INTEREST RATES
Third 0.5% interest rate rise
ABC News, 2 Aug 2022
The Reserve Bank has raised the cash rate for the fourth consecutive month, from 1.35 per cent to 1.85 per cent. This is the third 0.5 per cent rise in a row.

CORONAVIRUS
New COVID cases drop below 1,000
Tas Govt media release, 30 Jul 2022
The number of new Coronavirus cases in Tasmania has fallen to 923.
Sunday's figure of 649 new cases is lower still, Tas Govt media release, 31 Jul 2022

RETENTION TO YEARS 11 AND 12
Retention rates rise
Tas Govt media release, 28 Jul 2022
Of the 2019 Year 10 cohort, 86.1 per cent continued to Year 11 and 76.9 per cent to Year 12, both significant rises in retention rates, TASC data shows.

AUSTRALIAN CURRICULUM
Curriculum culture war looming?
The Conversation (opinion by Stewart Riddle), 27 Jul 2022
New federal Liberal leader Peter Dutton says the school curriculum and education reform will be among his priorities, but an education academic stresses it is the education authorities that determine curriculum in Australia.

TASMANIAN POLITICS
Yet another Minister resigns
Tas Govt media release, 25 Jul 2022
Tasmania's Minister for Police and Emergency Services, Jacquie Petrusma, has resigned.
New MP Felix Ellis will join the Cabinet.

TEACHING PROFESSION
Teaching for Tasmania
Tas Govt media release, 21 Jul 2022

The Tasmanian government will spend an additional $1.3 million on the Teach for Australia program which will convert non-teaching graduates into Tasmanian teachers, education minister Roger Jaensch says.

COVID AND SCHOOLS
Masks necessary in schools
Tas Greens website, 19 Jul 2022
With Victoria's students in grade 8 and above being required to wear masks indoors in winter, there needs to be a similar expectation in Tasmania, not just a recommendation, Greens health spokesperson Rosalie Woodruff says.
Plan for school COVID outbreaks needed, Josh Willie, Labor education spokesperson, 22 Jul 2022
Masks "strongly recommended", Roger Jaensch,  Minister for Education, 22 Jul 2022

COVID AND STUDENT LEARNING
Masks have only mild impact on learning
The Conversation (opinion by Julia Schwarz), 19 Jul 2022
A small study suggests that the change in a person's voice caused by a mask inhibits children's understanding more than the hiding of lip movements. However, the overall adverse effect of masks on learning was found to be relatively mild.

ASTRONOMY
World starstruck
The Conversation (opinion by Karl Glazebrook and Simon Driver), 13 Jul 2022

Incredible images of galaxies far away that you thought you would never see have been released

WOMEN
Women needed for Roll
Tas Govt media release, 12 Jul 2022
Nominations of Tasmanian women and women's organisations for the 2023 Tasmanian Honour Roll of Women are needed by Sunday 2 October 2022, Minister for Women Jo Palmer says.

TEACHING PROFESSION
The cost of teacher bashing
The Conversation (opinion by Nicole Mockler), 11 Jul 2022
Disproportionately negative comments about teachers by the media have discouraged young people from joining the profession, the author of a book on the issue says.

CORONAVIRUS
Antiviral access widened
Tas Govt media release, 10 Jul 2022
From tomorrow (Monday) the government will make it easier for eligible people to obtain antivirals which help to fight off the more serious effects of COVID-19 if taken shortly after testing positive.

JAPAN
Shinzo Abe shot
ABC News, 8 Jul 2022
Former Japanese PM Shinzo Abe has been shot from behind while delivering a speech.
UPDATE 3.47pm: Abe is in a critical condition in hospital.
UPDATE 7.00pm: Shinzo Abe is reported to have died in hospital.

UK POLITICS
Boris agrees to resign
BBC News, 7 Jul 2022
British PM Boris Johnson has announced his resignation but he will not leave immediately in order to allow for a new Prime Minister to be found.

UK POLITICS
Boris doomed?
BBC News, 7 Jul 2022
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has suffered a massive loss of support from his ministers yet he appears to be fighting to hold on.

His address to the nation, due to occur at 9.30pm AEST, may indicate what his next step is.

ANZAC COMMEMORATIONS
Anzac essay entries invited
Tas Govt media release, 6 Jul 2022
Year 9 students interested in Australia's military history are invited to enter the Frank MacDonald Memorial Prize Essay Competition which focuses on World War 1 and its impact, Minister for Veterans' Affairs Guy Barnett has announced.

COVID AND SCHOOLS
Term 3 COVID plan released
Tas Govt media release, 5 Jul 2022
The Tasmanian COVID-safe schools plan for Term 3 has been released.

COVID-safe schools operational plan (DoE)

TEACHING PROFESSION
Online learning to the rescue?
The Conversation (opinion by Ken Purnell), 1 Jul 2022
A hybrid model combining face-to-face teaching and online learning could help to solve Australia's teacher shortage problem, an education professor suggests.

STUDENT HEALTH AND WELLBEING
So what does 'wellbeing' really mean?
The Conversation (opinion by Rachele Sloane and Annie Gowing), 30 Jun 2022

Various curriculum and other student-focused requirements specify attention to 'wellbeing', but without defining exactly what wellbeing is. (And they don't even agree on whether or not the term is hyphenated.)

TEACHING PROFESSION
Performance pay sounds good, but...
The Conversation (opinion), 27 Jun 2022
Paying individual teachers extra for good teaching might seem logical on the surface, but such differential treatment of teachers with its accompanying unavoidable unfairness in making comparisons undermines the collegiality and morale that a good school depends on, three academics say.

