The Journal of the Federation of Parents and Citizens Associations of New South Wales
T: 1300 885 982
F: 1800 655 866
E: journal@pandc.org.au W: www.pandc.org.au
Share your story with us
The Parent & Citizen Journal is published once a term and is a great way to showcase what your P&C Association and school community is up to. If your school, students or P&C Association is doing something special this year, share your story and photos with us and fellow school communities.
Article and advertising submission dates
Term 1 2021: 16/11/2020 Term 2 2021: 22/02/2021 Term 3 2021: 17/05/2021 Term 4 2021: 09/08/2021 Term 1 2022: 15/11/2021
and feedback to: E: journal@pandc.org.au
E: journal@pandc.org.au
T: 1300 885 982
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
By Tim Spencer
As we approach the end of what can fairly be called a tumultuous year, I must commend the resilience and adaptability of parents and P&C Associations in the face of uncertainty and rapidly-changing pandemic restrictions.
The COVID-19 crisis impacted virtually all aspects of Australian life in 2020, and P&C Associations were no exception. From the difficulty of holding regular meetings, to the revenue lost from the lack of fundraising, or the restricted functioning of P&C-run canteens, uniform shops or band committees, it has been a challenge for P&C Associations to maintain their normal business operations. Many P&C Associations have nonetheless worked hard to continue to support their school communities to the best of their ability.
Understanding that some P&C Associations may find it challenging to meet their most basic obligations, P&C Federation took the step of offering membership fee relief to those members who are in a dire financial position due to the impact of COVID-19. This will enable P&C Associations with significant hardship to maintain their membership and stay incorporated with public liability insurance. We will continue to monitor the impact of COVID-19 and support our members as best we can under these difficult circumstances.
In spite of the challenges, we have been determined not to allow the COVID-19 crisis to hinder the work we do for our members and for public education. One major ongoing project is a review of the constitutions of our P&C Association members.
Our objective is to make these documents more modern and fit for purpose and allow P&C Associations to operate more effectively. We have asked our members for their views on how the Constitution could be improved, and we have received numerous submissions from members which will help shape the review. Within the coming year we hope to be able to submit recommended changes to the Minister for gazettal.
We are also reviewing the constitution of P&C Federation. The draft changes being proposed provide a significant streamlining of P&C Federation processes, with one major change being the ability for P&C Association members to attend and participate in P&C Federation’s Annual General Meeting. This will give P&C Association members a more active and direct say in P&C Federation’s activities. We will provide periodic updates to all our members on the progress of this change.
We will continue to monitor the impact of COVID-19 and support our members as best we can under these diffi cult circumstances.
On 29 August, P&C Federation held its Annual General Meeting and, in a historic first, it was held virtually. I must thank all our board members and delegates for adapting and responding so readily to the new circumstances created by the COVID-19 crisis.
We were honoured to have as guest speakers the NSW Minister for Education and Early Childhood Learning, The Honourable Sarah Mitchell MLC, and the Executive Director for the Public Education Foundation, David Hetherington, both of whom discussed the challenges of the COVID-19 crisis for public education. P&C Federation’s Annual Report and audited financial reports were tabled at this meeting and are currently available on P&C Federation’s website : https://www.pandc.org.au/pc-federationannual-general-meeting-2/
On 26 February next year, pandemic restrictions allowing, we intend to host the Awards Dinner for NSW P&C Volunteer of the Year 2020. This occasion is a great opportunity to acknowledge the efforts of those parents, care givers and citizens who go above and beyond in volunteering their time totheir school community and its students. If there is a parent or citizen in your P&C Association who you believe deserves this award, be sure to submit your nomination to P&C Federation no later than 30 November 2020. (see p8 for more details).
Nominations will be reviewed by a panel of independent judges, who will draw up a shortlist of finalists from each of P&C Federation’s 16 electorates, before announcing the final winner at the Awards Dinner. Finalists living more than 200km from the conference venue will receive assistance with travel.
In the meantime, I thank the P&C Federation staff who have worked hard throughout the year to help our P&C Association members. I also wish everybody a happy and productive Term 4, and a happy, safe and healthy holiday period with your families.
Tim Spencer P&C Federation President
P&C Federation President, Tim Spencer
THE CORNERSTONE OF OUR COMMUNITIES
By the Honourable Sarah Mitchell, MLC, NSW Minister for Education and Early Childhood Learning
As Minister for Education, 2020 has reiterated to me that schools really are the cornerstone of our communities. The partnership between parents, students and public schools has been absolutely critical as wecontinue to feel the impacts of the ongoing drought, bushfires, floods, and of course the COVID-19 pandemic.
In this time of recovery and response to challenges it has never been more important to acknowledge the great work of our public education community. NSW has the largest education system in Australia, with more than 90,000 teachers and support staff delivering high-quality education to more than 815,000 students across 2216 schools. When we add in parents and carers, this is a community of 1.7 million people.
Education has triumphed amidst challenging circumstances this year, and it is fantastic to see how strong and adaptable our families and schools have been. Teachers and support staff transitioned quickly to online lessons, parents and carers took on the huge responsibility of helping their children with learning from home, and students adjusted to different ways of learning.
With my eldest daughter being in Year 1, my family also had to make some big adjustments to our everyday lives. However, it was humbling to know our local public school was there to support us whenever we needed. Whilst it has no doubt been a challenging time, it has been really exciting to see in practice how well we can all adjust and step up when we need to.
In March 2020, the NSW Government implemented a number of strategies to respond to the rapidly evolving COVID-19 pandemic and meet the needs of students, school staff and parents and carers.
A key focus was how to ensure education continued for public school students right
across NSW, whether they were learning in the classroom orat home. A dedicated taskforce was created at the Department of Education to ensure the continuity of learning and teaching during this period; bringing together the best expertise in curriculum, online learning, web design, IT, business and system support.
The taskforce’s attention focused on adaptive learning technologies and innovations, including online learning platforms, curriculum resources and access to support services.
In addition to providing schools with access to state-of-the-art digital delivery platforms, we also distributed tens of thousands of computers and internet dongles to ensure students, particularly in regional and remote NSW, could learn from home with ease.
