Articles

Wakakirri wraps up 2017 season on a high Wakakirri 2017 has been a brilliant eight-week show season with almost 250 schools shaking and grooving their hearts out to be in the running for the National Story of the Year Award. Recurring themes were homelessness, cyber bullying, the environment, technology and friendship.

NAO is the highlight of Cunnamulla Library Situated 910 km South West of Brisbane (three-hours by plane) is the remote town of Cunnamulla. With a population of only 1865, Cunnamulla is considered a low socio-economic area. However, the town boasts a diverse and passionate community, eager to develop skills relevant for the 21st century.

Kids Alive - Do the Five water safety app launched Do The Five has launched a free app to help keep children water safe. The app is a free download in the Apple and Google Play stores and is aimed at parents and young children. It includes music, cartoons, eBooks with a focus on home, pool, beach and farm water safety.

Boring playgrounds discourage outdoor active play Australian students who could improve their health by playing outside at school are avoiding using school playgrounds because they’re bored. Southern Cross University physical education and health expert Dr Brendon Hyndman says children and teenagers are staying away

Computer failure Australian schools have seen a huge push in recent decades to bring more computing and IT use into classrooms. Has it produced positive results? The evidence suggests that far from improving student outcomes, our focus on IT has been detrimental. This article discusses the consequences of IT on student performance, cognition and beyond the classroom. It also examines the impact IT has

Submissions open for review to achieve educational excellence in Australian schools Submissions for the Review to Achieve Educational Excellence in Australian Schools chaired by Mr David Gonski will close on Friday 13 Oct. The report and recommendations on on how school funding should be used to improve school performance and student outcomes will be submitted by March 2018.

New $10.5m science program to give 5000 NSW students hands-on biotech lab experience Over the next three years, an expected 5000 NSW students and 60 teachers in NSW are expected to engage in a $10.5m program through a partnership between The Amgen Foundation and The University of Sydney. The three-week in-class initiative provides intensive PD for teachers

AEU urges longer timeline for submissions to Gonski review The AEU has called on State and Territory Education Ministers to reject a four-week timeline for submissions to the Gonski 2.0 review panel. The Union said: ‘This review will shape funding negotiations with States and Territories that will directly impact thousands of children in our public schools.

Everyday hinderances may force overwhelmed uni students to give up New Australian research shows accumulating everyday issues such as juggling work and study are as likely as a major event such as a death in the family to “tip the balance” for overwhelmed university students and may lead them to withdraw.

$16.25m will replace asbestos-ridden building at 10 VIC schools Asbestos ridden buildings at 10 schools will be demolished and replaced with state-of-the-art modular classrooms costing $16.25 million in the VIC government's $155m School Asbestos Removal Program. The current phase includes the demolition and replacement of buildings at 30 schools. 

Early Learning Achievement Report: Australia can do better Independent education policy think tank, Mitchell Institute at Victoria University, has commented that a new report by Early Learning Everyone Benefits shows that early childhood education in Australia can, and must, improve.The report finds Australia has made good progress in recent years

iNewsletter moves the school newsletter on parents' mobiles Naavi, developer of iNewsletter has urged schools to "get with the times" as research reveals that more than 60% of parents read their schools' newsletter on a mobile device. But most schools are still sending out their weekly bulletin as a PDF, which is cumbersome to access on a mobile phone.