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 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.

Welcome back to an exciting and busy Term 2! I hope everyone had a most enjoyable Easter and holiday break. I also hope our students relaxed and recharged during their holidays and are ready for all the learning they will do this term.

The term has already got off to a busy start with Humanities and Languages Weeks. Thank you to Ms Watt, our Curriculum Leader for Humanities, and Ms Salvo, our Curriculum Leader for Languages, along with the Humanities and Languages teams for organising these weeks. We have much to look forward to this term and plenty of opportunities to celebrate our students’ achievements in many areas. Mr Joyce has shared with the staff the most recent successes of our students in sport and we wish those involved in different sports this term all the best.

Year 7 to 10 Parent-Teacher Interviews

It was great to see so many parents and students at our interviews this week. These interviews provide an opportunity to enable students and their parents to engage in conversations around learning, and to talk about strengths and areas for improvement. If you have any feedback on the interviews, please let me know.

I continue to encourage parents and guardians to access the Parent Access Module (PAM) and to view the results for your child’s assessment tasks. If you need any help accessing PAM, please contact the College.

2021 NAPLAN

Students in Year 7 and 9 will complete NAPLAN tests from Tuesday 11 May to Friday 14 May, with makeup tests on Monday 17 May if they have been absent.

Below is the schedule, mandated dates and proposed times. We ask that parents and guardians avoid making appointments for their child during the NAPLAN testing times.

Year 7 NAPLAN classrooms: 7A: Room 6, 7B: Room 7, 7C: Room 8, 7D: Room 9

Year 9 NAPLAN Classrooms: 9A: Room 14, 9B: Room 15, 9C Room 16

The NAPLAN tests will be conducted online. Students must bring a pen or pencil and headphones for the writing, conventions of language and numeracy tests. Please remind your child of these requirements. Parents and guardians will receive a NAPLAN report by the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) later in the year showing their child’s achievements against the national standards.

Ms Sally Op’t Hoog, our Learning Diversity Leader, has contacted parents and guardians of the students she supports to discuss the NAPLAN tests.

We wish our students all the best as they complete this year’s NAPLAN tests.