Western Teacher - Volume 50.3 - March 2021

Volume 50.3 March 2021

The State School Teachers’ Union of W.A. (Inc.)

Extra mental health services

Safety in schools

Key wins, more work ahead pg 4

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Volume 50.3 March 2021

In this edition Correspondence:

The Editor, PO Box 212 West Perth WA 6872 editor@sstuwa.org.au | Ph: 9210 6000

50

Celebrating 1971

2021

years

2021 Publishing Dates

Deadline Distributed 30 November 22 January 25 January

19 February

Ph: 9210 6060 memberassist@sstuwa.org.au

2 March

26 March

Print post publication 100004470 | $4.95 ABN: 544 780 946 35

27 April

21 May

31 May

25 June

28 June

30 July

9 August

3 September

6 September

8 October

18 October

26 November

Member Assist:

Authorised by Mary Franklyn, General Secretary, The State School Teachers’ Union of W.A. (Inc.) 1 West Street, West Perth WA. Printed by Vanguard Press, 26 James Street, Northbridge WA. March 2021.

Cover: The SSTUWA has secured key wins for members following the March State Election but more work lies ahead to protect public education and ensures it thrives. Read more on pages 4 and 5.

Dates are subject to change

In this edition

Features

Election asks and outcomes.......................4 NAPLAN tables change welcome...............7 Education doesn’t need another review.....7 Proposed laws to regulate lesson content.............................................8 Preschool funding a lifetime of value.......10 TAFE the pathway to a positive future......12 TAFE things to know.................................13 Graduate teacher entitlements................14 Taking it to the next level..........................15 Know Your Rights......................................16 Urgent action needed on teacher work conditions and salary.......................18 Private schools being over-funded by billions..................................................20

Regulars

From the President.....................................5 Education and Training.............................28 Member Benefits......................................30 Classifieds.................................................32 Noticeboard...............................................34

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Western Teacher is the official publication of The State School Teachers’ Union of W.A. (Inc.)

Barrie Bennett reference books Effective Group Work BEYOND COOPERATIVE LEARNING n

BARRIE BENNETT

Instructional Intelligence Building Instructional Expertise for the Classroom

An SSTUWA project in collaboration with Barrie Bennett © B. Bennett, The State School Teachers’ Union of W.A. (Inc.)

Instructional Intelligence

Effective Group Work

Classroom Management

Graphic Intelligence

Dr Barrie Bennett is an internationally renowned educational expert and emeritus professor at the University of Toronto. His books cover a range of interrelated topics that support effective teaching and learning. Members can access special pricing on the series.

Place your order at sstuwa.org.au/shop Western Teacher March 2021

3

State Election

Election asks and outcomes Our election asks Employing 500 additional teachers over four years, so our children get the individual attention they need and schools have the resources they need to support both at-home and atschool learning, should future lockdowns be required.

WORK TO BE DONE: The next round of EBA bargaining will be aimed at securing the required recurrent funding to fund new teachers, ensure workloads become manageable and class sizes are reduced.

Ending salary caps and returning to negotiated percentage-based salary increases, so that we can attract and retain the best teachers at WA public schools.

WORK TO BE DONE: The government has advised of an additional two years of salary caps. In concert with other public service unions the SSTUWA will be campaigning to change this.

Providing additional mental health services and counsellors in our public schools, including 100 FTE school psychologists, so that every child who needs support receives it.

WIN: Labor’s pledge: A re-elected McGowan

Ensuring every school has fast broadband, modern IT and devices necessary to facilitate face-to-face and at-home learning, and dedicated IT staff for technical support.

WORK TO BE DONE: GA negotiations have

Providing additional resources, including professional learning, to help teachers deal with extreme student behavioural problems, violence and mental health issues that have been exacerbated by the pressures of COVID-19.

WIN: Labor’s pledge: A re-elected McGowan Government will provide additional investment to expand the ALS program into every education region in the state – providing separate learning environments for students who have committed violent acts and teaching self-regulation skills to cease these behaviours.

TAFE Through a range of asks, we’re seeking party commitments to ensure:

WORK TO BE DONE: Labor’s pledge: The McGowan Government has invested heavily in making training more affordable for Western Australians so they can get the skills they need. This includes freezing TAFE fees and reducing fees for 180 high priority courses by up to 72% through the Lower Fees, Local Skills initiative.

• Quality teaching, training and learning.

• Professional development and training.

