2022 Annual Report

Mater Christi College Belgrave

2022

Annual Report to the School Community

Registered School Number: 1644

Contact Details

ADDRESS

28 Bayview Road

Belgrave VIC 3160

PRINCIPAL Maria Haggett

TELEPHONE 03 9754 6611

EMAIL principal@materchristi.edu.au

WEBSITE www.materchristi.edu.au

E NUMBER E1240

Minimum Standards Attestation

I, Maria Haggett, attest that Mater Christi College is compliant with:

• All of the requirements for the minimum standards and other requirements for the registration of schools as specified in the Education and Training Reform Act 2006 (Vic) and the Education and Training Reform Regulations 2017 (Vic), except where the school has been granted an exemption from any of these requirements by the VRQA

• Australian Government accountability requirements related to the 2022 school year under the Australian Education Act 2013 (Cth) and the Australian Education Regulations 2013 (Cth)

• The Child Safe Standards as prescribed in both Ministerial Orders in effect in 2022:

• Ministerial Order No.870 - Child Safe Standards, Managing the Risk of Child Abuse in Schools, in Semester 1, 2022;

• Ministerial Order No.1359 - Implementing the Child Safe Standards, Managing the Risk of Child Abuse in Schools and School Boarding Premises, in Semester 2, 2022.

29/03/2023

NOTE: The School’s financial performance information has been provided to the Australian Charities and Not-forprofits Commission (ACNC) and will be available for the community to access from their website at www.acnc.gov.au

Vision and Mission

Mater Christi College is an inclusive, contemporary girls’ school that allows students time and space to explore their own personal identity and aspirations, delivering excellence in all-girls education.

Our student centred culture is guided by the Rule of Benedict and ethos of the Sisters of the Good Samaritan. We encourage and celebrate the potential and empowerment of all girls; encouraging them to realise their inherent dignity, worth and ability.

At Mater Christi College, we aim for each girl to become her best self; a global thinker who is confident, competent, and discerning; equipped to realise her own full potential and that of others.

College Overview

The Australian Federal Government and the Victorian State Government, through the Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority, requires that all schools provide school performance information on a variety of measures. This report provides such information, and also presents initiatives and developments of major importance to the school community throughout 2022.

Mission Statement

Mater Christi College is a Catholic Secondary School for Girls which takes its direction from the person and message of Christ, as proclaimed in the Gospels. In an atmosphere of Christian love, caring and understanding, the College provides educational programs relevant to the individual needs of students. It encourages excellence in all things. The College respects the traditions and spirit of its founders, the Sisters of the Good Samaritan, and strives to be organisationally and educationally innovative, to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing society. Through balanced growth of the whole person, we aim to develop informed and compassionate women of faith who will contribute freely and creatively in the affairs of society.

Guiding Benedictine Values

Love of Christ & Neighbour ~ Community ~ Justice & Peace ~ Learning ~ Excellence ~ Prayer Hospitality ~ Stewardship ~ Humility ~ Discipline ~ Obedience ~ Stability

Mater Christi College is a single campus Catholic Secondary School for Girls, located in Belgrave, in the outer eastern region of Melbourne. It was established in 1963 by the Sisters of the Good Samaritan and is now governed under Good Samaritan Education. It is systemically funded through the Catholic Education Commission of Victoria. While many students are Catholic and from Catholic families, all students embrace the opportunity to participate in an active faith community and are challenged to learn in an environment imbued with the values of inclusivity, compassion and justice so that students will develop a love of learning, embrace leadership experiences and participate in community service.

The College has excelled in providing unique opportunities for students to develop their potential - academically, spiritually, physically and emotionally. As a community dedicated to the education of girls, the College has committed to ensuring opportunities for future leadership, cultural experiences, community service, sporting activities and creative achievements.

Governance

Mater Christi College is a public company limited by guarantee. It is governed according to the Constitution of Good Samaritan Education.

The Directors, appointed by the Members of the Company in accordance with the Constitution, form the College Board which provides the governance of the College and sets the strategic direction. All operational matters and internal administration are delegated to the Principal as Chief Executive Officer.

