Safe, Respectful Learners

2024 Student Leadership Team

Late last term, as their time in high school drew to a close for the Class of 2023, we again saw renewal of our student leaders. We are deeply thankful for the dedication and effort of our previous school captains, Claudia W. and Abraham H., representing the best of Merrylands High School. As they go out and make their mark on the world, the roles and responsibilities of student leaders were passed onto our new Year 12 cohort, in the graduating class of 2024. Our School Captains for 2024 are Lina and Dante.

Supporting them in representing our students and the school are our Vice Captains, Elise and Brian, together with the new school prefects.

Congratulations to our new student leadership team and we wish them every success as they carry on the fine tradition of representing their fellow students and our school.

Year 9 Future Thinkers Excursion to the Royal Bank of Canada

In the beginnning of Term 4, a group of Year 9 students were selected to partake in an excursion to the Australian Head Office of the Royal Bank of Canada in Martin Place. The visit formed a part of the Future Thinkers Program which aims to develop a student’s problem-solving and critical thinking skills. Students were placed into small groups and allocated a mentor from the bank who guided them in completing a series of design thinking activities.

Year 7 Timber Projects

Students in Year 7 have been busy working on their final timber projects which is a wooden pencil case. Over time, they have learnt to measure, mark, cut, sand and polish their individual timber pieces, followed by putting them together into a working pencil case. Timber units of work are designed to provide students with an opportunity to become familiar with timber work and acquire the basic and practical skills needed for senior classes and further study in technological and applied studies.

Year 9 English - Science Fiction

This term, Year 9 studied a unit on the science fiction genre. Commonly shortened to sci-fi, this unit required students to examine the connections between texts based on their categorisation as belonging to the sci-fi genre. They explored the purpose and function of genres and how texts within a genre share similarities according to their genre but differ greatly according to their form, content and context. Students also examined the way that categorisation as a sci-fi text can help to shape their understanding of each texts’ meaning and how they all contribute to communicating speculations about the nature of our world and the role of technology within that world. In this unit, a variety of different texts and text types were studied that represent different times and contexts. Students closely examined the key passages and scenes from within texts and analysed their significance. As they examined each text, they filled out a table which allowed them to determine the similarities and differences between the texts studied. Students prepared a storyboard demonstrating their understanding of sci-fi elements including pictures and dialogues.

Learning in the Library

Year 10 Geography have been studying the topic of Changing Places in Term 4 and were required to conduct research on creating a model representing ‘Sustainable Cities’. Through collaboration with the teacher librarian, Ms Chandra’s 10G5 class had the opportunity to conduct research in the library. One of the options available for student research involved searching in the Oliver library collection using the search term ‘sustainable’. This search revealed 71 resources linking to sustainable living of which 19 were digital resources. One digital resource available in the school library collection is called ‘Urban Ecology Australia’ which offers the mission statement “Transformation of conventional cities into Ecological cities”.

Once students had conducted their research, they then created a model which represented their understanding of what is involved in creating sustainable cities. Some students drew their model while some chose to create a 3-dimensional model of their sustainable city. Students demonstrated a high level of creative and critical thinking in their research and presentation of this assessment task.

These projects will be on display in the library until the end of Term 1, 2024.

Full STEAM Ahead 2023

The Full STEAM Ahead program is a joint initiative of the Australian Business and Community Network (ABCN), Powerhouse Museum and Commonwealth Bank. This 3-week program aims to engage students with interactive, hands-on STEAM-based activities.

Over three consecutive Mondays, a select group of Year 8 students from Merrylands High School participated in the program with students from seven other public schools. On the first day, students travelled to the new South Eveleigh campus of the Commonwealth Bank, home to their technology and innovation labs. Our students were divided into small groups with students from John Edmondson High School and were allocated a mentor from the bank who specialises in coding and used problem-solving skills in their everyday work. With guidance from their mentor, each group came up with a real-world problem for which they would like to solve.

The second day of the program had our students based in the Powerhouse Museum where students learnt to code using micro:bits devices attached to sensors and displays. With this setup, students were able to compete in a digital tug of war game.

On the final day of the program, students returned to the Powerhouse Museum where they used the coding skills and knowledge they had learnt to develop products aimed at solving the real-world problem they had identified on day one.

Overall, the students had lots of fun. Their ideas and final project were recorded and made available at the Powerhouse Museum.

