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.

The official Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) examinations have started well for our senior students. My office is near the Year 12 common room, and since our Year 12s have finished, it has been quiet around my office area. Even though our Year 12 students have finished their formal classes, students have been coming in and out of school, catching up with their teachers and studying for their upcoming exams in the common room and LRC. It has been great to see our Year 12 students prepared for their examinations and supporting each other in group study sessions at school. Last Tuesday, all students completing a Year 12 VCE program sat the English exam. I hope they felt confident in the way they answered the questions on the paper.

Year 11 Exams

As our students undertaking Units 3 and 4 subjects complete their final VCE exams, Year 11 students are finishing their current learning in preparation for their exam period. Subject teachers will provide students with different techniques and strategies to prepare effectively for the upcoming exams, but if you are interested in some more ideas to engage your child as they prepare for their exams, you may find the strategies outlined in this website here useful. A reminder that students need to wear correct school uniform to each exam.

The following is some advice for what to do before the exam and at the start of the exam, as well as how to interpret questions during the exam.

Before the exam:

• Make sure you get plenty of rest and sleep the night before your exam.
• Ensure you eat something healthy before the exam. Depending on the time of the day your exam is held, this might be a healthy breakfast or lunch.
• Bring the required materials (e.g. pens, pencils, erasers). As you prepare for the exams with your teachers, they will inform you of the stationery you need to bring.

Reading time:

• Use the reading time productively and read the whole paper at least once. Make sure you know which is the last page of the exam booklet.
• Note in your mind (as you cannot write during reading time) the questions you feel most comfortable with and respond to these first when writing time commences.

Writing time:

• Read the question at least twice to ensure you have interpreted it correctly.
• There will be marks allocated for each question. Take note of the allocation of marks for each question as this usually indicates how many pieces of information you are required to provide.
• Ensure you answer all questions – never leave a question unanswered. This applies to questions that require an extended written response as well as multiple-choice questions.
• Decode the question and look at the cognitive verb used (e.g. analyse, compare, evaluate). This will help inform the way you approach answering the question and the information you provide.

Above all, be confident and approach each exam as an opportunity to showcase all your knowledge from this semester.

Exam Preparation – Study Skills Video Presentation

In our last newsletter I promoted the short study skills video here. I hope this is a useful resource for our students.

We wish our Year 11 students all the best as they prepare for their upcoming exams.

End of Year Arrangements for Year 11s

As communicated to parents via Operoo and in our last newsletter, Year 11 students will not be required at school on Monday 18th and 25th November.

Academic Recognition Program

Congratulations to the following Year 12 students for being nominated for academic excellence/class achievement and endeavour before they finished their formal classes.

Academic excellence and/or class achievement:

Abbey Houlihan, Ella Vrolijks, Ella Hazlett, Mia Garner, Otto Conlan

Student endeavour:

Callan Jager, Evita Caruso, Lauren Cordingley, Trinity Sutton,  Wilhelm Hawkins

Congratulations to the following Year 7 students for being nominated for academic excellence/class achievement and endeavour.

Academic excellence and/or class achievement:

Ekamroop Kaur, Emily Lawry, Georgia Martin, Ha My Hoang, Hattie Merrett, Jed Ingram-Cutts, Logan Sutterby, Lola Patterson, Luciana Schlitz, Tommy Nguyen

Student endeavour:

Adison Brignell, Angus Potter, Brody Stevens, Celena Cimino, Charli Woodward, Haani Fox, Larni O'Brien, Mira Tran, Neve Soward, Parker Bray

Thank you to the Academic Committee for organising this initiative.

Nathan Lane

Deputy Principal Teaching and Learning