Principal's Report

Year 7 2023 Information Evening

On Tuesday, 30 August, we welcomed the newest members of our school community at our Year 7 2023 Student and Parent Information Night. Students and parents were taken on a school tour conducted by our prefects, and key personnel addressed the families providing information about Merewether High School and the opportunities that are afforded to our students. The event was well attended, and we received glowing feedback about the school and our students. The highlight of the evening was hearing from two of our current Year 7 students, Ruby and Shankhin, who spoke to the audience about their first year at Merewether High School:

The test ... the waiting time … the email … that’s what it took to get into this amazing school. Merewether High School; a place where dreams really do come true. Hello, my name is Shankhin, I’m a current year 7 student at Merewether.

The first time you step through those gates as a student is a time when everything changes; new friends, new teachers, and new subjects. The first time I ever stepped through those gates I felt as if I was confronted by a thousand emotions, of love, of fear, and especially of awe. Everyone's first day is different but every first day is the start of something new.

At Merewether, we’re blessed to have amazing staff and supporters who are willing to help you at every step of the way. You have different teachers for all your classes, a year advisor to handle many different things relevant to your grade, your school counsellors and support officers who are always available to help you, administrators who are helping with school routines, classroom activities, and financial matters, and finally our deputies and principal who are providing leadership and direction to this beautiful school.

In Year 7 you get so many opportunities, one of these being Great Aussie Bush Camp which we had the privilege of enjoying in our first term. This was an amazing experience where we students got to get out of the house and try something new. There’s fun for everyone, whether it be swinging 30 metres in the air, building a raft with a few pieces of wood and some rope, or doing 100 laps of the dance floor during a disco. I found camp to be a great time for bonding with my new friends and truly coming closer to them as it was still our first term. Memories are made at Merewether and those memories should forever be cherished. 

_{^{SHANKHIN KESARWANI YEAR 7 2022}}

Hello my name is Ruby Hartley and I am a proud year 7 student here at Merewether High School. When I first arrived, my biggest worries were making friends and the massive transition between primary and high school. But after my first week, all those thoughts flew straight out of my head. I started to make connections with my entire class straight away, and even some students in other classes. Here at MHS you get to experience so many new opportunities. Like earlier in the year I had my first year 7 camp. It was so fun and I made even more friends. We did lots of team building and adrenaline rushing activities.

We also had our famous swimming carnival back in term 1 at Lambton Pool. We played games, cheered our houses on and had lots of students go to zone. In terms of subjects, in year 7 you get a taste of everything. You get to cook food, learn to play instruments and code your very own robot! And that's only a few of the subjects! The teachers here at Merewether are all incredible and our Principal Mrs Dooley and Deputies all work so hard to make our school the best it can be. Without a doubt year 7 so far has been better than I could ever have imagined. So I would like to formally welcome you all to our school and wish you all the best for year 7 in 2023. Thank you.

_{^{RUBY HARTLEY YEAR 7 2022}}

Year 12 2022

The final days of schooling at Merewether High School are drawing to a close for our Year 12 cohort. The class of 2022 has been a phenomenal year group, modelling the high expectations of our school, contributing to building a positive school culture, demonstrating outstanding leadership and a strong social conscience. We are acutely aware that Merewether High is built on the legacy that our students leave behind and Year 12 2022 has certainly made their mark and contributed positively to our proud heritage.

It was wonderful that we were able to recognise our outgoing cohort and their efforts at our week 7 assembly, where Adrian from the Leukaemia Foundation presented the prefects with an award for the World’s Greatest Shave Highest National Fundraising School. Such a remarkable achievement from our MHS school community to raise $119,407.21

Over their final three weeks we will have other opportunities to celebrate and acknowledge this fabulous group of outstanding young people. As a school community, we thank our Year 12 students and their families for their significant contribution to our school and wish them all the very best for their future endeavours.

SRC Induction

During our week 7 whole school assembly, we were able to officially induct our incoming Student Representative Council for 2022/23 and thank our outgoing SRC students for their service and commitment to our school. At Merewether High School we greatly value student voice and the authentic partnerships that are developed when students are given the agency and tools to speak out. Our SRC allows students a process by which they represent their respective year groups, 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. Cooper Ivory, our outgoing SRC Chairperson, summed this sentiment up beautifully in his address to the SRC and wider student body:

At the heart of the SRC is the notion of teamwork, collaboration and student voice. It is imperative that students have the opportunity to a foundational opinion on the school's inner workings. As a multi-cohort group of students, we have been able to develop improved student facilities, resources and extra curricular opportunities, and have being successful in various facets with the assistance of the executive team.  We are blessed to have a wonderful school community at Merewether High, but there is always work to be done, and our SRC are up to the challenge. I take inspiration from Mrs Dooley as I leave you with this quote: "I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.

NAPLAN Results

During week 7, students in Year 7 and Year 9 received their NAPLAN results. NAPLAN test results provide information on how students are performing in literacy and numeracy and provide guidance to our school regarding how we can support improvements in teaching and learning. The data from NAPLAN test results gives our school the ability to measure our students’ achievements against national minimum standards and student performance in other states and territories.

It is important to remind parents and carers that the NAPLAN tests are a point in time diagnostic test, not a through report on your child’s educational progress. NAPLAN tests complement the wide range of formal and informal assessments already conducted at our school. As always, our teachers are best placed to provide insight into your child’s broader educational progress. The school will continue to analyse and interpret our students’ results to help inform future teaching and learning programs, along with identifying any specific additional support or challenge that may be required. This year was the first time that all NAPLAN exams were conducted online at Merewether High School.

COVID Updates

The Government has announced changes to COVID-19 isolation requirements. On Wednesday 31 August, National Cabinet agreed to reduce the isolation period for COVID-19 positive cases from 7 days to 5 days, with the following caveats:

• this would apply only to people with no symptoms at day 5 of their isolation
• 7 days isolation remains for workers in high-risk settings including aged care, disability care, and those providing care in the home.

This change will come into effect from Friday 9 September. The NSW Department of Education will continue to work with NSW Health, other NSW government agencies and our stakeholders to align our operational advice, including for our specialist settings.

School Administrative and Support Staff Recognition Week

Week 8 (Monday 5 September – Friday 9 September) is School Administrative and Support (SAS) Staff Recognition Week. It is a time to acknowledge and thank the often unsung heroes in our school. Our MHS SAS staff play an important role in our school community. They are often the first people you see when you enter our school and are essential to maintaining positive relationships with students, parents and the wider community.

Our SAS staff work in the Administration office, in classrooms, the library and maintain and care for our school grounds and buildings. They are often the ones who attend to students when they are unwell, and they ensure the efficient management of school financial and administration functions.

To our amazing SAS Staff, the Merewether High School Community wishes to say “Thank you” for everything you do for our students, our community and our school. 

Upcoming Events

• P&C Meeting - Tuesday 6 September, 5.30pm
• Y11 Final assessment period commences – Monday September 5
• Y12 Parent Learning Group - Tuesday 13 September, 9.00am
• Sports Presentation - Wednesday 21 September, 9.00am
• Y12 Formal - Thursday 22 September
• Y12 Presentation - Friday 23 September, 11.15am
• T4 commences for ALL students - Monday 10 October
• HSC Exams commence - Wednesday 12 October