Learning & Teaching
Approach
The Learning and Teaching at St Margaret Mary’s aims to develop critical thinking, creativity, communication and collaboration skills. Our approach supports students to see themselves as lifelong learners, to set personal goals and to celebrate their own and their peers’ successes. We achieve this by providing a faith-centered, authentic curriculum in which learning tasks are engaging, purposeful, varied and contemporary in their delivery.
Our contemporary academic approach is underpinned by current research into the best ways to develop children’s’ learning and understanding across a broad range of topics. Our data indicates our students are thriving spiritually, academically, socially and emotionally as we embrace the MACS - Vision For Instruction. This is drawn from the strategic plan MACS 2030: Forming Lives to Enrich the World. Grounded in rich cognitive science, Vision for Instruction identifies the most effective teaching methods supported by evidence of their positive impact on student outcomes. We have high expectations for each and every one of our learners and teachers. We continually develop our own knowledge, remain current with educational standards of excellence and test any new thinking to ensure we are delivering the best possible learning formats for our students.
Learn how you can help your child to thrive in their first year at school with our school readiness tips.
Faith - Life Inquiry
Faith Life Inquiry is centred on broad understandings that require students to develop higher-level thinking and skills of inquiry.
The St Margaret Mary’s community works to inspire its students to be true disciples of Jesus, guided by Christ’s love and teachings.
The purpose of Religious Education at St Margaret Mary’s is to enrich students understanding of the Gospel and its relevance to their everyday lives. To provide enriching community experiences of prayer, liturgy, curriculum and faith experiences. To ignite student’s passion and understanding of their faith and actively involve them in their faith. To inspire and encourage students to be disciples and stewards of Jesus instilling in them a greater sense of responsibility and purpose.To prepare students for their Sacramental initiation into the Catholic faith.
Students are supported to consider and explore ‘Big Questions’ within the Essential Learning areas outlined in the Victorian Curriculum. This approach supports them to make connections between themselves, their faith and to their world, search for answers, develop deeper understanding of concepts, share learnings and bring them to life through the use of technology within the classrooms. This learning approach connects our Gospel values to bring optismism, compassion, integrity, respect and excellence to their view of the world, their learning and their resposibilities as Global citizens. Inquiry learning at St. Margaret Mary’s draws on positive dispositional skills.
Literacy
We recognise the fundamental role Literacy plays in a child’s learning. In the junior years, our Literacy program aims to develop the foundations of Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking, ensuring that students are supported to develop basic skills on which to build upon in later years. At SMM, our Literacy Practices are in line with Science of Learning research and practices. “The science of learning” refers to two related concepts: the study of how the brain learns, and evidenced informed methods for teaching literacy.
In Foundation, Years 1 + 2, the five specific reading sub-skills of phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension are taught explicitly and systematically so that our children become capable readers. Years 3-6 continue to build on these strong foundations of literacy. At SMM students are taught to their point of need through the use of timely student data to inform their learning plan. Classroom and learning enhancement intervention teachers meet weekly with our literacy leaders and Literacy Learning specialist to analyse student work samples to ascertain, “Where is each student now in the English progression of learning? Where to next? How can we optimise each child’s learning outcomes?”
In 2023 we launched the implementation of Spelling Mastery across our Year 1 -6 classes. Spelling Mastery provides explicit lessons to help efficiently and effectively teach the spelling skills students need to become proficient readers and writers.
At St Margaret Mary’s, our approach to literacy is guided by the expertise and dedication of our Literacy Leader, Lucy McCarthy. With recent hands-on classroom experience, Lucy brings valuable insight into the evolving needs of students and teachers.
Her strong background in change leadership, coaching, and mentoring enables her to drive both student literacy growth and ongoing staff development. Passionate about fostering a love of reading and writing, Lucy works closely with Classroom and Learning Enhancement Intervention teachers to ensure every child has access to high-quality, evidence-based literacy instruction.
Through collaboration in classrooms, strategic planning, and professional learning, Lucy empowers teachers to refine their practice and create engaging literacy experiences that support all learners to thrive.
Mathematics
We engage evidenced informed science of learning and teaching strategies in Mathematics. Our Numeracy program covers the requirements of the Victorian Curriculum through the explicit teaching of skills through the evidenced informed Learning Framework in Number, (LFIN). This means that the children are taught to their individual point of need. Numeracy lessons ensure students are instructed to extend existing knowledge and skills through lessons that focus on the next stage of the LFIN learning progression. Numeracy skills are also reinforced through daily revision and application of these skills through authentic learning experiences. Mathematics learning and teaching at St. Margaret Mary’s ensures individual students learning needs are met through the nuanced and agile combination of explicit teaching and applied learning tasks.
