Learning and Teaching

The partnership between Students, Parents and the College is vital to strengthen the learning platform for each student. We continue to strengthen the communication between home and school via the Parent Access Module (PAM). As the term draws to a close, I encourage all parents to ensure that they have logged into PAM and are checking how the students are progressing with their learning. All students should have feedback on at least one task they have completed this term. The student’s interim reports have also been published and give parents feedback on work habits such as effort in class, behaviour in class, completion of class work and home work as well as overall how they are progressing in their studies. 

Throughout the Term we have encouraged students to take ownership of their learning. Many of the students should see the interim report as validation of their hard work and commitment to their learning journey. Sharing the report with your child and having a discussion about their learning, hopefully leads to the student thinking deeply about what they are doing well, and where they need to be make improvements. To achieve success we must however, have high expectations of ourselves, develop resilience strategies, be courageous and through this, as a College, we can build a culture of high achievement. These high expectations come in many forms; how we treat and value one another, how we wear our uniform; and the discipline we show in our studies. 

Many thanks to the parents who attended Parent Teacher evening on Thursday night. A final reminder there is one more Parent Teacher evening opportunity next Tuesday 30th March in Leongatha. The booking system is still open in PAM. If you have misplaced your PAM login or need help finding these reports please email:

Adrienne Layton alayton@mmcrc.catholic.edu.au  and she will email you your login and password. 

HOW CAN YOU SUPPORT YOUR CHILD’S LEARNING AT SCHOOL? 

You can encourage your son or daughter to: 

• be organised 
• arrive to class on time 
• bring the required equipment to class 
• be ready to learn 
• complete and submit his/her best work 

You can support your child by: 

• reminding them about the importance of having a growth mindset 
• keeping him/her healthy - appropriate amounts of sleep, exercise and healthy food 
• discussing and showing an interest in their learning
• reassuring them that teachers will be looking at designing learning to help them learn as   much as possible from wherever their starting point is and, 
• reassuring them that teachers will provide multiple opportunities for them to continue to   learn key knowledge and skills.

On Demand Tests

On Demand Testing has taken place across Term 1 for Years 7 to 10. Students that were absent during this time will undergo the testing during our catch up sessions scheduled to take place over the coming week. These tests focus on monitoring student growth over time and allow our staff to tailor their teaching to individual learners’ needs in our classrooms. At Mary MacKillop College, we pride ourselves on ‘Knowing Our Students’ and their readiness to learn. These assessments reflect our commitment to deliver the best program to each student.

NAPLAN Tests

This week all students in Years 7 and 9 undertook two practice NAPLAN tests. NAPLAN tests assess students’ literacy and numeracy skills. These practice tests were an opportunity for students to familiarise themselves with the NAP lockdown browser, and the format and structure of the tests, as well as testing the network and capacity of the ACARA website as all schools move to the digital or on-line platform which NAPLAN will now take. 

One of the benefits of NAPLAN being delivered online is that the tests are tailored or adaptive to assess a wider range of student abilities and to measure student success more precisely. This means that not all students will receive the same test, as tests will adapt to the students’ level of ability, and some students will therefore receive more complex and challenging questions.

All students in Years 7 and 9 are expected to participate in the NAPLAN assessments. Students with disability may qualify for adjustments that reflect the support normally provided for classroom assessments. A student with a disability that severely limits their capacity to participate in the assessment may be granted a formal exemption. If you have concerns about your childs’ participation in NAPLAN please speak with myself or Robyn Synan.

Students will undertake the 4 NAPLAN tests (Writing, Reading, Conventions of Language and Numeracy) between Tuesday 11th May and Friday 21st May. A timetable will be made available to parents early next term. If students are absent on the day of a NAPLAN test, where possible we will arrange an alternative time for students to catch up on the test.

Year 11 and 12 Study Skills Seminars

Today our Year 11 and 12 students have had presentations from Elevate Education on study skills and time management. We look forward to hearing some student reviews in the next newsletter on what they took from the sessions, and how they will use the information presented to maximise their scores over the coming months.

Wishing everyone a Safe, Happy and Holy Easter Break.