DEPUTY PRINCIPAL - TEACHING & LEARNING REPORT 

Vision for Teaching and Learning at St Mary MacKillop College - a statement that drives the development of a high performance learning culture at SMMC. 

At St Mary MacKillop College we have high expectations of our students so we equip them with the knowledge, skills and dispositions for lifelong learning. We pursue excellence through a teaching and learning environment that is inclusive, engaging and encourages growth. We value collaboration, innovation and building strong relationships.

2022 Open Day and Subject Expo 

Many thanks to our community for supporting our Open Day and Subject Expo on Wednesday 25th May. It was wonderful to see so many students and parents in attendance, and to see the Jubilee Centre transformed into a celebration of teaching and learning. Many thanks also to our amazing staff who spent much time organising their displays. There were great displays of student work and the expo provided an opportunity to discuss, face to face with subject teachers, the various subjects we have on offer as we begin the 2023 subject selection process. SuniTAFE and representatives from the Defence Force were also in attendance, providing information on possible career pathways for our students to consider.

Many thanks to Thanh Pham, our Academic Captain, who spoke in the Year 9/10 Information Session about the positive experiences of the subject selection process, and provided some tips for students as they complete their subject selections.

Congratulations to the following students for winning a prize in our Subject Expo Treasure Hunt:

• Koby Bath
• Georgia Craig-Neal
• Isabella Gilchrist
• Jem Sibley

2023 Subject Selection for Current Year 8 – 11 students – Online Process using Web Preferences 

• All students have received a planning sheet and had the process explained to them in their Pathways classes or in special meetings for Year 8 students.
• On Thursday 26th May, they will receive an email containing a student access code and password in order to complete their subject selections online.
• Students have been encouraged to discuss their planning with parents and their teachers.
• Once preferences have been completed online, students must print a preference receipt for their parents to co-sign and return it to the Pathways Office.
• All students need to complete their Web Preferences and return their preference receipt to the Pathways Office by Wednesday, 1st June. 

For any families without internet access or who need further assistance with completing the online Web Preferences subject selection process, please contact the Pathways Team to make an appointment.

The online entry of 2023 subject choices is part of the first stage in our subject selection process where students indicate their preferences, so as final subjects for 2023 can be determined. 

Year 8 and 9 students need to plan their completion of the Year 9/10 Vertical Curriculum carefully, ensuring they complete the required minimum units in a range of subjects whilst also choosing electives that suit their particular interests and learning needs. 

Year 10 and 11 students have been encouraged to seek further advice from their parents, teachers and Pathways Coordinators on their career and tertiary education pathways. Students should consider the numerous options within VCE or the VCE VM, including the opportunity to complete School Based Apprenticeships and VET subjects for those more focused on preparing for the workforce, or the need to research prerequisite subjects and ATAR scores required for university courses. 

Once the final blocking of subjects to be offered in 2023 is completed, all students in Year 11 and Year 12 will have subject counselling interviews in November. Parents or guardians are required to attend these interviews and booking times will be available online using PAM. 

Subject selection assistance is also available from students’ Teacher Advisor or subject teachers as well as more specific planning advice from Ms Looney or Ms Brady in the Pathways/Careers Office each lunchtime for the remainder of Term 2 and Term 3.

Subject Selection Website

To support students and parents as they navigate their way through the subject selection process for 2023, a website has been put together containing useful resources for students entering Year 9, 10, 11 and 12 in 2023. Please find here the link to the website. We hope this will be a useful resource for students and parents. If you have any feedback on the website, please email nlane@mackillopsh.vic.edu.au.

2023 Curriculum Book Cover

Thank you to Angelica Watson of Year 11 for designing the front cover for the 2023 Curriculum Book.

Year 9 Project Based Learning (PBL)

This year, students in Year 9 have been completing Project Based Learning (PBL) in their core subjects: English, Mathematics, Religious Education and Science.

To showcase the exciting work students are completing in the Year 9 PBL program, I have put together a short video below. I have also put together here a website which explains in detail what Project Based Learning (PBL) involves.

Purpose of Examinations in Year 8 – 11 

External examinations in Year 12 VCE studies are a major component of the overall assessment and the study score achieved. Exams in junior levels can add to the anxiety of some students, yet they also have the potential to build resilience and promote effective revision strategies. 

At St Mary MacKillop College, the main purpose of exams in Year 8, 10 and 11 is:

1. To develop student confidence and experience in examination settings.

2. To develop subject specific revision and examination skills. 

3. To instil a culture of regular revision and home study preparation. 

4. To reinforce an academic learning culture at St Mary Mackillop College amongst students, parents and the wider community. 

5. To support the school’s aim in providing a range of both formative and summative assessment tasks for improved student learning. 

In Year 8 classes, students will be explicitly taught how to approach and revise for each subject specific exam. The exam will be conducted in exam conditions and be set a duration of 70 minutes, including 10 minutes of teacher instruction time. 

In Year 10 classes, the revision strategies specific to that subject will also be explicitly taught and the examination paper will be structured in a way that promotes scaffolding towards the style of examinations held in senior years for that subject. 

In Year 11 VCE classes, students are given practice exams during the revision period and all exams assess the key knowledge and skills as per the current VCAA study design. 

The outcome of all examinations will be reported in semester reports with a grade-only scale. As the final summative assessment for the semester, no feedback comments are provided. 

We have endeavoured to spread exams so that students have no more than two exams per day. Please contact Mr Lane should you have any questions or concerns.

The exam timetables are available in this newsletter. Thank you to Ms Rogers for putting together the Semester 1 exam timetables.