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.

A Journey of Lifelong Learning

I am an advocate for lifelong learning. Throughout our lives there is always something new to learn. For the past year and a half I have been doing some study in Religious Education in a Catholic school through the University of Divinity. While at times it has been challenging to get back into the routine of studying and writing academic essays, along with balancing work with study, I have really enjoyed the experience and developing my knowledge.

For our last assessment task we had to write about what makes our school Catholic. I have worked in Catholic education for over 20 years and I think this is a very interesting question. It makes me think what sets us apart from other schools? There are the obvious symbols and rituals which indicate that we are a Catholic school, crosses around the school, liturgies, masses and daily prayer. Of course, all the work we do is underpinned by the Gospel values and our College values of dignity, respect, compassion, reverence, forgiveness and generosity. 

One thing that stands out for me in Catholic education is our sense of community. I like the wording used on the Catholic Education Commission of Victoria (CECV) website around the Catholic school community. The CECV says 'a distinctive mark of Catholic schools is the emphasis on community'. Before I came to Swan Hill in 2020, I caught up with a former St Mary MacKillop College teacher who said to me I was about to enter a very special community and this is so true. We are truly blessed to work in a community of supporting and hospitable colleagues. People who genuinely care for each other and will go out of their way to help each other. People who are committed to work together and with our wider community to educate and develop our amazing students.

Every Monday morning before school our staff come together as a community for a briefing. Our briefing commences with a prayer led by a representative from a Learning Area. This week I led prayer on behalf of the Religious Education Learning Area and I focused on community. My prayer to start the week was:

Loving God, You are present to us whenever we gather as a faith community. Bless our school, St Mary MacKillop College, and the many people who advance our mission. May our school be a home for those who seek to grow in faith, knowledge, and service of others. May our school be a place where everyone feels accepted, safe, and loved. May our community always support one another and exhibit hospitality to newcomers. Amen. (Author of the prayer unknown)

Learning Habits

Our teachers use a rubric to assess the learning habits of the students in their classes. The rubric outlines four learning habits:

• Attitude and behaviour
• Application to tasks
• Collaboration and cooperation
• Organisation

Students are assessed on these learning habits along a continuum of consistently, usually, rarely and not yet evident. If students are consistently demonstrating these behaviours, they are to be congratulated for working consistently in their classes and for giving themselves the best possible opportunity to achieve their personal best and to reach their full potential.

Learning habits appear on student reports available on PAM. Please click here for a copy of the rubric and for the descriptors used for each learning habit.

Changes to Senior Secondary Pathways

From 2023, the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) is moving towards a new integrated senior secondary certificate. Please click on the link here to be taken to further information about the changes to the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) and Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL).