News for Tasmanian Teachers

Archive for March 2013

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GONSKI REFORMS
Gonski time running out
The Mercury, 31 Mar 2013
Tasmanian students will suffer further unless action is taken soon to secure the Gonski reforms, independent federal MP Andrew Wilkie says...

BUS DISPUTE
No Metro buses at all on Wednesday
Metro statement, 28 Mar 2013
Metro have cancelled ALL of their bus services for Wednesday next week, over-riding the initial announcement of peak-hour disruptions only ...
ABC News, 28 Mar 2013
The Mercury, 29 Mar 2013
The Examiner, 29 Mar 2013

ASIAN CENTURY
Tasmania has a place in the Asian Century
Tas Govt media release, 27 Mar 2013
Education Minister Nick McKim says education plays a key role in the Tasmania's Place in the Asian Century White Paper released today by the Premier, Lara Giddings...
Premier's statement on Asian Century White Paper, Tas Govt media release, 27 Mar 2013
Tasmania's Asian Century White Paper website

BUS DISPUTE
Bus stoppages to resume on first day after Easter break
The Mercury, 25 Mar 2013
School bus services will be disrupted when Metro bus drivers resume stop-work meetings straight after Easter.
See details in the green Metro bus dispute box at the right...
Peak-hour chaos, The Examiner, 25 Mar 2013

NOBEL LAUREATES IN SCHOOLS
Nobel winner Schmidt at Hobart College
Tas Govt media release, 25 Mar 2013
Science Nobel laureate Brian Schmidt spoke to Hobart College students today...

PM announces new Ministerial team
(ABC News, 25 Mar 2013)
Prime Minister's media release, 25 Mar 2013

STUDENT SAFETY
Bullied girl's father considers legal action
The Mercury, 23 Mar 2013
The father of a 13-year-old student who was repeatedly bullied says the bullies should have been expelled and he is considering legal action against the Education Department...

VOCATIONAL EDUCATION
TasTAFE establishment proceeds
Tas Govt media release, 22 Mar 2013
TasTAFE establishment legislation has passed the House of Assembly and a new logo has been developed. The Drysdale sub-brand will be retained...

The pace of decline in Tasmania's year 10-12 retention rate is accelerating, and it is inexcusable that Tasmania is falling behind the other states, Opposition education spokesperson Michael Ferguson says...

NATIONAL POLITICS
Julia Gillard still PM after spill
Julia Gillard was declared Labor leader, and Wayne Swan deputy leader, when there were no opposing candidates following a motion for a leadership spill today.
See
ABC News, 21 Mar 2013

STUDENT HEALTH
Data on health of Tassie's kids released
Tas Govt media release, 19 Mar 2013
The health and wellbeing of Tasmania's children and young people are improving, data contained in the Kids Come First Update shows...
Kids Come First website (DHHS)

AUSTRALIAN HISTORY
Simpson Prize winners announced
Aust Govt media release, 18 Mar 2013
This year's Simpson History Prize winners will travel to Gallipoli...

TASMANIAN MUSEUMS
Photos may now be taken inside TMAG
TMAG website, 15 Mar 2013
Congratulations to the management of the refurbished Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery for a policy change allowing people to take photographs inside the museum.
Photos may now be taken "for personal use" (but with no flash, and not if otherwise indicated).
Student visits will now be more enriching as students will be able to take photos they can later incorporate into their schoolwork...

BULLYING
No Bullying stand taken
Tas Govt media release, 15 Mar 2013
Ogilvie High School students and the Minister for Education and Skills, Nick McKim, urged support for the National Day of Action Against Bullying and Violence today...

BULLYING
Safe Schools winners announced
Aust Govt media release, 15 Mar 2013
Winners of the Safe Schools are Smart Schools national anti-bullying campaign include Tasmania's Youngtown Primary School and St Brendan-Shaw College...
Winners list, DEEWR
Safe Schools Hub website
ABC News, 15 Mar 2013

CHILD AND FAMILY CENTRES
Yet another CFC opened
Tas Govt media release, 15 Mar 2013
Ptjunarra, the eleventh of Tasmania's highly effective Child and Family Centres, was opened in the Derwent Valley today...

GOVERNMENT EDUCATION SYSTEM
Public Education Alliance call
The Mercury, 15 Mar 2013
The vision of Tasmania's Public Education Alliance calls for a number of improvements in public education, including reduced class sizes and implementation of the Gonski recommendations...

TASMANIAN MUSEUMS
TMAG reopens tomorrow
Tas Govt media release, 14 Mar 2013
The rejuvenated Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery reopens tomorrow, Friday 15 March...

MYSCHOOL
MySchool data updated
SMH, 14 Mar 2013
The MySchool website has been updated to include financial data and 2012 literacy and numeracy data...
MySchool website
MySchool lifting results, Aust Govt media release, 13 Mar 2013

NAPLAN
Simple NAPLAN solution
SMH, 14 Mar 2013
One primary school found a simple solution to improving its numeracy results: separating the boys from the girls...

ABORIGINAL HERITAGE
Aboriginal-landscape naming links planned for Tas
Tas Govt media release, 13 Mar 2013
Dual-naming of landscape-related places in Tasmania to reflect Aboriginal heritage has been announced by the state government...
The Examiner, 13 Mar 2013
The Mercury, 14 Mar 2014

PAPER VS SCREEN
Paper text remembered better
ScienceNordic.com, 13 Mar 2013
Text that is printed on paper is remembered better than the same text read from a computer screen, an experiment suggests...

