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 past four weeks have been a celebration of learning starting with Technology Week, followed by Health and PE Week, Languages Week, and last week Humanities Week. Sincere thanks to our Curriculum Leaders for these Learning Areas: Mrs Watt, Mrs Crow and Mrs Salvo for organising a variety of activities during these weeks. On Wednesday evening the Jubilee Centre was once again transformed into a wonderful celebration of teaching and learning for our annual Subject Expo.

How learning a new language changes your brain

At St Mary MacKillop College we offer two languages: Italian and Japanese. Recently I came across an interesting article on how learning a language changes your brain. In celebration of Languages Week I thought I would share the link to the article here.

2023 Open Day and Subject Expo 

Many thanks to our community for supporting our Open Day and Subject Expo on Wednesday 24 May. It was wonderful to see so many students and parents in attendance, and to see the Jubilee Centre transformed into a celebration of teaching and learning. Many thanks also to our amazing staff who spent much time organising their displays. There were great displays of student work and the expo provided an opportunity to discuss, face to face with subject teachers, the various subjects we have on offer as we begin the 2024 subject selection process. External organisations were also represented on the evening, including SuniTAFE and Murray ACE, who provided information on possible career pathways for our students to consider.

Congratulations to Jessica Burge and Emily Pekin for winning a prize in our Subject Expo Treasure Hunt.

2024 Subject Selection for Current Year 8 – 11 students – Online Process using Web Preferences 

• All students have received a planning sheet and had the process explained to them in their Pathways classes or in special meetings for Year 8 students.
• On Monday 29 May, students will receive an email containing a student access code and password in order to complete their subject selections online.
• Students have been encouraged to discuss their planning with parents and their teachers.
• Once preferences have been completed online, students must print a preference receipt for their parents to co-sign and return it to the Pathways Office.
• All students need to complete their Web Preferences and return their preference receipt to the Pathways Office by Wednesday 7 June. 

For any families without internet access or who need further assistance with completing the online Web Preferences subject selection process, please contact the Pathways Team to make an appointment.

The online entry of 2024 subject choices is part of the first stage in our subject selection process where students indicate their preferences, so final subjects for 2024 can be determined. 

Year 8 and 9 students need to plan their completion of the Year 9/10 vertical curriculum carefully, ensuring they complete the required minimum units in a range of subjects whilst also choosing electives that suit their particular interests and learning needs. 

Year 10 and 11 students have been encouraged to seek further advice from their parents, teachers and Pathways Coordinators on their career and tertiary education pathways. Students should consider the numerous options within VCE or the VCE VM, including the opportunity to complete School Based Apprenticeships and VET subjects for those more focused on preparing for the workforce, or the need to research prerequisite subjects and ATAR scores required for university courses. 

Once the final blocking of subjects to be offered in 2024 is completed, all students in Year 11 and Year 12 will have subject counselling interviews in November. Parents or guardians are required to attend these interviews and booking times will be available online using PAM. 

Subject selection assistance is also available from students’ Homeroom Teacher or subject teachers as well as more specific planning advice from Mrs Looney or Mrs Brady in the Pathways/Careers Office each lunchtime for the remainder of Term 2 and Term 3.

Subject Selection Website

To support students and parents as they navigate their way through the subject selection process for 2024, a website has been put together containing useful resources for students entering Year 9, 10, 11 and 12 in 2024. Please find here the link to the website. We hope this will be a useful resource for students and parents. If you have any feedback on the website, please email nlane@mackillopsh.vic.edu.au.

2024 Curriculum Book Cover

Thank you to Vanessa Hall from Year 10 for designing the front cover for the 2024 Curriculum Book.