VET REVIEW
VET Review
report completed
Tas Govt media release, 30 Apr 2012
VET
Review independent consultant Virginia Simmons handed her report to
education minister Nick McKim this evening.
Mr McKim said he intends to release the report after a Cabinet decision
is made...
TASMANIAN TEACHERS, OUTDOOR ED
$50,000 prize for adventure ed teacher
The Mercury, 30 Apr 2012
Tasmanian
outdoor education teacher Andrew Hughes is the Bryce Courtenay and
Penguin Books "Power of One Australian Hero" for 2012...
- Andrew Hughes'
expeditionclass.com website
ASSESSMENT OF TEACHERS
Assessments and bonuses a boost to teaching profession
The Punch (opinion), 28 Apr 2012
Teachers should accept Peter
Garrett's assessment and bonus scheme if they want standards and pay
levels of the profession to rise, writes David Penberthy...
ASSESSMENT OF TEACHERS
Unanswered questions about assessment plan
The Mercury, 28 Apr 2012
The
detail of how the federal government's proposed teacher assessment
process would work has not been provided, AEU Tasmanian president Terry
Polglase says.
And parents representative Jenny Eddington asks whether the bonuses
would be a once off for teachers ...
SOCIAL WORKERS
Northern Tas needs social workers, too
The Examiner, 28 Apr 2012
The provision of an additional
six social workers for schools in the South has prompted CPSU general
secretary Tom Lynch to say that Northern schools need more social
workers as well ...
ASSESSMENT OF TEACHERS
McKim
welcomes release of teacher performance draft
Tas Govt media release, 27 Apr 2012
Education
minister Nick McKim says the federal government's draft framework for
assessing teacher performance will complement existing processes in
Tasmania...
ASSESSMENT OF TEACHERS
Bonus and performance assessment plan may burden teachers
news.com.au, 27 Apr 2012
The
federal government proposal to assess the performance of all teachers
annually, with some receiving bonuses, could create extra work for
teachers that takes them away from teaching, the Queensland Teachers
Union warns...
-
Annual performance goals for every Australian teacher (media
release, 27 April 2012, from Peter Garrett, Minister for School
Education)
SOCIAL WORKERS
Six social
workers coming
Tas Govt media release, 27 Apr 2012
Six social workers with a total
full-time equivalent of 3.9 will commence in southern Tasmania within
the next week, the Minister for Education and Skills, Nick McKim, said
today in response to criticism from the CPSU of the large number of
current social worker vacancies in schools...
NAPLAN
NAPLAN
Toolkit available from Monday
Tas Govt media release, 27 Apr 2012
A
toolkit that will allow teachers to analyse students' NAPLAN data and
identify areas where their literacy and numeracy skills need improvement
was launched today by education minister Nick McKim...
SCHOOL ZONE ROAD SAFETY
Warning for school zone drivers today
The Mercury, 27 Apr 2012
Police
will be in and around school zones today to target speeding,
drink-driving and illegal parking...
ASSESSMENT OF TEACHERS
Teacher appraisal plan to be released today
SMH, 27 Apr 2012
A
plan for teachers to be formally observed and to provide evidence of
student outcomes under the Australian Teacher Performance and
Development Framework will be released today...
-
Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership
(Performance and
Development page)
NAPLAN
Parents' NAPLAN revolt urged
SMH, 27 Apr 2012
A
campaign encouraging parents to "Say no to NAPLAN" by withdrawing their
children from next month's tests will be launched on Monday by a group
representing Australia's literacy educators and consultants...
-
Literacy Educators Coalition
TASMANIAN
SCHOOLS
Port Sorell school well under way
The
Advocate, 26 Apr 2012
The new $10 million Port Sorell
Primary School should be ready for students by February next year....
CATHOLIC SCHOOLS
Cradle Coast training centre facility opened
The Advocate, 27 Apr 2012
A $1.6 million expansion of the
cooking facility at the trade training centre located at Burnie's Marist
Regional College was opened yesterday...
CATHOLIC SCHOOLS
St Brigid's refurbished
The
Advocate, 27 Apr 2012
Wynyard's St Brigid's Catholic
School's $2.125 million renovations and new buildings were opened
yesterday...
TEACHER BONUS SCHEME
Bonus scheme harmful
National Times, 25 Apr 2012
The federal government's teacher
bonus scheme is divisive in rewarding only a few teachers when a
collaborative approach in schools is essential, writes Kevin Donnelly of
the Education Standards Institute...
VET FEES
Warning of huge rise in TAFE fees
The Advocate, 26 Apr 2012
Advanced VET diploma course fees
could rise from a maximum of $990 to almost $5,000 in 2013 without
government action over COAG reforms, warns AEU TAFE Division president
Rex Calvert...
VET
Viticulture course shock
The Mercury, 26 Apr 2012
The
Skills Institute has made the decision to terminate the viticulture
training course...
MALE TEACHERS
Primary schools lack men
The Australian, 25 Apr 2012
Fear of litigation and low pay were responsible for the lack of male
role models in primary school classrooms, the Australian Primary
Principals Association says ...
2013 TERM DATES
McKim affirms four-term year for next year
The Mercury, 25 Apr 2012
Education
minister Nick McKim has vowed that a four-term school year will go ahead
in 2013 regardless of the outcome at the Tasmanian Industrial Commission
of the dispute between the Department of Education and the Australian
Education Union...
2013 TERM DATES
Independent schools independent over dates
The Examiner, 24 Apr 2012
Tony
Crehan, the executive director of the association of non-government
schools, Independent Schools Tasmania, says it is up to each independent
school whether they move to a four-term year but most were expected to
do so...
EXTENDING HIGH SCHOOLS
TO YEAR 12
Ferguson details Libs' policy on years 7-12
Michael Ferguson, 24 Apr 2012
In a detailed statement,
Opposition education spokesman Michael Ferguson has outlined the
Liberals' policy of "extending all Tasmanian high schools to year 12
within a decade of gaining office"...
2013 TERM DATES
Non-govt to go it alone, parents give deadline
ABC News, 24 Apr 2012
Catholic schools say they and
independent schools will go ahead with four terms next year regardless
of any decision of the Tasmanian Industrial Commission.
Meanwhile, the Tasmanian State School Parents and Friends organisation
says the decision on term dates for government schools has to be made by
the end of the current term...
2013 TERM DATES
McKim delayed term dates decision, says Ferguson
Michael Ferguson website, 24 Apr 2012
Opposition education spokesman
Michael Ferguson says that education minister Nick McKim took as long as
two months to make a decision on the four-term year last year but is now
blaming the AEU for the delay...
SCHOOLS AND THE COMMUNITY
Funds for 22
schools to have local power
Tas Govt media release, 24 Apr 2012
Tasmanian schools are being
encouraged to increase the local decision-making power of principals,
parents and the community by becoming "Plus Schools" through the Federal
government's Empowering Local Schools initiative...
-
Empowering Local Schools website
CAREERS IN COMPUTING
Tas computing
careers encouraged
Tas Govt media release, 24 Apr 2012
A
program to make Tasmanian students, schools and employers aware of
further study options for those who might wish to pursue information technology careers was
launched today by the Minister for Economic Development, David O'Byrne...
- IT's Your
Career website
2013 TERM DATES
Term dates dispute causing inconvenience
The Mercury, 24 Apr 2012
The unresolved dispute between
the AEU and the Department of Education over next year's term dates is
making it difficult for people to make travel plans and preventing
parents from planning annual leave and meeting Family Court parenting
plans...
2013 TERM DATES
Industrial relations principle holding back term dates
The Examiner, 24 Apr 2012
The Department of Education is
seeking to use the normal power of Ministerial Direction to set term
date holidays for next year but AEU president Terry Polglase says that
bypassing due process or negotiation over what amounts to a change in
working conditions would set a dangerous precedent for all public sector
employees...
LEGAL LIABILITY
Legal papers served after tennis accident
Courier Mail, 24 Apr 2012
Legal
action of the kind that has followed a 13-year-old girl's eye being
bruised by a tennis ball hit by her friend could prompt schools to
restrict sporting activities and could force up insurance costs which
would further reduce sporting opportunities...
2013 TERM DATES
2013 term
dates yet to be set
Tas Govt media release, 23 Apr 2012
The issue between the Department
of Education and the AEU over the dates for next year's four-term school
year is not settled yet and will come before the Tasmanian Industrial
Commission this Thursday, Deputy Secretary Andrew Finch said today...
SCHOOL PRINCIPAL
POSITIONS
Search on for principals
ABC News, 23 Apr 2012
The Department of Education hopes
to complete the search for 31 new principals by the beginning of term 2
but admits it will be hard to fill so many principal positions at
the one time...
SCHOOL PRINCIPAL POSITIONS
Waiting for principals
The Mercury, 23 Apr 2012
As many as 31 Tasmanian
government schools are waiting for the position of principal to be
filled...
STUDENT SUPPORT
Apparent ADHD due in fact to poor sleep?
SMH,
23 Apr 2012
Some diagnoses of ADHD in
children may be incorrect, with symptoms being due to undiagnosed sleep
disorders causing lack of sleep, research shows...
STUDENT SUPPORT
ADHD students benefit from personal challenge
SMH, 23 Apr 2012
Research shows that students with
ADHD improve their school performance if they focus on their personal
best rather than on comparing themselves with others..
PRIVATE SCHOOL FEES
Catholic school fee increases not so great
The Examiner, 23 Apr 2012
Budget cuts will not result in
claimed 10-14 per cent fee increases by Catholic schools, education
minister Nick McKim says...
COMPUTERS AND ENGLISH LESSONS
Computers integrated into English lesson activities
SMH, 23 Apr 2012
Adapting to the digital age has
meant big changes for the way English lessons operate...
READING SKILLS
National reading campaign launched
SMH, 23 Apr 2012
With 46 percent of Australians
over 15 lacking minimum literacy skills, a national campaign to promote
a culture of reading has been launched by libraries...
TEACHER NUMBERS
Teacher numbers drop
The Mercury, 22 Apr 2012
The number of government teachers
in Tasmania has been reduced, leaving schools less flexible to adapt to
changes during the year...
COMPUTER MALWARE ALERT
Quick check will detect DNS-changer malware
SMH, 21 Apr 2012
Malware
installed on a number of computers is due to cut off their access to the
Internet on 9 July.
The FBI recommends people do the quick check from
dcwg.org to find out if
they are infected...
If you don't trust the link
above, you can type www.fbi.gov in your browser, search for
dns-changer, then click on "FBI - Check to See if Your Computer
is Using Rogue DNS".
CLOUD COMPUTING
Google cloud storage service next week?
news.com.au, 21 Apr 2012
An
accidental leak appears to confirm that Google is about to launch a
cloud storage service called "Drive" in which users would have a virtual
drive accessible from anywhere...
TASMANIAN
SCHOOLS
Wynyard webcast
The Advocate, 21 Apr 2012
A webcast featuring Wynyard High
School students and the story of artist Albert Namatjira is expected to
be available on the
school website from Monday...
TEACHER SALARIES
Victorian strikes?
news.com.au, 20 Apr 2012
Victorian teachers may commence
industrial action over wages in June...
EDUCATION MINISTER
McKim in WA
Tas Govt media release, 19 Apr 2012
Education minister Nick McKim
will meet other education ministers in Western Australia today...
SCHOOL CLOSURES
School
closure policy now better than ever
Tas Govt media release, 18 Apr 2012
Education
minister Nick McKim says the government's school viability policy now
gives communities "a greater say than they ever had" and he points out
that 30 schools had been closed by the Liberals when in government.
Mr McKim was responding to a call by the Opposition to explain
what changes he would make to the Education Act to "lock in" school
closures...
SCHOOL CLOSURES
Reveal school closure legislation, say Libs
Michael Ferguson website, 18 Apr 2012
Opposition
education spokesman Michael Ferguson has claimed the government intends
to "lock in" forced closures of schools through legislation and has
called on education minister Nick McKim to provide the details of those
changes...
SCHOOL BUILDINGS
Green Star for Jordan River Senior School
Green Building Council Australia, 17 Apr 2012
Two buildings at the new Jordan
River Learning Federation Senior School have received Green Star ratings
for their environmentally sustainable qualities...
SCHOOL ZONE ROAD SAFETY
Double school zone points, say Greens
The Mercury, 18 Apr 2012
As a report from Western
Australia shows that doubling the number of demerit points for speeding
on certain days is effective, doubling the number for speeding within
school zones should be tried in Tasmania, Opposition infrastructure
spokesperson Tim Morris says...
- Media release from Tim Morris MP:
Call for double demerit trial in school zones [doc]
- Report from Western Australia:
Double Demerits Evaluation 2009 [pdf]
ANZAC COMMEMORATIONS
Students researched Anzac relatives
The Mercury, 17 Apr 2012
Two of the Tasmanian student
winners of the Frank MacDonald Memorial Prize have told how they
researched the participation of their own relatives in World War 1...
SCHOOL ZONE ROAD SAFETY
Extra school zone demerit points needed
The Mercury, 17 Apr 2012
Pedestrian Council of Australia
CEO Harold Scruby says the government needs to increase the number of
demerit points for offences committed within school zones, but DIER says
that doubling the number on its own appears to make little difference...
ANZAC COMMEMORATIONS
Tas students
off to Anzacs' battlefields
Tas Govt media release, 16 Apr 2012
Six Tasmanian students and two
teachers leave for France and Belgium tomorrow to honour the Tasmanian
World War 1 soldiers who were part of the 40th Battalion...
- DoE
Frank MacDonald Memorial Prize page
- Read
the essays written by the six student winners
- 40th Battalion website
RESTORATIVE PRACTICES
Relationships, not punishment
SMH, 16 Apr 2012
Restorative practices have proved
to be a success for a group of schools in the Geelong area...
GONSKI, SCHOOL FEES
Fee rises from Gonski
SMH, 16 Apr 2012
School funding changes arising
from the Gonski report could lead to school fee increases for many
private schools...
HERITAGE WEEK
Tas
activities planned for Heritage Week
Tas Govt media release, 13 Apr 2012
A number of Tasmanian museums will hold events for Australian Heritage
Week commencing Saturday, 14 April, the Director of Arts Tasmania,
Katherine Hough, said today...
- For details see
Australian Heritage Week events
EDUCATION MINISTER
McKim staying put as Brown quits
ABC News, 13 Apr 2012
Education
minister and Greens leader Nick McKim says he will not be seeking to
take up the Senate seat that will become available following
today's resignation announcement by Senator Bob Brown...
ARRANGED MARRIAGES
Forced marriage role for teachers
The Australian, 12 Apr 2012
Human rights groups say teachers
have an important part to play in preventing arranged marriages...
NAPLAN
Call for assessment of NAPLAN position
The Examiner, 12 Apr 2012
With
this year's national literacy and numeracy assessments looming,
Tasmanian AEU president Terry Polglase warns of the amount of time and
resources being devoted to the tests...
NAPLAN, MYSCHOOL, LEAGUE TABLES
League tables need margin of error info
The Telegraph, 11 Apr 2012
The
omission of information about the margin of error makes meaningless much
of the information in the league tables of Australian schools published
by the Weekend Australian, writes Maralyn Parker ...
See
Weekend Australian league tables of almost 10,000 Australian
schools
CLIMATE CHANGE
Local Tas
climate profiles released
Tas Govt media release, 11 Apr 2012
Past,
current and projected elements of climate for Tasmania's local
government areas have been released by the Minister for Climate Change,
Cassy O'Connor...
- See
Local government area climate profiles (part of the
Tasmanian Climate Change
Office site, Tas Dept of Premier and Cabinet)
AUSTRALIAN CURRICULUM
Call for gambling education
news.com.au, 11 Apr 2012
A Clubs Australia submission
calls for responsible gambling education and awareness to be included in
the national curriculum...
SCHOOL SECURITY
Vandals hit SVC
The Mercury, 11 Apr 2012
Vandals have ridden mini
motorcycles through classrooms at the St Virgil's College Claremont
campus...
VIDEO GAME ADDICTION
No Tas game addicts - or are they not being treated?
The Mercury, 11 Apr 2012
Computer addiction is a powerful
force but the Tasmanian branch of a rehabilitation service for young
people says it has not had to deal with computer game addicts yet...
