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 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.

As we finish our third week of the new school year, I continue to notice the palpable sense of excitement and energy around our wonderful school as our students get back into their study routines. I have enjoyed visiting different classes, talking about learning and taking photos for our fortnightly newsletter. This week we have also had the opportunity to come together as a school community for our Swimming Carnival and to celebrate our opening Mass.

2024 NAPLAN Dates

In 2024, NAPLAN will occur on the following days for our Year 7 and 9 students:

• Wednesday 13th March
• Thursday 14th March
• Monday 18th March

Please find here information on the NAPLAN tests from the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA).

Learning Habits Rubric

In 2024, learning habits will continue to be reported using the rubric here. The aim of reporting on learning habits is to provide feedback on the progress and growth of students as learners. Our focus is to provide students with the necessary skills they need to be self-regulated learners, empowered to maximise their opportunities to grow and learn.

Parent Access Module (PAM)

Have you seen your child’s timetable, Learning Area tasks and assessments, attendance data and other key information by logging on to our Parent Access Module (PAM) via the College website?

Our teachers have been busy updating and uploading to PAM the subject course outlines (snapshots of learning), assessment tasks and approximate due dates for these tasks in Semester One. Some students will be asked to upload their work to the Learning Areas on Simon, our Learning Management System, or to upload to Google Classroom. Google Classroom has become a popular platform for teachers to upload work for their classes, and for students to upload their assessments once completed. 

One of the many advantages of Simon is the ability for continuous online reporting. As soon as a piece of work is corrected, teachers upload the feedback and result for this task to Simon, which can then be accessed by students and parents in real time. Thus, there is no need to wait until the end of the term to access the results of the semester report. As feedback on your child’s progress in subjects is continually being updated, we encourage you to check for updates and upcoming assessment tasks regularly.

Our Teacher Advisor (TA) program has commenced. This program is an important part of our commitment to supporting students throughout their learning journey. Students will complete a TA interview with their homeroom teacher throughout the term. This is an opportunity to touch base with the homeroom teacher and to discuss progress in subjects and any support that might be required, as well as set some goals for learning. Parents of Year 7 students are invited to attend the first TA interview with their child and homeroom teacher on Monday 4 March. This is an opportunity to meet your child’s homeroom teacher and to understand how the TA interview process works. Further information on the Year 7 TA interview has been included in this newsletter.

VCE/VCE VM/VPC Parent Support Guide

Curriculum Leaders have updated the VCE/VCE VM/VPC Parent Support Guide which contains useful strategies for parents to support their child through the VCE/VCE VM/VPC years. The updated document for 2024 has been uploaded to the Parent Access Module (PAM).