We gave staff the opportunity to partake in more than 100 webinars in a 20-day period to develop their technological capabilities during the learning-from-home period. We also offered anytime, on-demand professional learning in curriculum, assessment, wellbeing and use of technology, with more than 38,000 teachers completing a course. A virtual tele-counselling service was also introduced to ensure the continuity of care and wellbeing for staff and students.
The centrepiece of our strategy to quickly transition to remote learning was the Learning From Home Digital Hub, a repository of quality resources and key information to guide and support principals, teachers, parents and carers. There have been more than 3.4 million page views and 845,000 users have downloaded more than 500,000 education resources.
The hub’s innovative 25 virtual, state-wide staffrooms enabled teachers across the state to collaborate and share information and resources. There are currently 31,000 members in the virtual staffrooms and this number is growing daily.
The Learning From Home Digital Hub became a reality within a week and was the central platform of the NSW Government’s response to remote learning. The hub is recognised as world-class, best practice and has been viewed by thousands of educators in countries such as the United States, United Kingdom andIndia. There has beenstrong interest from education providers in other jurisdictions, including New Zealand, and the department shared resources with NSW Catholic and Independent schools.
Based on the success of the innovative Learning From Home Digital Hub, the Higher School Certificate Hub has also been created, providing teachers and students with additional curriculum resources and support. Importantly, this hub enhances equity by enabling teachers and students across NSW – in particular from rural and remote areas – to access subject expertise from other schools.
Innovations introduced as part of the NSW Government’s response to the pandemic, such as anywhere, anytime professional learning, virtual tele-counselling and virtual state-wide staffrooms, will continue into the future.
Parents play such a critical role in education – you are the first teachers and we know from research that children and young people achieve more at school when their families are invested in their education.
I sincerely thank the many thousands of P&C members and volunteers around NSW. Your hard work, tireless enthusiasm and dedication to your school communities is always greatly appreciated.
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemiccontinues to be felt across the community, and there is no arguing it is changing our education system.
We’ve seen a big focus on technology, and in NSW the period of learning from home highlighted disparity among students in their access to technology. In some communities the school was the only place where broadband and wi-fi were reliable. In some families, multiple siblings were sharing one device.
For some school communities the immediate solution was an analogue one. For others, like Warilla North Public School, the solution was to provide digital access by loaning every student a laptop. At Warilla North, their decision has really brought the community together and inspired the students on their learning journey.
Even where digital access has beenachieved, the critical issue remains– how do we best use technology to support learning outcomes? Across our system, schools used these tools to keep students learning and engaged in the learning-from-home period. That period
of necessity really has been the proverbial mother of invention – and now we’re seeing teachers harnessing the positives from that unexpected experiment to improve learning back in the classroom.
Looking forward, the pandemic has also had an effect on our students’ hopes and aspirations for their future. We’ve spoken for a long while about the need for our kids to be equipped for a rapidly-changing world and I think now we can all see that the postschool world of work that our students enter will be one that’s subject to rapid change and evolution. Tosurvive and thrive our students need to have the skills and mindsets to adapt to change, complexity and dynamism.
That’s part of the reason vocational education is once again a hot topic. For a long time, school curriculum has been driven by a focus around university entrance and an ATAR ranking. Yet many people, including vice-chancellors, have told me that the ATAR is given far too much importance and the HSC not enough. That is a view supported in the recent curriculum review, which also called for a stronger focus on the range of vocational education courses that are on offer.
Scott, Secretary NSW Department of Education
That is something we are responding to and indeed, the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA), federal and state governments all agree we need to improve the range of vocational courses on offer for students, particularly in the senior years of secondary school.
The idea that vocational courses are only for the non-academic is for a different time. There would be students who want to go to university and do very advanced courses, who would also benefit from doing the right kind of vocational education courses.
That is why we need to extend the range of courses on offer, and support the teachers in our schools who are offering vocational education. We also need to do more in partnership with organisations like TAFE. We are already moving in this direction with investments in physical infrastructure in two schools, one in Sydney and the other on the North Coast, so they can offer more vocational education classes.
So many disruptions to our world can make it appear that everything is changing. Yet I can reassure parents and carers that the core promise we make – that every student is known, valued and cared for – remains the same.
Mark Scott Secretary NSW Department of Education
Mark
The school bought new laptops to loan to its 165 students so they could learn from home
NESA NEWS
By Paul Martin
Hello to all parents and carers.
From raging bushfires, the worst in living memory for this state, to widespread flooding and into a global pandemic, what a year it has been. Our collective appreciation must go to the teachers of this state, parents, carers and of course students who have demonstrated to all of us the meaning of dedication and resilience.
COVID-19, as we are all aware, is still present in our communities so it is paramount that our students continue to be COVID safe at all times. It is incumbent upon us all to follow the advice from the NSW Government (www.nsw. gov.au) and for those students undertaking their HSC, to continually check the NESA
that our students can focus on looking after themselves, submitting their assessments, and completing their exams. Even if things change, they will still be able to receive their HSC.
Students can use our exam day guide (https:// educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/portal/ nesa/covid-19/coronavirus-advice/hsc/ covid-19-safe-hsc-exams) to find out what to do if their school is closed, they are unwell or required to self-isolate on the day of a HSC exam. The COVID-19 illness and misadventure process (https://educationstandards.nsw. edu.au/wps/portal/nesa/11-12/hsc/rulesand-processes/illness-misadventure) has been updated to take into account these circumstances.
website (https://www.educationstandards. nsw.edu.au/wps/portal/nesa/home) for HSC exam information during this dynamic time.
NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) is committed to supporting the health and wellbeing of students throughout the upcoming written exam period and we recognise that uncertainty is one of the main concerns. As a consequence of that uncertainty, we have fielded many ‘what if’ questions around the possible impacts of COVID-19 on exam days.
While this pandemic is unpredictable, we can plan for the HSC exams. We’ve put contingency plans in place to deal with a wide range of potential COVID-19 scenarios so
I ask parents to continually remind their children that their health is the number one priority – both physical and mental. It’s not an ordinary year and support is available.
