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.

Semester 2 Year 10 and 11 Exams

Congratulations to our Year 11 students for completing their semester 2 exams this week. Our Year 10 students will complete exams for English, Maths and Science on Friday 29 November and Monday 2 December, before starting their orientation program for 2025 Year 11.

Exam Preparation – Study Skills Video Presentation

To assist students prepare for their exams, I have put together a short study skills video here. I hope this is a useful resource for our students.

We wish our Year 10 students all the best as they prepare for their upcoming exams.

2025 Subject Selection Process

This week our senior students entering Year 12 in 2025 attended interviews with staff to finalise their subject choices for next year. I always enjoy these conversations as I get to find out more about the unique pathways our students wish to pursue once they finish secondary school. Thank you to our amazing Pathways Team for organising these interviews. Thank you also to our parents and guardians who attended the interviews with their child and supported the subject selection process. I hope parents and guardians found the conversations beneficial as we talked about their child’s goals and plans for the future. Next week the interviews will be held with students entering Year 11 next year.

Year 9 and 10 students will shortly finalise their elective choices for next year. It is an exciting time for these students as they get to explore new studies through our broad elective program.

2025 Year 11 and 12 Orientation Programs

Next week our orientation program begins for our 2025 Year 12 cohort. The following week we have our orientation program for students entering Year 11 in 2025. Our orientation programs give our students a solid start to the academic year ahead. They also provide an opportunity to set some goals for next year and to reset standards. Students will receive a timetable for their orientation program, and it is an expectation that all students attend their orientation classes.

Even though the summer holidays are getting closer each day, we encourage all students to keep working hard and persevering until the end of the school year. A lot of hard work at this time of the year can make a big difference. 

2025 Booklists

Booklists for 2025 Years 7 to 12 are now available on the Campion website. Campion is the booklist supplier to St Mary MacKillop College, and the link to the Campion website can be found on the College website in the top banner, or accessed at the following web address: https://campion.com.au/ using 7V4W as your code. The due date for orders is Sunday 15 December. 

Students in Year 11 and 12 in 2025 will confirm their subject choices during this week and next week’s Senior School Transition interviews.

Students in Year 9 and 10 in 2025 will be visited in their classes over the next few weeks, and will be informed of their elective choices for 2025 so they can purchase the appropriate resources from the booklist.

Nathan Lane

Deputy Principal Teaching and Learning