The Sydney Jewish Museum is holding an Intercultural Day for Year 6 students in November 2024. The free program brings together students from diverse cultures and backgrounds to focus on tolerance, friendship, optimism and intercultural understanding.

Date and time: 26, 27, or 28 November 2024, 9.30 am – 2.00 pm 

Capacity: 80 students per day

Students will learn from Museum experts about how the Museum shares important intercultural and social lessons and spend a day engaging with each other in collaborative object-centred activities.  Students will then work with their new friends from different schools on an exhibition project, bringing objects and stories together to share an important message of their choice. This program allows students to discover the similarities that we all share.

For more information click here.

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The Year 1 Phonics Screening Check (PSC) is an optional online reading assessment available at no cost to Catholic Schools NSW schools with a Year 1 student cohort. The assessment takes 5 – 7 minutes and is carried out by classroom teachers with each student individually. Student responses are auto-mapped to indicators from the National Literacy Learning Progressions.

The Year 1 Phonics Screening Check provides teachers with an overview of a student’s progress in phonics. This information helps teachers make decisions during the teaching and learning cycle. The Check assesses the phonic knowledge and skills a student has learnt, to blend sounds together to read a word. The Student Assessment Analysis provided after the check assists teachers in making decisions that will help inform the next steps to meet a student’s individual learning needs.

Teachers use an online tool to enter student responses. The online tool is available via the Assessing Literacy and Numeracy (ALAN) portal. CSNSW teachers access the ALAN portal using their CSNSW NETiD credentials. The assessment window for 2024 is 12-30 August 2024 (Term 3). The assessment is available to systemic and RI/MPJP schools with a Year 1 cohort.

Systemic schools should check with their Diocese regarding whether the Diocese will register on their behalf as these arrangements vary across the state. RI/MPJP schools and systemic schools not included in whole-of-Diocese opt-in to the 2023 PSC, should register their expression of interest to participate via email to [email protected].

Registrations close on 1 August 2024.

For more information, contact Karen Ferrante: [email protected]

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The NSW Department of Education Validation of Assessment for Learning and Individual Development (VALID) program provides online, end-of-stage assessments for the science key learning area in Years 6, 8 and 10.

These assessments can be used as a diagnostic tool to assist in improving student outcomes in science and as a tool for program evaluation. The tests are aligned to the science syllabuses and assess what students know and can do in science at the end of Stages 3, 4 and 5. It also provides useful information about student attitudes towards science.

The cost is $10 per student, which includes access to all resources and professional learning at no extra cost.

Schools that register for VALID Science and Technology 6 and VALID Science 10 are required to mark their students’ extended responses.

There are two tasks for Year 6 and three tasks for Year 10. All other questions are automatically scored.

Professional learning is provided for teachers to undertake the extended response marking. Completing ‘Differentiating student responses using SOLO for VALID 6, 8’ or 10 will contribute 5 hours of NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) Accredited PD in the priority area of delivery and assessment of NSW Curriculum addressing Standard Descriptor(s) 2.1.2, 5.1.2, 5.4.2 from the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers towards maintaining Proficient Teacher in NSW.

Assessment windows:

• VALID Science and Technology 6 assessment – 2 September to 13 September 2024
• VALID Science 10 assessment – 2 September to 13 September 2024
• In-school marking window Years 6 and 10 – 18 September to 18 October 2024
• VALID Science 8 assessment – 28 October to 8 November 2024

Register here.

Find further information here.

Closing: 5 July 2024

Email: [email protected] 

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The Department of the House of Representatives has launched the 2024 “My First Speech” competition for high school students across Australia. Students in years 10, 11, and 12 must write and record a 90-second speech presenting it as their first speech in the House of Representatives on a topic they are passionate about. A panel of judges, including MPs and the Speaker of the House, Milton Dick MP, will select one winner from each grade level.

The winners will be flown to Canberra with a parent/guardian to deliver their speech at Parliament House.

While in Canberra, they will meet MPs, tour Parliament House, and learn about the democratic process. The competition aims to promote public speaking, critical thinking, and engagement of young Australians in the democratic system.

Entries close on 27 July 2024; click here to enter.

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