METRO BUS DISPUTE
Bus strikes on again
Metro website, 12 Mar 2013 4.00pm
Metro bus stoppages will resume on Friday this week, 15 March.
See box at right on this page

SPONSORSHIP
Sex shop sponsorship raises questions
The Examiner, 12 Mar 2013
A government school in southern Tasmania has received sponsorship support from a sex shop...
ABC News, 12 Mar 2013

TEACHER TRAINING
Prospective teachers to be assessed
ABC News, 11 Mar 2013
The teaching passion, emotional intelligence, literacy skills and numeracy skills of prospective teachers will have to be assessed under new federal government guidelines about to be phased in...
Higher standards for teacher training, Peter Garrett and Chris Bowen, federal ministers, 11 Mar 2013

STUDENT ENROLMENTS
OECD Kinder stats kinder for state govt
Tas Govt media release, 10 Mar 2013
In 2011 and 2012 almost 100 per cent of eligible 4-5-year-old Tasmanian children were enrolled in kindergarten, positively reflecting the state government's early childhood policies such as Launch into Learning...
Kinder surprise, The Mercury, 11 Mar 2013
Editorial, The Mercury, 12 Mar 2013
Record numbers in pre-school, Peter Garrett, Aust Govt media release, 13 Mar 2013

THE INTERNET AGE
Google's impact on teaching
SMH, 10 Mar 2013
With today's children already having ready access to the world's information through electronic devices, teachers need to focus more on skills such as flexibility of thinking and creativity than on the teaching of information, children's author John Marsden says...

TEACHER SUPERANNUATION
Fear over super scheme
TASS website, 8 Mar 2013
Many teachers regard the retirement security provided by the government-backed RBF defined benefits superannuation scheme as a kind of compensation for the salaries of the teaching profession being relatively low.
So they are bound to be alarmed by the changes to the scheme being explored by a Legislative Councillor ...
Questions on Notice from Hon Greg Hall, Legislative Councillor for Western Tiers
Tasmanian Association of State Superannuants website

TAFE
TasTAFE on track
Tas Govt media release, 8 Mar 2013
The establishment on 1 July of TasTAFE as the merged Tasmanian Polytechnic and Tasmanian Skills Institute is on track...

LITERACY
Reading Challenge on again
Tas Govt media release, 7 Mar 2013
The Premier's Reading Challenge for 2013 will run from 11 June until 19 August, schools being required to register by 22 March.
Premier's Reading Challenge website

METRO BUS DISPUTE
BUS STRIKE CALLED OFF
ABC News, 7 Mar 2013 2.00pm
The bus strike planned for tomorrow (Friday, 7 March) has been called off.

AWARDS FOR SCHOOLS
NAB awards applications open
Schools First website, 7 Mar 2013
Schools can now apply for the NAB Schools First Awards, ranging from Student Awards of $5,000 to Impact Awards of $30,000...

METRO BUS DISPUTE
Bus dispute continues
ABC News, 6 Mar 2013
Metro bus stoppages planned for Thursday and Friday this week will go ahead but the Saturday stoppage for only Burnie has been cancelled.
The Mercury, 6 Mar 2013
The Examiner, 6 Mar 2013

EXTENDING HIGH SCHOOLS TO YEAR 12
Completion rate of 13pc too low for Year 12
Michael Ferguson website, 5 Mar 2013
The Liberals' policy of extending high school to year 12 is needed to overcome the very low remote schools year 12 completion rate of only 13 per cent for male students, Opposition education spokesperson Michael Ferguson says

PONTVILLE DETENTION CENTRE
Detainee education frustration
The Mercury, 5 Mar 2013
Education minister Nick McKim is seeking to have school-age asylum seekers at Pontville educated in Tasmanian schools but he says the federal government is not providing him with information about them.
Minister reiterates willingness to educate detainees, Tas Govt media release, 5 Mar 2013
ABC News, 5 Mar 2013
Age breakdown has been provided, The Examiner, 5 Mar 2013

METRO BUS DISPUTE
Tuesday Metro bus stoppages CALLED OFF
Metro website, 4 Mar 2013
Metro bus service disruptions will not now take place on Tuesday, due to industrial action having been cancelled.
Metro strike averted, The Mercury, 4 Mar 2013
Strike called off, ABC News, 4 Mar 2013

METRO BUS DISPUTE
Three bus strikes next week
ABC News, 1 Mar 2013
Metro bus drivers are warning of strikes on three days next week.
The union is quoted as saying the strikes are on "Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday" but an earlier ABC report and the Mercury's 2 March report say "Tuesday, Thursday and Friday".
...
Driving hard bargain, The Mercury, 2 Mar 2013
Dispute set to escalate, The Examiner, 2 Mar 2013

TASMANIAN SCHOOLS
PM sees Dunalley miracle
The Mercury, 1 Mar 2013
The Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, visited the temporary Dunalley Primary School today, calling the rebuilt school a "miracle"...

METRO BUS DISPUTE
Chaos fizzer
ABC Radio, 9am 1 Mar 2013
Predicted traffic congestion failed to occur this morning, some people reporting the best driving conditions all week.