Principal Update

Message from the Principal

This week has been a significant one for professional learning for our leadership team. From Tuesday to Thursday we hosted eight schools, including visiting high schools from Cairns and Townsville, to share best practice in assessment design and its impact on student learning. Across the three days I presented Balmoral’s school improvement journey to principal colleagues and school leaders. While it was affirming to reflect on how far we have come as a school, it was equally valuable to highlight the impact of our work on student engagement, purposeful assessment design, and the collection of meaningful evidence of learning.

More than 75 participants engaged in professional dialogue across the three days. Those schools involved in this learning series shared examples of contextualised assessment explored approaches to gathering evidence of achievement and considered how assessment aligns with Version 9 of the Australian Curriculum. These conversations continue to reinforce the importance of designing assessment that positions learning first.

Earlier this week I also had the opportunity to sit down with Deb Dunstone, Chief Executive Officer of Learner First, for a Chalk Talk podcast episode. During the discussion she reflected on the significant progress Balmoral has made through our partnership with Learner First in placing the learner at the centre of our work.

As we now move into the first assessment period for the term, it is important that students invest consistent time in study and reflection on their learning. Students have been provided with clear assessment due dates as well as draft checkpoints that allow teachers to provide feedback throughout the process. Learning materials and digital notes are available through OneNote and Teams class channels, where teachers often include revision sections to support students in focusing on the core knowledge and skills required.

For assignment-based tasks, assessment coversheets and scaffolding documents are available through these platforms to help students plan and structure their work. Over the coming weeks students should be actively working on drafts, consolidating notes and preparing for the range of assessment that will contribute to their Term 1 progress results. Students are reminded to bring their laptops fully charged each day so they can access their digital learning tools.

This week Year 11 and Year 12 students were also introduced to Atomi, a digital learning platform that complements their ATAR subjects. Atomi provides revision quizzes, instructional videos, short answer practice, and automated feedback tools to support students in reviewing key concepts. As this is our first year using the platform, Heads of Department are working with teachers to integrate these resources in ways that strengthen classroom learning. Further information available to parents from Atomi’s website. 

As we move into Week 7, our focus remains on organisation, purposeful revision and seeking feedback. Students should continue connecting with their teachers about drafts and formative work so they can refine their understanding and demonstrate growth in their learning.

All the best for another great week ahead.

Regards,

Timothy Barraud

Principal