Monday 4th May 2015 Bailey Brooks and Tilly Warby have been going to school together, 900 kilometres apart, since pre-school. From 8am until 2pm the six-year-olds chat, make sock puppets and do yoga together, along with 13 other students in their class – spread as far as the tropics of the Tiwi Islands to the terracotta desert of Corella Creek. The whole learning experience … Read More
BYOD – A new world of opportunity
Tuesday 3rd March 2015 Schools that have a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy are encouraging independent learning and asking teachers to innovate in a fashion that would’ve been unimaginable to most just a few years ago. For teachers, the opportunities and challenges are extensive. They need to be supported by the school leadership, technically and professionally, as they explore … Read More
Helensburgh PS – Kinder Blog
Monday 16th February 2015 Parents and the school community can stay up to date with the happenings in the Kinder classroom at Helensburgh PS, thanks to their class blog! Dan the Flying Man paid them a visit last week! Check out other class activities at the KC Blog >>>
Budget shortfall looming for NSW Public Schools
Friday 12th September 2014 The NSW public school system is facing a $7 billion shortfall and declining standards unless the government doubles its spending over the next two decades to meet the state’s growing population, a leaked report reveals. The report from the Department of Education warns that without a new approach to funding and planning schools, the government will … Read More
3/4C with Miss Bell
Thursday 28th August 2014 3/4C at Caves Beach PS are now online. Click on the What we are learning menu to explore their activities in Literacy, Maths, Creative Arts and Science. Drop by and say ‘Hi’ with a comment on 3/4c’s blog >>>
National Science Week
Thursday 21st August 2014 Has your school been involved in 2014 Australian National Science Week activities? Shows, talks, festivals and more! There are still plenty of local and online activities in which you can participate with your class this week. (Just a pity that it clashes with Book Week!) Learn more at the National Science Week website >>>
NAPLAN test too confusing for students
Monday 18th August 2014 The NAPLAN writing test was so hard this year that students’ marks have slipped across the country and in NSW there has been a “substantial increase” in the number of students who will receive zero because the question was too confusing. The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA), which runs NAPLAN, is investigating problems with … Read More
What is meta data?
Thursday 7th August 2014 With all the discussion today about Government plans to legislate for ISPs to store your online ‘meta data’ for two years, should you be worried? What is metadata? Should you be concerned that it’s going to be retained for law-enforcement purposes if legislation is passed in Parliament? Is it true it can be accessed now without a warrant? … Read More
Schoolyard bullies – result of aggressive parenting and teaching
Thursday 7th August 2014 Aggressive parenting and teaching is turning children into schoolyard bullies, a parenting researcher will warn a national bullying conference today. “Bullies learn to be bullies from the role models of their parents, from inconsistent boundaries and from not enough love.” Read the full story in the SMH >>>
School Jargon Busters
Do parents at your school find themselves wondering why their children talk about playing under the school COLA? Are they baffled at parent-teacher discussions about KLAs? They are not alone! Schools sometimes have their own language, so this site has busted this list of common acronyms, abbreviations and terms to make the world inside the school gates seem a little more familiar. Check out … Read More
Reclaiming our lives from Social Media
“While my early adventures on social sites were exciting and novel, increasingly, my time spent on these services is starting to feel like a lot of wasted time. Like a virus slowly invading its victim, social media has methodically started to consume every hour of my day. Morning coffees, lunchtime breaks, time before bed, was once cordoned off for books, or … Read More
Back to school BYOT buying guide
Wednesday 4th June 2014 This brief guide, published by the consumer advice group Choice, provides an insight into the dilemma facing parents in choosing the most suitable device for BYOT schools. (And the dilemma facing schools in communicating those requirements to parents!) Read the Choice guide >>>
Inspired peddling
Thursday 29th May 2014 Would you like to encourage a cycling activity with your students? Maybe you have some experienced students that need something a bit more exciting to ponder? Then check this out…(The risk assessment forms might be a challenge though!)
Apple recycling program for schools
Thursday 22nd May 2014 Register your school now for free electronics recycling from Apple. Register by 15th June 2014 and an Apple recycling partner will pick up your unwanted Mac computers, PCs, and qualifying peripherals from any manufacturer by 31st July – for free. Download the flyer >>>
North Baddesley Infants School (UK)
Friday 9th May 2014 Discover what is happening at North Baddesley Infants School in Hampshire in the UK. This engaging site provides the school community with a clear insight into various aspects of school life. Great example of a school web site. Visit North Baddesley Infants School >>>
NAPLAN online – is everybody ready?
Tuesday 29th April 2014 The Australian Government is planning to conduct NAPLAN online from 2016. While the Government is to be commended on the move to take advantage of the efficiencies and the opportunities opened by going digital and online, will all parties critical to the success of conducting NAPLAN online be ready for a 2016 test? Will all Australia’s … Read More
US bans junk food in school canteens
Monday 28th April 2014 The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced a ban on junk food in schools in an effort to cut the level of obesity in young people. The ban will begin on July 1 and will be nationwide. According to the proposed ban, schools across the country will only be allowed to sell healthy foods such as fruit, … Read More
Web Security in doubt
So, you thought that entering your username and password in a form on a website with an https address, and a little padlock in the status bar, was a secure process? Think again! “the little lock icon (HTTPS) we all trusted to keep our passwords, personal emails, and credit cards safe, was actually making all that private information accessible to … Read More
BYOD at Banksmeadow PS
Teachers Eric and Ben discuss the process of introducing a BYOD program at Banksmeadow Public School in Sydney….
My School should be scrapped, says Piccoli
NSW Education Minister Adrian Piccoli wants the controversial My School website scrapped, arguing it is a waste of money that could be better spent on improving teacher quality. Mr Piccoli said the publishing of NAPLAN results on My School was directly responsible for putting students under unnecessary and inappropriate stress. Mr Piccoli said it was the publication of the results, … Read More