We’ve seen great examples of schools getting involved (https:// educationstandards. nsw.edu.au/wps/ portal/nesa/covid-19/coronavirus-advice/ hsc/student-wellbeing/get-involved) to help their students lighten the mental load in the lead-up to the exams. Our #StayHealthyHSC campaignis focused directly on this and I encourage parents and carers to direct their children to our friends at ReachOut (https:// au.reachout.com/) if they are struggling under the pressure of this year’s HSC.
NESA has also collaborated with the Sydney Morning Herald again this year, to produce the HSC Study Guide 2020 (https://www.smh. com.au/hsc-study-guide-2020). The guide provides valuable tips for students on how to best prepare for the exams. Students will find advice from past students, as well as tips for
remaining calm and focused in the lead-up to and during their exams. I encourage parents and carers to also read through the guide to better understand the journey ahead for students.
All students have put in an incredible effort so far this year and, while it has not been an easy road, we have witnessed students, teachers, parents andcarers adapting to and overcoming the challenges that have emerged.
While the year has not turned out the way we might have expected, it will long be remembered as the year of the pandemic, the year that NAPLAN wascancelled, the year that the NSW Curriculum Review became the NSW Curriculum Reform and the year that our teachers and students overcame such adversity.
Good luck to students, parents and carers across NSW. To those taking their HSC exams and to those pursuing their learning under trying and unprecedented conditions, my sincere appreciation and thanks.
Paul Martin Chief Executive Officer, NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA)
Paul Martin, CEO NSW Education Standards Authority
Photo: Janie Barrett, SydneyMorningHerald
NSW P&C VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR 2020
NOMINATIONS NOW OPEN
Nominate someone your P&C Association believes is deserving of this title.
National P&C Day is celebrated every year on the first Wednesday in March. This is a great time to acknowledge the efforts of those parents, care givers and citizens who so generously volunteer their time to their school community and its students.
P&C Federation recognises the importance of all P&C Association volunteers, and the importance of acknowledging and celebrating the contributions of our P&C Association volunteers.
P&C Federation invites all affiliate P&C Associations across NSW to nominate a candidate for NSW P&C Volunteer of the Year 2020 (see below for how to nominate.) A finalist from each of the 16 electorates will be chosen by independent judges, with the winner of the title announced at the Awards Dinner on Friday 26 February 2021.
Awards Dinner 2021
P&C Federation 2021 Awards Dinner on Friday 26 February 2021 is being hosted to acknowledge our NSW P&C Association volunteers and to bring together P&C volunteers who have been nominated and
• Your P&C Association must be a financial member at the time of the nomination and the Awards Dinner on Friday 26 February 2021.
• The decision on who to nominate must be decided by P&C Association members.
• The nomination must also be signed off and confirmed by the President as the nominated candidate by the P&C Association members. A copy of the meeting minutes must accompany the nomination.
• The period in which the volunteer is being nominated for must fall within the period of 1 January 2020 and 30 November 2020.
• Explain in 300 words or less the reason this person is being nominated.
• Nominations for NSW P&C Volunteer of the Year 2020 close 11.59pm on Monday 30 November 2020.
Judging will take place at the Federation of Parents and Citizens Associations of NSW head office, subject to COVID-19 physical distancing requirements at the time of judging. The judging will be carried out by three independent judges and all decisions are final.
selected as finalists for the title of NSW P&C Volunteer of the Year 2020, which will be announced on the evening.
The event will be held at L’Aqua – Gold Room, Cockle Bay Wharf, Sydney. However, if the Awards Dinner is unable to go ahead due to COVID-19 restrictions, P&C Federation will host a virtual Awards Dinner to enable all our members to participate, no matter where they live in NSW.
Whether the event is an Awards Dinner or a virtual event, it will follow the same program format, including guest speakers, sponsors, announcement of the finalists and Volunteer of the Year winner.
NSW P&C Day 2021
The annual NSW P&C Day will be held on 3 March 2021. More information about the event will be available in early 2021 in the Term 1 edition of Parent & Citizen and on P&C Federation website at https://www.pandc.org.au/
STUDENT INJURY INSURANCE
Did you know that the NSW Department of Education DOES NOT provide accident or medical cover for students enrolled in government schools?
We recommend your P&C Association discuss and consider purchasing Student Injury Insurance.
Contact the team at Andrews Insurance on 1300 885 982 and select option 1 or email insurance@pandc.org.au
STUDENT USE OF DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY AND THE CURRICULUM
Supplied by the Department of Education
The Student Use of Digital Devices and Online Services policy was released by the NSW Department of Education in January 2020 and is a ‘road map’ to support students to use digitaltechnology to enhance their learning and wellbeing.
Importantly, this policy also supports students to use their digital devices and access the internet safely, respectfully and responsibly –both in and out of school.
Our schools work hard to ensure our children and young people develop the knowledge, skills, understanding, attitudes and behaviours to assist them to live and work successfully into the future.
Thereare other ‘road maps’ to support students to effectively and safely use digital technology to enhance their learning and wellbeing. These include the Australian curriculum and NSW syllabuses.
The Australian Curriculum includes both curriculum frameworks (e.g. English, maths,
The social and ethical protocols and practices when using ICT are important to being safe, responsible and respectful online.
These include:
• recognising the online intellectual property of others online
• understanding storage and security of digital information
• understanding personal security and safety
•understandingthebenefitsand consequences of the use of ICT in the community.
These capabilities are so important in the online world our young people experience.
create and communicate. This includes learning activities such as research and analysing data, developing solutions to problems or sharing their learning through presentations and other online tools. The ICT capability supports our students to work by themselves and in collaboration with others – anywhere at any time.
science, etc.) and general capabilities to equip young Australians to apply their knowledge and skills in their learning at school and in their lives outside of school. The general capabilities are Literacy, Numeracy, Information and Communication, Creative and Critical thinking, Personal and Social capability, Ethical understanding and Intercultural understanding.
Students develop their Information and Communication Technology (ICT) capability as they learn to use technology to investigate,
The NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) also recognises that our children and young people live in a rapidly changing technological world.
The integration of ICT capabilities in teaching, learning and assessment in NSW syllabuses can lead to enhanced learning outcomes for students and support development of the knowledge and skills to assist them live and work successfully in the future.
The NSW Department of Education has a new Schools Digital Strategy. It has been developed to help students and their parents and carers engage in a digitally-enabled education experience.
