Safe, Respectful Learners

Early Childhood

Year 12 Exploring Early Childhood students studied the module Children’s Literature and were put to the challenge to design and manufacture their own Children’s Book. Here are some of their creative designs.

Shapes and Measurement: Math In Action

L.E.A.P 2 and L.E.A.P 4 students are studying a unit of work on Shapes and Measurement in Mathematics. The students developed their knowledge and skills on the different types of geometrical shapes. They also learnt and how to find the area of the certain shapes. The students were engaged in transferring their theoretical knowledge into skills by making pillow covers and other projects. The project-based learning developed students’ problem-solving skills and build a team spirit among themselves to work together and support each other to bring their project to the finishing line. Next week, the students will be exhibiting their skills and creativity by holding an exhibition at school. Well done students! We are very proud of you! 

Thanks

Ms Thethi and Ms Elizabeth

Year 12 Business Services

Our Year 12 Business Services students participated in their work placements in Term 1. The students exhibited their excellent level of knowledge and skills relevant to the Business Services industry and received great feedback from their employers. Merrylands High School thanks all our Host Employers and SouthWest Connect for providing opportunities to our VET students to enhance their skills and prepare them for the real world. 

Healthy Planet Healthy Living

L.E.A.P two students are studying recycled water and its usage in everyday life. The students are engaged in inquiry-based learning, and as part of their inquiry, they interviewed Mr. Prasad and asked him if Merrylands High School has purple taps. Sydney water promotes the wider community to install purple taps and use recycled water for watering gardens, flushing toilets, etc. The recycled water is treated to a high standard and has safe uses. 

The students developed some questions on recycled water and asked Mr. Prasad if Merrylands High would consider installing purple taps at Merrylands High. The students received a positive response as Mr. Prasad assured the students that the school would explore the options to install purple taps at school. 

Modelling Financial Situations

Our year 12 advanced maths class have been modelling financial situations using series and sequences and technology such as excel. 

Each student has created a financial modelling report for a fictitious character and scenario. 

This report has allowed the students to understand the financial decisions required of a new homeowner. 

Students have studied the relationship between loan periods, interest rates, frequency of payments and the major effects that a change in deposit can cause. 

They used the skills learnt in the classroom to manually calculate repayments, and then used the excel software to verify their answers.

Year 10 Lino Printing 

Year 10 Visual Art have hand carved and lino printed designs inspired by Still Life. 

Year 12 Visual Design

Visual design have been screen printing on a variety of surfaces during Term One including shirts and aprons. 

Pyramids of Ancient Egypt

During Week Ten, the pyramids and camels of Ancient Egypt came to visit Merrylands High School. 

Year 7 students were given the challenge of creating 3D models of important features of Ancient Egypt.  Students enthusiastically engaged with creating 3D models of ancient pyramids, mummies, and palm trees. This demonstrated their prior knowledge of the artefacts and life in Ancient Egypt. This activity provided students with an insight into the topic ahead and developed students’ ability to work collaboratively to construct their Ancient Egyptian models. 

Literacy Planet

This term, Year 7 and 8 students have been working on Literacy Planet on a weekly basis. Literacy Planet is an online educational learning tool that students complete online activities on comprehension, spelling, grammar and punctuation. It is packaged within a captivating, gamified environment. Learning comes naturally when students want to be involved and are supported in their academic achievement through reward and recognition. Our students are always eager to play literacy-based games, and encouraged by their progress. Teachers can monitor student progress and learning outcomes per activity across each literacy strand. Allowing teachers to identify learning gaps that need attention, then conducting mini lessons focusing on those literacy strands. Congratulations to our Year 7 & 8 students who performed so well in the Competition Round of Literacy Planet Word Mania that they have made it to the Final Round, where schools will go head-to-head to compete for the major prizes and certificates.

LOTE

As part of a group activity, students created posters on what they know about France. They also presented this information to the class as a 3-minute speech.

Students engaged in a collaborative learning experience and build on the skills of working together, taking accountability and responsibility for their group projects. 

Learning through Models Modelling can often make the unclear clearer. 

Research indicates:

Models provide representations of scientific concepts that can make the ideas more understandable to learners (Huddle, White and Rogers, 2000). Modelling requires the user to make links between the model and the reality that is being modelled.

Here some examples of models made by our Science students this term:

Industrial Technology 

Timber and Furnishings students have been putting the school’s new laser cut to very good use. Students have designed inlay patterns and templates to lathe matching table legs for their projects. The use of a variety of technologies and industry-standard processes for manufacturing their projects will have a significant impact on their HSC major project results which are externally marked and count towards 60% of their HSC mark.

"Healthy Planet Healthy Living"

At Merrylands High, L.E.A.P students are studied a unit of work on “Healthy planet, healthy living”.  The Water Princess is a book about a little girl named Gie Gie who explains her thirst, frustration, and longing as she walks miles and miles from her home to collect water from the well every day between 3.00 am and 4.00 am. The story is set in a remote area in Africa. The students engaged in collaborative learning, discussed Gie Gie’s life to get an insight into her mind through understanding the dialogues delivered by the little girl. The students related to the tribulations of the character in the story and compared it with their own life.