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.

Welcome back to Term 4! We hope our College community had an enjoyable holiday break and our students are looking forward to an exciting term of learning. 

It is not long now until our Year 12 students finish. During the second week of the September holidays, students undertaking Unit 3 and 4 subjects completed trial examinations. 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.

There is a lot of information available online about the importance of revision in academic success. Recently I read a quote from La Trobe University about effective revision.

Effective revision enables you to get material from your short-term memory into your long-term memory. Long-term memory is like a library – information that is placed in it in a systematic way is more likely to be retrievable. Revision is more effective when you are actually doing something rather than passively trying to absorb information.

Many thanks to Ms Haley for organising the trial exam timetable, and to our Year 12 teachers for organising the trial exams for their classes 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 identified to focus on for improvement. There is still time before the official exams begin for students to show vast improvement, and we encourage our students to seek assistance from their teachers.

We wish our students completing VCAL all the best as they pursue the next chapter in their chosen applied learning pathway. Many of our students are also completing VET classes, and we wish these students all the best as they complete their courses.

As our Year 12 students finish their formal classes, we would like to acknowledge the dedication, hard work and resilience these students have shown throughout the year. Some of our students already know their plan for life after Year 12, and others will be relying on the ATAR score they receive in December to know the courses they can enter in 2024. Some students have already been given a placement in a course for 2024 through early entry programs, or they have arranged employment or apprenticeships for next year. Our students will have their own individual pathways for the future, and I know the education they have received at our wonderful school has provided them with the perfect foundation to launch into adulthood successfully and make their mark on the world. 

The 2023 VCE written exams will commence on Tuesday 24th October with the 3-hour English paper. We wish our students every blessing as they prepare for their upcoming exams. In the lead-up to and during the exams, it is important for our students to maintain regular exercise, eat well and ensure they get adequate sleep. This will help support their learning and well-being throughout the exam period. We also acknowledge the important role our families play in supporting their children throughout the 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’s worth or potential. 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?

• Sport and Rec, because I can be with my friends and enjoy the prac, plus the theory is easy and understandable for me.
• My favourite subject would be Creative Writing as I got to make a short story of my choice.
• Health and Human Development. There are innovative ways we learn the subject and it is easy to understand.
• I like PE because you get to have fun and take your mind off the harder subjects. You get to play fun and enjoyable games and work on different skills, such as throwing skills, leg skills and so on.
• My favourite subject is Science. I like making my work neat and we do a lot of writing in Science and that's also why it is my favourite subject.
• Science, we have been learning about the subjects of chemistry. Throughout this, I have learnt about ionic bonds and the charge of certain atoms. Personally, I have enjoyed this topic the most so far.

Explain the highlight from your learning in Term 3.

• Learning algebra in maths, and making plushies with Miss Stewart in textiles.
• In Biology I have been learning about genetics.
• Learning how to use the different saws in woodwork.
• A highlight from my learning in Term 3 was learning new electives (Drama and Digital Tech).
• Probably the Sport and Rec excursion to Melbourne because we learnt a lot about sporting careers and pathways.
• Doing textiles because we got to hand sew.

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

• Getting 100% in my Maths and Humanities tests and other high grades in other subjects.
• I was very proud of myself when I got a couple of very highs in Italian last term. I studied well and used my class time wisely and it paid off.
• Getting consistently good results in 3/4 PE.
• Receiving a 25/25 score for my unit 3/4 subject.
• My result that I'm most proud of achieving would be a high in Science for my Research Assignment.
• The result I was most proud of would be my Maths results as I got a pretty good score on my algebra test.

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

• Try and stay on task, ask questions, study when I can and try my best for the exams.
• To prepare and do really well on my two 3/4 exams.
• Study at home and school for tests and exams, and work harder in class.
• Getting involved in class discussions more.
• A goal for Term 4 for that I have made for myself is to be more consistent with my learning.
• The goals I have set for my learning in Term 4 would be to keep on top of my homework, to try my hardest in class and to complete my work to the highest standard and quality.

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

Academic Recognition Program

Recently teachers nominated students from their Year 9 and 10 classes for academic and endeavour recognition. The following students were nominated:

Year 9: Academic Recognition

Science: Indi Grey, Audrey Domaille, Keenan Dreyer

English: Maggie Meney, Mitchell Anderson

Maths: Keenan Dreyer, Archie Gilchrist, Maggie Meney

Japanese: Kiah Prince

Geography: Keenan Dreyer

History: Willow Conlan

Graphics Mix: Charley Baskin

Year 9: Endeavour Recognition

Science: Lachlan Jones, Rory Bell, Kiara Winters

English: Isabella Papa, Keenan Dreyer

Maths: Lisa Bail, Ella McCurdy, Tess Thomson

Japanese: Aleah Richards 

Geography: Archie Gilchrist

History: Zion Rodriguez

Graphics Mix: Lachlan Jones

Year 10: Academic Recognition

Maths: Jodie South

Science: Madison McCann, Maeve Sheldrick

Japanese: Lillie Wallace

Food For Entertaining: Montana Davies

Graphics Mix: Tarkyn Doyle

Year 10: Endeavour Recognition

Maths: Caitlin McKissack

Science: Louise Gilbee, Nataivia Jones

Japenese: Jasmine Harvey, Bailey Johnson

EAL: Mawa Abitama

Food For Entertaining: Nancy Mammone 

Graphics Mix: Jasmine Harvey

Thank you to the Academic Committee for organising this initiative.