The Schools Digital Strategy will help:
• prepare students for work in the future with enhanced digital literacy, critical collaboration and problem-solving skills. Their education will be personalised and flexible – wherever they are
• parents and carers be more connected to their child’s learning experience through improved data and transparency. Interaction with their school will be seamless and immediate.
We continue to build our understanding of both the risks and benefits for using technology in classrooms. However, what we can do today is understand how technology can be a valuable tool for educators to help them perform the complex, human work that is teaching and learning.
Some tips to support ICT capability
• Ask you child or their teacher how they are using ICT at school and ask your child to show you how it works.
• Talk to your child about how the work they do with ICT at school relates to the way ICT is used at home, at work and in the community.
• Develop your own digital literacy and model appropriate use of ICT.
• Ask your child to teach you how to use an application they are using at school.
• Set boundaries for internet use.
• Remind your child that not everything you read and see on the internet is true.
Schools Digital Strategy - NSW Department of Education
https://bit.ly/3j2rmmu
WE’RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER: GROWING UP DIGITAL AUSTRALIA
By Dr Amy Graham and Professor Pasi Sahlberg
If we agree on one thing about digital media and technology in our lives, it is that we cannot dismiss or ignore it. Many of us also think that we should not be reliant on it. The double-edged sword is sharp. While some young people have thrived in the online learning space, others have found themselves lost in an online jungle of digital entertainment, media and communication that often distracts them from doing what they should do.
Now, with more than 85% of children across Australia being taught remotely at home during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a heavy emphasis on learning using media and digital technology, children have entered a period of even greater exposure to screen-based technologies where no-one can be sure what impact, both positive and negative, this will have.
What is happening with our children now is the biggest educational experiment in history. While we know much more than we did just five years ago about possible impacts of digital technologies on children’s wellbeing, health and learning, there is still much to understand about their habits, and the benefits and pitfalls of screen-based technologies for them.
UNSW’s Gonski Institute for Education is partnering with Harvard Medical School and the University of Alberta and Alberta Teachers Association on a ground-breaking international research study called Growing Up Digital Australia to further explore these questions. The project has the potential to be the world’s largest study of technology, learning and health impacts on K-12 students. It’s supported by a number of Australian organisations including parent organisations, teacher associations and Departments of Education. The Federation of Parents and Citizens Associations of NSW is one of those supporting the project, contributing funding to the Gonski Institute for Education for Phases 2 and 3 of the study.
During Phase 1 in late 2019, just months before the COVID-19 pandemic began,
our research team surveyed 1876 Australian teachers, principals and school support staff in Government, Catholic and Independent schools from preschool to year 12.
The results from this survey (see graphic above and key facts box next page) have given us a critical view of what is happening in schools and classrooms through the eyes of teachers and principals and how the increased time spent with digital devices has changed students and their engagement in school. It’s also given us crucial benchmark data as we start to understand what the COVID-19world and the post-COVID-19 world will look like for children.
The addictive potential of these portable devices is well known. About 84% of teachers surveyed told us that digital devices (most often smartphones) were a growing
distraction in classrooms. Almost four out of five teachers (78%) reported students’ ability to focus on educational tasks had decreased over the past five years.
Other findings from our survey show nine out of 10 teachers and principals (94%) in Australia have observed an increase in students with emotional, social and behavioural challenges in school today compared to just five years ago. Three out of five Australian educators (59%) have seen a decline in students’ readiness to learn and two-thirds have observed more children arriving at school tired.
This evidence, and our own observations in schools, make it clear that we have a problem. But the problem can’t be solved by schools alone. Therefore, the conversation has to expand beyond schools.
continued next page
Growing
KEY FACTS
• 43% of Australian teachers and principals believe digital technologies enhance their teaching and learning activities, while (in response to a separate question), 84% said they believe digital technologies are a growing distraction in the learning environment.
• 60% of teachers believe technology has positively impacted the learning experience for students with disabilities.
• 59% of respondents observed a decline in students’ overall readiness to learn in the last 3-5 years.
• 78% of teachers say students’ ability to focus on educational tasks has decreased.
• 83% of teachers agree that students’ socio-economic circumstances have some impact on access to technology they need for learning in school.
Phase 2 of this project is looking at young Australians’ use of digital technologies from the perspective of their parents, carers and grandparents who play an essential role in children’s development and daily behaviours at home and beyond. Schools can only do so much, with many teachers recognising that habits are formed at home and the distinction between educational versus entertainment use can be a bit fuzzy. We’ll be releasing the findings from this Phase 2 survey in late 2020.
Phase 3 of our study, from 2021-2022, will explore the experiences of young people growing up in the digital world.
The most important question is, how can we help young people to engage in a healthy, safe and responsible way with their digital media and technology gadgets at home and at school? This must be a shared responsibility for us all.
First, we should accept that, as adults, we are the best role models for our children in forming healthy digital habits. This is not achieved by allocating blame or banning young people from using technology (like smartphones), but by providing mindful education and working together on smarter sustainable solutions.
Thereis much that we do not yet understand about how digital devices affect children, their behaviours, minds and learning. Therefore, all of us, including our children, need to continuously learn more about that. It is important to recognise that the digital world presents both great potential and
unparalleled risk to children who have not yet found their feet in the ‘real’ world.
We are facing an evolving challenge with technology that is not the same for everyone. Hence, there is no one-size-fits-all solution to this challenge. The way forward is to have better informed conversations that include children and young people and discuss both thebenefits and dangers of digital technologies in our lives.
The aim of the Growing Up Digital Australia research project is to reframe issues surrounding children’s consumption of media and digital technologies and provide evidencebased solutions for parents, educators and young people to live healthier, safer and happier lives here in Australia.
More information
Find out more about the Growing Up Digital Australia project and the results from Phase 1 here https://www.gie.unsw.edu.au/growingdigital-australia-phase-1-results-how-screenbased-technologies-are-impacting-schoolstudents
Dr Amy Graham Research Fellow at the Gonski Institute for Education, UNSW Sydney
Professor Pasi Sahlberg
Professor of Education Policy and Deputy Director of the Gonski Institute for Education, UNSW Sydney
DrGrahamandProfessorSahlbergarecoauthors of Growing Up Digital Australia: Phase 1 Technical Report.