• Information technology.

• Counselling services.

4

Outcomes

Western Teacher March 2021

Government will commit $42.2 million to provide an increase in school psychologists, commencing with an additional 40 FTE in 2022 and rising to 100 FTE by 2025, with an associated increase in support positions.

This will be a 39% boost to the current level of school psychologists available to government schools. secured broadband commitments, but more work will be required during the next round of GA negotiations.

A re-elected McGowan Labor Government will freeze TAFE fees and fee reduced courses through to 2025.

From the President

We need to build on election wins

By Pat Byrne President

Having won a significant victory in the recent state election the McGowan Government has considerable political capital. It is to be hoped that it uses that capital to do what Labor governments most definitely should do – protect public education and ensure it thrives.

This, undoubtedly, has been one of the strangest election campaigns in Western Australia’s history.

Areas which are traditionally the most important in state elections, including education, have been forced into the shadows by the focus on COVID-19.

That is understandable. The Labor government, led by Mr McGowan did a fine job in handling the pandemic response – not withstanding that we had differences on the reopening of schools.

A combination of the Liberal party surrendering the election nearly three weeks from polling day, combined with early voting, resulted in a paucity of big ticket policy announcements from both parties from that time on.

It is pleasing that in an unusually low-key campaign the SSTUWA was able to secure some significant gains for our members and for the public education sector, both schools and TAFE.

ensure TAFE was front and centre of the McGowan Government’s first term, especially in the COVID recovery planning.

From the President

The expansion of fee reductionsA and Tounder protect this They state $1,000 annual increase currentpublic askseducation are specific andin detailed. will (continued from page 5) salary capital caps will leave those freezes, in addition to considerable to be tackled again during general andeducators ensure it isneed properly funded in real The reversing of the damage done to TAFE earning over $60,000 worse off in real agreement negotiations. investment, are most welcome. terms will require us to continue what by previous governments – state and terms. On $60,000 the yearly increase To fight get these met, westate need your federal – is of crucial importance not only would be 1.6 per cent. has On $110,000 it is been a long –asks at both and However, despite some significant steps support more than ever. Please, get for COVID recovery, but also beyond.

0.91 per cent. federal levels.

A properly funded system organised in your workplace. If you don’t forward, including significant investment Promised infrastructure spending is In even these most simple salary thehave a formed branch, get to it. of If you have willterms, enable resolution of many the in school and TAFE infrastructure, there welcome, as are the fee cuts.

However, caps are demonstrably unfair. It defies colleagues wavering about joining the issues facing public schools, including the logic to cite education at all levels as fee cuts alone will not address the needs to be a realisation that it is people union, ask them for their support. You can being crucial to recovery plans and then shortage of lecturers, teaching spaces, IT provision of genuine salary increases. find out more about getting organised at who educate students. at the same time make the position of a infrastructure and support, libraries and sstuwa.org.au/GO21 teacher or lecturer unviable in terms of the professional development needed to Labor has won a significant victory.

Smart buildings are of no use the living costs. salaryifversus Strong voices, united in their desire to teach innew the new era we all face.

History in Australia support shows each other us and that public education, staff within them don’t have theAllbest school leaders are even worse off!

Across both the TAFE and school sectors have success, never been more important. memories of that and whatWhether resources, the best qualifications and the issue of public service pay caps is your work in schools or TAFEs, your The union’s plans for both schools and prompted it, can fade all too soon. absolutely crucial.

The maintenance professional training; the of support commitment is crucial to our success.

TAFEthey can be found at government wages policy at $1,000 per puttingourkidsfirst.com.au and we need need in areas like IT, libraries and above The issues importance to Western When you cast your vote, weigh the annum is an insult to those public sector your backing to see those plans enacted of core all,workers in managing parties’ commitments; put public who keep the workload. state running year with proper resourcingAustralians, to the minimum with education right at the education first. after year. standard required by each school.

top, remain. Labor should remember WA needs more teachers, more lecturers *Source: Government of Western Labor’s own figures (as projected in the This is not a short-term process.

It will that and give our public education system and more support staff.

They need to be Australia. 2020. “Western Australia State state budget forward estimates*) set the not end when you cast your vote on 13 investment it deserves Budget 2020-21: Budget Paper No. 3 properly paid, not behindMarch year(orafter expected CPI as 1.75 perfalling cent in 2021/22 as many willthe do, insupport the weeks and Economic And Fiscal and 2022/23 and 2 per cent in 2023/24. before that day). That isas whyitthe SSTUWA’s on embarks its next fourOutlook”. yearsPerth. of year because of government salary caps. government.

