News for Tasmanian Teachers

Archive for July 2012

   See the MAIN PAGE for the latest news

TEACHING PROFESSION
Removing inadequate teachers key to plan
SMH, 31 Jul 2012
The NSW government is planning to focus on how inadequate teachers can be removed from the classroom...

REPORTING TO PARENTS
A-E report ratings have new meanings
The Mercury, 31 Jul 2012
The A to E ratings on the new school reports have meanings different to those some parents may have experienced, such as a 'C' now meaning that a student meets all expectations...

SCHOOLS AND THE LAW
Court rules on weekend use of alcohol
NorthJersey.com, 30 Jul 2012
A US court has made it clear that a school cannot punish students for their use of alcohol at the weekend (even if they sign a code of conduct stating they will not do so) ...

PRIMARY-HIGH TRANSITION
Grade 6 Ulverstonians prepare for high school
Tas Govt media release, 30 Jul 2012
The transition from primary school to high school should be as seamless as possible, Paul O'Halloran, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Education and Skills, said today ...

REPORTING TO PARENTS
Reports use A-E ratings
The Advocate, 28 Jul 2012
The new school reports are based on the innovative idea of using A-E ratings to enable parents and students to understand them...

OUT-OF-AREA ENROLMENT POLICY
Fix up the zones first
The Examiner, 27 Jul 2012
The geographical arrangement of the school zones themselves must be examined before the government's out-of-area draft policy is approved, Bracknell Primary School Association chairwoman Angela Crosswell says...

LITERACY AND NUMERACY
Youth 'unemployable'
The Examiner, 27 Jul 2012
Two-thirds of applicants for apprenticeships lack the necessary basic literacy and numeracy skills, the executive officer of Group Training Australia-Tasmania and president of the Tasmanian Small Business Council, Geoff Fader, says...

GONSKI FUNDING
Coalition would reverse Gonski reforms
SMH, 26 Jul 2012
Federal Opposition education spokesman Christopher Pyne says a Coalition government would repeal any Gonski reforms legislation if elected next year, to enable the public to choose an education funding model through their votes at the following election...

MATHEMATICS
Maths pedagogy wanting
The Conversation (Opinion), 25 Jul 2012
There needs to be a far biggger focus on the skills required for good maths teaching, argue Jon Borwein and David H. Bailey...

AUSTRALIAN CURRICULUM
Q&A History curriculum myths corrected
The Conversation (Opinion), 25 Jul 2012
Claims that the new History curriculum "was certainly written by an ex-communist", made on the ABC's Q&A program by federal Opposition education spokesman Christopher Pyne, are not true, writes Louise Zarmati...

LOCAL EMPOWERMENT
Local autonomy promoted
The Examiner, 25 Jul 2012
The 23 Tasmanian schools receiving Empowering Local Schools funding will also be able to access $77,000 worth of training and professional development...
- Tas Govt media release, 12 Jul 2012

TASMANIAN TEACHERS
MasterChef finalist had been Tassie teacher
The Advocate, 25 Jul 2012
MasterChef finalist Ben Milbourne was a teacher at Parklands High School until last year, and an apprentice baker at Banjo's owes his career to him...

REPORTING TO PARENTS
New mid-year reports tomorrow
The Examiner, 25 Jul 2012
Riverside Primary is one of the first schools to issue the new Australian Curriculum mid-year reports...

ROCK EISTEDDFOD
Boost in confidence for Trevallyn students
The Examiner, 25 Jul 2012
Compulsory participation of grade 6 Trevallyn Primary School students in the J Rock section of the Rock Eisteddfod Challenge has increased their sense of confidence...

AUSTRALIAN HISTORY
Wartime history essay launched for 2012
Tas Govt media release, 24 Jul 2012
The Frank MacDonald Memorial Prize is an annual essay competition designed to involve Tasmanian students in researching and understanding Australia's wartime history...

STUDENT AND TEACHER HEALTH
Flu hits Hobart
The Mercury, 24 Jul 2012
School absentee numbers are growing as Hobart becomes Tasmania's flu hot-spot...
DHHS flu notifications graph

EARLY LITERACY
Parents' reading pays
The Mercury, 24 Jul 2012
Young children with parents reading to them at a young age will achieve better NAPLAN literacy scores later on...

ROCK EISTEDDFOD
St Pat's wins Challenge
The Examiner, 24 Jul 2012
St Patrick's College has won this year's Rock Eisteddfod Challenge, taking home 12 awards...