RESOURCES
There are some great resources that can be helpful. If you need advice, additional information or resources, please visit:
Gonski Institute for Education: Undertakes quality research, policy and political advocacy, events and provides brief papers and training to help our most deserving Australian students succeed in education and beyond: https://www.gie.unsw.edu. au/
O
ffice of the eSafety Commissioner: The eSafety Commissioner is responsible for promoting online safety for all Australians. It offers a comprehensive range of resources and information on e-safety issues: https://www.esafety. gov.au/ (see pp13-14 for more information).
ThinkUKnow: This evidence-based program provides presentations and information for Australian parents, carers, teachers and students on the technologies young people use, the challenges they may face, and importantly, how these challenges can be managed: https://www. thinkuknow.org.au/
Common Sense Media: An independent non-profit organisation dedicated to helping kids thrive in a world of media and technology. A site to empower parents, teachers, and policymakers by providing unbiased information, including entertainment and technology recommendations, trusted advice and innovative tools to help them harness the power of media and technology as a positive force in the life of all children: https://www. commonsensemedia.org/
Source: Gonski Institute for Education (2020) Growing Up Digital Australia: Phase 1 Technical Report. Gonski Institute for Education, UNSW, Sydney. This report was written by Dr Amy Graham and Professor Pasi Sahlberg.
FIGHT OR FLIGHT?
4 TIPS TO GET INVOLVED WITH YOUR CHILD’S SOCIAL MEDIA
Supplied by the eSafety Commissioner Cyberbullying team
It’s easy for today’s parents to feel overwhelmed or intimidated trying to stay up to date with all the apps, games and social media services their kids are using while also trying to keep them safe online.
eSafety’s 2018 survey of over 3500 Australian parents found that while the vast majority of parents felt online safety was a critical challenge, less than half felt confident to deal with cyberbullying or online threats to their children. Nearly all of the parents surveyed said they needed more information about online safety, but again less than half knew where to find it or where to go to get help.
And these pressures were even more pronounced during the recent COVID-19 lockdown. A landmark eSafety report [released in June] on internet use by Australians during the pandemic found parents were twice as likely to feel overloaded with information and three times more stressed than people without children in the house.
To add to the frustration experienced by parents, it can often be the case that just when we think we have a handle on our child’s favourite platform, changes in age, friends, or after-school activities may mean they suddenly gravitate to new ones.
While this might make social media seem trivial and unworthy of our attention, it’s worth remembering that this stuff is deeply important them, so it should be important to you too.
Social media services are just tools for communicating with other people. As an adult, you have many more years of experience at this than your children. That adult knowledge of human nature and social interaction is valuable to your child whether they know it yet or not.
Knowing how to use the app yourself isn’t necessarily the aim – the kids can do the driving, so take a back seat and help them navigate, and avoid, the inevitable potholes.
Here are some tips to get involved with your child’s online world:
1) Ask your kids to list the social media apps they use
The average number of social media platforms used is three for young children and five for teens. You don’t need to know about every service available – just an understanding of the handful your child actually uses.
Start with an overview. The eSafety Guide ( https://www.esafety.gov.au/key-issues/ esafety-guide) lists the most used services, their basic functions and how to stay safe while using them.
2) Ask your children how they are communicating with others on the platform?
Words: reading and writing publicly visible posts and comments; exchanging private messages; voice chat (talking to others
using audio only). Photos / video: sharing photos; recorded videos; live stream of video (simultaneously recorded and broadcast in real time); live video chat (audio and video communication).
Location: sharing the user’s location with other people by automatic tracking or the user periodically ‘checking in’.
Ask your children who they can communicate with?
For each communication function available, ask your child: can you contact, or be contacted by, someone you don’t know? How do you feel about that?
If you’re not sure of the risks, The eSafety Guide can help you.
3) Restrict to start using; report to stop abusing.
If you don’t feel comfortable about allowing
continued next page
The eSafety Commissioner
Julie Inman Grant (pictured) is Australia’s eSafety Commissioner. In this role, she leads the world’s first government agency committed to keeping its citizens safer online. eSafety also administers a complaints scheme for Australians under 18 who have experienced cyberbullying or seriously threatening, intimidating, harassing or humiliating online behaviour. ESafety provides resources to help the young person or their carer report the problem and has the power to require the abusive material to be removed. Find out more at https://www.esafety.gov.au/report/cyberbullying
Fight or Flight (continued)
certain types of communication with friends or strangers, there’s probably a setting to restrict it. Most platforms have a ‘parents’ guide’ or a ‘trust and safety centre’ to show you how.
Also observe any age restrictions (especially for under 13s).
Learn how to block and report abuse through The eSafety Guide before you need to do it to prevent panic when your child comes to you in distress over a nasty comment or unwanted contact.
4) Talk about it: regularly ask your kids about their experiences using social media services. By letting them know they can come to you if things go wrong online, they are less likely to keep bad experiences hidden from you.
While you might think the most effective solution to keeping your child safe is to take away their devices, there is a manageable middle ground, but getting there takes time and begins with small steps.
Remember, the online world is a totally immersive social space for young people today, so set usage limitations and stick to these guidelines, but do consider the impacts of more punitive measures and what this might mean for future, open conversations with your kids about what is happening online.
This was written by the eSafety Cyberbullying Team and originally published as a blog on 16/07/20 on the eSafety website at https://www.esafety.gov. au/. Republished with permission of the eSafety Commissioner.
Resource links
• eSafety’s 2018 parent survey is available at: https://www.esafety. gov.au/about-us/research/digitalparenting
• eSafety’s June 2020 report COVID-19: Impact on Australian Adults’ Online Activities and Attitudes is available at: https:// www.esafety.gov.au/about-us/ research/covid-19-impactsaustralian-adults-online-activitiesand-attitudes
• The eSafety Guide is available at: https://www.esafety.gov.au/keyissues/esafety-guide.
MESSAGE TO NSW YEAR 12 STUDENTS
In early September this year, the Governor of NSW, Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley AC QC (pictured), sent the letter below to NSW Year 12 HSC students through their school principals. The Governor also wrote two other forms of the letter: one for RoSA students working towards Year 12 completion and the other for International Baccalaureate (IB) students. The letters are available on the Governor’s website at: https://www.governor. nsw.gov.au/governor/selected-speechesand-messages/show/1267. Reprinted with permission of Government House Sydney.
or more than 60 years Education Week has been an annual celebration of public education in NSW. This year Education Week was held from 3-7 August with the theme ‘Learning together’.