VIDEO GAME ADDICTION
Rehab for teen video game addicts
Herald-Sun,
10 Apr 2012
Addiction to video games such as
World of Warcraft is causing problems for teenagers and their parents...
-
How
does video game addiction affect school performance?
(TeachingMatters, 19/3/08)
-
Video game addiction linked to psychological, school
problems (EmaxHealth, 18/1/11)
GONSKI REVIEW
$70m Tas Gonski cost?
The Examiner, 9 Apr 2012
The Australian Education Union's
Tasmanian president, Terry Polglase, estimates the Tasmanian
government's annual share of the cost of implementing the Gonski school
funding recommendations would be $70 million, but education minister
Nick McKim says discussions are still ongoing at a national level...
SCHOOL HOURS
Call for extra time at school
The Examiner, 9 Apr 2012
Replacing homework for Tasmanian rural
students with five more hours of school per week could improve literacy
and numeracy but could also cause transport problems...
OPEN PLAN SCHOOLS
Open plan debate opens up yet again
Daily telegraph, 8 Apr 2012
About 100 students have left the
Catholic schools in a Sydney diocese following the introduction a year
ago of open plan classrooms of up to 200 students...
EDUCATIONAL
ADMINISTRATION
Teachers revolting in self-management trials
SMH, 8 Apr 2012
Teachers in a number of the NSW
schools taking part in trials to give principals more control over their
schools have voted against the trials...
SOCIAL NETWORKING AND TEACHERS
Online abuse for 42pc
The Examiner, 8 Apr 2012
A British teaching union has
found that 42 per cent of teachers have been a victim of online abuse by
students or parents...
GONSKI REVIEW
Gonski road map on way
The Examiner, 7 Apr 2012
Education ministers will prepare
a road map on school funding changes before any discussion of dollar
amounts arising from the Gonski review can occur...
Weather alert
6 Apr 2012
A rain band that includes lightning strikes has
begun to cross northern and central Tasmania and is heading towards the
east coast.
- See
Weatherzone rain/lightning radar
(Be prepared to disconnect your computer from electricity and
telephone.)
EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATION
Tas Education Secretary reflects on first year
ABC website (blog), 27 Mar 2012
The head of the Department of
Education, Colin Pettit, looks back on his first year as Secretary in
this audio recording from Ryk Goddard's ABC Breakfast program...
COMPUTER SUPPORT IN SCHOOLS
Students have to fix own computer problems
Illawarra Mercury, 6 Apr 2012
Students at a NSW school take
their own laptops and tablets to school, and are responsible for
obtaining their own technical support by using a telephone in the
library...
SCHOOL CLOSURES
Parents could be hit by bus bill
The Examiner, 5 Apr 2012
The review of student transport
policies that is to occur before any schools are closed could leave
parents paying more in bus fares for the freedom to send their children
beyond the nearest school...
SCHOOL CLOSURES
School catchments and the right to choose
Michael Ferguson website, 4 Apr 2012
With a review of school
catchment policies to occur before any schools are closed, education minister Nick McKim needs to say whether he supports
the "parents' right" to choose a school, Opposition education spokesman
Michael Ferguson says...
SCHOOL CLOSURES
Detail closure legislation, says Ferguson
Michael Ferguson website, 4 Apr 2012
Opposition education spokesman
Michael Ferguson has called on education minister Nick McKim to provide
details of any legislation that would force school closures to occur.
He says the Liberals would not support such legislation...
SCHOOL CLOSURES
Literacy and numeracy paying for delay
ABC News, 4 Apr 2012
The education budget savings that
would have come from closing schools under the original timeline are
now to come from other areas, the Premier, Lara Giddings, says...
SCHOOL CLOSURES
Incentives designed for surrender without a fight
The Australian, 4 Apr 2012
Tasmania's government has delayed
school closures until after the next state election, offering incentives
for parents to surrender without a fight...
SCHOOL CLOSURES
Fairbrother slams closures delay
The Examiner, 4 Apr 2012
The chairman of the School
Viability Reference Group, Royce Fairbrother, is disappointed the
government has delayed the deadline for schools to be closed..