Mater Christi College Board draws its knowledge from its Directors who possess a wide range of skills including commercial industry, business management, tertiary and secondary education, finance, commercial law, governance and integrated technology.

The Members of the Company and College Board for 2022 consisted of:

Members of the Company

Rosalie Jones (Chair)

Veronica Hoey SGS

Leonie Kearney

Eileen O'Leary

Gaynor Robson-Garth

Karlene Treyvaud

Board Directors

Bern Nicholls (Acting Chair)

Lynette Bayly (from Nov)

Fiona Bygraves

Trudi Bons

Christopher Cartwright

Mary Close (to May)

Georgia Heffernan

Philip King (to May)

Cathy Mason

Amy Whitehead

Good Samaritan Education Governance Structure

Good Samaritan Education (GSE) is the collegial Public Juridic Person responsible for its ten incorporated Colleges in Australia, each retaining the distinctive spirit that connects them to the local church in which they are situated. Each College is accountable to GSE for its Catholic ethos and mission, embodied in the Good Samaritan Benedictine tradition and for the administration of the temporal goods assigned to it for its work. GSE has full responsibility for all matters of mission, finance and governance of all Good Samaritan schools.

Detailed information regarding the Mission & Values, Governance, History, People and Programs of Good Samaritan Education can be found on their website at: www.goodsameducation.org.au

Principal’s Report

It is my pleasure to present the annual report of our school for 2022. As we reflect on the past year, we can see that our school has continued to make significant progress in providing quality education to our students while maintaining a safe and nurturing learning environment. This report highlights our achievements, challenges, and future plans as we continue to pursue our mission of excellence in education. We would like to thank our students, staff, parents, and the wider community for their support and contributions towards the success of our school. We hope that this report will provide valuable insights into our school's operations and achievements and reaffirm our commitment to providing a comprehensive and holistic education to our students.

The past year has been an exciting one at Mater Christi College with many important developments and accomplishments. One of the highlights was the commencement of our new Deputy Principals. In Term 1 DP Learning; Julie Stewart joined us. Julie brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the role. In Semester 2, following the retirement of the former DP, Shae Mayes was appointed DP STaff and Students. These appointments have added great depth to an already talented College Executive.

Another significant achievement was the first year of our new middle leadership structure, which has provided greater support and guidance to our teachers and students. We also conducted a comprehensive review and redesign of our Year 9 curriculum program, which has been wellreceived by students and parents alike. Additionally, we completed the MYP evaluation and received valuable feedback from the assessors which will guide our development of the framework. We conducted a review of our reporting practices with input from all stakeholders, which has led to improved communication and transparency. The Middle Leaders Formation was also a successful initiative in developing our current and future leaders.

Furthermore, we rolled out the Morrisby Careers testing for the first time at Year 9, which has helped our students with pathways planning. We have also made significant progress in the planning and implementation of our PLC program with staff selecting from a range of areas related to our Annual Action Plan goals. The interim timetable structure was also put in place to optimise our transition to the new EBA requirements for teaching time. Finally, we are proud to have implemented the VCE Vocational Major, which will provide our students with greater opportunities to pursue their career goals.

As a College Executive we continue to ensure that we have just work practices which not only accord with the local agreement, but which also provide flexibility where it is needed for our staff. Overall, as a College we are passionate about social justice and continue to look for ways in which we can make a difference locally and globally.

Catholic Identity and Mission

Goals & Intended Outcomes

In 2022, the Mission Identity Team sought to:

• Offer a recontextualised experience of the Catholic tradition for all members of the College community

• Enhance the experience of prayer and liturgy for all members of the College

• Embed the College theme ‘In all things May God be Glorified"’ and Benedictine values in formation, reflection and social justice activities.

Achievements

In the past year, our community had the opportunity to delve deeper into the Good Samaritan Charism. We began with the first staff day of the year by examining the theme "In all things May God Be Glorified" with Veronica Hoey SGS. We celebrated the Feast of St Scholastica with a community Eucharist, where we came together in prayer and reflection. Additionally, we continued our tradition of a combined schools mass with other Catholic schools in the area – St Joseph’s College and associate primary schools - to strengthen our bonds and foster a sense of unity.