The ‘Learning together’ theme reflectsthe incredibly testing year we’ve had so far with bushfires, floods and the global pandemic, all on top of ongoing drought that continues to impact rural and regional communities.
Public school communities have responded magnificently to the unprecedented challenges of the year so far, with our parents and communities working with teachers to ensure continuity of learning despite the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Learning together reinforces the idea that schools are the cornerstone of the community and parents and carers are partners in learning.
This year’s celebrations looked a little different due to COVID-19 restrictions. The usual mass school assemblies, open classrooms and community events were put on hold with many celebrations moving online.
Education Week officially kicked off with a virtual launch livestreamed to schools and communities across the state. The livestream involved students and staff from 90 schools and focused on the achievements of students, school staff, parents and carers.
Two students hosted the launch with messages from NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian, Minister for Education and Early Childhood Learning Sarah Mitchell, Minister for Skills and Tertiary Education Geoff Lee and NSW Department of Education Secretary Mark Scott. Specially
created video segments looked at the bushfire crisis, COVID-19 and the response to learning from home.
Virtual performances featured student singers, dancers and musicians all recording their individual segments via Zoom. These were then stitched together for the launch. This included a piece from NSW Public School performing ensembles and acclaimed singer-songwriter Lior performing a version of his song Real Love.
National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day was acknowledged with an engaging Aboriginal languages video lesson produced by the NSW Aboriginal Education Consultative Group. The 45-minute lesson showcased an Aboriginal languages mobile app which includes information and games on six Aboriginal language groups.
A virtual student film festival showcased the best student films around the state in the annual ‘Film By…’ festival. Short films from 18 schools were shown with an introduction by actor and patron Bryan Brown.
Campsie Public School took out top honours, receiving the Bryan’s Pick award for its comedy film titled Homework. Viewers at home had their say with more than 20,000 votes cast in the People’s Choice Award, which went to Broken Hill North Public for its film Just Another Ordinary Day.
P&C Federation partnered with the department’s Rural and Distance Education team for a webinar on technology for parents and carers. Almost 1000 people registered for the event which was specially created to give parents and carers a working understanding of the technology most commonly used by students in NSW public schools.
The week’s official proceedings concluded with the Secretary Mark Scott in conversation with secondary students from four NSW schools. The Q&A saw the students put some tough questions to the Secretary as they spoke about changes in education, ideas for the future and the COVID-19 pandemic and the learning-from-home experience.
Asidefromtheofficialvirtualcelebrations, our public schools were proudly sharing their celebrations via social media using the hashtag #EdWeek20. The hashtag was trending on Twitter throughout the week and videos shared across social media platforms had more than 2.16 million views. There was also strong media coverage through newspapers, television, radio and online, highlighting the success of public education to the broader community.
Visit the Education Week webpage to relive all the celebrations and catch up on anything you may have missed at education.nsw.gov.au/ public-schools/education-week.
Singer-songwriter Lior performed with 110 NSW public school students in a virtual performance of his song, Real Love
The first online student film festival was a huge hit
Campsie Public School was picked by actor Bryan Brown as the winner in the ‘Film by’ festival
NEW COMMUNICATION CHANNELS A VOICE FOR NSW STUDENTS
Supplied by the NSW Department of Education
Students at NSW public schools have two new platforms where they can help shape the future of education.
NSW Education Minister Sarah Mitchell recently launched the online Student Voices hub and a Minister’s Student Council.
Ms Mitchell said the two new platforms were exciting and important tools for students, giving them greater capacity to provide feedback to government.
“Students are at the centre of everything we do in education and these platforms empower them to influence public policy,” Ms Mitchell said.
“The Student Council will be the peak forum for interaction between NSW public school students, the department and myself.”
Ms Mitchell said students would decide the exact design of the council but it is expected that all secondary students will have the opportunity to provide input.
“Delegates will be elected from a range of secondary schools to form the council and will meet with decision-makers within the NSW schools system to develop policy,” Ms Mitchell said.
It breaks new ground in Australian education by providing students with a platform to communicate with each other.
written and performed ‘by students, for students’ including news, opinions, videos, music, podcasts, and creative works.
It breaks new ground in Australian education by providing students with a platform to communicate with each other; and a way to influence the future of their education.
Ms Mitchell said student perspectives and experiences shaped schools.
“The Student Voices hub will also provide students with opportunities to refine their writing and content creation skills, along with pitching their stories and ideas,” she said.
The site is backed by research, co-funded by the NSW Department of Education, that shows authentic participation by students in their education has significant positive impacts on student wellbeing and learning.
with students having the opportunity to work with experienced journalists and editors to refine their ideas and articles, giving them an insight into publishing.
As part of the development of the Student Voices channel, a network of student journalist teams across NSW will be established and mentored to develop and write news articles about their communities and schools.
Content on the launch website includes articles about student initiatives such as two brothers who raise awareness of racism by wearing one white and one black sock every day; a short film by a team at Punchbowl Boys High School on responsible e-gaming; student reflections on what the 250th anniversary of the Endeavour landing means to them; and a podcast by Macksville HSC students about completing Year 12 during COVID-19.
The council is reinforced by the new Student Voices hub, strengthening the ongoing engagement of students with the department, each other and the wider community.
The Student Voices hub (https://education. nsw.gov.au/student-wellbeing/studentvoices) is an online site that contains content
Sarah Redfern High School Year 10 student Nickie Tran is a supporter of both initiatives and keen to be involved. “Our voice is valid, it matters and it deserves to be heard,” Nickie said.
The Student Voices hub will also provide students with real-world experience in media,
The site will also host monthly polls based on questions submitted by students across the state.
Visit the Student Voices hub for more articles: https://education.nsw.gov.au/studentwellbeing/student-voices
The Student Voices website has news, views, film and visual arts created by students, for students
COMMUNITY TIES ARE THE ONES THAT BIND
Supplied by the NSW Department of Education
Loyalty to her old school is helping Carol Oataway lead Hay Public School through some testing times.