SCHOOL CLOSURES
Northern parents relieved
The Examiner, 4 Apr 2012
Parents of children at a number
of Northern schools are relieved that school closures will be delayed
until the end of 2015...
SCHOOL CLOSURES
Support for closures policy
The Mercury, 4 Apr 2012
Although there is widespread
support for the decision to adopt the Fairbrother school viability
report's recommendations and to delay closures, school closures are
likely to be an issue at the next State election...
SCHOOL CLOSURES
Happy at Warrane
The Mercury, 4 Apr 2012
A Warrane Primary parent has
welcomed the reprieve provided by the decision to delay school closures...
MY UNIVERSITY
Tas Uni rates well on new My University site
The Mercury, 3 Apr 2012
At least when staff to student
ratios are compared, the University of Tasmania rates well in relation
to other universities on the federal government's new "My University"
website....
- My University
website
SCHOOL CLOSURES
Closures shelved until after next State election
The Mercury, 3 Apr 2012
No Tasmanian government school
will be forced to close before the end of 2015, the Minister for
Education and Skills, Nick McKim, said today...
SCHOOL CLOSURES
Delay until after election is cynical decision
Michael Ferguson website, 3 Apr 2012
Adopting the
recommendations of the Fairbrother report on school closures but delaying
forced closures until after the next election is a cynical decision, Opposition education spokesman Michael Ferguson says...
SCHOOL CLOSURES
Viability
report accepted
Tas Govt media release, 3 Apr 2012
All eight recommendations of the
School Viability Reference Group report had been accepted by State
Cabinet, the Minister for Education and Skills, Nick McKim, said today.
A package of incentives to encourage schools to amalgamate will be
developed, and reviews of the student transport system and school
catchment and enrolment policies will be undertaken...
SCHOOL CLOSURES
No closures till the end of 2015
ABC News, 3 Apr 2012
No schools will close before the
end of 2015, the Minister for Education and Skills, Nick McKim,
announced today...
SCHOOL CLOSURES
McKim announces Cabinet's decision on
school closures
ABC Radio 12.52pm, 3 Apr 2012
The Minister for Education and
Skills, Nick McKim, is currently announcing the government's response to
the Fairbrother school viability report, following a decision by
Cabinet.
Apparently, Cabinet has accepted all eight recommendations of the
report, no school being recommended for closure
before June 2014 and no school actually closing before the end of
2015.
EXTENDING HIGH SCHOOLS TO YEAR 12
Parents want details of year 12 extension
The Examiner, 3 Apr 2012
Although parents are split over
the idea of extending high schools to include years 11 and 12, they
would like more information about it, a survey by Tasmanian State School
Parents and Friends shows...
TASMANIAN TEACHERS
Former Hagley principal looks back
The Examiner, 3 Apr 2012
Retired principal of the Hagley
Farm Primary School Peter Kearney has been involved in educational
innovation...
BUILDING SKILLS
Students'
building auctioned
Tas Govt media release, 2 Apr 2012
A mobile apartment built by Year
10 youthBUILD students from Clarence, Ogilvie, New Norfolk, Rose Bay and
Geilston Bay high schools and Years 11 and 12 Claremont College students
was auctioned today...
SCHOOL ZONE ROAD SAFETY
School zone signs should be working now
The Advocate, 2 Apr 2012
Electronic school zone signs are
expected to be working properly this afternoon, following rectification
of the problem causing them not to adjust to the end of daylight saving
this morning...
SCHOOL ZONE ROAD SAFETY
Alert over school zone signs
ABC Radio, 2 Apr 2012
As electronic school zone signs appear not to
have adjusted to the end of daylight saving they will not be operating
as expected this morning if technicians are unable to overcome the
problem in time.
STUDENT SUPPORT
Tasmania
acknowledges Autism Day
Tas Govt media release, 1 Apr 2012
The Minister for Human Services,
Cassy O'Connor, has urged people to acknowledge World Autism Awareness
Day tomorrow by wearing blue clothing...
EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATION
Suspicion over local management reasons
SMH, 1 Apr 2012
It is dawning on a number of NSW
principals that the government's kind act of giving them greater control
over their school budgets could in fact be a way to hide overall
cost-cutting and to transfer Education Department administrative work to
the schools...
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