News for Tasmanian Teachers

Archive for August 2020

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LITERACY
Phonics check pilot looms
Tas Govt media release, 31 Aug 2020
Thirty-five Tasmanian schools will soon participate in a pilot program for the Year One Phonics test.

CORONAVIRUS
Cases fall below 100 again
ABC News, 31 Aug 2020
The new daily Victorian coronavirus figures released this morning are 73 cases and 41 deaths. However, 33 of the deaths were deaths that had occurred in the past few weeks but which had not been included previously.

WEATHER ALERT
Damaging winds to continue
BoM website, 30 Aug 2020 4.51pm
Winds gusting to around 100 km/h across Tasmania are expected to continue tonight (Sunday).
BoM warnings
Power outages
Road closures (Police)
SES
The Mercury website

CORONAVIRUS
Cases fall below 100
ABC News, 29 Aug 2020
The number of new Victorian coronavirus cases has fallen to 94, below 100 for the first time since 5 July.

UPDATE Sun 30 Aug 2020 (ABC News): Sunday's figures are 114 cases and 11 deaths

CORONAVIRUS
Cases steady
ABC News, 28 Aug 2020
Friday's number of new coronavirus cases in Victoria is 133, the same as for the previous day.

SEXUAL ABUSE
Child sex abuse inquiry launched
ABC News, 27 Aug 2020
An independent inquiry is to be held following revelations that a number of former students in Tasmanian government schools plan to sue the Education Department over how it responded to their complaints of sexual abuse by their teachers.
Inquiry welcomed, Josh Willie, TasLabor education spokesperson, 27 Aug 2020
Greens welcome inquiry, Cassy O'Connor, Greens leader and education spokesperson, 27 Aug 2020

CORONAVIRUS
Deaths treble
ABC News, 26 Aug 2020
Wednesday's new daily coronavirus figures for Victoria are 149 cases and a disappointing 24 deaths, three times the previous day's eight deaths.
UPDATE Thu 27 Aug 2020 (ABC News): Thursday's figures are 113 cases and 23 deaths

EDUCATION ADMINISTRATION
Review paper released
Tas Govt media release, 25 Aug 2020
Consultation has commenced for the state government's Review of Education Regulation, with the release of a discussion paper [pdf].
Review of Education Regulation web page (DoE)

CORONAVIRUS
When singing is banned
The Conversation (opinion by Sandra Garido), 25 Aug 2020

Singing is integral to human culture and some school routines, so what can teachers do when COVID-19 policy bans singing in school as is the case in NSW?

CORONAVIRUS
Cases up but still below 200
ABC News, 25 Aug 2020

Tuesday's daily new coronavirus figures for Victoria show a rise of 148 cases and eight deaths.

MAINLAND ELECTIONS
Gunner gets majority
ABC News, 24 Aug 2020
The Northern Territory election has given leader Michael Gunner a majority Labor government, ABC election analyst Antony Green says.

CORONAVIRUS
Cases well down
ABC News, 24 Aug 2020
The number of new coronavirus cases in Victoria has dropped to 116, from 208 yesterday. The number of deaths is 15.

CORONAVIRUS
Cross-sector COVID committee commences
Tas Govt media release, 23 Aug 2020
A committee has been established to examine the impact of coronavirus on education in Tasmania.

CORONAVIRUS
Second day under 200
ABC News, 22 Aug 2020
The number of new coronavirus cases in Victoria is 182, slightly more than yesterday's 179 but still below 200.

UPDATE Sun 23 Aug 200 - back above 200 (ABC News): The latest daily rise is 208, up by 26. Seventeen more Victorians have died from COVID-19.

FINANCIAL SUPPORT
STAS extended to half the students
Tas Govt media release, 21 Aug 2020
More than 9,000 additional Tasmanian students will be eligible for STAS (the Student Assistance Scheme) next year when qualification will be based on eligibility for the Health Care Card.

CORONAVIRUS
Fall trend continues
ABC News, 21 Aug 2020
Victorian daily new coronavirus cases have dropped to 179, falling below 200 for the first time in the last five weeks. The number of new deaths has fallen to nine.

CORONAVIRUS
Vic cases continue to fall
ABC News, 19 Aug 2020
The latest daily number of Victorians identified with COVID-19 has fallen from 222 to 216. The number of deaths has fallen from 17 to 12.
UPDATE Thu 20 Aug 200 - slight rise (ABC News): The latest daily rise is 240. Thirteen more Victorians have died from COVID-19.

CORONAVIRUS
Border closure extended
ABC News, 18 Aug 2020
Tasmania's borders are to remain closed until at least Tue 1 December 2020, premier Peter Gutwein has announced.

CORONAVIRUS
Deadliest day
ABC News, 17 Aug 2020
A record 25 Victorians died from COVID-19 in the latest 24-hour period. The number of new cases was 282.
UPDATE Tue 18 Aug 2020 (ABC News): The latest daily rise is 222, the lowest in more than a month. Seventeen more Victorians have died from COVID-19.

CORONAVIRUS
Cases down, deaths well down
ABC News, 15 Aug 2020
The number of new coronavirus cases in Victoria announced today is 303, a fall from yesterday's 372. The number of deaths has fallen to four compared with 14 yesterday.
UPDATE Sun 16 Aug 2020: Cases have fallen further, to 279. However, daily deaths have risen to 16.

CORONAVIRUS
Cases rise
ABC News, 14 Aug 2020
The number of new coronavirus cases in Victoria is 372, a jump from yesterday's 278, significantly down from yesterday's 410.

EDUCATION ADMINISTRATION
TASC, TRB reviews loom
Tas Govt media release, 13 Aug 2020
Education minister Jeremy Rockliff says consultation will commence soon for previously announced reviews of TASC, the Teachers Registration Board and the Office of the Education Registrar.

