Not new teachers – new Educators

Darren McGregor Principal of Marist College Bendigo describes how new teaching staff learn to 'Speak Marist'

For the first two days of the recent school holidays I hosted 20 very special visitors to Marist College Bendigo. These 20 people had recently been appointed as Educators at Marist from the beginning of 2018. Our applications closed at the beginning of Term 3 and the next eight weeks were spent finalising these successful applicants from well over 100 applications.

Our time line has been similar for the last three years as we continue to cater for the large growth of enrolments in this new learning community. Why advertise early? A key reason is to maximise the time available to prepare these Educators for their entry into Marist. You see, they need to learn to speak Marist. Read More

Parents worry about too much screen time... and not enough outdoor play: Gallup Survey

Just one in five Australian parents (23%) strongly agree it’s good for children to have to figure out how to entertain themselves from time to time… without the aid of an electronic device or a structured extracurricular activity. That’s the takeaway finding from research by Gallup and toymaker Melissa & Doug.

Susan Pascoe to oversee Certification Advisory Board

Susan Pascoe AM has been appointed as independent Chair of the Australian Principal Certification Advisory Board, which is managed by Principals Australia Institute (PAI).

As Chair, she will work closely with Australian Principal Certification Advisory Board, which will also include current school leaders and individuals with regulatory experience outside education, to implement and oversee Australian Principal Certification to ensure it has the integrity to lift the quality of educational leadership in Australia.
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Nominations for Teacher Fellowship Awards close on 12 October

Time is running out to nominate outstanding teachers in the 2018 Commonwealth Bank Teaching Awards with entries closing on 12 October. Now in its second year, the Awards will offer twelve Fellowships worth $45,000 for teachers and school leaders who are inspiring and transforming the lives of Australian students. Read More

Western Sydney Coding Club launched

The Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences (MAAS) has launched its 2018 Schools Program, aimed at inspiring a life-long engagement for learners in the STEAM subject areas. Supported by the NSW Government, Crown Foundation and the Packer Foundation, schools in Western Sydney will also have the opportunity to access free professional development and coding resources for their classrooms through the newly established Western Sydney Coding Club. Read More

ACARA presses on with NAPLAN Online preparations

Over the past five weeks, schools across Australia have been taking part in school readiness testing to assess their ICT capacity (including bandwidth, wireless connectivity and devices) for NAPLAN Online and to become familiar with administration and logistics for the assessment.

In NSW alone, 2500 schools participated in the readiness tests. Results from a survey of those taking part Read More

Mission 360 Virtual reality launched by Catholic Mission

Walking in the shoes of the other has long been a quintessential part of Catholic Mission’s formation experience, but now it is set to take on a new meaning. Mission in 360 utilises virtual reality technology with footage shot in communities around the world. Simone Medri, Catholic Mission’s Digital and Online Manager, has been responsible for the implementation.

2015 National Report on schooling in Australia released

The National Report on Schooling in Australia 2015 is the annual report on Australia’s school education sector. It has been produced by ACARA on behalf of the Education Council.The report highlights progress in 2015 towards the Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians agreed by Australian education ministers in 2008. Read More