Senior School Overview (Years 7–12)
An introduction to St Mary's College Senior School: how Years 7–12 are organised, the daily timetable, Homeroom and House structure, key staff and where to find the information parents ask about most.
The Senior School at St Mary's College enrols around 860 students from Year 7 to Year 12 on our single Chapel Road campus, sharing grounds, chapel and Hall with the Junior School. Led by Head of Senior School Mr Tom Brennan, the Senior School aims to graduate young people who are academically capable, grounded in faith and ready for whatever pathway they choose — university, TAFE, apprenticeship or work. This page is a starting point; each topic below has its own detailed page.
How the Senior School is organised
| Stage | Years | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Middle Years | 7–8 | Broad core curriculum, one Homeroom group for most classes, Italian and Arts/Technology rotations |
| Pathways Years | 9–10 | Electives introduced, Year 9 City Experience and Solidarity Camp, Year 10 work experience and subject selection |
| VCE Years | 11–12 | VCE, VCE Vocational Major (VM) and VET; Year 12 practice exams, VCAA examinations |
Every student belongs to one of four Houses — MacKillop (green), Chisholm (blue), Polding (gold) and Romero (red) — and to a Homeroom of about 24 students within their year level. Homeroom teachers are the first point of contact for day-to-day matters. Each year level also has a Year Level Coordinator:
| Year | Coordinator |
|---|---|
| Year 7 | Mr Nick Papadopoulos |
| Year 8 | Ms Hannah Kim |
| Year 9 | Mr Will Turner |
| Year 10 | Mrs Sarah Donnelly |
| Year 11 | Ms Olivia Chen |
| Year 12 | Mr James Whelan |
Coordinators can be reached through the Senior Office on (03) 9555 0100 or by messaging them through the Learning Hub. The Deputy Principal – Learning & Teaching is Mr David Okafor and the Deputy Principal – Wellbeing & Mission is Mrs Siobhan Reilly.
The Senior School day
| Time | |
|---|---|
| 8:00am | Gates open (yard supervision from 8:15am) |
| 8:40am | Homeroom (Senior Assembly fortnightly on Mondays, odd weeks) |
| 8:55am | Period 1 |
| 10:55am–11:20am | Recess |
| 1:20pm–2:05pm | Lunch |
| 3:25pm | Dismissal (2:45pm on Wednesdays for staff professional learning) |
Students should not arrive before 8:15am. Wednesday afternoons from 1:20pm are CSSA sport for Years 7–12 in the sport seasons — see the Sport overview. Homework Club runs Monday to Thursday 3:30pm–4:30pm in the Library and is free; see Study Skills and Homework Club.
Learning and assessment
- The Learning Hub is our learning management system: timetables, homework, the assessment calendar and continuous feedback all live there. Parents have their own login — see the Learning Hub Guide.
- Years 7–10 study the Victorian Curriculum with Religious Education in every year — see Curriculum Years 7–10.
- Senior students choose from the VCE, the VCE Vocational Major and a wide range of VET programs — see the VCE Handbook and VCE VET and Vocational Major.
- Semester reports are published to the Parent Portal at the end of each semester; Learning Conversations for Years 7–10 are on Thursday 3 September 2026 — see Assessment and Reporting.
- Year 7 students bring their own laptop under the BYOD program — see Laptop Program (BYOD).
Wellbeing and faith
Homeroom is the heart of our pastoral care, supported by Year Level Coordinators, our Senior School Counsellor Mr Chris Nguyen, Learning Diversity Leader Mr Sam Devlin and College Chaplain Sr Bernadette Long rsj. Every year level has a retreat or camp: the Year 7 Welcome Retreat in February, the Year 9 Solidarity Camp in Term 2 and the Year 12 Retreat in Term 1. Whole-school Mass is celebrated on the first Friday of each month at 9:15am in St Mary of the Cross Church. See Wellbeing and Counselling and Retreats.
What's on this term
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Tuesday 25 – Friday 28 August 2026 | Year 12 Practice Exams |
| Wednesday 26 August 2026, 7:00pm | Year 7 2027 Information Evening, Mary MacKillop Hall |
| Monday 31 August – Friday 4 September 2026 | Year 9 City Experience |
| Wednesday 2 September 2026 | Year 10 Subject Selection interviews |
| Thursday 3 September 2026, 3:45pm–7:30pm | Learning Conversations, Years 7–10 |
| Monday 7 – Friday 11 September 2026 | Year 11 Exams; R U OK? Day activities Monday 7 September |
| Tuesday 8 September 2026 | Senior Athletics Carnival, Ringwood Athletics Track |
| Thursday 17 September 2026 | Year 7 Immunisations, round 2 |
| Friday 18 September 2026 | Last day of Term 3 — 2:30pm dismissal |
Full exam schedules are on Exam Timetables 2026. For term dates and bell times see Term Dates and Daily Schedule and Bell Times.
Absences, uniform and phones — the quick version
- Report absences before 9:00am via the Parent Portal, the absentee line (03) 9555 0111 or SMS 0428 555 011. Late arrivals sign in at the Senior Office.
- Winter uniform (Terms 2 and 3) includes the navy blazer, which is compulsory to and from school. Sport uniform is worn only on a student's timetabled PE or sport day. See Uniform and Grooming.
- Mobile phones are off and away from the first bell to the last bell. See Mobile Phones.
Families considering enrolment are warmly invited to a College tour or to read about Year 7 2027 enrolment.