CORONAVIRUS
Cases fall
ABC News, 13 Aug 2020
The number of new coronavirus cases in Victoria has fallen to 278, significantly down from yesterday's 410. Deaths have also fallen significantly, eight today compared with yesterday's record 21.

CORONAVIRUS
Cases rise
ABC News, 12 Aug 2020
The number of new coronavirus cases in Victoria has risen to 410 from yesterday's 331. Deaths have risen to a record 21.

US ELECTION
Biden decides on running mate
ABC News, 12 Aug 2020

US Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has selected former California attorney-general Senator Kamala Harris as his running mate in the 2020 election.

PEDAGOGY
Where should you teach from?
The Educator, 10 Aug 2020

Research is continuing on how the positioning of a teacher and their proximity to students affect how students learn, but unfortunately the optimum use of classroom space has not yet been identified.

CORONAVIRUS
Corona case in NW Tas
ABC News, 11 Aug 2020
Tasmania's first coronavirus case in 20 days is a man in his 60s who had returned to the north west after receiving medical treatment in Victoria.

TASMANIAN POLITICS
Palmer wins
ABC News, 11 Aug 2020
Former 7 Tasmania newsreader Jo Palmer has narrowly won the Legislative Council seat of Rosevears.

TASMANIAN POLITICS
Seidel wins
The Examiner, 11 Aug 2020
Former AMA president and Huonville GP Dr Bastian Seidel has easily won the Legislative Council seat of Huon.

CORONAVIRUS
Slight rise
ABC News, 11 Aug 2020
Today's number of new coronavirus cases in Victoria is 331, slightly more than yesterday's 322.

LONG-TERM JUSTICE
Teddy Sheean gets his Victoria Cross
ABC News, 10 Aug 2020

Finally, Teddy Sheean is to posthumously be awarded the Victoria Cross that he deserves, the Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, announced today.

UPDATED
CORONAVIRUS
Cases drop but deaths hit record
ABC News, 10 Aug 2020
The number of new coronavirus cases in Victoria has dropped to 322, but deaths have hit an all-time daily high of 19. The daily new case figures for the last six days are:

WEATHER CLOSURES
All schools plan to open tomorrow
DoE website, 5 Aug 2020, 4.00pm

The 12 Tasmanian schools that were closed today are expected to re-open tomorrow (Thursday).
However, the DoE Alerts web page needs to be checked in the morning in case road closures or other consequences of the adverse weather conditions cause any unexpected closures.
DoE alerts

CORONAVIRUS
Vic cases soar again
ABC News, 5 Aug 2020
Today's number of new coronavirus cases in Victoria is record 725.
Fifteen Victorians have died.

WEATHER CLOSURES
Some schools closed
ABC Radio, DoE website, 5 Aug 2020, updated 8.14am

A number of schools are closed today due to snow and wild weather:

NORTHERN REGION
Campbell Town District High
East Tamar Primary
Glen Dhu Primary
Lilydale District High
West Launceston Primary
SOUTHERN REGION
Bothwell District High
Collinsvale Primary
Franklin Primary
Huonville Primary
Huonville High
Molesworth Primary
Oatlands District High

NON-GOVERNMENT

St James (Cygnet)
Sacred Heart (Geeveston)
For the updated list of government school closures, see:

DoE alerts

For more information about school closures, see:
School weather closures (Taslearn)

For other alerts, see:
BoM warnings
Power outages
Road closures (Police)
SES

WEATHER ALERT
Damaging winds on way
BoM website, 4 Aug 2020
A severe weather warning has been issued in which winds gusting to 110 km/h in eastern Tasmania have been predicted.

CORONAVIRUS
Vic cases still high
ABC News, 4 Aug 2020
Today's Victorian coronavirus daily number of new cases is 439, ten cases higher then yesterday's.

WEATHER ALERT
Arctic conditions on way
ABC News, 3 Aug 2020

Icy conditions including snow-covered roads and snow in Hobart's higher suburbs are expected from tonight (Monday).
DoE alerts (any school closures)

CORONAVIRUS
Bubble postponed
ABC News, 3 Aug 2020
The creation of a travel bubble this Friday between Tasmania, SA, WA and the NT has been postponed, premier Peter Gutwein announcing the state would not open its borders to anyone until at least Monday 31 August 2020.

CORONAVIRUS
Vic cases lower but still high
ABC News, 3 Aug 2020
Monday's Victorian coronavirus daily number of new cases is 429.
Businesses forced to close shop

TASMANIAN ELECTIONS
From indie house to party house
ABC News, 2 Aug 2020
The majority of Tasmania's Legislative Council members could change from Independents to political party affiliates if Jo Palmer and Bastian Seidel remain at the head of their respective counts following Saturday's elections.

CORONAVIRUS
Victoria locked down as cases rise again
ABC News, 2 Aug 2020
Much tighter restrictions for Victorians are to be introduced as the latest 24-hour period records 671 new coronavirus cases and the number of mystery cases exceeds 700.
A STATE OF DISASTER is to be declared tonight.
All students in Victoria will return to LEARNING FROM HOME (apart from some exceptions).
CHILDCARE CENTRES will be closed (apart from some exceptions).
Melbourne will be subject to a CURFEW from 8pm to 5am each day.
Melbourne people will be allowed to SHOP AND EXERCISE only within 5km of their home.
RELIGIOUS GATHERINGS will be limited to 5 people.
WEDDINGS will be banned (apart from compassionate exemptions)

CORONAVIRUS
Welcome drop to 397
ABC News, 1 Aug 2020
The number of new coronavirus cases for the lastest 24-hour period in Victoria is 397, a significant fall on the previous day's 627 cases.