DEPUTY PRINCIPAL - TEACHING & LEARNING 

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 as 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.

We have been blessed with some lovely weather this week. Spring is certainly around the corner! The sun was shining for our annual walkathon this afternoon. It was a great way to end the week.

Renewable Energy Futures Program

This week the Renewable Energy Futures program commenced, involving a group of students from Year 7 and 8. This is the third year we have been invited by the Bendigo Tech School to participate in this program, and we are pleased to have developed a positive relationship with this school. The program is being co-delivered by Ms Chepkwony and a teacher from the Bendigo Tech School. The sessions will include live and virtual opportunities, building knowledge of the topic of renewable/sustainable energy solutions.

2025 National Science Week

Next week is National Science Week, Australia’s annual celebration of science and technology. The following information is from the scienceweek.net.au/schools website. 

The school theme for National Science Week in 2025 is Decoding the Universe – Exploring the unknown with nature’s hidden language. This theme invites students and teachers across Australia to delve into the mysteries of the Universe by exploring the fundamental languages of nature, including mathematics and the ground breaking field of quantum science.

Aligned with the 2025 United Nations International Year of Quantum Science and Technology and the 2025 International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) being hosted in Australia, this theme serves as a bridge between basic science education and the exploration of specialised topics. “Decoding the Universe” will empower educators to inspire and engage students by exploring the mathematics and quantum science that underpin both the natural world and the modern technologies we use every day, from photosynthesis to satellite navigation.

(Source: https://www.scienceweek.net.au/schools/)

I thank our amazing team of Science teachers, led by Mrs Jaclyn Clark, Science Curriculum Leader, for organising different activities to engage our students throughout National Science Week. The activities for Science Week started this week with the forensic science incursion on Monday. Science is all around us. From the medicines we take when we are sick, to the planes we fly in when we travel. Science is an important Learning Area in our curriculum. It enables students to ask questions about the world around them, to hypothesise and to find answers through experiments. When I wander around our school, I always enjoy seeing the exciting learning taking place in our Science classrooms. Please click here for further information on National Science Week.

2025 Australian Mathematics Competition

Congratulations to the group of Year 7 to 10 students who completed the Australian Mathematics Competition yesterday.

Nathan Lane

Deputy Principal Teaching and Learning