Learning and Teaching

Hit the ground running:

Welcome to the start of 2021 and to that of a new school year. I hope all the members of our Mary MacKillop College community have had a well-rested break and are ready to engage in another full year of challenging educational experiences.

The dust has settled for the New Year and by now the new Year 7’s and their families are coming to realise secondary schooling is a whole new ball game. This is an important rite of passage for these adolescents, as they learn that secondary school is very different to primary school. Part of our role of at the College is to assist parents with this transition in this new learning environment. If you want the best outcomes for your child or young person then it is important that you become involved in as many aspects of your child’s education as practical. The involvement of parents helps break down the mystery about school that can exist for some children. Their chances of success are better when they see school as an extension of home rather than merely an institution for learning. 

Positive Parent Participation & PAM: 

Positive parent participation demonstrates to children that you value learning as well as their school. Children copy many of their parents’ views so your positive attitude to school and learning is catching.  Participating as a parent can be much broader than helping out in the classroom. There is a range of simple things you can do at home that will assist our teachers to maximise the learning of your child. These include: talking with your child about their day, helping with homework and making sure kids go off to school happy, healthy and having had plenty of sleep. 

You would have hopefully realized by now the importance of good communication to assist in your child’s learning journey. It is therefore imperative that there are open channels of communication between home and school. At Mary MacKillop College students access their work and assessment tasks through the online portal called SIMON. This wonderful resource informs students of their daily timetable, lists the daily notices and ensures that students have quick and ready access to key learning materials. PAM…the "Parent Access Module" allows you, as parents and guardians, to access much of this information as well. 

We also use PAM for progressive and continuous reporting and any information that we are wanting to send home to parents/guardians.  PAM access codes will be individually posted to all new families this coming week.  If you have forgotten your username and password, or need assistance resetting your password, please contact the helpful office staff at the College.

Learning Framework @ Mary MacKillop College:

As educators we are in partnership with you as parents to assist all our students in growing their resiliency and capacity to be more active in their own learning journeys. In 2020 we continue to focus on creating opportunities to help student undercover the path to achieve their personal best and to encourage them to become lifelong learners, and we do this through the four cornerstones of our Learning Framework. 

• Taking Ownership 
• Thinking Deeply 
• Making Connections 
• Being Courageous 

Best wishes to all in their educational pursuits during 2021.