Assistant Principal
Welcome Back
Welcome back to Term 3! I hope everyone enjoyed the chance to step away from the usual school routines over the break and spend some quality time with family and friends. It’s been wonderful to see our students and families return to Albion North looking refreshed and ready for what promises to be a fantastic second half of the school year.
We’ve certainly hit the ground running this term, starting with the 100 Days of School celebration on Thursday, which was a fantastic milestone for our Prep students. We are really looking forward to the rest of the term, with several exciting events on the calendar, including the Responsible Pet Ownership Program for the Junior School, Book Week, and District Athletics, just to name a few. More information about these events will be communicated shortly.
Instructional Coaching
Myself, Dean and Brenton are continuing our work in the classroom this term running instructional coaching and support staff in literacy and numeracy teaching with a particularly focusing on explicit teaching and checking for understanding.
What is “Check for Understanding”?In every lesson, it’s important that teachers know whether students are truly understanding what’s being taught, not just at the end, but throughout the learning. "Checking for Understanding" is a teaching strategy that helps teachers do just that.What are we doing at Albion North Primary?
This term, myself, Dean, and Brenton are working together to strengthen how “Check for Understanding” is used across all classrooms.
We are:
- Modelling what this looks like in real lessons with students
- Observing how teachers are using it and giving supportive feedback
- Team Teaching with teachers to ensure check for understanding is occurring and teaming is modified due to discoveries.
Why is this important for students?
When teachers consistently check for understanding:
- Students don’t get left behind, they’re supported as soon as they need it
- Teaching becomes more responsive and targeted to what students actually need
- Students become more confident and engaged because they feel seen and supported
In addition to the in-class coaching, we have been facilitating 20-minute professional learning sessions during planning time with each team. These sessions focus on strategies and best practices for explicit teaching and check for understanding using the Australian Education Research Organisation (AREO) and Rosenshines Principles of Instruction. These sessions are designed to provide teachers with practical tools and strategies they can immediately implement in their classrooms.
Matt Cook
Assistant Principal