CHOOK EDUCATION
Poultry shield looms
The Advocate, 24 Jul 2012
Forth Primary and seven other north-west primary schools in the Chooks in Schools program will be vying for a poultry show shield this weekend...

GONSKI REVIEW
Wednesday to be National Gonski Day
AEU media release, 23 Jul 2012
As part of the AEU's campaign to have the Gonski education funding recommendations implemented as soon as possible, Wednesday this week has been declared National Gonski Day...
AEU Gonski campaign page

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY CAREERS
Computing careers being promoted
Tas Govt media release, 22 Jul 2012
The Tasmanian Polytechnic is showcasing a range of computing activities for National ICT Careers Week from today...
National ICT Careers week website

SCHOOLS TREE DAY
Tree Day this Friday
The Advocate, 22 Jul 2012
Montello Primary School students have revisted the trees they planted on National Schools Tree Day last year...
Schools Tree Day: Friday 27 July 2012

SCHOOLKIDS BONUS
Attendance info to block bonus loophole
The Telegraph, 22 Jul 2012
The federal government's SchoolKids Bonus scheme will use school attendance information from next year to prevent payments being made to young people no longer at school and to avoid the wrong amounts being paid to very old primary school and very young high school students...

TERTIARY ARTS
Creative academy for Hobart
The Examiner, 22 Jul 2012
An academy supporting students in creative subjects such as music, the performing arts, architecture and design is proposed for an area of land near Hobart's Theatre Royal...
- Stage set for creative transformation, Tas Govt media release, 22 Jul 2012

GIRLS IN SCIENCE
Robots a pathway for girls
SMH, 21 Jul 2012
Building and programming robots from a  young age could lead many girls into careers in engineering, science and information technology...

SCHOOL TO WORK
Beacon charter signed
The Examiner, 21 Jul 2012
Year 10 students at Kings Meadows High School are the latest students to sign a Beacon Foundation charter, demonstrating their commitment to pursue future education and work opportunities...

REPORTING TO PARENTS
New mid-year reports coming
Tas Govt media release, 20 Jul 2012
Mid-year reports taken home by students this year will appear different as they reflect the introduction of the Australian Curriculum...
- Additional report: The Mercury, 21 Jun 2012

EARLY LITERACY
Launching into Learning actually works
The Examiner, 20 Jul 2012
Longitudinal studies of the first groups of students who came through the Launching into Learning early childhood programs show a significant improvement in literacy and numeracy compared with other students, education minister Nick McKim says...

UNIVERSITY EDUCATION
University low SES programs effective
The Mercury, 20 Jul 2012
The proportion of University of Tasmania students from low socioeconomic status backgrounds who complete their studies is considerably better than the Australian average...

TRANSPORT INDUSTRY TRAINING
Transport awards made
Tas Govt media release, 19 Jul 2012
Education and training in the transport industry is being promoted by a partnerhip between the Tasmanian Transport Assocaition, Logistics Enterprises and the Department of Education...

CHOOK EDUCATION
Chicken raising fits into curriculum
ABC Rural, 19 Jul 2012
Forth Primary and four other north-west primary schools have been raising chickens...

TASMANIAN SCHOOLS
Safe at Deloraine
Tas Govt media release, 19 Jul 2012
Deloraine High School students shared their ideas about safe schools with the Minister for Education and Skills, Nick McKim, today...

OUT-OF-AREA ENROLMENTS
Albuera Street could get lose-lose outcome
ABC News, 19 Jul 2012
With half the enrolments at Albuera Street  Primary School coming from out of area, many of them from parents who work nearby, parents say any new restrictions on out-of-area enrolments would not only place the school itself under threat but as well many city-working parents would be inconvenienced and lose the ability to have a close connection with their child's school...

LITERACY
Read to toddlers
The Examiner, 19 Jul 2012
Reading to children before they go to school is key to addressing Tasmania's poor adult literacy rates, the AEU and the state parents' organisation say...
- College teachers in literacy professional development programs, The Examiner, 19 Jul 2012.

AUSTRALIAN CURRICULUM
Museum created
The Mercury, 19 Jul 2012
Lenah Valley Primary School students created their own museum following a visit to the Copping museum, under the new Australian Curriculum's history guidelines...

AUSTRALIAN CURRICULUM
Mining vs environment conflict arising over curriculum
SMH, 19 Jul 2012
The senior secondary science subject Earth and Environmental Science is heavily weighted in favour of the mining industry rather than the environment, say some Victorian teachers...

