Secondary School
Secondary
A Rich Learning Experience for Years 7-12
The Secondary School is a thriving Christ-centred, student-focused, values-based learning community. We pursue excellence in all areas of school life and strive to make school an inspiring place with endless possibilities for our young people. We seek to develop our students' capacity in a holistic manner that addresses academic, co-curricular and social-emotional areas. To give our students the best opportunities to develop their capabilities, we have carefully crafted a secondary experience that is rich with fantastic learning programs tailored to their individual needs.
Head of Secondary Greeting
On behalf of the staff and students, it is my pleasure to welcome you to the Secondary School of Mernda Hills Christian College. I am honoured to lead our team of talented educators who are committed to providing our students with an excellent education and mentoring them with Christian character.
At Mernda Hills, we are ambitious for our students' learning and have high expectations for their futures. We are dedicated to stimulating and challenging our students through exceptional teaching strategies that enable them to identify and develop their talents. We are proud of our modern facilities and spacious grounds that enhance the educational experience of all students. Holistic education is at the core of our school identity. We value spiritual, academic, social and physical well-being and promote a variety of excellent programs that improve the health of our community. We also affirm that a values-based approach to learning is essential in growing the capacity of our students and enabling them to flourish at school and for life. Our website provides a small glimpse into secondary life at Mernda Hills and I encourage you to see our thriving Christ-Centred community in action on a tour.
As a well-respected school within the northern suburbs of Melbourne, we strive to strengthen our community connections through service and volunteering. We also appreciate diversity and encourage students to be pioneers who take risks and develop a love of learning.
Proverbs 22:6 “Train up a child in the way they should go and even when they are old they will not depart from it.”
I look forward to meeting you and your family.
Mr Trent J. Martin, Head of Secondary
What Our Secondary School Offers You
Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE)
Subject offerings include Maths, English, Science, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Psychology, Accounting, French, Drama, Music, Digital Technology, Design and Technology (Wood and Food), Religion and Society, Bible, Invictus, Learning 4 Life and Art
Specialist education support officers who provide academic support and extension for each student
Supportive and caring environment, including pastoral care for students and their families
Competitive and affordable fees
Career pathways program and ongoing career support
Chapel programs, classroom devotionals, Encounter Bible classes, access to chaplain Bible Studies, a Campus Church and the annual school Festival of Faith.
Flagship programs for holistic development include Learning 4 Life, Positive Behaviour 4 Learning, House System, Student Representative Council, Invictus Wellbeing program and school camps.
Regular academic extension opportunities through ICAS English, Maths & STEM competitions.
Extensive Physical Education and Sports program delivered through Physical Education lessons, School Sport Victoria and Adventist Schools Victoria Representative Sports Teams, Annual School Carnivals and promoting Healthy Eating at our canteen.
Private College bus system servicing local suburbs
Learning in action
Our students at work at Mernda Hills Christian College - learning, experimenting, and exploring.
See below for more information about our Year 9 Learning 4 Life program and our VCE information.
Secondary Programs
Click on the tabs to explore our extensive range of secondary programs that support your child to grow ➡️
The Vision
To implement a progressive program for Year 9 students that enables them to develop greater responsibility, independence and leadership by providing challenges that increase their level of flexibility, tolerance and cooperation, enhancing self-understanding and developing a greater appreciation for, and understanding of, the outdoor environment created for them to inhabit and preserve, and the needs of the wider community.
An Overview of Learning 4 Life
Learning 4 Life is an experiential education program that focuses on outdoor experiences and service opportunities. It aims to develop skills such as confidence, persistence, flexibility, resilience and organisation. This flagship program has obvious positive outcomes that improve the life skills of all students. Many teachers and parents have also indicated positive developmental changes in their students as a direct result of the program.
Our three core special-character elements:
- Belonging (caring for the individual),
- Believing (in self, group, and God) and
- Being (a contributing member of the community)
Our three fundamental experiences are:
- Bushwalking - dealing with the individual and personal capabilities
- Urban Studies - familiarising students with city life through planning and exploration
- Service - taking students beyond themselves to engage with their local communities
Philosophy
“Children in every culture need to belong. Depriving a child of care is universally evil. Children by their nature are created to strive for mastery; thus, schools that sabotage this motivation for competence are maltreating children. Children from any background have the need for self-determination; to block this development of independence is to commit an injustice. Finally, from the dawn of cooperative civilisation, children have sought to give back to others the concern they have been shown by others. If educators fail to provide children with opportunities for caring and generosity, they extinguish their students’ human spirit.”
Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE)
Our VCE program offers a broad range of subject choices that allow students to pursue their interests, and at the same time provide opportunities and learning pathways to continue with their choices of tertiary education. Subjects offered for VCE may vary slightly from year to year and are dependent on student choices. Subjects are offered from maths, sciences, humanities, arts, technologies and language. Our students achieve fantastic results each year as a result of our small class sizes that offer individual attention and support.
The VCE program consists of students completing 6 subjects in Year 11 and 5 subjects in Year 12. Each subject is comprised of Unit 1&2 and Unit 3&4.
VSV
If our students wish to study a course we do not offer, we offer individualised support and learning through Virtual School Victoria. This gives students access to over 500 different subject areas. We support these students with additional tutoring on campus as needed to help them succeed in their VCE subjects of choice.
Fast Track
Mernda Hills Christian College students can apply to complete any VCE units before the scheduled years if they are capable of doing so. We offer a Fast Track academic program that allows students to complete selected Units 1&2 in Year 10 and Units 3&4 in Year 11. High-achieving students also have the opportunity to extend their studies and enrol in a range of first-year university undergraduate subjects through Federation University.
Career support
Students are encouraged to study in their areas of strength. Initially, to select their subjects for Year 11, students are interviewed by the Careers teachers, where they look at both their goals for a career in the future and their learning strengths. This is used to assist them in selecting choices for Years 11 and 12.
Invictus Wellbeing Experience
All of our secondary students participate in four years of well-being programs from Years 7-10. We believe that developing a sense of self is vital to understanding how we learn and carry ourselves through an ever-changing modern world. The Invictus Experience offers students the ability to focus on their psychology, their environment and each other.
Throughout the secondary journey, students are involved in four key elements of the experience:
- Journey
- Network
- Master
- Serve
In each of these elements students undergo a variety of learning experiences both on campus and off campus as they learn to navigate a variety of challenges that develop their agency and voice. Invictus explicitly teaches students to recognise their own emotions, regulate emotions, find meaning and purposeful living, maintain resilient relationships and serve the communities around them. It also prioritises a brave, curious and compassionate mindset that develops thinkers with empathy and creativity.
When our students finish secondary school we want them to be empowered with a sense of purpose and kindness that will change the world around them.
Each of our students has a limitless number of leadership opportunities during their journey through secondary school. We have three key areas of student leadership that develop our students' agency, voice and professional skills. These are:
- Student Representative Council
- School Captains and Prefects
- House Captains
Students can apply to be SRC members from Year 7 and have the opportunity to attend a variety of professional leadership courses. We also prioritise student leadership in our assembly and chapel programs. Our student leaders demonstrate what it means to proudly represent our school to the community and other schools at functions throughout the year.
The future is what we make of it and we know that with the right skills and learning moments, our students can achieve anything they are willing to work for. From Years 9-12, we prioritise the knowledge and understanding of how the world works and how our students can actively seek out inspiring work opportunities. We provide opportunities such as:
- Subject counselling
- Work experience and ongoing placements - Year 10s and 11s
- VCE counselling
- VTAC application support
- University open days
- Avondale University Campus Camp
School Sport Victoria delivers an extensive school sports program to primary and secondary students across Victoria. As a member school, we provide pathways from local right through to national competitions. We have students that have represented at nationals in a variety of sports and have been district and state champions in a variety of sports including badminton, table tennis, basketball and soccer. Students have a variety of opportunities to trial for school teams throughout the year. We often provide access to three or four selection squads a term, outside of our major carnivals (athletics, cross country and swimming).
SSV works collaboratively with partners across community, state and elite sporting organisations to support the delivery of our school sports opportunities, connect school and community sports pathways for students and provide opportunities for students facing additional barriers to participate. We also work with sector partners to collaborate on ways to engage children and young people in physical activity and sports.
