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.

Welcome back to our students, families and staff for Term 4. We hope our College community had an enjoyable holiday break and are looking forward to an exciting term ahead. 

During the September holidays, students undertaking Unit 3 and 4 subjects completed trial examinations. I commend our students for the serious approach they took towards these exams. Students arrived on time and completed the exam papers to the best of their ability. The trial exams provide important preparation for the official VCAA exams our students will complete in a few weeks. The results for the trial exams help to identify what students know, and what they need to focus on revising between now and the official VCAA exam period to ensure they can achieve their personal best. Many thanks to our Year 12 teachers for organising the trial exams for their subjects and for providing feedback on the papers to their students. The support our amazing teachers give to our students is very much appreciated. I hope students took the time to review the feedback they received and noted the things they are doing well, as well as the areas to focus on for improvement. There is still time before the official exams begin for students to show vast improvement.

The 2022 VCE written exams will commence on Wednesday 26th October with the three hour English paper. Our students will arrive to complete this exam with a range of emotions. Some will be nervous about their exams, some will be eager to start and finish their exams, and some will be relieved that their secondary school days are almost over. Whatever emotions our students have, I am sure they will achieve their personal best.

Some of our students already know their plan for life after Year 12 and others will be relying on the ATAR score that they receive in December to know the courses they can enter in 2023. Some students have already been given a placement in a course for 2023 through early entry programs, or they have arranged employment or apprenticeships for next year. Our students will have their own individual pathway for the future and I know the education they have achieved at our wonderful school has provided them with the perfect foundation to launch into adulthood successfully and to make their mark on the world.

We wish our students all the best as they prepare for their upcoming exams. When exam results are released in December, we always hear a lot about ATAR scores in the media. Even though an ATAR score may be important for entry into tertiary courses, it certainly does not define a person. There are many attributes that make our St Mary MacKillop College graduates valuable members of society.

Term 3 Learning Reflection

I recently sent a survey to our students asking them to reflect on their learning from Term 3. Here is a selection of the responses I received.

What is your favourite subject and why?

• Physics. I have always loved aerodynamics and learning everything else in the world of physics is just solidifying that enjoyment
• Literature - it is fun to analyse the texts
• Art - able to be creative and it is a practical class
• Food Tech because it’s fun to cook
• My favourite subject is maths because I like to solve and work with mathematical problems and increase my thinking capacity while studying.
• Science, because we are learning about the periodic table and chemical equations. I am finding this enjoyable.
• PE because it’s fun and I get to play games

Explain the highlight from your learning in Term 3:

• Finding the best ways to study
• My trip to Tasmania for AJASS
• Finishing my final SACs ever
• Learning different and new things
• Sport and Rec camp
• Finishing Unit 4 content

Explain the result you were most proud of achieving in Term 3:

• Getting 100% on my science assessment task
• The result I am most proud of achieving in Term 3 is VH in one of my maths tests
• Getting better results than I did before
• 2nd in the 17s high jump division
• My poetry when we were learning and making slam poetry in English
• Very Highs through most subjects

Outline the goals you have set for your learning in Term 4:

• Continue to build upon the progress made in Terms 2 and 3. Continue to improve my results and hopefully do well in exams.
• To continue getting really good scores and not being hard on myself.
• My goal for my learning in Term 4 is to complete each and every task to the best of my ability and to work with a positive mindset.
• Continue to get good results in science and achieve these results in all of my other subjects.
• Get higher marks in maths.

We wish our students all the best with their studies in Term 4.