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Hosting HSC Exam Centres and Voting Centres for the Referendum (Ref: 238/23)
NESA has advised of the arrangements for schools hosting HSC exam centres and voting centres for the Voice Referendum on Saturday, 14 October.
NESA’s key messages to schools and exam staff are that:
- schools and school sectors remain responsible for exam venues;
- NESA’s usual and strict protocols remain in place for the secure collection and storage of exam materials on Friday, 13 October;
- Presiding Officers will be briefed and prepared to follow usual procedures; and
- School staff should follow their school and sector advice when liaising with the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) to prepare voting venues and return them to normal for exams on Monday, 16 October.
For further information, schools can contact NESA at [email protected].
Creating a Sense of Belonging: Strategies for School Success Webinar (Ref: 243/23)
Register now for an exciting webinar unpacking AERO’s Belonging and Connectedness in Schools resources. This webinar will run for one hour on 18 October at 3:45 pm.
Join educators and learn how to implement effective strategies for improving peer connections, engagement with learning and an overall sense of Belonging. Leaders, teachers, and other professionals working with children in schools are encouraged to attend and take advantage of this deep dive into the latest evidence on improving children’s sense of Belonging.
For more details, and to register, please visit this website.
Building Leadership in Aboriginal Education across Catholic Schools in NSW/ACT (Ref: 242/23)
Senior system and school leaders are encouraged to register for a symposium designed to support educators in leading initiatives to deepen an understanding of and respect for the histories, cultures and languages of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Participants can expect to learn ways in which they can facilitate greater learning outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, and can expect to leave with an increased awareness of ways in which they can create culturally safe learning environments for their students.
The symposium will be held from 8:30 am – 3:30 pm on 2 November at the Raddison Blu Plaza Hotel Sydney.
Find out more and register here. (You will need to log in to GO1 to access).
The Principals’ Centre in Australia – Early Bird Pricing closes 29 September (Ref: 241/23)
The Principal’s Centre in Australia (TPCA) is a collaboration between the Harvard Graduate School of Education and the Harvard Club of Australia and will be held in Sydney from 15 – 19 January 2024.
This is a key professional learning opportunity for school leaders from Australia, New Zealand and Southeast Asia. Principals and educators involved in school leadership positions from schools including Catholic schools are encouraged to attend. Participants will have the chance to learn how to implement best practice and research-based techniques in their own schools.
Participants can expect to:
- gain a deeper understanding of the leadership skills needed to set high expectations for instructional quality,
- learn to cultivate school cultures that prioritise learning for all,
- learn new leadership approaches for creating change and identifying optimal conditions for student learning,
- develop leadership strategies informed by relevant school data,
- learn how to align resources and initiatives around evidence, and
- foster student achievement and better outcomes by increasing engagement among family members, community, stakeholders, and school leaders.
Early bird registration closes 29 September and normal registrations close 17 November. In addition to early bird pricing, there are a range of scholarships available. For more information and to register, please visit The Principals’ Centre in Australia website.
AI in Education Mini Conference (Ref: 237/23)
Western Sydney University’s School of Education invites you to connect with like-minded educators at the upcoming mini conference AI in Education. Participants who attend this conference will have the opportunity to explore the possibilities and challenges AI presents in education, build capacity in using AI technologies for learning and teaching, and hear from experts in the field, including Professor Matt Bower from Macquarie University.
Topics to be explored:
- AI literacy and fluency
- Ethics of AI use in education
- Practical application in classrooms
- Assessment in the post-AI world
- The role of the AI-powered educator
Time: Monday, 13 November 2023, 8:30 am – 3:30 pm
Click here to register.
Disability Standards for Education: New AITSL Resources (Ref: 234/23)
The Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) has developed a range of resources to help teachers and school leaders better understand and meet their obligations under the Disability Standards for Education (DSE). The DSE specify how education is to be made accessible to students with disability and cover a range of issues, including enrolment, participation and curriculum development. Indeed, the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (Teacher Standards) make explicit the teaching practices required to support full participation of students with disability in education.
However, adhering to the DSE, embedding the Teacher Standards and meeting the needs of students with disability can be a complex process. The DSE resources developed by AITSL provide effective strategies ith respect to determining and making reasonable adjustments, differentiation and inclusive teaching practices.
You can find the AITSL resources here.
New Mental Health and Wellbeing Resources from ACARA (Ref: 239/23)
A new online resource for teachers to help students develop their understanding of the factors that influence their mental health and wellbeing and that of others has been developed by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA), working with experts from Beyond Blue and Headspace. The new ‘Curriculum Connection’ resource means teachers will now be better equipped to teach about mental health and wellbeing through the Australian Curriculum learning areas, including Health and Physical Education, Digital Technologies, English, Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS) and the Arts.
The mental health and wellbeing resource has been developed with the aim of equipping young Australians with an understanding of the importance of:
- connectedness and belonging;
- the ability to manage themself and their interactions with others;
- accessing reliable and timely information and services to manage health and safety; and
- engaging in health-enhancing behaviours such as healthy eating, physical activity and sleep.