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.

In the blink of an eye, we find ourselves at the end of Term 1 and what a busy term it has been! On Wednesday we had a full school assembly where we celebrated all the wonderful things that have happened this term. It was great to listen to our Student Leadership Committee talk about their achievements during Term 1 and their plans for the year.

I congratulate our students for the commitment they have shown to their studies throughout Term 1. I encourage our students to spend some time during the holidays reflecting on their learning throughout this term. Have you achieved the goals you set for your learning which were discussed during your TA interviews? Reviewing the feedback teachers provide for assessment tasks assists our students to grow as learners. When reviewing feedback it is important to celebrate your successes and the things you are doing well, as well as reflect on the suggestions for improvement which will assist in your future learning.

My sincere thanks to everyone in our College community for their support throughout Term 1. Many thanks to our Homeroom Teachers and subject teachers who keep a close eye on our students and their learning and wellbeing and communicate with each other when there are concerns. 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 wish you a relaxing holiday break.

Learning Recognition Program

This year the Academic Committee will continue the ‘Learning Recognition Program’. Each week the committee focusses on a different year level and they ask teachers to nominate a student from each of their classes that they believe deserves recognition for their learning. One nomination is for a student who is applying themselves to the best of their ability, and the other nomination is for a student who is achieving academic excellence in their studies. Thank you to the Academic Committee for continuing this initiative. Congratulations to the following students for being recognised by their teachers so far this term:

Year 7

Academic Recognition

Archie Alderuccio, Arna Carroll, Jake O'Brien, Jenna Gray, Jimmy Kelly, Melody Cimino, Noah Pearson and Zara Pollard

Endeavour Recognition

Ellie Bellinger, Jenna Gray, Zoe Brooks, Violet Corrie, Chloe Nalder, Lana Brooks, Archie Alderuccio, Paige Russell and Melody Cimino

Year 8

Academic Recognition

Sarah Vrolijks, Emily Pekin, Calyssa Baber, Reesha Khosa, Sabrina Valenzuela, Jemma Twentyman, Patrick Eade, Tiger Vearing, Sam Scott, Sunny Barry, Charlie Graham, Reese Parsons, Scarlett Benham, Tessa Fawcett, Lily Scott, Marion Doherty, Ryley Fogarty and Scarlett Benham.

Endeavour Recognition

Dakota Zucco, Laura Dinh, Tessa Fawcett, Jack Coffey, Sarah Vrolijks, Emily Polkinghorne,  Cienna McKenzie, Matilda Murphy, Ben Nelson, Scarlet Grey, Carly Shepherd, Tara Free, Tiger Vearing, Lily Scott, Jordan Cimino, Charlize Capone, Charlie Graham, Julian Muir, Angus Wilckens, Ruby Maher, Kyra Croft and Sebastian Mammone.

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.

• Cooking in Food Tech and playing basketball at lunch.
• Playing basketball for summer sports and Year 7 Camp.
• It was good because we got to do Food Tech and the teachers are really good.
• It has been a delight to start school at St Mary MacKillop College. I was nervous when I started, but after the first day I had no idea what I was afraid of.
• My highlight from Term 1 would be Year 7 Camp. It was so fun and we did a range of different activities from the giant swing to bush walks.
• My highlight from Term 1 would be all of the different subjects and all the different teachers.
• Coming to a new school and learning lots of new things. 
• Making ice-cream in Science.

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

• More challenging work.
• Different teachers and different bell times.
• Different people from other schools and activities.
• Always changing classrooms and having different teachers for every subject.
• Lockers and lesson times.
• The differences from primary school to high school is having different teachers each day and not one classroom. Doing Science and Woodwork is definitely new. I have got used to these changes and definitely prefer high school.
• Some differences I have seen from primary school to secondary school would be the different class setups and the format of our days.
• The differences between primary school and high school for me is in high school you have to walk around a lot more. In primary school I had the same classroom for everything. In high school you have to take folders/books to every class and in primary school the books are kept in the one classroom.

Describe your highlight from Year 7 Camp?

• Ten pin bowling
• Hanging out with my friends
• Going canoeing
• The giant swing was the best activity and such an experience. I screamed my head off!
• I love the outdoors and climbing so I liked all of the activities.

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

• Knowing what books to bring to each class and not having the same teacher. I overcame these challenges by learning my timetable and being more organised.
• A challenge I have faced in Year 7 is getting up earlier than I was used to. I overcame this by getting used to it and embracing the early start.