TASMANIAN SCHOOLS
Cosgrove plan released
Tas Govt media release, 27 Jun 2022
The Cosgrove High School Master Plan for redevelopment of the school has been released to encourage feedback.
DoE Infrastructure Projects: Cosgrove High School

TASMANIAN SCHOOLS
Legana 2025 hope
Tas Govt media release, 26 Jun 2022
The new primary school at Legana should be ready for use in 2025 despite current building supplies and tradies shortages, education minister Roger Jaensch says.

STUDENT BEHAVIOUR
Negative reactions explained
The Conversation (opinion by Sarah Hellewell), 21 Jun 2022
Students who grow up in unsupportive disadvantaged neighbourhoods can develop brain changes that make them over-react to other people's angry facial expressions, a researcher says.

EARLY CHILDHOOD
Stickers key to learning lift-off
Tas Govt media release, 21 Jun 2022
The sticker-book based Passport to Learning program will encourage early learners to participate in fun learning activities, education minister Roger Jaensch says.
Great Start website: Passport to Learning

News continued in the
June 2022 news archive
See also the News archive index

TASMANIAN FIRES For updated alerts, see:

For OUTAGES of any kind, see:
DownDetector

See also our

INTERNET SAFETY
YouTube Kids

YouTube Kids is a new app designed for children and their parents to use.

WATER RESOURCES
Sharing Water

Resources and information from TasWater for Tasmanian students and teachers.

ELECTIONS
AEC election resources for teachers

Student activity sheets, fact sheets and more from the Australian Electoral Commission.

DRIVINGDRIVING
Free TrafficTAS app

A free app that will advise Tasmanian drivers and other road users of traffic flow problems has been released.

UKRAINE WAR & KIDS

Classroom discussion on the invasion of Ukraine
(From The Conversation, 7 Mar 2022)

How to talk to children about the invasion of Ukraine
(From The Conversation, 1 Mar 2022)

Helping kids interpret news on the Ukraine war
The impact of the war on children and how to talk to them about it.
(From The Conversation, 25 Feb 2022)

How teachers can answer kids' questions on the war
Includes a list of resources. US site.
(From weareteachers.com)

Resources for discussing the Ukraine war with students
US site.
(From sdcoe.net)

Spotting fake viral Ukraine war footage
(From The Conversation, 26 Feb 2022)

CORONAVIRUS
How to RAT your kids

Guide for parents on how to perform a Rapid Antigen Test on their children.
(From The Conversation, 28 Jan 2022.)
How accurate is your RAT?
(From The Conversation, 27 Jan 2022)
15 things not to do when using a RAT
(From The Conversation, 10 Feb 2022)

CORONAVIRUS
DoE's COVID info for Tas parents

CORONAVIRUS
Find a Pharmacy

CORONAVIRUS
Protecting children from COVID-19

Ensuring safe indoor air in schools is one of a number of recommendations in this detailed report [pdf] from OzSAGE on how schools can be made COVID-safe for students.

CORONAVIRUS
Have COVID? When to see your doctor
(From The Conversation, 9 Mar 2022) 

CORONAVIRUS
How to keep school students safe from COVID

Tips on maintaining a school environment that keeps students as safe as possible from the coronavirus (from The Conversation, 2 Sep 2021).

CORONAVIRUS
Getting kids to wear a mask: tips

Advice on how to encourage children to wear a face mask (from The Conversation, 25 Aug 2021).

TASMANIAN HISTORY
Beatties Studio photos

Thousands of Beatties Studio photos of early Tasmania are being placed online.

CORONAVIRUS

Schools, children and COVID-19
What we know about children and COVID, outbreaks in schools and what to do. 

Events Framework
"A Framework for COVID-19 Safe Activities and Events in Tasmania"

FACE MASKS
Which mask should I wear?
Surgical mask, cloth mask or bandana? (The Conversation, 10 Jul 2020).

FACE MASKS
Which way round?
Don't wear your face mask inside out. (smartairfilters.com ).

FACE MASKS
How to make a cloth face mask

Instructions on how to make a face mask, and related issues (The Conversation,  7 Jul 2020)

CORONAVIRUS
ABC Coronavirus Story Streams

Tas Govt Coronavirus site - Media releases - Dept of Health Facebook page Coronavirus information (Tas DHHS) Coronavirus (COVID-19) (Aust Govt Dept of Health)

Roadmap to Recovery (Tas)

COVIDSafe app
Read about the COVIDSafe app and download it free from the Apple or Google app store.

North west outbreak report [pdf]
(Tas Govt website, 30 Apr 2020)

ONLINE GAME
Social Distance Dash

In this free online coronavirus safety game for kids, the aim is to deliver a roll of toilet paper to your grandmother while keeping 1.5 metres away from others and collecting as much hand sanitiser as you can. Page shows a video demo at the top. Scroll down for computer or mobile version.

CORONAVIRUS
Dramatic handwashing demo

A simple experiment using black pepper and water hammers home to students the powerful effect soap has when they use it to wash their hands. (From metro.co.uk)

ABC Education: Online learning resources

ABC Coronavirus news stories pages

COVID-19 Cyber security tips for when working from home

The Conversation's COVID-19 articles

Google's COVID-19 resource

The articles from The Conversation that were previously listed here may be found on The Conversation's special COVID-19 page

More new and useful sites in the
Useful sites archive