To continue on their coding journey, students were given their own micro:bit devices to take home. Our school was also provided with a class set of micro:bits so a similar learning opportunity can be offered to other Merrylands High School students.

2023 Youth Wellbeing Success Summit

On 18 October, the student leadership team of Merrylands High School attended the 2023 Youth Wellbeing Success Summit in Abbotsbury, which was organised by South West Connect. The whole-day event was dedicated to promoting youth wellbeing and success by connecting students to local service providers that offer this support. They also imparted valuable insights into practical and effective techniques for navigating life’s challenges effortlessly. The students actively participated in interactive workshops and engaged in discussions with inspiring individuals. Additionally, students enjoyed a delicious lunch hosted by South West Connect and had fun taking photos at the photobooths.

Year 10 Commerce Excursion to Colgate-Palmolive Head Office

As part of the Work Inspiration Program, twenty Year 10 Commerce students attended a two-day excursion to the new Colgate-Palmolive head office in the city, on 19 and 20 October. The excursion was supported by The Smith Family, by offering students the opportunity to take a behind-the-scenes look into the opportunities and workplaces provided in the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry. It further enabled students to learn more about their own skills and preferences, about new hybrid workplaces and how they can design and navigate their own professional future.

GRIP Student Leadership Conference

Forty-Two SRC students attended the GRIP Student Leadership Conference organised by GRIP Leadership on 26 of October. The purpose of the conference was to equip our SRC students with the necessary leadership skills to enable them to become better leaders. Students learnt practical strategies on how to be more effective and how to initiate programs for the betterment of the whole school. Student confidence was boosted by participating in these problem-solving activities, presentations and discussions.

Years 8 and 9 Future Thinkers Excursion to the University of Technology, Sydney

On 7 November, approximately 40 students from Years 8 and 9 travelled to the Ultimo Campus of the University of Technology, Sydney to take part in the Future Thinkers Program. Professor Lee Martin and two student body representatives spoke to our students about life at the university and what students can expect on their higher education journeys. Students also participated in various activities designed to test their critical thinking skills. One such activity involved students being members of the Climate Change Action Group and had to apply their negotiation, communication and problem-solving skills. Overall, our students thoroughly enjoyed the session and learnt the importance of cooperating and negotiating with each other. Special thanks to the four teachers and school learning support officers (SLSOs) who accompanied the students and ensured safe travel to and from the UTS campus.

Year 7 Visual Arts Excursion to the Art Gallery of NSW

A select group of Year 7 students were invited to an excursion at the Art Gallery of NSW for their visual arts class. They heard a talk by artist Shireen Taweel and participated in a variety of engaging art making activities.

Year 10 Commerce Financial Literacy Incursion by Smith Family

Year 10 Commerce students participated in a financial literacy program offered by The Smith Family. The program ran for two hours each week, over a period of three weeks. Students were equipped with the knowledge to become financially responsible. They also learnt about various sources of finance and investment opportunities which exist as they venture into various career paths in their future.

Year 11 Physics - Exploring the Dynamics of Flight

In an exciting venture into the world of physics, students in our Year 11 Physics class recently engaged in a hands-on investigation that took learning to new heights—quite literally! Armed with their knowledge of projectile motion, students took to the field to launch projectiles in order to explore the principles governing the trajectory of objects in motion. In this investigation, the class applied theoretical concepts to the real-world, demonstrating the practical applications of their studies. The students utilised a launcher and the launches were recorded to analyse the intricate interplay between angle, velocity, range, height and time-of-flight. This immersive experience improved their understanding of physics and encouraged their passion for scientific inquiry.

Trade Up to a Better Future - A Trade Discovery Day

A selected group of Year 10 students attended the Trade Up to a Better Future, a trade discovery day organised by Cumberland City Council at Auburn Youth Centre. The excursion offered students the chance to partake in a fun and engaging day of hands-on workshops and information sessions on different trades. Students got practical experience using and driving a range of heavy machinery and trade vehicles under the supervision of experts. They also met and heard from inspirational women working in the construction field. With the aim of broadening student awareness of potential trade opportunities and occupations, the excursion was successful in providing our students with insights into their possible future pathway choices.

Talent Quest

The Merrylands High School Talent Quest featured a mix of performances ranging from dramatic pieces to song and dance from students across the school. This end-of-year school-wide event give students a chance to express their creative side while ending the academic year on a celebratory note.

To all the students who performed, thank you for sharing your talents with us and congratulations to the winners!