LEARNING

Following a waste audit in 2016, Merredin College has implemented a comprehensive focus on sustainability in Kindergarten through to Year 6 with all classes involved in waste wise practice.  These include:

• Paper recycling of all office and class waste paper
• Organic waste recycling from all meals
• Waste free Wednesday lunches
• Worm farming for organic and paper wastes
• Providing a community station for ‘Mobile Phone Muster’, ‘Lions Specs for a cause’ and ‘Planet Ark Cartridge Recycling’
• Kitchen garden – weekly vegetable garden and cooking lessons
• Composting for organic and paper wastes
• Community Recycling Station

Merredin College also received a ‘Keep Australia Beautiful’ grant in 2017 to produce and provide all students with re-usable sandwich wraps to eliminate the need for sandwich wrap, an item identified in our 2017 waste audit as being a problem.

The Merredin College Career programme has been incorporated as a learning area responsibility. Each learning area is responsible for delivering Career Education to a different Year group as indicated below.

Year 7 – Mathematics

Year 8 – English

Year 9 – HASS

Year 10 – Science

As part of the Career programme, students from Year 7-10 complete an Individual Pathway Plan (IPP). This is contained in a booklet that helps students identify their interests and personal attributes as well as evaluate their learning and career goals and pathways.

Individual interviews are held with students in Year 8 and 9 to discuss their IPPs and each student’s academic progress. Year 10 students also have an individual interview to discuss subject selection for Year 11.

The progress of upper school students is monitored by the VET Coordinator and Academic Performance Manager. They also provide advice and support to students as they transition to pathways beyond school. This includes opportunities for Work Place Learning.

 

Careers’ Carousel

Every two years, Year 9 and 10 students take part in a Careers’ Carousel which gives students the opportunity to listen to over twenty presenters from a wide variety of industry areas. The presenters discuss their jobs and the required skills and qualifications, enabling students to make informed decisions about their own career pathways.

 

Future Moves Workshops

All students take part in interactive career workshops presented by Future Moves which covers topics such as resume building, employer expectations and core skills required for work.

 

Trade Tasters

Periodically the Rutherford Trade Training Centre plays host to Year 9 and 10 students from Merredin College and surrounding district high schools. Students have the opportunity of sampling trade programmes over several days to a week.

 

Careers’ Excursion

Student from Year 10 are invited to attend a Perth-based careers’ camp or excursion. Students get the opportunity to find out about a range of professional and trade roles from people who work in the field.

 

Combined Universities Visits

Merredin College is visited annually by representatives from the major universities. Upper school students benefit from this presentation.

Moving from primary school to secondary school or from a district high school to a larger school like Merredin College  is a significant event in every child’s education journey. Most students move to their new schools and thrive on the challenges of the new environment and varied experiences that secondary schools offer. They find it both exciting and scary to be going from being the oldest group in the school to the youngest; to be moving from a familiar environment to a larger and unfamiliar environment; and from being well known by many teachers to being relatively unknown. Even for students who complete primary education at Merredin College the thought of moving into secondary can be daunting.

Our  Transition Program is designed to alleviate the anxiety which both parents and children may feel.

The Merredin College Transition Program begins in Term 3 when College staff visit the schools where Year 6 and Year 10  students indicate an intention to enrol at Merredin College as Year 7 and Year 11 students.  The visit is aimed at informing parents and students about what is on offer at Merredin College.  Prospective students are encouraged to attend our Open Day in Term 3 which is usually held around the Friday of Week 8. The Open Day involves some performances by students in Dance and Drama. It also includes a tour of the College to see students at work in classrooms.

The school visits are  followed up with separate Open Days in Term 4 for prospective Year 7 and Year 11 students. These days are generally organised by the Year Coordinator and involve a visit by students to the College with the aim of:

• Providing essential information about Merredin College (how to read a timetable, routines, ordering lunches etc.)
• Developing some familiarity  with the campus layout
• Meeting new students and starting to form new friends
• Meeting some staff – Principal, Deputy Principals, Chaplain, AIEOs/ALO and Year Coordinator
• Engaging in ‘ice breaker’ activities with other students
• Providing parents with a Q&A session
• Providing parents with the opportunity to order the College uniform

Information about strengths and areas requiring support is accessed from the feeder primary schools by the Deputy Principal. Parents of students with special educational needs are asked to  make an appointment with our Education Support Coordinator so that the College can provide the necessary support for your child. At any stage we are happy to conduct a tour of College facilities for new parents.

At the start of the new school year, Year 7 students participate in ‘The Big Day Out’ – a fun day of activities to support social inclusion.

For information about dates of school visits or Open Days, parents are encouraged to contact the Deputy Principal (secondary) on 9041 7520.