Study Skills and Homework Club
Academic support available to Senior School students: the free Homework Club in the Library Monday–Thursday 3:30–4:30pm, study skills seminars with Elevate Education, the Senior Study Centre and VCE Study Hall during exam periods, and homework expectations for each year level.
Good study habits are learnt, not inherited. St Mary's College supports students to build them through a free after-school Homework Club, a structured study-skills program from Year 7 to Year 12, a dedicated Senior Study Centre and supervised VCE Study Hall during exam periods. All of these are free and part of the College's ordinary provision; none requires enrolment beyond signing in.
Homework Club — Monday to Thursday, 3:30pm–4:30pm, Library
Homework Club is open to all students in Years 7–12 every Monday to Thursday during term, in the Library, from 3:30pm to 4:30pm. It is free and no booking is required — students simply sign in at the Library desk.
- Supervised by two teachers each afternoon on a roster, including at least one Mathematics or Science teacher on Tuesdays and Thursdays and an English or Humanities teacher on Mondays and Wednesdays.
- Year 11 and 12 students who have completed peer-tutor training (the MacKillop Mentors) help Year 7–9 students with homework and organisation.
- Laptops, printing (20 pages per week free), quiet zones and a group-work room are available.
- Students may leave at any time before 4:30pm; parents collect from the Kiss-and-Drop zone on Chapel Road (3:15pm–3:45pm) or the Library car park after 3:45pm. The 4:38pm Route A and 4:45pm Route B late buses depart from the Senior gate for Homework Club students with a bus pass.
- Homework Club does not run on Fridays, on the Wednesday of Learning Conversations, in the last week of each term or on student-free days.
Homework Club is not a substitute for tutoring — teachers support students to understand tasks and work independently rather than sitting one-to-one for the hour. Students who need intensive support are referred to Mr Sam Devlin for a Personalised Learning Plan.
Homework expectations
| Year | Per night (Monday–Thursday, plus some weekend work in senior years) |
|---|---|
| Years 7–8 | About 60 minutes |
| Years 9–10 | About 90 minutes |
| Years 11–12 | 2 to 3 hours, including revision and SAC preparation |
Homework is set and tracked on the Learning Hub; parents can see what is due and whether it was submitted. See the Homework Policy and Learning Hub Guide. If homework is regularly taking far longer than these guides, please message the Homeroom teacher — that is useful information for us.
Study skills program
Every year level completes explicit study skills instruction, delivered in Homeroom and in a series of seminars run by our external partner Elevate Education, whose presenters are recent high-achieving graduates. Sessions for 2026:
| Year | Seminar | When |
|---|---|---|
| Year 7 | Study Skills Kick Start — organisation, homework routines, using the diary and Learning Hub | Completed Term 1 |
| Year 8 | Memory and Mnemonics | Completed Term 2 |
| Year 9 | Time Management | Tuesday 15 September 2026, Periods 1–2 |
| Year 10 | Ace Your Exams — preparing for the Year 10 exams and VCE | Monday 9 November 2026, Periods 3–4 |
| Year 11 | Study Sensei — note-taking and practice exams | Completed Term 2 |
| Year 12 | Finishing Line — the final eight weeks | Completed Wednesday 19 August 2026 |
| Parents | Helping Your Teen Study webinar (all years) | Wednesday 21 October 2026, 7:00pm, Library and online (with the Wellbeing Evening) |
In Homeroom, Years 7–10 use a Study Planner template each term to map assessments from the Learning Hub calendar, and Year 9–10 students are taught spaced retrieval and practice-testing techniques in the four weeks before the November exams.
Senior Study Centre
The Senior Study Centre on the upper level of the Library is reserved for Year 11 and 12 students. It is open 7:45am to 5:00pm Monday to Thursday and 7:45am to 3:45pm Friday during term, with a silent zone, collaborative pods, a kitchenette and bookable seminar rooms for group revision. Students use it for timetabled study periods (signed in on the Learning Hub) and before or after school. A staff member is present during study periods.
VCE Study Hall during exam periods
During the Year 12 Practice Exams (Tuesday 25 – Friday 28 August 2026), the Year 11 Exams (Monday 7 – Friday 11 September 2026) and the VCAA written exam period (Wednesday 28 October – Wednesday 18 November 2026), the Senior Study Centre becomes VCE Study Hall:
- open 8:00am–5:00pm on every school day of the period, including for Year 12 students who have finished classes;
- subject teachers roster through for drop-in help, with the timetable published on the Learning Hub each Friday;
- exam practice papers and VCAA past exams printed on request;
- quiet, warm and with free tea, coffee and fruit from the P&F.
Year 12 students studying at home during the VCAA period remain welcome to use Study Hall at any time by signing in at the Senior Office. Wellbeing staff visit Study Hall each day at 12:30pm; see Wellbeing and Counselling for exam-stress support.
Practical study tips we teach
- Work in 25-minute blocks with a five-minute break; phone in another room.
- Start with the hardest or least-liked task while energy is high.
- Rewrite notes into questions and test yourself — re-reading is the least effective revision.
- Do past exam papers under timed conditions, then mark them with the VCAA examiners' reports.
- Protect sleep: eight to nine hours for teenagers; nothing learnt at 1:00am stays learnt.
- Plan the week on Sunday using the Learning Hub Weekly Summary.
Other academic support
- Maths Help — Room S12, every lunchtime Monday–Thursday, no booking.
- Writing Centre — Library, Wednesday lunchtime and Thursday 3:30pm–4:30pm, for essay drafts in any subject.
- Reading and numeracy intervention — small groups for Years 7–9 run by the Learning Diversity team during Italian or Homeroom, by invitation.
For questions about study support, contact Mr David Okafor via the Senior Office on (03) 9555 0100. Exam schedules are at Exam Timetables 2026.