In 1872, the bustling country town of Hay in the western Riverina region of southwestern NSW, was proclaimed a municipality, and the town built its firstbridge over the Murrumbidgee River.
With its stores and hotels, a courthouse and a Cobb & Co coach factory, Hay was an important hub for rural workers and squatters.
That same year, little Alice Scriffin attended her first class at Hay Public School. By the time she was an adult, Hay’s population had reached about 3000.
Today, Alice’s great-granddaughter, Carol Oataway, is the school’s principal. The family connection to the school runs deep. In the 1960s Ms Oataway and her sister followed in their great-grandmother, grandfather’s and father’s footsteps when they attended the local primary school. Three generations of the family – Ms Oataway’s father, sister and niece – have been Dux of the school.
“It is an interesting feeling leading the school that you attended as a child. I think I am more emotionally invested in the school. I have had five generations of my family attend the school, so I have my heart in it,” Ms Oataway said.
Although she didn’t plan it this way, Ms Oataway began her teaching career at her old primary school. Then, after working at a number of other rural and regional schools around the state, she returned in 2005 as assistant principal, and was appointed principal three years later.
Hay has changed over the years. The population has slipped to about 2000, there are fewer bank branches, and the cinema has closed. Due to the drought and changes in the farming community, student enrolments have halved over the past decade as families moved away.
But the school continues to play an important role in the town. “Hay is still a very close-knit community; people look out for each other
and help you if you need it,” Ms Oataway said.
There were no teachers in her family, but Ms Oataway’s desire to teach was sparked early when her father came home one day with a full-sized classroom blackboard and a cubbyhouse for his daughters.
“He put a school desk in there and from then, all we ever did was play school. It was like I had been practising for quite a while,” she remembers.
Her conviction thatteaching would be her career firmed during high school. Knowing that her parents could not afford to send her to university, she knuckled down in her final two yearsto secure a teacher scholarship.
“I was one of those kids who loved school, who loved the structure and routine of school. I liked my teachers and I respected them. I guess that all helped but I didn’t have anyone who influenced me or pushed me towards teaching,” she said.
When Ms Oataway was waiting for her first teaching placement, she told the Department
of Education she would work anywhere in NSW.
“As fortune had it, I was placed at Hay Public School, which was a bit of a shock because it was my home town.”
Stints at Pottsville Beach Public School on the FarNorth Coast, Attunga Public School north of Tamworth, and Lightning Ridge Central School in the state’s outback followed.
“When I was teaching at Lightning Ridge, I helped the younger teachers, and I realised I had something to offer … It took that to make me realise I could be more than a classroom teacher,” she recalls.
Ms Oataway draws on her past for her work at Hay Public School.
“It has always been a good school and I want to keep that tradition going. Growing up in this community, I know the people, they trust me and know I have the best interests of their children at heart. I think that deep knowledge helps me in my job.”
Hay Public School Principal Carol Oataway with students. Ms Oataway has been a student, teacher, assistant principal and now principal at the school
‘ONE-STOP SHOP’ FOR CAREER PLANNING
Supplied by the NSW Department of Education, Senior Pathways Team
Myfuture, Australia’s national career information service, offers parents and students a ‘one-stop shop’ to assist with career planning, career pathways and work transitions.
myfuture (https://myfuture.edu.au/) provides unbiased, high-quality career exploration, learning and employment information and resources. The government-funded website, launched in 2002, is available for all NSW citizens and features information and resources developed by career experts and professionals, using current data from:
• 358 occupational profiles
• 19 industry profiles
• over 15,000 Australian higher education and vocational education and training (VET) courses.
For many young people, the transition from school to the world of higher education, vocational training and work can be daunting. This is particularly so for the HSC class of 2020 who, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, are facing a radically changed and uncertain jobs market. In addition, globalisation, technological progress and population change are also having an impact on the future of work in Australia and the skills and jobs that will be in demand for our current and future school leavers.
Parents and carers are often the most powerful influencers in shaping their child’s career decisions and pathways, therefore myfuture has a dedicated section for parents and carers called Assist Your Child (https:// myfuture.edu.au/footer/assist-others#/). It will help you start a conversation with your child about the world of work andhow to support and encourage them with their career decision-making.
Key content includes:
• Supporting your child’s job aspirations: learn more about future occupation.
• Supporting your child’scareer
development: tips on how to help them develop self-awareness for career decisionmaking, identify career opportunities, build the confidence to make career decisions, and deal with career transitions.
• Making good career decisions – The Adventures of You: an animated series that explores the mental skills required for career and life decision-making and strategies to help your child develop the confidence to make good decisions along their career path. Also available are supporting guides and worksheets for teachers and parents and carers to foster the mental skills necessary for decision making in young people aged five years and beyond.
• My Career Profile: an interactive career tool to help your child identify their interests, values and skills, along with a list of suggested occupations, required qualifications and pathways to get the career conversations started.
• Career exploration: resources students can access resume and cover letter templates and career articles to help them apply for a job.
• Information and resources to help your child choose school subjects that match their career, education and training aspirations.
current employment opportunities in Australia’s key industries*.
• Courses: over 15,000 current higher education and vocational education and training (VET) courses for a career pathway that suits each child’s learning preferences and location.
• Career bullseyes: young people can explore career pathways by selecting a learning area they enjoy (e.g. art, biology, business studies, food studies etc).
• Career insight: in-depth information on work experience, apprenticeships, writing resumes and applying for jobs, written by career experts.
• Case studies: real-life, inspiring stories about young people’s transition from school into study and/or work.
• Resources mapped to the Australian curriculum for teachers and career practitioners.
More career resources
For more information on career learning and vocational education and training visit the NSW Department of Education career learning website https://education.nsw.gov. au/teaching-and-learning/curriculum/careerlearning-and-vet/career-learning/school-towork-program.
*Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, myfuture advises that employment projections made before the pandemic may not reflect the current jobs market. For information about labour market impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, visit the Labour Market Information Portal at https://lmip.gov.au/default.aspx?LMIP/GainInsights/ COVIDInformation/ResearchandInsights
PREPARING STUDENTS FOR LIFE BEYOND YEAR 12
By Alison Muscat
Term 4 is an important time for Year 12 students and their families. For many, big decisions will be made about future work, study and training opportunities. It is often an exciting time as students prepare to embark on their post-school journey. However, it can also bring challenges.
