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 so 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.

2022 School Production – 'School of Rock'

I have been privileged to watch our students rehearse this year’s musical ‘School of Rock’ and see the performance come to life on the stage of the JC this week. I am truly blown away by the talents of our students on stage. To remember lines, movement, blocking, entrances and exits are important in the world of theatre. Theatre is a discipline in itself and teaches students so many skills. Of course, the actors are a very important part of any musical production, but there is another team of people working behind the scenes to ensure what is seen on the stage is delivered seamlessly during every performance. A school musical production really does bring our community together. We have people working front of house, backstage crew, wardrobe, makeup, sound and lighting, scenery design and props, and of course the amazing band. I commend everyone involved in this year’s school production. You should be very proud of the final product, which we will get to experience and enjoy this week. Many thanks to Ms Henderson for her incredible vision as Director and for her amazing and inspirational work in organising the entire production from the performance rights to the auditions and rehearsals. A huge thank you to the team of staff who have supported Ms Henderson throughout the year. As they say in the theatre, ‘break a leg’!

GAT Information for Parents

The 2022 General Achievement Test will be held on Wednesday 7 September. Please click on the link here for important information regarding this year’s GAT.

Pivot Student Perception Surveys

A goal within the College’s Annual Action Plan is ‘more efficient and effective targeted use of feedback surveys’. For the past few years, our students have completed the Pivot Student Perception Surveys. These surveys enable students to have a voice in their education.

The student surveys are intended to provide teachers with information about areas of strength, as well as areas to consider for growth in the future. The surveys model to students that we are all lifelong learners and always strive to improve the way we do our work.

The survey questions are framed around the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers developed by the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL). The student survey responses are anonymous, and the results are only accessible to the individual class teacher. We use the survey response data to have conversations around what we do well, and what we can consider to do differently to continue to improve student learning outcomes.

For further information, please refer to the links below:

Presentation Level 2&3 Introducing the Student Survey on Teaching to Students Student Infographic - Introducing the Student Survey

Parent Access Module (PAM)

We find ourselves already past the halfway mark for Term 3. I would like to encourage all parents and guardians to take the time to log on to the Parent Access Module (PAM) and review their child’s progress and workload as communicated in their Teacher Advisor reports, class tasks, assessment task grades and teacher feedback. We encourage conversations at home around learning and the following questions may assist in these conversations:

What progress have you made?
What learning do you still need to do in order to improve your performance?
What learning goals have you set for yourself?

If you have any concerns or questions, please contact the relevant teacher directly.

I encourage parents of students completing Year 11 and 12 subjects to book an interview time to meet with their child’s teachers during next Wednesday’s interviews. Further information about the interviews has been included in this newsletter.

DATES TO REMEMBER

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2022