DEPUTY PRINCIPAL - TEACHING & LEARNING REPORT 

Last Thursday we held our VCE/VET/VCAL Parent/Teacher/Student interviews, and next Tuesday we will hold interviews for our Year 7 to 10 students. These interviews are an important part of our Assessment and Reporting Cycle and engagement with our community. They provide an opportunity for parents to work in partnership with their child’s teachers in developing a shared understanding of what progress and success in learning looks like for their son or daughter. Our Vision for Teaching and Learning states that, ‘at St Mary MacKillop College we have high expectations of our students so we equip them with the knowledge, skills and dispositions for lifelong learning’. Interviews also provide an opportunity for teachers, students and parents to discuss and set high expectations, as well as engage in conversations about study skills and strategies for students to excel in their learning. Many thanks to our staff for completing the interviews and to our parents and students for attending.

We believe that working together with our parents, students and colleagues to achieve success in learning is vitally important. Our Parent Access Module (PAM) is the platform we use to inform parents of the progress their child is making in their learning. Parents are able to log into PAM at any time and see the results and feedback their child has received for assessment tasks. As the semester progresses more results will be uploaded to PAM. PAM is also the place to view upcoming assessment tasks, overdue tasks, results for tasks, calendar events, your child’s timetable and their attendance. I encourage parents to check PAM regularly so you are informed of the progress your child is making in their learning.

We encourage our students to take ownership of their learning. Students should see the results and feedback they receive for their assessment tasks throughout the year as a validation of their hard work and commitment to their learning journey. The feedback they receive on their work will also highlight areas to focus on for improvement in the future. This is an important part of the feedback cycle, as understanding areas for improvement can assist in growth in future learning. We encourage families to discuss their child’s learning and the results and feedback they receive, as hopefully this will lead to students thinking deeply about what they are doing really well and also to consider where they need to make improvements in their learning in the future. As previously mentioned, our Vision for Teaching and Learning states we have high expectations of our students. To achieve success in our learning, we must have high expectations of ourselves, develop strategies to be resilient and be courageous when faced with challenges. By doing this, we can build a culture of high achievement.

In 2022, we reworked our Learning Habits and created a rubric which teachers use when making a judgement on your child’s approach to their learning. Parents and students will see the new Learning Habits appear on our reports. We hope that the new Learning Habits are more meaningful and will provide a springboard for conversations with your child about their learning. The link to the rubric can be found here.

2022 NAPLAN

2022 NAPLAN will occur on the following days:

Further information regarding NAPLAN has been included in this newsletter.

End of Term 1

In the blink of an eye, we find ourselves at the end of Term 1, and what a busy term it has been! Last week we had a full school assembly where we celebrated all the wonderful things that have happened this term.

It is a busy time for our students as they work towards completing final assessments before the start of the holidays. 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 we have any concerns.

Our community has certainly hit the ground running in Term 1 and now we are at the end of a busy term. My sincere thanks to everyone in our College community for their support throughout Term 1. In particular, I acknowledge the way our parents and staff have supported your child to integrate back into a more routine school year.

This week the Year 8s and VCAL students were away on their annual camp. School camp is a great opportunity for students to develop new skills, friendships and interests. Much effort has gone into the planning of the Year 12 Retreat and Year 7, 8 and VCAL camps this term, and I thank all staff involved in the organisation and supervision of these experiences.

I congratulate our students for the commitment to their studies throughout Term 1. 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.