LITERACY
Tasmanian literacy rate defended
The Examiner, 18 Jul 2012
Tasmania's low adult literacy rate is not as bad as it looks, the Tasmanian Council for Adult Literacy says...
- Comment by Michael Ferguson, Opposition education spokesman, 18 Jul 2012

ROBOTICS
Robots hope
The Examiner, 18 Jul 2012
Launceston Christian School students hope to show their skills in building and programming robots in a national competition...

STUDENT HEALTH
Flu numbers rising
The Examiner, 17 Jul 2012
The number of school children with flu in Tasmania is above normal...

Huon dam crisis over
ABC News, 16 Jul 2012
About 100 households in the Scenic Hill Road area, south of the Huon River, have been allowed to return home following the lowering of the water level of a leaking dam. (ABC Radio) ...
- Message from Huon Valley Council, 16 Jul 2012
- The Mercury's report, 17 Jul 2012

 MARINE ECOSYSTEMS
Tassie coastal resource for students
Tas Govt media release, 16 Jul 2012
Tasmanian coastal information, activities and resources feature in Coastwatchers Expedition, a marine ecosystem project for students launched today by the Minister for Education and Skills, Nick McKim...
Coast Watchers Resources 2012 website 

COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY
Touch-screens beat whiteboards
SMH, 16 Jul 2012
Interactive whiteboards have been overtaken by touch-screen technology such as tablets and tabletops in providing "egalitarian" technology in the classroom, a computer science professor says...

LITERACY
Half of Tasmania not literate enough
The Examiner, 16 Jul 2012
About half the people in Tasmania aged between 15 and 75 years have insufficient everyday reading and writing skills...

 OUT-OF-AREA ENROLMENTS
Views vary on local school enrolment
The Examiner, 16 Jul 2012
Parents recognise the value of children attending their local school but also acknowledge that for some there are very good reasons to send their children to a school near their place of work...

DISADVANTAGED SCHOOLS FUNDING
Close wealthy suburb can block funding
SMH, 13 Jul 2012
The existence of a wealthy suburb within 3km of a Sydney primary school which has Australia's highest proportion of refugees has prevented the school from obtaining Federal disadvantaged funding, even though no students at the school live in the wealthy suburb...

BEHAVIOUR MANAGEMENT
Positive behaviour recorded at Stella Maris
The Advocate, 14 Jul 2012
Teachers on duty at lunch time at Burnie's Stella Maris Catholic Primary School make a written record of positive behaviour by students as part of a school-wide positive behaviour support program that promotes respect...

TASMANIAN SCHOOLS
Solar panels to boost Goodwood's efficiency
Tas Govt media release, 13 Jul 2012
Goodwood Primary School has received a $50,000 grant for solar panels and energy efficient lighting under the Australian government's National Solar Schools Program...

STUDENT SUPPORT
Leadership vital for special needs students
Tas Govt media release, 12 Jul 2012
The joint Australian Association of Special Education national conference and Tasmanian Principals Association state conference was opened today by the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Education and Skills, Paul O'Halloran...

LOCAL EMPOWERMENT
Plus Schools selected for local decision-making
Tas Govt media release, 12 Jul 2012
Twenty-three Tasmanian schools have been selected as Plus Schools under the Empowering Local Schools National Partnership which increases the involvement of principals, parents and school communities in decision-making at the local level...

OUT-OF-AREA ENROLMENTS
Permission of both principals needed
The Examiner, 12 Jul 2012
Under a draft policy, parents wishing to enrol their children in a school other than their local school would first need to seek the permission of the principals of both schools...
- Parents want right to choose, The Examiner, 12 Jul 2012
- McKim asks for schools' opinion, The Examiner, 12 Jul 2012

CAREER PATHWAYS
Tasting the trades
The Advocate, 12 Jul 2012
At the Try'a Trade expo held at Burnie yesterday students were told not to overlook the core skills of maths, science and English...

CHEESE EDUCATION
Students put faith in cheeses
The Examiner, 12 Jul 2012
Cressy District High School students have made cheese under a Dairy Australia initiative...

OUT-OF-AREA (OUT-OF-ZONE) ENROLMENTS
Enrolment policy anti-parent choice
Michael Ferguson website, 11 Jul 2012
The government's proposed out-of-area enrolment policy aims at eliminating parents' right to school choice, Opposition education spokesman Michael Ferguson says...

