Safe, Respectful Learners 

Sculptures by the Sea

Earlier this term, 120 students went to Bondi to explore the annual Sculpture by the Sea exhibition. The weather was beautiful and the students had an unforgettable experience.

Fruit Salad in French

Year 7 French has been studying food this term. 7N made fruit salad as part of the subtopic ‘Les Fruits’. After washing their hands, the students told their teacher in French what fruit they wanted to peel and cut. They then sat at a table and ate their ‘Salade de fruit’ while discussing table manners in French culture.

After cleaning up, the class played Snap in French, which progressively got more difficult as the sentences in French got longer. This was a fun day enjoyed by all involved and most importantly the students of 7N learnt about French culture and they might also remember the fruits in French a little better after this experience.

Art Gallery of New South Wales

Year 11 art students went on an excursion to the Art Gallery of New South Wales. They saw a variety of works by Monet, Portaels and Australian Ken Unsworth, but had the most fun with the interactive piece by Martin Creed featuring a room full of yellow balloons.

Their visit coincides with the transformation of the gallery, with the opening of the Sydney Modern earlier this month!

Swim School

School is at the Pool! After a hiatus, swim school was back, for students in Years 7 to 10. Held over three days and two swimming pools, we overcame logistical challenges to ensure students had the chance to experience swim school as it was supposed to be.

The purpose of swim school is to improve students’ ability, safety and confidence in and around water. To achieve this, they are taught important skills like safe rescue, resuscitation and first aid.

Trip to Pepsi and Asahi

As an extension to their classroom learning, twelve Year 10 Commerce students had the opportunity to attend a two-day excursion to Pepsi/Asahi on the 12th and 13th of October, organised and funded by the Smith Family. The students were able to experience the administration and production side of a business and studied the interconnections between the various functions of a business. They also learnt about assembly line production at Asahi. Students were further treated to lunch from Pepsi and Asahi.

Year 10 Geography

Geography students in Year 10 studied the topic ‘Changing Places’ this semester. As an extension to their learning, they designed their own sustainable cities. Students placed great initiative in designing cities which are environmentally friendly, in an effort to consolidate their learning on the importance of protecting their environment. These students are congratulated on their excellent effort.

Year 11 Business Services

Year 11 Business Services students have been working on their Cluster Task ‘Working in the Industry’ whereby they learnt the skills to communicate effectively with their colleagues, supervisor, and clients. The students utilised a range of methods to share information with the internal and external stakeholders of ‘PPG’, the Real Estate company for their case study. The students created interesting flyers to provide information about ‘Open Homes’ to the potential clients. They also enhanced their skills and understanding of the term ‘inclusiveness’ and learnt how to accommodate the needs of special needs clients such as clients from NESB, ATSI people, people with disability or people from minority groups. Students utilised these skills during their work placement and participated in the open home inspections with their host employers.

Talent Quest

The Merrylands High Talent Quest was back for this year! Students had the opportunity to showcase their artistic flair in dance, music and drama. We also found a hidden talent of a secret guest performer!

Congratulations to all the performers and thanks to the CAPA faculty as well as the student helpers. Without their hard work, this would not have been possible.

Maths in Action: STEM

L.E.A.P. students studied a unit of work on shapes and measurement in mathematics in Term 3. In Term 4, the students applied theoretical knowledge into practice and generalised the knowledge and skills learnt in the previous term by making aprons. The project-based learning developed students’ problem-solving skills and built a team spirit to work together and support each other to bring their STEM product to the finish line.

L.E.A.P. in Food Tech

L.E.A.P. students develop their culinary skills in food tech once a week. They learn how to cut, assemble, and cook a recipe by following recipe instructions. Besides, the students acquired skills in washing and keeping the kitchen clean. The food tech program develops students’ teamwork and problem-solving skills and prepares them for future hospitality careers.

L.E.A.P. Students’ Culinary Skills

L.E.A.P. students were engaged in developing their cooking and culinary skills throughout the year. In addition, they have been working on developing their teamwork, collaborative learning, and problem-solving skills in all subjects, including food tech classes. For example, this year, L.E.A.P. students followed the recipe created by Year 12 L.E.A.P. student Andre Chamoun studying a bakery course at TAFE. Andre shared his recipe with the L.E.A.P. students and staff and encouraged us to cook his recipe: Andre’s Mini Trifle.

All L.E.A.P. students showed a keen interest in bringing the recipe in its visual form and were delighted to see the product. Well done, Andre!

Mathematics at Luna Park

Recently the mathematics faculty organised an excursion to Luna Park for a number of Year 9 students. The purpose of the excursion was to develop students’ understanding of mathematics and the application of these skills to the physical world – with a little fun along the way. On the day, students demonstrated great behaviour and represented Merrylands High School as safe respectful learners.

Film Study: Rabbit Proof Fence

Throughout Term 4, Year 7 students from 7E have been engaged with studying non-fiction genre through the film study Rabbit Proof Fence. Student have been learning about First Nations People, their heritage, identity with a particular focus upon the experiences of the Stolen Generation. Mr Peterson was invited to share his expert knowledge about the Stolen Generation, First Nation culture and history with the class which was very insightful and thoroughly facilitated the students’ understanding of the First Nations People of Australia and their history. As part of their learning, students created posters based on their understanding after watching the film and their yarn with Mr Peterson.

Engineered Structures

7TM1 undertook their toy maker practical task for engineered structures by constructing a toy following the design process and procedure. Students were required to meet certain criteria by creating prototypes and further analysing implications of implementing the design. Students were able to understand the design lifecycle and the process of manufacturing a desired engineered structure. A big thanks to Mr Louka and Mr Wilson for aiding the students to cut their pieces of wood to the specified size needed.