A warm welcome to all new and returning students and families for the start of the 2025 school year. I hope all families were able to enjoy some time together and some rest over the Christmas break.
As we begin the year, I would like to remind parents to please take care when driving around the school at pick up and drop off times. The safety of our students and staff is paramount. Please drive slowly, obey road rules and follow the guidance of Meriden staff. Parents are also encouraged to label their daughters’ school clothes, drink bottle and lunch box as soon as possible.
All parents are invited to the Commencement of School Prayer Evening, held this evening in the Staff Common Room in the GCMD from 6:00pm – 7:00pm. Year 7 parents are invited to an information and social event on Friday, held from 6:00pm in Wallis Auditorium.
The Parents and Friends’ Association will meet on Monday 3 February from 6:00pm in the Boardroom in the GCMD and parents are invited to attend. Saturday IGSA Sport begins on 8 February, and I encourage all parents to support their daughter’s teams, as well as the opposition and officials.
Year 7 Camp takes place from Wednesday 12 February to Friday 14 February at the Youthworks Port Hacking Conference Centre. This is a great opportunity for Year 7 girls to form friendships while undertaking some exciting activities.
All girls are encouraged to complement their learning in class by taking part in some of the cocurricular activities offered at Meriden. This may be through a music ensemble, a sporting team, the Green Team or the Writing Group, to name a few. These programs enrich a student’s experience at Meriden, provide opportunities for her personal growth and foster an environment for friendships to blossom.
On Friday 14 February a team from NSW Health will be on site to deliver a Meningococcal ACWY vaccine to Year 10 students. Parents can learn more about the program and provide consent online at https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/immunisation/Pages/schoolvaccination.aspx
Over the holidays, several tours took place. A combined team of Year 8 and Year 10 Volleyball players set off for the Australian Volleyball Schools Cup, held on the Gold Coast prior to Christmas. This was Meriden’s first experience at the event and the girls were very excited, along with 5000 other players, for the week-long tournament.
A group of Meriden students travelled to Dax, France, to take part in our exchange program with students and families from St Jacques de Compostelle school, accompanied by Mrs Danielle Galea. The girls spent three weeks in France which included spending two weeks at school and a week of vacation, returning to Sydney on New Year’s Eve. We look forward to welcoming girls from this school at the end of Term 1.
In early January a group of Years 10 and 11 students travelled to Nishinomiya (between Kobe and Osaka in Japan) to visit the Kwansei Gakuin High School, accompanied by Miss Ji Mee Lee, Miss Winnie So and Ms Sun Hwa Bae. This is a new partnership, and Mrs Lisa Brown joined the group for a time as well. It was great to rekindle friendships formed last year, spending a week at the school and then a week exploring the surrounding areas.