OUT-OF-AREA (OUT-OF-ZONE) ENROLMENTS, SCHOOL CLOSURES
School catchment zones up for debate
Tas Govt media release, 11 Jul 2012
Involvement of parents and the community in debate over school catchment areas is being encouraged by the Minister for Education and Skills, Nick McKim, as it appears existing policy could adversely affect the viability of some schools...

EDUCATION SYSTEM PERFORMANCE
Performance targets lowered
The Examiner, 11 Jul 2012
Opposition education spokesman Michael Ferguson says that many student performance targets are being lowered to make the state government look good...

SCHOOL CHAPLAINS
Change the term "chaplain"?
The Examiner, 11 Jul 2012
A Northern school chaplain suggests that some parents may feel more comfortable if school chaplains were given another name to describe their role...

FINANCIAL LITERACY
Tax and super site for students launched
Aust Govt media release, 10 Jul 2012
A special educational website developed by the Australian Taxation Office, Tax, Super + You, aims to give high school students an understanding of taxation and superannuation...
- Tax, Super + You

AUSTRALIAN CURRICULUM
Arts subjects compulsory to year 10
The Age, 10 Jul 2012
All schools will have to offer dance, drama, media arts, music and visual arts to year 10 under the draft Arts curriculum announced by ACARA yesterday....
- Federal Minister for School Education's media release, 9 Jul 2012

AUSTRALIAN CURRICULUM
History curriculum criticised
SMH, 10 Jul 2012
The Victorian government is concerned that under the national curriculum Australian History is not to be taught as a separate subject in years 11 and 12....

SCHOOL CHAPLAINS
National science teaching award a shock
The Advocate, 10 Jul 2012
Table Cape Primary School teacher Michael Van Der Ploeg said winning BHP Billiton's national science teaching award came as a shock...

AUSTRALIAN CURRICULUM
Science curriculum criticised
ABC (The World Toda), 10 Jul 2012
Science professors have criticised the way the draft science curriculum for years 11 and 12 portrays the fundamental understandings of science...

TASMANIAN TEACHERS
Table Cape's Science Teacher of the Year
Tas Govt media release, 10 Jul 2012
The contribution of Table Cape Primary School's Michael Van Der Ploeg who won the 2012 BHP Billiton Science Teacher of the Year Award was praised by the Parliamentary Secretary for Education and Skills, Paul O'Halloran, today...

FOUR-TERM YEAR
AT LAST! Term dates finally finalised
Tas Govt media release, 9 Jul 2012
College staff will commence on 29 January next year, with college students a week later, and there will be a two-week break between Terms 3 and 4, the Minister for Education and Skills, Nick McKim, announced this afternoon...

- The Mercury's report, 10 Jul 2012
- The Examiner's report, 10 Jul 2012

EDUCATION BUDGET
School cash reserves drying up
The Examiner, 8 Jul 2012
The Tasmanian State Schools Parents and Friends Association and the AEU have raised concerns about the practical impact of budget cuts on schools...

FOUR-TERM YEAR
Minister reasserts control over term dates
Tas Govt media release, 7 Jul 2012
The Minister for Education and Skills, Nick McKim, said today that he would be the one to decide term dates for next year, not the AEU using its survey of college teachers...
ABC News report, 8 Jul 2012

TRADE TRAINING CENTRES
Deloraine trade training centre coming
Tas Govt media release, 7 Jul 2012
A trade training centre to be built at Deloraine High will include simulated aged care teaching facilities...

FOUR-TERM YEAR
College teachers to vote on term dates
The Mercury, 7 Jul 2012
Teachers in Tasmania's government colleges will vote on Monday to decide whether to have only a one week break between terms 3 and 4 next year or to keep the two week break but commence term 1 a week earlier (with students commencing the following week)...

COMPUTER MALWARE ALERT
Computer virus ready for Monday
news.com.au, 7 Jul 2012
A computer virus already on many computers is set to take effect from 2pm on Monday when it takes away the internet access of infected computers.
To easily see whether or not the DNSChanger has installed itself on your computer, go to http://dns-ok.gov.au
...
[Warning issued by TasLearn on 21 April.]

FOUR-TERM YEAR
McKim to blame over dates, says Ferguson
Michael Ferguson website, 6 Jul 2012
Opposition education spokesman Michael Ferguson claims the error over college term dates for 2013 is "a Ministerial stuff-up"...

TASMANIAN SCHOOLS
Bridgewater Child and Family Centre opened
Tas Govt media release, 6 Jul 2012

The Child and Family Centre opened at Bridgewater today was one of 12 being established around Tasmania to ensure children do not get left behind but are supported through their education, premier Lara Giddings said...

