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.

It has been another successful year of teaching and learning at St Mary MacKillop College. It is always a joy to work together with our students and families. As we come to the end of another school year and reflect on our many achievements, I would like to acknowledge the efforts of our students throughout the year, and I extend my thanks to our families for their great support and the positive partnership they have formed with our school. It is a gift and blessing to be part of this wonderful community, where building positive relationships underpins all the work that we do to ensure our students flourish.

Exams

Congratulations to our Year 7, 8, 10 and 11 students who completed exams over the past weeks. We hope the results for your exams reflect your personal best and all your hard work and preparation.

Senior School Transition Interviews

Thank you to students and families for your support of our recent Senior School Transition Interviews. Every student completing a Year 11 or 12 VCE / VCE VM pathway in 2025 was interviewed. These conversations ensure our students are set up for success in their VCE years. 

2025 Year 11 and 12 Orientation Programs

Students in Year 11 and 12 in 2025 have recently completed their orientation programs. During the orientation lessons, students were introduced to the requirements of each subject and they were set homework to complete over the holiday break. This ensures they are set up for a positive start to the 2025 academic year. Thank you to the students for engaging in their learning during these programs.

Christmas and the summer holiday break are around the corner! It was wonderful to come together as a school community yesterday to celebrate Christmas in a liturgy held in our church. As we move towards the end of another school year, we wish our community all the best for the summer holiday break. We pray that Christmas is a time of peace, love and joy, and an opportunity to spend time with family and friends. We look forward to working together again in 2025.

Semester Two Reports

At St Mary MacKillop College we recognise the importance of ongoing feedback to students about their academic progress. In light of this we have the Parent Access Module (PAM) where grades for assessment tasks are published and feedback is provided to inform students of their achievements and areas for improvement. We encourage students and parents to access PAM on a regular basis and to have conversations at home around their child’s academic progress. End of Semester reports have almost been completed and will shortly be available online via PAM. I encourage parents and guardians to take the time to discuss the report with your child.

To review detailed feedback on each assessment task, please refer to the individual subject Learning Area, accessible via PAM. Hardcopies of End of Semester reports will only be printed and posted home over the holidays, if specifically requested. Please contact the office prior to Thursday 19 December if you need any assistance accessing reports or if you need your password reset.

If any parent is unable to access their child’s report online, or does not receive their specifically requested hardcopy by the beginning of Term 1, 2025, please do not hesitate to contact the Front Office.

All Victorian Government and Catholic schools now must use the Victorian Curriculum F-10 for determining achievement levels for students in Years 7 to 10. Schools are required to report on the achievement of all students including those with disabilities ‘without exception’. The Victorian Curriculum achievement graphs contain some significant changes, with an explanation of new terms and codes under each graph. If you have any questions or concerns with the reporting of Victorian Curriculum levels for your child, please contact me.

Please note: Some students who have a Personal Learning Program (PLP) may have an expected achievement level set which differs from their year level in some subjects. Sally Op’t Hoog, Learning Diversity Leader, has emailed families about this.

Victorian Curriculum Standards

The scoring range for the Victorian Curriculum for Foundation Level to Level 10 is structured in 0.5 increments which nominally equate to 6 monthly progress within an achievement standard.

Achievement means a teacher locating a student on a continuum of learning for a Learning Area and and/or Capability by making an on-balance, holistic, evidence-based and defensible judgement of assessment evidence gathered during a reporting period.

Progress means representing the growth in learning that has occurred by referencing the last time such achievement standards were reported against for that student in the school.

Typically, by the end of the year students should have achieved the following levels for the Victorian Curriculum as outlined in the table below. When students are at these levels on the continuum they are considered as ‘at standard’.

Grading Scale for Year 7 to 11 Assessment Tasks

End of Semester Reports: Grading for Assessment Tasks 

Assessments at Year 7 – 11 use the following grading criteria: 

VH (Very High):  All criteria addressed to a very high standard or 90 – 100%

H (High): Most criteria addressed to a high standard or 75 – 89%

M (Medium):  Criteria addressed to a medium standard or 55 – 74%

L (Low):  Criteria addressed to a low standard or 40 – 54%

VL (Very Low):  Criteria addressed to a low standard or 30 – 39%

NY (Not Yet): Student is not eligible for a result due to: Non-submission of work by the due date; lowest standard not met; copying or; plagiarism; or below 30%

LS (Late Submission): Late but Satisfactory

NA (Not Assessed):  Task Not Assessed

AB (Absence):  Absent for task

Grading Scale for Year 9 Project Based Learning (PBL) in English, Maths, Religious Education and Science

• Exceeding
• Accomplished
• Consolidating
• Beginning
• Not Yet Evident
• Absent

End of Semester Result for VCE units:

S – Satisfactory. Assessment tasks completed.

N – Not Satisfactory. Insufficient work completed, or work below standard.

Student Voice – 2024 Learning Survey

I recently sent our students a survey to reflect on their learning throughout the year. I am incredibly impressed at the reflections the students provided about their achievements throughout the year and how they overcame any challenges in their learning. I have included below some of the responses from the survey questions.

Explain the highlight of your learning in 2024.

• My highlight is definitely working with friends during Food Tech.
• Being a part of the group of students talking and engaging with the Y2 Architects.
• The Renewable Energy Futures program.
• Achieving good results in my accelerated subjects.
• My highlight of my learning in 2024 is doing sport because it's fun.

What were you most proud of this year in your learning?

• I’m most proud of my house model, in the measurement project (The Block).
• Getting a good result in my humanities budgeting task because it is an important thing to know.
• Getting very highs on all my maths tests.
• Results I can be proud of knowing I worked hard.
• Obtaining a high on my English essay for Night.

Explain how you have grown as a learner throughout the year.

• I have become more independent and confident.
• I've paid attention more in class and I've developed better study habits.
• I have learnt ways I can focus more in class and get my work done.
• I used to be bad at invasion games in PE and now I’m good.
• I have learnt to work better in groups.

What is your favourite subject and why?

• VCE PE. Has topics I’m interested in and can apply to my life and hobbies.
• My favourite subject is Japanese because it's a subject I feel passionate about and feel that I truly understand it.
• VET Engineering because it was all hands-on learning and I loved it.
• My favourite subject would have been art because I like being creative.
• Humanities - because we get to learn things we never learned in primary school and our teacher makes it really fun.

Explain how you overcame any challenges in your learning.

• I asked lots of questions.
• By asking for help more often and doing any missing work at home.
• I asked my peers for help.
• Used my teachers for support.
• I am listening more in class.

Nathan Lane

Deputy Principal Teaching and Learning