News for Tasmanian Teachers

Archive for August 2019

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TASMANIAN SCHOOLS

Kindergarten on way for Moonah
Tas Govt media release, 31 Aug 2019
A tender for a new kindergarten at Moonah Primary School will be advertised tomorrow...

NAPLAN

Latest NAPLAN results
ACARA website, 28 Aug 2019 [pdf]
Trends shown by preliminary NAPLAN results released today are mixed, though student writing results have improved and Tasmanian Year 3 results are now close to the national average...
NAPLAN 2019 summary data
Keep NAPLAN results away from student job applications, The Conversation (opinion), 29 Aug 2019
Worrying downward trend for Year 9 in writing, The Conversation (opinion), 30 Aug 2019

TASMANIAN SCHOOLS

Bowen Rd, Dover kindie upgrades
ABC News, 27 Aug 2019
Bowen Road Primary School is to receive a kindergarten upgrade costing $1.4 million.
A tender for an upgrade to Dover District High School's kindergarten will be released this week...

TEACHING PROFESSION

$180,000 pa for master teachers

The Conversation (opinion by Peter Goss and Julie Sonnemann), 26 Aug 2019
High-achieving university entrants should be encouraged to become teachers by offering to pay master teachers up to $180,000 per year, a Grattan Institute report suggests...

SCHOOL ATTENDANCE

Encouraging attendance
ABC News, 23 Aug 2019
The Jordan River Learning Federation Senior School has an attendance rate of only 65 per cent but the school is undertaking programs to help counter disadvantage and boost attendance and the students appreciate the help they receive from their teachers...

AUSTRALIAN CURRICULUM

Encouraging good arguments
The Conversation (opinion by Luke Zaphir), 23 Aug 2019

Children should be taught the principles of making a good argument, a researcher argues...

FEDERAL POLITICS

Tim Fischer dies
ABC News, 22 Aug 2019
Former deputy prime minister and Nationals leader Tim Fischer has died from leukaemia at the age of 73...

TASMANIAN POLITICS

Bacon retires
ABC News, 21 Aug 2019
State Opposition Treasury spokesperson Scott Bacon is understood to be about to announce his retirement from parliament, which will possibly allow Madeleine Ogilvie or Tim Cox to be elected on recount...

TASMANIAN GOVERNMENT ADMINISTRATION

Musical chairs for Secretaries
Tas Govt media release, 21 Aug 2019
The current three Secretaries for Justice, Health and Communities Tasmania will swap jobs, premier Will Hodgman has announced...

SEXUAL ABUSE

Pell loses appeal
ABC News, 21 Aug 2019
Cardinal George Pell has lost his appeal against child sexual abuse offences, by a majority of two to one in the Victorian Court of Appeal this morning...

WEATHER ALERT
Warning of strong winds
BoM website, 20 Aug 2019
Winds gusting to in excess of 100km/h are expected today (Tuesday), especially around midday, except for an area from Burnie-Devonport through to St Helens-Swansea...
BoM warnings
Power outages
Road closures (Police)
SES

SCHOOL INTAKE ZONES

School intake zones feedback continues
Tas Govt media release, 19 Aug 2019

A second round of consultation over school intake areas has commenced.
The feedback period ends on Friday, 27 Sep 2019...
School intake maps information (DoE)
School intake maps (DoE)

LITERATURE

Rhyme and reason to remember poems
The Conversation (opinion by Veronica Alfano), 19 Aug 2019

There are many benefits to be gained by students if teachers counter the steady decline in the practice of memorising poetry, a researcher strongly muses...

TASMANIAN SCHOOLS

More kindie tenders
Tas Govt media release, 17 Aug 2019
Tenders have been advertised for upgrades to kindergarten facilities at Bowen Road and Glenorchy primary schools...

SCHOOL UNIFORM POLICY

Should school uniform be compulsory?
The Conversation (opinion), 16 Aug 2019
In this collection of academic opinions the majority of five experts argue against school uniform being compulsory. But scroll right down for the link to the Comments section where the parents and teachers appear to be much more in favour of compulsion, on practical grounds...

AUSTRALIAN CURRICULUM

Is teaching philosophy to children rational?
The Conversation (opinion by Ben Kilby), 15 Aug 2019
The P4C (Philosophy for Children) movement argues that many elements of philosophy such as ethics and the use of analogies tie in nicely with the requirements of the Australian Curriculum ...

EDUCATION FUNDING

To those who have will be given more
ABC News, 13 Aug 2019

Education funding in Australia is strongly skewed in favour of schools with students from the wealthiest families, research by the ABC shows.
"Australia's four richest schools spent more on new facilities and renovations than the poorest 1,800 schools combined."...

FURTHER EDUCATION

TAFE beats uni for lower-ATAR men
The Conversation (opinion by Andrew Norton), 12 Aug 2019
Males, but not females, with a lower ATAR can use VET courses to obtain a job faster and secure a higher income than if they complete a university degree, a Grattan Institute study shows... 

TASMANIAN SCHOOLS

Brighton High site uncertainty continues
TasLabor media release, 9 Aug 2019
The government needs to say whether the planned expenditure of $30 million for the future Brighton High School includes the cost of land acquisition, Opposition education spokesperson Josh Willie says... 
Minister reiterates that the JRLF school farm site is not an option, Jeremy Rockliff, Minister for Education and Training, 9 Aug 2019

STUDENT SUPPORT

Kid carers
The Conversation (opinion by Myra Hamilton and Gerry Redmond), 9 Aug 2019
The 9 per cent of Australian children aged 8-14 years who have caring responsibilities for a family member with a disability or health issue are more likely to leave the school system earlier than their peers, a survey shows... 

SCIENCE

Science Week launches tomorrow
Tas Govt media release, 9 Aug 2019
The Festival of Bright Ideas begins tomorrow as part of National Science Week which runs from Sat 10 to Sun 18 August 2019, science and technology minister Michael Ferguson says...
National Science Week website and program details

INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS

Teachers accept wage offer
AEU (Tas) website, 7 Aug 2019
Teachers have returned an 84 per cent vote in favour of accepting the government's short-term pay offer, AEU Tasmanian Branch President Helen Richardson says...
Teachers accept pay offer, The Examiner, 8 Aug 2019

HEALTH

Fifth case of meningococcal disease
ABC News, 7 Aug 2019
A 20-year-old man has been admitted to hospital in Burnie with the B strain of meningococcal disease, the fifth case of the disease in Tasmania this year.

STUDENT COMPETITIONS

What Matters? winners named
Tas Govt media release, 2 Aug 2019
Education minister Jeremy Rockliff has announced the winners and runners-up in the government's What Matters? competition in which students wrote about issues that most affected them.
The honoured students are from the following schools:
East Launceston Primary
Hellyer College
Kingston High
New Town Primary
Reece High
Swansea Primary
Taroona High
Waimea Heights Primary
...

HEALTH AND WELLBEING

Wellbeing survey launched

Tas Govt media release, 2 Aug 2019
The annual Child and Student Wellbeing Survey has been launched by education minister Jeremy Rockliff...
2018-2011 Child and Student Wellbeing Strategy [pdf]