FOUR-TERM YEAR
College term dates headache: search for solution underway
The Mercury, 6 Jul 2012
Unless an alternative solution is found, the break between terms 3 and 4 would have to be only one week for colleges next year to enable TCE exams to commence in time for students to meet university enrolment deadlines...

SCIENCE TEACHING
Higgs Boson a boon for physics teachers
ABC's The World Today, 5 Jul 2012
Physics teachers are trying to work out how they will explain the Higgs Boson breakthrough to students and spark interest in physics...

TASMANIA'S PRINCIPALS
Tasmania losing its principals
The Examiner, 5 Jul 2012
One third of Tasmania's schools could have a new principal by the end of this year...

TASMANIAN SCHOOLS
Marist musical opens
The Advocate, 5 Jul 2012
Burnie's Marist Regional College's Great Australian Rock Musical opened last night...

STUDENT SUPPORT
Wynyard High's secret men's business
Tas Govt media release, 5 Jul 2012
A group of Wynyad High School's boys took part in a "Male Matters" program with adult male role models today, addressing resilience and other issues...

RETENTION
Retention predictors changed
SMH, 5 Jul 2012
The main predictors of students failing to complete an education to year 12 are no longer parents' occupation and education but factors such as having been suspended or having repeated a grade, low aspirations, poor school experiences, smoking and alcohol consumption, and risky behaviour, an NCVER report shows...

EXTENDING HIGH SCHOOLS TO YEAR 12
Retention drop justifies 10 to 12 extension, says Ferguson
Michael Ferguson website, 4 Jul 2012
The decrease in student retention identified in the Tasmanian government's report on education performance serves to reinforce the need to extend the end of high school from year 10 to year 12, Opposition education spokesman Michael Ferguson says...

TASMANIAN PRINCIPALS
24 principals sought
ABC News, 4 Jul 2012
The state government is advertising 24 permanent principal positions, ranging in salary from $89,000 to $127,000...

EDUCATION IN TASMANIA
Steady improvement
Tas Govt media release, 3 Jul 2012
The government education system in Tasmania is showing a steady improvement according to Tasmania's Education Performance Report 2011 which was released today by education minister Nick McKim...
- Tasmania's Education Performance Report 2011 (DoE web page)
- ABC News report, 4 Jul 2012
- The Mercury's report, 4 Jul 2012
- The Examiner's report, 3 Jul 2012

TEACHER TRAINING
Aboriginal teacher scholarships launched
Tas Govt media release, 3 Jul 2012
Three teacher scholarships, named after Tasmania's first aboriginal teacher Lucy Beeton, were launched today by the premier, Lara Giddings...

GONSKI EDUCATION FUNDING
Gonski campaign underway in Tasmania
The Mercury, 3 Jul 2012
Implementation of the Gonski report on education funding for schools would make Glenorchy Primary $500,000 better off, principal Wendy Burrows says...
- AEU media release, 2 Jul 2012

STUDENT HEALTH
Whooping cough cases jump this year
The Advocate, 3 Jul 2012
School-aged children are the most affected among 558 cases of whooping cough so far this year - a big jump compared with 308 for the whole of last year...

LITERACY
Students write book in 12 hours
The Examiner, 3 Jul 2012
Two teams of Launceston Church Grammar grade 3 to 6 students took part in the national Write a Book in a Day competition yesterday...

SCHOOL ZONE ROAD SAFETY
Parents take on school road safety issue
The Mercury, 2 Jul 2012
A group of Tasmanian parents has commenced a checklist-based road safety campaign on Facebook to make the streets safer around schools for students...
- Walk Safely Hobart (Facebook page)

STUDENT HEALTH
Mental health support insufficient
The Mercury, 2 Jul 2012
Support for Tasmanian children and adolescents with mental health problems is well below the required level, Opposition health spokesman Jeremy Rockliff says...

STUDENT HEALTH
Children's health worse
The Mercury, 1 Jul 2012
The health of 12 to 18-year-olds in Tasmania is declining due to obesity, mental illness and drug and alcohol abuse, and even primary school children are developing eating disorders and depression...

COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY
Educational value of iPads in the spotlight
SMH, 1 Jul 2012
The educational benefits of iPads, guidelines for teaching with them and a lack of apps promoting higher order learning are among the issues facing schools and parents when considering the purchase of tablets for students...