On Easter Monday our staff members also had the opportunity to participate in a staff retreat with Fr Elio Capra SBD, where we focussed on the stories of women and the Resurrection. This allowed us to deepen our understanding of our faith and connect with one another on a spiritual level.

In July, seven of our staff members, along with three board members, attended the Triennial Conference in Sydney, which allowed us to gain valuable insights into the Good Samaritan Benedictine education community. The highlight of this was surely the Prophetic Voices where our students outlined their vision for a just future.

Furthermore, our students had the opportunity to participate in reflection days and retreats, which allowed them to explore their faith and spirituality. Our RE curriculum was also reviewed, ensuring that we provide our students with a well-rounded education that fosters their spiritual growth.

The College community continues to commit to building a just and caring community by actively engaging in a range of social justice activities. These initiatives, often led by students, aim to raise awareness about various issues such as refugees, period poverty, and first nations recognition. Additionally, the entire community works towards ensuring awareness and fundraising for local and international causes, including St Vincent de Paul and Caritas. An area of significant focus for the College in 2022 was a continued commitment to the celebration and recognition of First Nations Australians at all levels of the College.

Second semester saw a focus on Mater Day, where we raise funds and awareness for the Good Samaritan Foundation. This was our first post-COVID Mater Day and was enthusiastically embraced by all.

Our staff generously participate in a events such as the Feast for Freedom which has become an annual event and raises money for refugees supported by the Dandenong ASRC and living in the local community. Often there are ad hoc morning teas for various things, 2022 was particularly focused on assisting Ukrainian refugees living in Melbourne.

Our students are passionate and enthusiastic about working to mitigate climate change. We are a small community, but we know we can have a big impact. In Term 4 we re-opened Café Bene as an in-house café. Because of this, we have minimised the use of packaging or, if it is required, we ensure that it is either home compostable or recyclable. Sometime this meant we made the decision not to have certain items for sale, such as bottled water.

VALUE ADDED

1. Retreat days - student and staff

2. Class, Year Level and whole school liturgies

3. Vinnies (St Vincent de Paul) activities

4. Caritas activities including trivia night

5. Guest speakers

6. Mater Day - raising awareness and funds

Learning and Teaching

Goals & Intended Outcomes

Develop and embed a culture of collaborative and reflective professional practice characterised by transparency, collegiality, high expectations and high support by:

• Creating and sourcing opportunities aimed at developing teacher collective efficacy

• Progressing a common understanding of what high quality teaching and learning looks like at MCC

Maximise student engagement and growth across the spiritual, physical, social-emotional, academic and cognitive domains by:

• Leveraging and renewing existing structures and processes to drive improvement in student growth

• Further developing data literacy and the use of data to drive practice

Achievements

The College provided the academic curriculum programs at Years 7-10 through the Middle Years Framework of the International Baccalaureate (MYP), which draws content across the years of learning from the Victorian Curriculum. Students graduate from their final year with either the Victorian Certificate of Education or the Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning and can take vocational education and training subjects within each certificate.

2022 began with the transition back to on-site learning following two previous years of predominately remote learning. Students and teachers adjusted to the continued disruptions that mandatory quarantine periods had upon consistent on-site learning by maximising the use of the College’s Learning Management System, Canvas, to ensure continuity of learning for all students.

Opportunities for students to participate in camps and excursions re-emerged and ensured academic and pastoral learning could be applied in real-life contexts.

A full program of semester-based exams, Grade 6 General Abilities Testing, Years 7-10 PAT-R and PAT-M testing and Years 7 and 9 online NAPLAN testing all occurred throughout 2022, providing a range of data by which staff could use to triangulate and target cohort and individual learning needs.

The College continued to develop practices and processes for documenting learning adjustments as required by the National Consistent collection of Data (NCCD) scheme. Evidence was collated from a range of support activities in and out of the classroom, from pastoral programs, psychologists and nurses, while complying with confidentiality and privacy requirements. The Learning Diversity leader managed the application process, ensuring data was recorded. Professional learning and other support were provided to both teachers and learning support staff in developing and recording adjustments.

The Pastoral Program focused on wellbeing for learning, in particular supporting students to transition back to on-site learning after a sustained period of remote learning. Emphasis was on organisational and study skills as well as social-emotional learning.

