MCC Newsletter

Assistant Principal News

Amidst the cold winter weather, we would like to provide a warm welcome back to Term 3 for all students and parents.

While some of our normal activities are still limited by the health restrictions, we still have many exciting and important initiatives and events happening at MCC this term.

This coming Wednesday 29th July Year 7-10 Parents and Students are invited to participate in our Zoom Parent/Teacher/Student Conferences. 

Parents can book their interviews on Compass. Earlier this week we sent some instructions on how this can be done. On the day of the Conferences, Teacher Zoom Links and further instructions will be sent.

We remind parents of the vital importance of students also attending the interviews with their parents to be part of the conversation to enhance their learning.

Here are some learning questions for parents to ask both teachers and their children before, during and after the professional conversations:

Questions parents can ask teachers

  1. What is my child learning?
  2. What are they doing well?
  3. What do they need to do to improve?
  4. How can they improve?
  5. What support can I provide?

5 Questions parents can ask their children

  1. What are you learning?
  2. What are you doing well?
  3. What do you need to improve?
  4. How can you improve?
  5. Where to next?

Obviously we are unable to have our normal Year 7-10 Awards Ceremonies in the current climate, however, students will still receive their certificates for Honours, Merits, Marian

Awards and Principal Awards from their Pastoral Leader in the coming weeks. In the next edition of the College Newsletter an honour roll of students will be published.

 

To continue to enhance the academic achievement, engagement and learning of our students, our staff participated in a Professional Learning Day on Monday, focused on Quality Assessment and Instruction.

 

 

As part of the College’s Annual Improvement Plan, the focus on Assessment and Instruction has been the primary purpose of the Staff’s Gr8 Thinking Team this year.

On Monday, staff analysed and discussed data from a student survey on assessment, revised their own understanding and learnt about ‘The Assessment Waterfall Chart’.

 

The main purpose within this learning was to develop staff capacity in formative assessment - the ability to use informal assessment to guide the way we teach. A key part of this is creating student confidence in self and peer assessment to foster independent learning.

 

Staff engaged in practical activities on co-constructing success criteria and modelling the construction of visual learning walls for self assessment. Later in the day, members of our Gr8 Thinking Team presented a range of exciting formative assessment strategies that have been used at MCC, and then staff were given time to create learning activities and embed these in their KLA areas.

 

Continuing the theme of empowering students in their learning, we are pleased to announce our innovative new way of engaging our Senior students in our Stage 6 Support Evenings. Previously run as a once a term lecture for parents and students, the College will now provide fortnightly videos and tips for Year 11 and Year 12 Students as they move towards their exams. These videos will focus on well being, managing stress and workload, study and exam tips. The College will use staff, past students and experts to present these small clips. Parents and students will be able to view these clips on Compass in the coming weeks.

 

In addition to this, our focus on the wellbeing of students, academically, socially and emotionally continues into the junior years. Year 10 will commence a program created by Burn Bright, which focuses on equipping our students with essential skills and information to regulate their emotions, manage their time and promote resilience. Year 8 will embark on an exciting Journey with University of NSW and Beyond Blue with their Smooth Sailing program. This is a pioneering Mental Health intervention program designed to monitor and highlight students that require interventions and assistance, further information will be provided to students and parents regarding the start dates and requirements for these programs.

 

The Year 11 Wellbeing Committee are currently designing three Academic Pastoral Care sessions for Year 7 to assist them to ‘stress less’ and focus on developing healthy relationships and to utilise social media and in a responsible and appropriate way and Year 11 and 12 will be working with Headspace as they approach their examination periods. 

 

Combined these programs will hold our students in good stead to work together towards their goals, in a healthy and well balanced way.

Yours in Learning,

 

Lora Segrave and Damien Herb

Co Assistant Principals