Some of the most experienced and highly qualified high school Careers Advisers from the Careers Advisers Association of NSW & ACT Inchave prepared this guide for parents and carers of Year 12 students.
The most important advice for parents and carers is to be supportive of your child during what may be a stressful and challenging time for them. It is important to have conversations with your child about their hopes, aspirations and plans for work, training and study postYear 12. Having open dialogue with your child will facilitate an environment where they can ask you questions and share their ideas, creating opportunities for you to provide feedback and support.
If your child needs guidance to understand the opportunities, requirements and processes for the career and study options they are considering, you can arrange an interview between yourself, your child and their school Careers Adviser. The Careers Adviser may also have access to resources that can assist your child to work out what it is they would like to do when they finish school.
Importantly, do not pressure your child into taking up an opportunity they are disinterested in or that may be beyond their capabilities. It is important that children investigate and identify their choices regarding further training, education, work and career pathways. It may take considerable time for them to evaluate the range of post-secondary options available. In fact, it is not uncommon for first year tertiary students (university, TAFE, private college) to re-evaluate and change their original course of study if it proves not to be as they expected.
In the current economic and employment climate, it is beneficial to complete some
form of post-school qualification. At TAFE, students can enrol in a Certificate 1 course and continue their learning up to a Diploma or Advanced Diploma level. For university, look to courses that best suit your child’s interests, skills and abilities.
There will bemuch talk about what areas of employment have the highest employment needs. Research the job, course and training options best suited to your child’s skills and abilities and discuss them with your child. Be aware of the range of learning options including university, TAFE, Group Training Organisations (GTOs) and private colleges, as well as varying methods of delivery including online and face-to-face. Encourage your
There is no value in switching from a course with a lower ATAR to one with a higher ATAR unless it is a course that a student is interested in pursuing.
child to attend information sessions with educational institutions offering opportunities of interest to your child and encourage and assist them to contact local employers for industry-based learning opportunities.
You may hear the phrase ‘gap year’, which has a range of interpretations. For some students, this may mean taking a year away from study to work, giving them more time to make decisions about future study, training and work. For others, it will mean travel overseas to complete courses or cultural exchange opportunities (once COVID-19 travel restrictions are lifted). A gap year may also involve participating in volunteer activities in Australia or even doing a short course. For example, students may do a Business
Administration course at TAFEduring their gap year, enabling them to work as a casual office assistant to support the cost of their university study. If your child decides to take a gap year, but has already been accepted into a course, it is important to ensure the correct processes are followed to defer tertiary study. Check with your school’s Careers Adviser on the options and processes for undertaking a gap year.
What happens if your child’s ATAR is higher than expected?
For some students, the release of the ATAR (Australian Tertiary Admission Rank) will be a time for celebration where their hard work and dedication culminates in an ATAR as expected, or higher. This does not necessarily mean it is a time to change plans, goals or careers. If your child is happy with the path they have chosen, then receiving a higher than expected ATAR does not need to change that. It may, however, open up some tertiary courses that your child may have considered out of reach.
For students who have applied for university courses, this is an opportunity to change the order of their course preferences. Is there a course they really liked, but placed further down their list because they did not think they would get the required ATAR? Now is the time to re-order their course preferences. It is also a good time to consider applying for scholarships that may still be available.
An ATAR does not define a student’s career interests. Support your child in selecting courses, whether university, TAFE or private colleges, that they are interested in undertaking. If they are unsure about a specific area of study or job they would like to do, then an Arts, Science or Business degree is a good starting point, offering a broad
choice of options. Look at the major areas of study offered by a tertiary provider as these can vary between institutions.
Thereis no value in switching from a course with a lower ATAR to one with a higher ATAR unless it is a course that a student is interested in pursuing.
What happens if your child’s ATAR is lower than expected?
It is important to remember that the ATAR is not EVERYTHING! Just because your child does not achieve an ATAR as high as they were expecting does not necessarily mean they cannot get to where they want to go.
Thereare many options available for those who were planning on going to university. Many universities offer preparation courses, such as Newstep at Newcastle University, which are great opportunities to complete up to 12 months of study on campus. This prepares the student for entry the following year. Some of these pathway courses are free, some are expensive, some are shorter than 12 months and some are online. Find a preparation course that aligns with your child’s circumstances.
It is also an option to gain entry to a university course with a lower ATAR and, after completing 12 months, apply for an internal transfer to another course at the same university. If this is your child’s intended pathway, ensure they understand any requirements for transferring,
for example, if there are minimum Grade Point Average (GPA) scores required and whether they can obtain credit for the subjects completed in the first 12 months.
If your child has not already considered studying at a regional university, it is now a good time to look at these options. ATARs can be lower at regional universities because the demand for some courses is not as high as at a metropolitan university.
Seek guidance from your child’s school Careers Adviser who is often willing to assist in the months after students leave school.
Another great pathway is through TAFE, with campuses around Australia offering a range of courses that provide a solid foundation for transferring to university at a later time.
Putting other options in place
All students should have, at the very least, a plan B, and even a plan C and D depending on where they live and what opportunities they have for post-school learning.
Seek guidance from your child’s school
Careers Adviser who is often willing to assist in the months after students leave school. Encourage your child to be realistic about available opportunities. Some jobs, courses, apprenticeships, cadetships and traineeships can be competitive, so encourage your child to research things such as how many places are offered and the relevant work experience required.
Make sure students apply for any and all options they might be considering, ideally before the end of Term 3. In Term 4, it is still possible to talk with TAFE Career Counsellors and private colleges about available opportunities. Universities may also have pathways course options open for enrolment. It is better to have several options to choose from if your child is successful in receiving more than one offer.
It is a difficult task to guide parents through all the post-school study, training and work opportunities that are available for students, but hopefully this article has given you an understanding of some of the options available to assist you in offering suggestions and guidance to your child during their senior years at school. Just remember, your school Careers Adviser is the best person to help you navigate these options and identify what is the best fit for your child.
Alison Muscat Executive Officer Careers Advisers Association of NSW & ACT Inc