Students in the Senior School focused on study skills, time management and post-school options/tertiary student selection processes. The College was able to host its annual Subject

Selection Expo, which was attended by College staff and multiple university and TAFE providers. Students were able to obtain information about subjects offered in Years 9-12 as well as explore post-secondary pathways and the pre-requisite studies required for their preferred pathway.

The VCE Taster Day program for Year 10 students provided students with the opportunity to participate in several VCE classes prior to selecting final subjects for VCE or VCE-VM in 2023. This was followed by an individual student-teacher subject selection counselling meeting to ensure students chose subjects that would fulfil their future aspirations.

In accordance with the College’s 2022 Annual Action Plan a number of key strategies were undertaken to meet the goals and intended outcomes outlined above. These include:

• Review of PLCs as a professional learning opportunity and reinvigoration of these throughout 2022

• Revision of existing Professional Growth Model ready for implementation in 2023

• Inquiry into the academic learning program at Years 9-10, resulting in a revised model for 2023 that emphasised student choice and agency.

• Familiarisation with the revised Victorian Certificate of Education – Vocational Major (VCE-VM) and planning to implement this in 2023

• Focus on reinvigorating the MYP Framework at Years 7-10 through teacher professional learning and increased engagement with parents/carers about this approach to learning

• Analysis of school-wide learning data to identify areas of need and to plan to address these accordingly

• Review of the College’s School Management System (SMS) to ensure streamlined and efficient practices and provision of a SMS that could support the provision of a contemporary learning environment incorporating strategic and effective use of ICT

• Emphasis on alignment across the written, taught and assessed curriculum. Curriculum documentation was reviewed and revised accordingly.

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES

2022 was the first year the College conducted NAPLAN Assessments online. The 2022 NAPLAN data shows students in Year 7 above the National Minimum Standard in Reading, Writing and Grammar and Punctuation and at the National Minimum Standard in Spelling and Numeracy. Students were also above the State Mean in Reading, Writing, Spelling and Grammar and Punctuation.

Year 9 students were above the National Minimum Standard in Reading and Writing and at the minimum standard in Spelling, Grammar and Punctuation and Numeracy. This cohort was also above the State Mean in Reading, Writing and Grammar and Punctuation. There was no relative growth data available for this year level for Years 7 to 9 as NAPLAN Assessments weren’t conducted in 2020.

MEDIAN NAPLAN RESULTS FOR YEAR 9

PROPORTION OF STUDENTS MEETING THE MINIMUM STANDARDS

* There are no NAPLAN results to report in 2020 as the Australian Government decided that due to the COVID-19 pandemic NAPLAN Assessments would not take place.

** Data cannot be reported for this year as the number of students that sat the test was below 5 and the data has been suppressed for privacy reasons in accordance with the ACARA NAPLAN data reporting provisions.

*** No students sat the NAPLAN tests in this year level and in one or both of the relevant years.

Student Wellbeing

Goals & Intended Outcomes

Develop contemporary, pro-active and responsive approaches to student wellbeing which build self-efficacy and a sense of purpose

Achievements

As part of the Pastoral Program, students participated in activities that targeted specific yearlevel needs such as Friendship and Belonging at Year 7; Study Skills at Year 8; Respectful Relationships at Year 9; Careers and Pathways at Year 10; Time Management at Year 11; Stress Management and Where to Next at Year 12.

The scope and sequence of activities were developed by the Wellbeing for Learning Leader and Year Learning Leaders. CANVAS provided the platform to create and share pastoral lessons with Home Group Mentors. Schoolbox provided a secure platform for student notes concerning wellbeing and pastoral matters. In Term 4, staff in the wellbeing team focused on the SIMON implementation and how to set up student notes and recording of incidents and commendations.

Families attended Welcome Evenings in Term 1. Highlights included the presentation for Year 12s and their families by Dr. Michael Carr-Greg, who provided valuable information and strategies for students as they began the year. Judith Locke presented to Years 7-9 parents and carers and provided honest and frank suggestions for raising young people.

