri Parndigamage, Neha Sharma and Tiffany Jie, and they were mentored by Ms Monteiro. The girls presented an innovative idea to acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the lands which Sydney Metro operates on, including announcements on trains and at stations as well as the installation of plaques and digital Indigenous artworks.

OLMC was one of the five finalists chosen to pitch their solution to a judging panel at the International Convention Centre Sydney last week. In addition to the pitch, they also had to produce a concept briefing outlining the team’s design thinking and a design of their innovation, such as a physical model, computer design or artist impression.

Out of 50 schools, we are very proud to announce that they were awarded first place in the Competition! An incredible achievement.

The Bronze Medallion develops participants knowledge and ability to perform efficient lifesaving procedures in aquatic settings. On 8 July, along with a group of senior OLMC students, I attended Aquatic Safety Training Academy with Royal Lifesaving NSW to complete the Bronze Medallion. We began early in the morning, jumping straight into aquatic rescue techniques, spinal injury prevention, water entries and exits, as well as dealing with emergencies that obtain several casualties. We were taught how to operate a defibrillator and perform CPR, learning when and how to undergo compressions and rescue breaths on adults, children and infants. Many of us found this more challenging than expected, continuously repeating the CPR procedure for extended lengths of time, however, we persevered to prepare ourselves should we encounter an emergency situation.

My favourite part was completing the water practicals with my friend. We practised dive, stride, wade and walk-in entries as well as rescue techniques for moving a casualty safely within the water in case of spinal injury. We were required to swim 400m in 13 minutes which I found to be the most difficult aspect of the day. Apart from the swim, rescuing sinking dummies was physically demanding as they were heavy, however, this allowed us to get a realistic simulation of what to expect when undertaking a real-life rescue.

I think I can speak for all participants saying it was a rewarding experience knowing that we are equipped to potentially save someone’s life in an aquatic environment. I know I will be renewing my qualification in years to come and I would encourage other students to express interest with their friends.

Brianna Coorey (Year 11)

Saturday Netball

This Saturday, 27 August OLMC 1 and OLMC 7 will be playing in the Grand Final! Games are at 10am (OLMC 7) & 12pm (OLMC 1). Best of luck to both teams!

You can view draws and results on the ERNA PlayHQ Results page - https://www.playhq.com/netball-australia/org/eastwoodryde-netball-association/b9db8104

Well done to everyone for the season and thankyou to all the parents and friends for your support.

PDSSSC Athletics

On Tuesday 9 August, OLMC competed at the PDSSSC Athletics Championships at SOPAC. It was wonderful to see the girls back competing in Track and Field for the first time since 2019! OLMC was represented by Sophie Assaad, Kiana Banza, Ciara Butphachi-Knott, Lily Collimore, Lucie Francis, Claire Giffney, Lily Johnston, Amelia Johnston, Kyla Jones, Alisha Katafono, Xavia Kljajic, Alexandra Kostis, Sophia Lees, Brooke Luksic, Eleni Mestousis, Isabella Milic, Aruvi Nadarajah, Niamh Nolan, Sofia Polson, Alana Shehadie and Matilda Webb. The girls competed exceptionally well with 18 top 4 finishers.

Congratulations to Alana, Brooke, Lucie and Sofia who won the senior relay. Congratulations also go to Lucie Francis for winning the 16 years 800m and 1500m, and to Matilda Webb who won the 13 years 800m, as well as winning the 12-14 years 1500m Walk in a new Record time of 7 mins 19 sec (beating the 2002 record by 8 seconds)! Both Lucie & Matilda will now represent OLMC at the NSWCCC Athletics Championships in September.

On another record note, Miss Millgate (PDHPE & RE teacher) still holds 5 PDSSSC Athletics records in the 400m & 800m age groups!

Finally, a big thank you must go to Mrs Johnston for all her help managing the team on the day.

NSWCCC Netball

On Tuesday 18 August, OLMC competed at the NSWCCC Netball Championships at Jamison Park, Penrith. Our teams consisted of Chanel Achie, Charlotte Gillies, Audrey Baysari, Iris McKenna, Alana Shehadie, Moana Tuala, Abigail Mahoney, Sienna Stokes, Chiara Borthwick, Hannah Leeman, Alannah Moujalli, Mikaylee Pearce, Lucy McSweeny, Bronte Herberstein, Lily Johnston, Gretel Hyde, Isabella Cotter, Jemima Scothern, Madison Stewart, Chloe D’sa, Kiana Banza, Ava Silvari, Matilda Webb, Stella Puletua, Anweshi Ghale, Alisha Katafono and Emily Dowling.

Despite the very tough competition, the girls all played exceptionally well and never gave up, showing some great skills and teamwork. All the girls should be proud of their efforts. A big thank you must go to Isabel Sloane and Caitlin Alam for umpiring on the day and thank you also to Mrs McManus and Mrs Bushell for all their help looking after their teams.

Saturday Basketball & Volleyball

The Santa Sabina Saturday Basketball & Volleyball competition in Term 4 is fast approaching.

Registration forms have been emailed to all students. Girls can make up a team and sign up for Term 4.

Forms are due back in by Friday 2 September.

Stuart Guthrie
Sports Coordinator

This is a call-out to our Mercy Mothers! It is a tradition that the P&F, together with the wonderful Mums in our community, serve breakfast to the many Dads, grandfathers, and special men in our girls’ lives who attend this event.

Are you available for 2 hours between 9.00am - 11.00am on Friday, 23 September to assist with serving Morning Tea to the Year 12 students and their families after the Graduation Mass? Morning Tea will be served on the Cathedral grounds prior to our guests moving to the College for the Graduation Assembly. Please click here to register your availability. Free parking is available at Parramatta Leagues Club for this event.

Opening Hours and Purchases:  

The Uniform Shop is open Monday to Thursday, from 8.00am–9.30am and 3.00pm–4.30pm on Monday and Wednesday (school days only). 

Online purchases can be made via the Online Uniform Shop and all orders will be delivered to the Student Centre for collection by students. 
 
Terms 2 and 3 – All girls are to wear the full winter uniform.

Term 4 – Summer uniform is worn. 

Scarves 

Scarves are now available and can be purchased online or via the shop. 

Senior Cardigans and Junior Mercy pullovers 

For those who have an allergy to wool, or prefer a non-wool knit, the uniform shop has limited stock of both senior and junior cotton blend cardigans and pullovers.   

Sale – NOT to be worn with current school uniform – previous discontinued style Black Tights for use outside of school.  Limited sizes - Medium and XLarge, 2 pairs for $5.00.  They can only be purchased by coming into the shop, as they are not available online. 

New Stock Item

Umbrellas are now available at the shop and online, with two styles to choose from.

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

The canteen is open before school from 7.30am and at Recess and Lunch

The College's canteen provider is Evette's Lunchbox.

Click here to view the Menu.