St. Margaret Mary’s Mathematics Learning and Teaching is expertly lead by Anne Ablinger who brings to this role extensive mathematics teaching and leadership experience. Anne utilises her specialised knowledge of Learning Framework In Number, change leadership and curriculum design that is responsive to student data and aligned with evidenced informed practice. Anne, amongst her many skills, is proficient in Multi-sensory learning. Anne works “shoulder to shoulder,’ in classrooms, at planning meetings and when facilitating professional learning with our Classroom and Learning Enhancement Intervention teachers.
Specialist Subject - AUSLAN
Our St. Margaret Mary’s teacher, Grant Tasca is our AUSLAN teacher. Grant has partnered with AUSLAN Education Services to learn and teach AUSLAN to all students from Foundation to Year 6.
Learning Auslan offers numerous benefits, including:Unique neural and cognitive development through visual language
Ability to communicate with Auslan-using peers, friends, and family
Enhanced visual-gestural communication skills
Intellectual stimulation and personal growth
Cross-curricular integration, especially with ICT
Access to diverse ways of expression and thinking
Development of interpersonal skills and broader social networks
Appreciation of inclusion and diversity
Acquisition of a portable communication mode with cross-cultural applications
Insight into language acquisition and learning processes
Improved literacy development
Accessibility for non-traditional learners, students with disabilities, and visual learners
Specialist Subject - S.T.E.M.
STEM - Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics - are important skills for the world that our students live in as well as the future they will contribute to. The Digital Technologies Curriculum is a new but essential area of the Victorian Curriculum, with skills being developed from Foundation to year 6.
Scienceworks has partnered with St. Margaret Mary’s program that gives our students access to their latest learning experiences and the opportunity for our students to be a source of feedback and insight that assists Scienceworks in their learning designs. Our work with Scienceworks also empowers teachers to feel confident in planning and facilitating multi-disciplinary project based learning. The projects focus on Science Technology Engineering and Maths in real world contexts.
At St Margaret Mary’s, our STEM program is led by Lucy O’Dea, a passionate and experienced educator who inspires curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking in every student.
With expertise in Walker Learning and a deep commitment to multi-sensory education, Lucy designs hands-on, engaging learning experiences that develop students' scientific inquiry, design, and engineering skills. Through purposeful investigations and stimulating challenges, she fosters problem-solving, collaboration, and resilience—essential skills for lifelong learning.
Every student from Foundation to Year 6 enjoys a dedicated STEM lesson each week, where they explore, experiment, and innovate in a dynamic and supportive environment. Lucy’s enthusiasm for STEM ensures that all students feel encouraged to question, create, and discover.
Specialist Subjects
St Margaret Mary’s offers a comprehensive specialist teacher facilitated classes in Physical Education and Sports program, Science (S.T.E.M), Language Other Than English (AUSLAN) and Art.
Our specialist curriculum is based on broadening children’s areas of interest, teaching new skills and building their confidence to attempt new challenges.
Specialist classes are held throughout the week to broaden children’s education with our qualified discipline specialised SMM staff and at times external experts leading these lessons.
Our Physical Education program includes an annual school sports day which all students participate in, as well as divisional and regional sports carnivals, inter-school competitions and other scheduled team days.
Learning Enhancement Intervention Teachers
At St Margaret Mary’s, we recognise that every child’s learning journey is unique. Learning is a developmental process, and we celebrate the growth of each student, ensuring they receive the right support and challenges to thrive.
We welcome students of all abilities and are committed to providing personalised learning experiences. For students who require additional support to access learning, we implement Personal Learning Plans in collaboration with our Learning Diversity Leader, Paul Smith, Well being Leader, Kath Novak, teachers, and parents. These plans prioritise each child’s individual needs, helping them reach their full potential.
Our Learning Enhancement Intervention Teachers (LEIT), Narelle Monteleone (Junior) and Chelsea McGill (Middle/Senior), work closely with classroom teachers to enhance student learning. Using a data-informed approach, they provide targeted support through scaffolded learning, intervention for those needing extra assistance, and enrichment for students ready to be extended.
Intervention takes place through small group and one-on-one lessons, using evidence-based programs such as Learning Framework in Number (Junior / Middle) MiniLit Sage (Junior) and MacqLit (Middle/Senior). Additionally, support is provided within the classroom through focus groups, daily reviews, and explicit teaching.
Collaboration is at the heart of our approach. Our LEIT team works alongside classroom teachers and curriculum leaders, analysing student data and work samples to develop rich, high-impact teaching strategies. This ensures that learning enhancement and intervention are structured, transparent, and trackable, allowing both parents and the school to monitor each child’s progress.
At St Margaret Mary’s, we are dedicated to nurturing confidence, curiosity, and a love of learning, ensuring that every student is supported to succeed.