As part of the Pastoral Program, the Black Dog Future - proofing project continued with Year 9 students with the purpose of tracking mental health and wellbeing. Other specialist presentations were scheduled throughout the year, focusing on resilience, positive mental health, emotional intelligence, cybersafety, bullying, positive relationships, study skills and included workshops from Elevate Education and Elephant Education.

To enhance engagement and a sense of belonging in our community a number of clubs ran during lunch times. Examples of these were the SoJust group focusing on social justice and environmental issues and awareness raising; Book Club and Maker Space in the Learning Commons, which is always a buzz with activities and a welcoming space for all students; Drama Club; Art Club and sporting teams provided students with various opportunities. Student led initiatives such as our first celebration of Pride Week, helped to create an inclusive culture for our students.

The Wellbeing Hub and the Health Care Centre continued to be a valuable resource for students in 2022. Students were able to meet with psychologists or use the breakout space to help regulate themselves before returning to classes. Our nurses as usual provided invaluable support to students throughout the year.

A positive outcome of 2022 was that staff completed training in RULER, a Yale University Social Emotional Learning program, that is being implemented with students in 2023. A small group of staff including Year Learning Leaders, College Psychologist and the Wellbeing for Learning Leader formed the RULER Implementation Team, participated in an intensive training program, whilst the remainder of staff completed online training followed by presentations at staff seminars. Staff also attended Respectful Relationships professional learning in addition to our regular compliance training on Mandatory Reporting.

What did 2021 teach us? The need for a strong focus on wellbeing was never more evident in the constant attention that staff gave to the needs of our students. Regular communication with our families, consideration for each and being realistic about challenges resulted in a strong sense of community connection. Families regularly showed appreciation for pastoral support especially during the significant natural disasters (storms, property damage, loss of power, water contamination). Some families were able to access College facilities at these times too. The Benedictine value of hospitality was evident in all interactions, and it was also apparent there was a flow on effect across all year levels.

Our colleagues were inventive and collegial, forgiving and constant as we continued to deliver our regular programs and opportunities for the wellbeing of our students in this new and unexpected environment.

VALUE ADDED Elephant Ed presentations

Student wellbeing at Mater Christi College supports a sense of connectedness to the community. We seek to provide a safe, engaging and supportive environment for the development of students' spiritual, physical, social and emotional learning.

A diverse range of leadership opportunities enhances the students' sense of being valued, improves student communication and involvement and develops strong personal competencies. Student-led presentations at House, Middle School, Senior School and College assemblies showcase learning activities, cultural experiences and student involvement in a range of opportunities.

Continued monitoring of personal safety requirements, proactive social and personal development activities and an ongoing focus on rights and responsibilities reflects the College's mission to develop 'informed and compassionate women of faith who will contribute freely and creatively in the affairs of society'.

STUDENT SATISFACTION

Student surveys indicated that most of our students feel safe at school, with a low number of students being concerned about anti-social behaviour and the majority looking forward to a return to regular on-site schooling.

Student satisfaction and engagement is qualitatively demonstrated through:

• Strong sense of belonging to school community

• Positive school attendance data

• High family attendance at Welcome Nights and Progress meetings

• Strong student participation in co-curricular and extra-curricular activities

• Regular use of the Learning Commons and Scholastica for after-school study when on-site

• Support for, and high level of participation in, opportunities such as Student Leadership selection processes, Student Leadership Certificate, Outreach Ministry activities, Tinnies for Vinnies and Mater Day activities

• Confidence to lead initiatives for fundraising, community service and raising broader school awareness of environmental and social justice concerns

STUDENT ATTENDANCE

Electronic marking occurs at the commencement of Homegroup and every class. Teachers then report student attendance via the College network, enabling 'real time' roll marking. A Short Messaging Service (SMS) is then sent to parents/guardians when an unexplained absence occurs.

POST-SCHOOL DESTINATIONS AS AT 2022

Child Safe Standards

Goals & Intended Outcomes

Mater Christi College believes that students have the right to a safe and non-threatening learning environment. In this environment, students are respected, treated with consideration always and their voices are heard. They have a right to feel safe and be safe. This commitment is drawn from the Benedictine tradition for Colleges of Good Samaritan Education. In his Rule, St Benedict urges us to move towards a better life, persevering through hardship, being open about our faults and placing the welfare of others above our own.

