End of Semester 1 2024 – Message from the Principal

Dear Families,

I am sure many of you are relieved to have a break to rest and recuperate at the end of this semester. Our Semester 1 subjects have been completed, reports published, assessment tasks are being released and, for the VCE, VET and VPC students, the second semester has already started.

Students in Year 11 began exams on 5 June and concluded on 14 June. All students studying Units 3/4 were required to sit the General Achievement Test on 18 June. I hope that students take the time to reflect on the feedback from their exams and upon what they can do in the future to improve and prepare better so that their results reflect their effort.

Our junior students completed their first semester of 2024 and, based on their reports, can celebrate their achievements. I look forward to seeing how their approach to their learning develops.

The St Mary’s program comes to a close, as it normally does midyear, and the rest of the Year 9s will be able to engage with this program as they switch places. The St Mary’s students will be able to engage with a rich elective program, and the current Main Campus students can look forward to St Mary’s.

I would like to take this opportunity to mention that, since implementing the new Child Safety Standards in 2022, and to meet the requirements of Child Safety Standard 10 – Review of Child Safety Practices, MacKillop College has monitored the effectiveness of the implementation through several internal post implementation reviews. The first internal annual review of the new Standards was completed in December 2023 and we continue our work through a continuous improvement agenda. We invite you to read the Community Update and let us know if you have any feedback, questions or concerns. I thank you for your ongoing support in this critical area.

I envisage a re-energised start to Semester 2 on Tuesday 16 July – as Monday 15 July will be a Staff Professional Development day. With so much on the horizon, I hope you will all be able to take this opportunity to rest and reflect.

Kind regards,
Chris Caldow
Principal