STEM INNOVATION AND PARTNERSHIPS

The Culture of STEM at Melville Senior High School

The potential of great STEM education is an ongoing focus for Melville SHS. With a growth-mindset culture, Melville SHS identifies strategies to foster a positive learning environment for all its students to develop into confident, resilient and innovative lifelong learners, linked to priorities and targets in the School Business Plan.

Melville SHS strives to utilise the skills and strategies of STEM across Learning Areas and leverages the power of technology to support successful learning outcomes. Melville SHS staff plan for authentic and appropriate STEM activities and students learn how to use the 4 C’s of 21^st Century learning – Communication, Collaboration, Critical thinking and Creativity for targeted activities and as required across the curriculum. Melville SHS recognises that learning is most powerful when students are empowered to explore concepts, have the skills to utilise technology available to construct knowledge and understanding and innovate solutions themselves.

Melville is a System Leader for STEM Teacher Development

Melville SHS has been recognised for its efforts in developing a culture of STEM by being selected as one of four metropolitan schools to be a STEM Pre-service Teacher Hub. Pre-service teachers elect to come to Melville SHS to experience and develop great STEM practices. Pre-service teachers will have the opportunity to attend five professional learning events at Melville SHS, train with excellent STEM educators when on practicum. For more information on professional teacher development, please view the following link by clicking here.

Professional Learning Opportunities Offered at Melville Senior High School

For all WA University Students including The University of Notre Dame Australia, Curtin University, The University of Western Australia, Murdoch University and Edith Cowan University.

To book into a professional learning session, please follow the according buttons below. These professional learning experiences are open to all practicum students in WA, not only Melville SHS elected individuals.

Classroom Management and Strategies and STEM Professional Learning

Gifted Students Achieving in STEM

Assisted Technology and Introduction to Differentiation

STEM BLAST Event

Governor’s STEM Secondary School Award Winner 2019

This award was recognition and celebration of the excellence in leadership, advocacy, engagement and achievements in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education at Melville.

‘The Awards support the Western Australian Government’s State STEM skills strategy by highlighting the importance of developing a whole-of-school STEM culture, where STEM learning is embraced by the school principal, leadership team and teachers with a resulting positive impact on students, parents and the community.’

Australian Education Awards Best STEM Program 2020 Finalist

Melville SHS was part of a select group of finalists selected in 2020 to be recognised by the Australian Education Awards which has been acknowledged as the leading independent awards event in the K-12 education sector.

Melville is STEM-Sational!

Students at Melville SHS participate in a wide range of activities that meet the targets of STEM thinking and growth mindset. Some examples include:

Leadership in STEM

Due to the STEM focus at Melville SHS, the school created leadership opportunities for both staff and students. Melville SHS has an appointed a staff STEM Coordinator, responsible for the organisation of STEM activities and oversees the integration of these activities into curriculum for students. In 2020, Melville SHS appointed a new position of Leadership to the student council for Year 12 – with the launch of a STEM Student Ambassador, who has leadership responsibilities in organising and attending STEM events. This student writes speeches to present to large audiences in the Performing Arts Centre and often addresses assemblies.

Recognition of STEM Learning

Recognition of student excellence in STEM learning with the ADF (Australian Defence Force) Innovators Award Presentation to Years 10 and Years 12 students annually. For more information on the ADF Innovators Award Presentations, please follow the link here.

Class Activities

Year 7 Entrepreneurship HASS recycled design project
Pilot school for the HASS Water Corp Waterwise learning experience
Design and Engineering Thinking strategies in Technologies projects
Scientific Thinking strategies in Scientific investigations
Geology incursions
Scitech Robotics incursions and excursions for GAT students
Mathematical Thinking Process in Maths classes
Drone licensing and certification through the Aviation Specialist Program
Edu-Minecraft
EV Challenge Competitors
Bottle rocket Science experiments
Edu-Robots

Extra-Curricular Activities

Inter school debating
Australian Maths Competition
Have Sum Fun Competition
EV Challenge (Electric car design, build and time trial event)
BEBRAS Computational Thinking Challenge
Future Problem Solvers competition
Book in a day competition
TedEd Club
Emergency Services Cadets

Partnerships

Melville SHS continues to expand its STEM offerings thanks to its many established partnerships. Melville SHS staff utilise the support and opportunities available through our links with Curtin University STEM Outreach program, Edith Cowan University Physical Education Studies and Murdoch University.

Come Fly With Me

Students in Years 5 and 6 can apply to participate in this very popular program. It is an eight week ‘taster’ course of the Specialist Aviation Program offered at Melville culminating in a flight with the Aviation teacher at Jandakot Airport.

Primary Science Enrichment

Melville SHS Science Learning Area recognises the importance of engaging our primary school students in scientific endeavours. Students in Year 6 visit Melville SHS to participate in a semester of Science skill enrichment and practical activities to enable them to be well prepared for Science at High School.

STEM Blast

Melville SHS’s inaugural STEM event was held in November 2020. The school is once again holding the event on November 26 2021. It will showcase the many STEM activities happening at the school and provide an opportunity for our partners to highlight the great work they do and further develop links with our feeder primary school students.

An added bonus this year is a Solar- Aerospace theme with the latest experts having displays to excite students of all ages.

The details are HERE