The Principal together with Board Directors remains committed to a zero tolerance of child abuse.

The Child Safe Program at the College is reviewed and regularly updated to achieve best practice for the whole school community. All Staff understand their duty of care and commitment to child safety. The program strategy is reviewed and updated regularly in accordance with legislative requirements.

Achievements

The Child Safe Program is a central focus for Board Directors and College leadership. While student safety is embedded in our culture, the College continues to maintain awareness by:

• Including student safety and risk as a regular agenda item for Staff and Board meetings

• College leaders meeting with Student Protection Leaders regularly

• Providing Student Care Plans for all teaching staff

• College leaders and Wellbeing staff (Psychologists & Nurses) meet regularly to share case management of students needing additional supervision and support

• Staff screening, induction and training

• Preparing Staff for Child Information Sharing Scheme

• Staff completing and signing off on compliance checklist of policy, procedures and child safe requirements annually

• Providing parenting workshops with leading experts as key presenters

• Reporting to DHHS and ChildFirst as required

• Encouraging students to report issues of safety and concerns, via a range of contactsPastoral Teacher, Student Protection Leader

• Providing safe spaces for students to report and discuss concerns

• Communicating with parents via eNews

• Placing posters in key student areas around the college which display names of the Student Protection Leaders (Child Protection Officers)

• Requiring Staff and all visitors to wear ID cards

• Providing inductions for students going on work experience included information about safety. All workplaces are checked prior to the visit, and students are contacted during the experience

• Subscribing to SchoolTV, a valuable resource for students and parents, easily available via the College website

Leadership

Goals & Intended Outcomes

Build leadership capacity to further develop a distributed leadership model throughout the College.

Achievements

The major work of 2022 in this area included:

1. Implementation of new POL structure including the establishment of the following teams to assist in core responsibilities of the College: Teaching and Learning Exec, Wellbeing Exec, NCCD/Student Referral Team, Operations Team, Future Students Team.

2. Commencement of DP Learning at the beginning of 2022 and new DP Staff and Students in July 2022 following the retirement of long term staff member and DP.

3. Middle Leaders Course during Semester 1 for new and aspiring middle leaders.

4. Participation of two senior leaders in the NESLI Women in Leadership Program.

EXPENDITURE AND TEACHER PARTICIPATION IN PROFESSIONAL LEARNING

Description of Professional Learning undertaken in 2022

Professional Learning during 2022 included the following:

Internal opportunities included:

• Catholic Identity focused guest speaker for the first day of 2022, Sr Veronica Hoey.

• Sessions to assist with accreditation to Teach in a Catholic School.

• Regular sessions exploring the MYP using current teacher expertise.

• Professional Learning Communities (various projects).

• NCCD adjustments and data recording workshops (Run by LDL).

A great deal of PL also occurred in Domain Meetings, senior and middle school meetings, VCE results briefings, moderation of student work and NCCD moderation sessions.

External opportunities mostly took place online and included the following:

• VCAA VCE Results workshop.

• VCAA NAPLAN Data workshop.

• GSE Pilgrimage Opportunities (for new and existing staff).

• First Aid accreditation including Asthma and Anaphylaxis.

• Disability Standards for Education.

• Compliance requirements, such as Mandatory reporting modules.

• Subject based conferences and workshops.

• Assessing adolescents at risk (HeadSpace)

• Middle Leaders Careers Strategy Seminars.

TEACHER SATISFACTION

On the whole staff have been highly supportive of the direction of the College and contributed a great deal to decision-making during 2022. The College Executive was aware that recovering from COVID-19 and the associated lock-downs still impacted staff in a range of ways; we were alert to and supported the particular well-being needs of individuals. We trusted that a flexible approach would enable staff members to balance personal and professional commitments, and indeed had positive feedback that this was the case. We continue to commit to being a workplace of choice for women in line with our commitment to the GSE statement on the Voice and Experience of Women in Leadership.

The College participated in the MACSSIS surveys for the second time in 2022, and we are pleased to have this data which will allow us to set goals in a number of areas. Areas of positive feedback included school climate (72% positive), Collective Efficacy (76% positive) and Catholic Identity (71%). Areas for improvement, which have already been recognised in our School Improvement Plan include the provision of formative, professional feedback to teachers (15% positive) and the coherence of professional learning opportunities (52% positive).

