Learning, Teaching and College Operations
Ms Jodie Connell - Deputy Principal
Subject Selection
Huge thanks to all the families for their discussions around subject choices over the past six weeks. The Web Preference Portal has now closed, students who missed the deadline will need to contact Ms Connell to organise choosing subjects for the following year.
Over the coming weeks, we will finalise the subject grids and start counselling students with subject allocations for the following year. Every effort is made to help students choose a pathway and subjects that will help them achieve their aims. The counselling process will begin with the current Year 11 students and then we will work our way down to the Year 10 and Year 9 students.
Assessment and Reporting
As we work through the second half of the year students are beginning to prepare for or complete assessment tasks. Many of our VCE students are currently undertaking School Assessed Coursework (SACs). Parents are encouraged to use the online portal, PAM, to regularly check for work tasks and access student results for assessment tasks including SACs. Teachers provide students with feedback on their assessments. This may be in the form of an attached rubric, written comments on the task, or as teacher feedback through PAM. This feedback is about improvement and acting on feedback from teachers allows students to move forward and become more independent learners.
Interim Reports & Parent Teacher Interviews
Teachers are currently preparing interim reports for students. Interim reports will be available to parents on Friday 2 September. As per Semester One, parents will have a choice of face to face interviews on Thursday 8 September or virtual online meetings on Tuesday 13 September.
General Achievement Test (GAT) 2022
What is the GAT?
The General Achievement Test (GAT) is a test of general knowledge and skills including communication, mathematics, science and technology, the arts, humanities, and social sciences taken by students in the course of completing their senior secondary studies.
Sitting the GAT is an opportunity to demonstrate literacy and numeracy skills – essential skills that show students are ready to move on to further study, training, or employment.
GAT results are also important for checking that VCE external assessments and school-based assessments have been accurately and fairly assessed and can be used if you have a Derived Examination Score (DES) approved.
The GAT will take place on Wednesday 7 September in two parts:
- Section A assesses skills in literacy (reading and writing) and numeracy.
- Section B assesses general knowledge and skills in mathematics, science, technology, the arts and humanities.
Who is required to sit the GAT?
- Scored and non-scored Unit 3/4 VCE students must sit Part A & B of the GAT
- Senior VCAL students must sit Part A of the GAT
- Scored Unit 3/4 VET students must sit Part A & B of the GAT
What should students bring?
- Students sitting the GAT may take an English and/or bilingual printed dictionary into both sections of the GAT, but not a thesaurus or a combined thesaurus-dictionary.
- Electronic dictionaries are not permitted. A scientific calculator is permitted in both sections of the GAT.
- Students will need pens, pencils and an eraser to complete the GAT.
How can students prepare for the GAT?
There is no need to do any specific revision to prepare for the GAT. The questions on the GAT are based on areas of academics that have already been covered in previous classes or through lived experiences.
There are some sample questions and past GAT papers.
There are some sample questions and past GAT papers available at:
For any general questions, concerns surrounding additional support, or queries regarding special examination arrangements, please contact Mr Peter Charles.
There will be no Year 11 or 12 classes running on Wednesday 7 September. Students in Year 11 not involved in the GAT are not required to be at school. Supervised study will be available if required.
Year 12 Practice Examinations
Please note the Year 12 Practice Examinations will be run at the College from Thursday 8 September until Thursday 15 September. Classes will still run over this period, so if students are not in an examination, they should be attending classes as per normal. The timetable has been emailed to all students.
Elevate Education Parent Webinar Seminars
Elevate Education is continuing to provide parents of Mary MacKillop Catholic Regional Student College exclusive access to their Parent Webinar Series for Term 3, 2022.
To reserve your spot, you can register for free below,
You can register by clicking here
Wednesday 24th August Note Making
✅ The most effective way to structure notes
✅ The 3 levels of acquiring knowledge and how to implement this with your child at home
✅ The power of deliberate practice and the fastest way for your child to improve their marks.
Wednesday 7th September Exam Room Skills
Wednesday 21st September Memory
The webinars are run live online from 6.30pm – 7.30pm (AEST) where the presenter will share Elevate’s key research and skills, and will conduct a live Q & A so you can ask them questions directly. If you are unable to make the webinar, don't worry! If you sign up to attend, you'll receive the webinar recording on Thursday morning.
Should you have questions or would like to contact Elevate directly, their details are listed below.
✉️ auscoaching@elevateeducation.com