30 Jul 2021
Principal for A Day
Week 3 was Education Week and to commence Education Week 2021 we were very fortunate to be led by 3 amazing students: Poppy Davis (Year 10), Yashveni Jeevahan (Year 9) and Zach Johnson (Year 8). Education week is an annual celebration of public education in New South Wales, with this year’s theme being ‘Lifelong Learners’. The theme recognises that continuous learning is critical for success throughout life.
Merewether High School greatly values student voice and the authentic partnerships that are developed when students are given the agency and tools to speak out. The purpose of the ‘Principal for a Day’ initiative was to enable students a process by which they become engaged as active stakeholders in their learning, integrate their perspectives into decision making and provide strategies to create positive change in future classrooms and our school’s learning community. I would like to personally thank Poppy, Yashi and Zach for their leadership, enthusiasm and an incredibly enjoyable day.
Staff Update
This term we also welcome several staff to our team. Mrs Sarah Slater is joining us in a permanent capacity as our newly appointed Student Support Officer (SSO). Sarah comes to us from Carinya School where she has previously worked in the role of an SSO. Sarah will be a formidable member of the Wellbeing and Learning and Support teams. Mr Hadrian Wright will join us in Humanities, along with Mrs Rachelle Hoskin in PDHPE. Both staff members will be with us in a temporary capacity for the remainder of the year. We are also incredibly fortunate to have Mrs Michelle Kelly and Ms Elizabeth Ellis joining us in our school’s Administrative and Support team.
NAIDOC Assembly
NAIDOC Week is an opportunity for all Australians to come together to celebrate the rich history, diverse cultures and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the oldest continuing culture on the planet. This year’s NAIDOC theme was ‘Heal Country’ and invited the nation to embrace First Nations’ cultural knowledge and understanding of Country as part of Australia's national heritage and equally respect the culture and values of Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islanders.
Last week we held our school’s NAIDOC Assembly, where we were able to celebrate NAIDOC Week and officially introduce our newly endorsed Junior Aboriginal Education Consultative Group to the wider student body. We were also incredibly fortunate to have a guest speaker, Mr David Murray, Barrister, who is the proud grandfather of Alexis Locket a Year 9 student.
One of the most important things we can do is learn from each other and as I reflect on our assembly and Mr Murray’s words, healing Country calls for stronger measures to recognise, protect, and maintain all aspects of our cultures. We all have a role to play in honouring the rich cultures and extraordinary knowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples hold. Together, we can make significant and lasting change and all do our bit to heal Country. On behalf of our school community, I would like to sincerely acknowledge and thank Mr Murray for his very personal, inspiring and thought-provoking stories that he shared with the audience.
Covid Update
This week, there were once again a number of significant announcements that have been made from both the NSW Premier and Minister for Education.
The NSW Department of Education has been working closely with NSW Health to develop a framework for COVID-19 response settings for all NSW schools. Their priority has been to make sure that COVID-safe arrangements are in place for every school to support both students and staff.
At this current point in time, Merewether High School will remain at ‘Level 2’ until Saturday, 28 August. This means that student learning will continue to be face-to-face at school with non-essential visitors still restricted from our site, while certain activities continue to be modified to be classified as COVID-safe.
Masks continue to be compulsory on public transport and are recommended indoors for all staff and all students (while noting that exemptions may apply).
HSC Update
Last week, the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) provided an update regarding the 2021 HSC Examinations. The NESA COVID-19 Response Committee announced changes to the HSC timetable to enable students additional time to prepare for the upcoming HSC exams.
The significant changes that will impact our students are extending the hand in date for all major projects and the rescheduling of the written exams. HSC written exams will now commence one week later on Tuesday, 19 October, 2021. As a result, HSC results will now be released on Friday, 17 December, 2021.
We have been evaluating the impact of the NESA changes and the potential implications that this may have on our Year 12 school formalities and activities. One significant change that has had to occur is the change in dates for our Year 12 Formal. It has now been moved to Tuesday, 16 November and will now be held at Merewether Surf House.
Our Trial HSC Examination Timetable for 2021 has been released. These exams are scheduled to run in Week 5 and Week 6.
I would like to wish our Year 11 and Year 12 students all the very best as they consolidate for the upcoming exam period, as well as acknowledge the hard work and dedication of teaching staff to ensure that are students are thoroughly prepared.
Student Reports
At the conclusion of last term and the beginning of this term, students across Years 7-10 received valuable feedback on their Semester 1 progress in the way of school reports, as well as a number of worthy recipients additionally being recognised and rewarded for their dedication and hard work, receiving ROSA awards.
Junior AECG
A Junior Aboriginal Education Consultative Group, is the peak advisory body within a school on cultural matters. At Merewether High School, our Junior AECG is responsible for providing advice on the teaching, recognition, and acknowledgement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture, as well as the coordination of events, activities, and initiatives designed to celebrate the rich and diverse cultural heritage of our Indigenous young people.
I would like to congratulate and introduce our Merewether High School Junior AECG executive team: Jonah Lancaster, Year 10, Treasurer; Eli Coe, Year 8, Secretary; Lillamaya Kilham, Year 8, Vice-President and Ethan Floyd, Year 12 as President.
Parent Teacher Interview
I would like to extend a sincere thanks to our parent body for the positive manner in which everybody embraced our move to online parent teacher interviews. This move happened in a hasty manner due to the imposed restrictions that were placed upon our community due to COVID. As a school we felt that it was vitally important that our families had the opportunity to connect with teaching staff to discuss their child’s progress, success and areas for improvement.
Subject Info Evenings
Due to Merewether High School operating under Department of Education Level 2 COVID restrictions, our planned Week 4 Subject Selection Information Evenings are unable to proceed as scheduled. To continue supporting our students in their selection of subjects for 2022 we will present an online Zoom Webinar providing information for both students and parents. An email has been sent to all parents with a link to the Zoom Webinar.
The presentations will outline NESA requirements and explain the subject selection process. We will provide information to assist parents in understanding the process to enable parents to support their child in choosing their subjects. In addition to this presentation, students will be issued a curriculum handbook that outlines specific subject information.
Uniform Tender
In accordance with Departmental policy we are currently tendering for uniform providers and as part of this process we are requesting feedback from our school community in regards to matters concerning uniform.
We value our community’s opinions, ideas and suggestions in regards to the Merewether High School uniform and invite you to complete the survey questions in the link that was sent to all families via email.