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.

We find ourselves almost at the end of Term 1. I congratulate our community on a positive start to the 2026 school year. Our students have been focused and engaged in their learning throughout the term. As often as I can I like to walk around the school and see the different learning that is taking place. When I do this, I see and hear the essence of what makes for an environment that is conducive to learning – lessons that are engaging, and students who are attentive and committed to achieving their personal best.

Thank you to the families who attended our Year 11 and 12 interviews this week. Interviews for our Year 7 to 10 students will be held on Wednesday 29 April. Information on these interviews has been included in this newsletter.

Easter is when we celebrate as a community the rising of Jesus after his death on the cross. As Term 1 concludes and we move into Easter and the school holidays, may the peace and joy of the Risen Christ be with us all. I hope we are able to consider the significance of Easter in our own families at this time.

We know our staff and students are looking forward to a well-deserved rest. I wish everyone in our community a safe and relaxing holiday break. I look forward to an exciting term of teaching and learning in Term 2.

Launch of the SMMC Rules and Routines Framework

In this edition of the newsletter we are pleased to launch our SMMC Rules and Routines Framework. I encourage families to read the section in this newsletter about our new framework.

2027 Year 10 Unit 1/2 Acceleration Process

Our subject selection process for 2027 will start next term. Year 9 students will start to have conversations in their Pathways classes around their subject choices for 2027. Our Subject Expo will be held on Wednesday 27 May, and provides an opportunity for parents and students to find out more about the subjects on offer next year.

I will visit our Year 9 students and inform them of our acceleration process for studying a Unit 1/2 (Year 11) subject in Year 10 next year.

Unit 1/2 Acceleration Policy

• Current top performing students in Year 9 will be invited to accelerate into one Unit 1/2 (Year 11) VCE subject when they are in Year 10 in 2027.
• The Deputy Principal Teaching and Learning will review all available data sets to determine the students who are performing at the top of Year 9. Data sets will include: teacher feedback, PAT, NAPLAN, assessment task results, behaviour trackings and attendance.
• The top achieving students will be determined across Learning Areas.
• These students will then be invited to submit an application to accelerate into a VCE subject in the Learning Area identified by the data analysis. Students do not need to accept the invitation to submit an application.
• All invited candidates will be required to prepare a formal application and attend an interview with the Deputy Principal Teaching and Learning.

We wish your child all the best in their studies in 2026. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Year 7 Reflections on Term 1

Our Year 7s have been with us for a term now, and we hope they feel settled into secondary school. Recently I asked Year 7 students to complete a short survey on their learning. Our Year 7s shared some very interesting insights into their learning from Term 1. Here are some of the responses received.

Explain your highlight from Term 1.

• Making lots of new friends and trying new things.
• Making ice- cream in science was the biggest highlight of term 1.
• My favourite thing about term 1 would be camp since it was so much fun.
• School camp, swimming carnival and athletics day.
• Moving to different classrooms instead of staying in the one classroom.

Outline the differences you have seen from primary school to secondary school.

• More independence.
• We have to go to multiple classes.
• There is a bell after each period.
• Some new subjects.
• Having a locker instead of tubs (more space).

Identify any challenges you've faced so far in Year 7. How did you overcome these challenges?

• Getting to class on time, getting back to my locker in time and keeping my locker clean.
• Harder school work and homework
• Doing the tests was the hardest. But I overcame these challenges by studying for the test!
• Doing Maths for homework so I can get better at it.
• Making friends was a bit nerve racking, but I got over that and now I have lots of friends.

Nathan Lane

Deputy Principal Teaching and Learning