DEPUTY PRINCIPAL - TEACHING & LEARNING 

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.

We find ourselves almost at the end of Term 2. I look forward to accompanying our Year 11 students on their camp to Melbourne next week. As Term 2 and Semester 1 concludes, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all students, staff and members of our community for their dedication and contribution to our wonderful school throughout the term. I wish all members of our community a safe and enjoyable holiday break.

Semester One 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 the portal on a regular basis and to have conversations at home around their child’s academic progress. End of Semester reports will be available online at the end of next week via the Parent Access Module (PAM). I encourage parents and guardians to take the time to discuss these 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. 

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 3, please contact the Front Office.

All Victorian Government and Catholic schools 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 in Term 3.

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. This will be explained in more detail at the parent’s next PSG meeting with Mrs Sally Op’t Hoog (Learning Diversity Leader).

Below is an explanation of the grading scale for assessment tasks:

Year 7 to 12

Tests for Year 7 to 10 / all exams / VCE assessment task results will be reported as a %.

Grade scale for assessment tasks (e.g. projects, assignments etc.) that use a rubric in Years 7 to 10

End of Semester Result for VCE units:

S – Satisfactory. Assessment tasks completed.

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

Please note: the results for some assessment tasks for VCE subjects that have been completed at the end of this term will not appear on the end of semester report. The result will appear on the report for semester two. Parents will see 'in progress' for the Learning Outcomes and a conditional 'S' unit result. This result may change if the student does not meet the key skills and knowledge required for the task, and parents will be notified.

Learning Habits Rubric

On our reports, learning habits are 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.

Learning Conversations at Home

As mentioned above, we encourage parents to engage their child in conversations about their end of semester report and learning progress. The report should be read in conjunction with the feedback for assessment tasks that is available on PAM. Semester 2 provides the perfect opportunity for students to ‘begin again’, to reflect on their learning from Semester 1, to identify strengths and areas for improvement, and to set goals for the term.

What did you learn at school today? What are you enjoying most at school? What challenges are you facing with your learning? These open ended questions will hopefully generate some interesting insights into your child’s experiences at school.

Subject Selection Process

All students from Years 8 to 11 have now completed their initial subject selections for 2026. We have used the online Web Preferences system for several years now and it seems to work very effectively, but if you have any feedback or concerns please contact the Pathways team. Many thanks to our wonderful Pathways Team, Mrs Sally Looney and Mrs Anna Steicke, for their work supporting our students in their subject selections and for all the administrative tasks involved in the process.

During the holidays I will review the results for Year 9 and determine the students to invite to apply to accelerate into a VCE subject in 2026. 

Once the final blocking of subjects to be offered in 2026 is completed late next term, all students in Year 11 and Year 12 will have subject counselling interviews in November. Parents or guardians are strongly encouraged to attend these interviews.

Reflections on Learning from Semester 1 

I sent our students a survey and asked them to reflect on their learning from Semester 1. Please find below a selection of the responses from our students.

What is your favourite subject and why?

• Psychology because it’s interesting.
• Both PE and Science were fun. We had good teachers and did fun things like fitness testing and invasion games, and in Science we did lot of pracs.
• Humanities because you can learn about the past and history.
• Around the World because cooking is fun.
• Maths is my favourite because it challenges me and forces me to study in order to improve my study habits.
• Drama, because it's a lot of fun and we get to play games and do a play.
• English because we get to write stories and character profiles from our book that we are studying.
• English is my favourite subject because I love exploring and analysing texts, writing, and reading.

Explain the highlight from your learning in Semester 1.

• My highlight from semester 1 was either the swimming carnival in which I participated in or summer sports (I did tennis). This is because both of these times were an opportunity to get to know more people and make more friends. I was also able to get better at my sport.
• I learnt invasion games in P.E (netball, football, soccer etc.) and also we learnt DRSABCD and how to give someone CPR in health.
• Getting a good score on my maths test though it could always be better.
• Wood work when we made the puzzles because it was hands on.
• The highlight from my learning in Semester 1 is achieving an exceeding grade in Science for the chemistry unit.
• Learning about classical and operant conditioning in psychology. This area of study was interesting which made it easier to learn.
• Art excursion and learning about artworks and exhibitions.
• Getting to watch a live play of Macbeth in English.

Explain the result you were most proud of achieving in Semester 1.

• I am really proud of coming 2nd in butterfly at the division swimming with other schools.
• Exceeding in all of my Science Investigation tasks.
• When I got 98% in both Maths and Science assessments.
• 100% and 96% on my tests in Japanese.
• Good results on my Psychology SACs, because the studying I did paid off.
• Getting 19/20 for my Gothic story in English. I didn't think I did very well but was shocked when I got that result.
• I got exceeding on my swimming.
• All of them because I am proud of what I did and could learn from my mistakes.

Outline the goals you have set for your learning in Semester 2.

• Get 100% in Maths and Science.
• To improve the amount of work I do at home. 
• To try a little bit more in Maths and to have a positive attitude even when Maths is challenging.
• Be prepared for exams.
• To keep working hard, to get better scores in assessments, and finish homework on time.
• Work harder and focus more in class.
• Studying for all my tests and reading every day.
• Keep up to date with school work and homework.

Nathan Lane

Deputy Principal Teaching and Learning