TEACHER QUALIFICATIONS

Community Engagement

Goals & Intended Outcomes

To build a sense of community among students, staff, parents/carers and other stakeholders.

Achievements

Parents and students participated in Year level Welcome and Information meetings at the start of the year. Progress meetings were consistently well attended and parents continued to enjoy being able to book their appointments online. Parents communicated freely and regularly with school leaders and teachers.

To further strengthen our relationship with parents, we have established feedback mechanisms that allow us to gather their input and involve them in decision-making processes. The establishment of Friends of Mater Association (FOMA) has also been instrumental in fostering closer ties with the wider community, with an inaugural event held in November raising funds to assist the local CFA. Additionally, we are building relationships and providing support to local Catholic Primary School principals to ensure that we are working collaboratively to meet the needs of our students.

We have successfully hosted College tours and Taster Days to promote the benefits of an allgirls Catholic Education. These have been very well attended and far-reaching.

The Catholic Action classes and Social Justice group were active in their support of Caritas through initiatives such as the Good Samaritan Foundation and St Vincent de Paul’s ‘Tinnies for Vinnies’ as well as fundraising via Mater Day as well as several free dress days in support of Ukrainian refugees and other appeals.

The College enjoyed an ongoing partnership through its families and shared goals with St Joseph’s College in Ferntree Gully, with students from both Colleges participating in the production "The Sound of Music" which was incredibly well done and a sell out. The friendships forged through months of rehearsal were a highlight for many students, topped off by four days of shows.

The College continued to work as a member of the large network of local schools through the Mullum Schools Cluster, which ensured maximum access for students to a diverse range of vocational study programs. Students and teachers enjoyed opportunities in STEM education through Yarra Ranges Technical School.

Ongoing and supportive relationships were maintained with local authorities especially the Police, Country Fire Authority and Metro Trains.

We continue to enjoy good relationships with Yarra Ranges Technical School, Yarra Ranges Council, Puffing Billy, Belgrave Traders and Burrinja Community Arts Centre.

We continue to work to develop our network throughout the Hills community.

VALUE ADDED

Opportunities for community engagement occurred through numerous events; celebrating achievements, gathering information, demonstrating new skills, exploring futures, or participating in activities such as:

• Year 7 Welcome morning

• College Masses

• International Women's Day Breakfast

• Sports Awards

• Award Presentation Assemblies'

• DISCOVER Information Evening

• National Schools Champion in Cheer

• MYP Information events

• Tertiary and Subject Expo

• Valedictory Dinner

PARENT SATISFACTION

Several methods were again used during 2022 to gauge parent/stakeholder satisfaction including but not limited to the MACSSIS survey.

We have continued with once-per-term surveys to parents so as to always be aware of issues that may arise in the community.

In addition, the end of each email has a "contact us" feedback forms.

The following are some comments from parent feedback:

"I’m very grateful for the extra support my daughter receives. I am also very glad that feedback is listened to and actioned appropriately"

"My daughter has thoroughly enjoyed her first year at Mater. Everything about our experience for our first year was so amazing. Thank you so much"

"Coordinators handled all issues quickly & thoroughly. Extra activities opportunities how been fabulous. Cafe Bene is now too expensive with very limited options. I do note that they allowed girls to heat their food. Scoring out of 8 is very confusing. Communication from the school has been great via sms & emails. I look forward to the new SIMON system. Feedback from individual teachers could improve. Girls completing their homework at home was not rewarded as other students could just complete it in class."

Further opportunities for feedback are provided via the Friends of Mater Association which meets once per month during term time.

Future Directions

Mater Christi completed Year 1 of a four year School Improvement Program (SIP) in 2022 which has three foci :

1) to strengthen learning

2) to promote well-being and

3) to enhance engagement.

All of our plans and initiatives are set out in the associated Annual Actions Plan for 2023. The College Board developed a Strategic Plan completed in Term 3, 2022. From this, a Master Plan will be developed to roll out over the next 3-5 years which will support the aims of the above.