Principal's Desk

A Powerful Week of Professional Learning

Last week, Carrie, Brendan and I had the privilege of attending the State Principals’ Conference in Melbourne. It was an inspiring and energising event that brought together educational leaders from across Victoria, providing us the opportunity to reflect on our work at Park Ridge and connect with some of the country’s most respected voices in education.

One of the standout sessions was with Dr Sonja Hood AM, CEO of the Scanlon Foundation and President of the North Melbourne Football Club. Sonja’s keynote, Leadership Matters, highlighted the vital role leaders play in building inclusive, connected communities — not only in schools, but across all sectors of society. With more than 30 years of experience in public policy, community development, sport, and philanthropy, Sonja spoke passionately about the importance of social cohesion and how strong, values-driven leadership can shape positive futures for young people. Her insights resonated deeply, reinforcing the importance of the relational and inclusive work we do every day as educators and leaders in our school community.

We also had the chance to attend a fantastic workshop with Dr Nathaniel Swain, a Senior Lecturer in Learning Sciences at La Trobe University and founder of THINK FORWARD EDUCATORS. His session, Revolutionising Your Teaching Drawing Upon VTLM 2.0, was a deep dive into the updated Victorian Teaching and Learning Model. Dr Swain, a leading voice in the Science of Learning, explored how Explicit Teaching — when done well — can dramatically improve student outcomes. His practical examples and research-backed strategies reaffirmed the path we’re on with our own teaching and learning practices at Park Ridge, particularly our focus on structured literacy and embedding the VTLM into everyday classroom instruction.

Another highly engaging session was with Dr Jordana Hunter, Education Program Director at the Grattan Institute. Her workshop, The Maths Guarantee: Boosting Student Learning in Primary Schools, focused on how explicit instruction and consistent implementation can lift student achievement in mathematics. Her presentation gave us valuable takeaways to further support our school’s approach to numeracy, and aligned strongly with the work we’ve been leading in classrooms.

Across the conference, there was a strong sense of affirmation around the direction we are heading at Park Ridge. Our efforts to embed Wellbeing and School Wide Positive Behaviour Support, enhance Explicit Teaching, transition from Little Learners Love Literacy to Soundwaves, and develop our Structured Literacy approach are grounded in current research and best practice. It’s clear that our staff’s dedication behind the scenes — refining their practice and engaging in continuous learning — is making a difference in student outcomes.

This commitment to professional learning continued this week on our Curriculum Day, with a highly engaging staff session led by Dr Ryan Dunn. Ryan built upon the themes from the conference, supporting staff to reflect on where we’re currently at in our implementation of Explicit Teaching and identify key refinement strategies to enhance student learning. The session was both affirming and challenging in all the right ways, and we’re excited to welcome Dr Dunn back on Friday 8th August for our next Curriculum Day.

It’s an exciting time for teaching and learning at Park Ridge. We are proud of the work underway and grateful for the opportunity to continuously grow alongside our students.

Wishing you a great week ahead. As always, feel free to drop in for a chat with Carrie, Brendan, or me.

Take care,

Mr Dale Blythman