Feedback from Parent Teacher Interviews 

Last week we held our Semester 1 Parent Teacher Interviews. We have received positive feedback from families regarding the evening and from staff around the school. Collectively we heard that the afternoon was a great opportunity to celebrate the growth of students and the next steps in their learning. It was great to catch up with new and existing families and come together as a community for a purposeful and meaningful afternoon. I thank staff for their commitment and late evening after a big day of teaching and learning.  

I encourage parents to continue regular contact and communication with their classroom teacher to ensure that students understand their next steps and feedback that can be provided to ensure students have sharp and narrow areas to focus on.  

Teacher “Walks and Talks” 

Last week our rockstar teachers embarked on their first Walks and Talks to another cohort to ask selected students, 5 questions about their learning. Teachers and staff are reading a text Clarity which is a book study around the research of best practice in pedagogy. We are learning that Walks and Talks with leaders and teachers provides us clarity of the following:  

• Determining if students know what they are learning and how to improve 
• Do students know why they are learning what they are learning? 
• Do students know what they need to do to be successful? 
• Do students have a learning goal that they are working on? Do they know this goal? 

Staff were extremely positive and excited to celebrate the learning in each class and walked through every classroom within year level cohorts. The leadership team leader and teachers then had time to reflect on what they heard and saw. At Bowen State School leaders and teachers are now regularly visiting each other’s classes and asking questions of the learners. The Buzz that is created reiterates the importance of students understanding the English learning intention, where they sit in the learning journey and celebrate what they know and the feedback they have been provided. Leader and teacher walks will continue this Term, Term 3 and 4 this year. I thank all our teachers for the respect shown to the co constructed protocols so all our staff feel safe and supported to be part of this great research-based practice.

Christien Payne
Principal