All of this requires a level of recurrent

Schooling Resource Standard

in WA public schools: 2017 formula v 2021 formula

The SSTUWA asked for extra mental health services, including 100 more school psychologists. A pledge has been made to deliver 100 extra FTEs over the term of the new government.

2017 formula

2021 formula

89.63% state gov contribution +15.37% federal gov contribution

75% +20%

105%

The SSTUWA asked for an expansion of Alternative Learning Settings (ALS), including at least one ALS in each education region. The Labor party has promised to expand the ALS program into every education region in the state.

The SSTUWA’s TAFE Works campaign ahead of the 2017 state election helped

funding that meets the minimums mandated in the Schooling Resource Standard.

+4%

of SRS additional items (paid by state gov)

109%

of SRS

95% +0%

95%

state gov contribution federal gov contribution of SRS (additional items are now included in the 75% state gov contribution) of SRS

This 14 per cent difference in SRS equates to a cumulative funding gap of $2,091,829,518 from 2020-2023 (Rorris 2020).

6

Western Teacher

February 2021

Western Teacher March 2021

5

NAPLAN tables change welcomed The announcement by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) that it is banning the publishing of NAPLAN performance results – what were colloquially known as league tables – is most welcome.

Reforming NAPLAN back to its original purpose – as a useful benchmarking tool – has long been an aim of teachers’ unions across Australia. This is a good first step.

The league tables were a key factor in NAPLAN mutating into a curriculumdominating, time-draining, workloadincreasing, stress-inducing monster for students and teachers alike.

Every principal and teacher knows that systems, and therefore schools, have become obsessed with NAPLAN, allowing it to drown out other needs as school performance was judged solely on test results.

There are of course those who have been delighted to see such a focus on NAPLAN. These have almost exclusively been “independent” organisations with few or no actual teachers within cooee of their boards.

Others who have wholeheartedly supported NAPLAN becoming the be all and end all for some schools and parents have, not surprisingly, been companies who sell schools and parents expensive study aids that they claim ensure success in the tests for those who can afford it.

Some strange claims are being made about ACARA’s decision. However, the demise of league tables will probably not actually lead us back to the dark ages.

The ACARA proposal does NOT mean that data will be kept secret. Parents will continue to receive information from the school and will be able to access school data from previous years. They can talk to school leaders, to other parents

Issues

By Pat Byrne President

and to teachers. That is the real way to understand what is happening in a school, not NAPLAN results.

The SSTUWA will continue to point out the obvious – that while testing is an important tool in the learning process, it is exactly that. It is not the end point; rather it should serve a diagnostic purpose enabling teachers to properly address children’s learning problems.

The use of league tables has seen NAPLAN results being used in merit promotion processes; some private schools requiring students’ NAPLAN results before enrolling students; curriculum is being narrowed; teaching to the test is happening; workloads have increased, etc. The original purposes of NAPLAN have been completely warped. *The education and training portfolio in the new Labor cabinet has been retained

by Sue Ellery.

Education doesn’t need another review Federal Education Minister Alan Tudge’s announcement of yet another education review ignores the significant body of evidence that already exists about the failure of the federal government to address the school funding equity gap.

Australian Education Union (AEU) Federal President Correna Haythorpe said that 2011’s Gonski Review of Funding for Schooling set out a clear framework to establish a truly needs-based school funding system to address the entrenched inequity in Australian schools and provide all students with a high-quality education.

“We do not need another review to tell them what is blatantly obvious – that in order to improve student outcomes, the government must address the school funding inequity in our education system,” Ms Haythorpe said.

“As ACER’s Dr Sue Thompson has noted: ‘acknowledging that the

primary underlying factor behind poor achievement is socioeconomic background, finding ways of redressing the imbalance in opportunities and resources available to these students will help lift achievement for all Australian students.’

“Federal government school funding legislation and bilateral funding agreements have created a $19 billion public school funding shortfall through to 2023.

“According to the latest Report into Government Services, private school funding per student grew 2.7 times faster than public school funding per student in the last decade.

“This means that public schools, which educate the vast majority of students from remote, lower-socioeconomic, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander backgrounds, will be denied the resources needed to close student achievement gaps.

“Despite over a decade of national dialogue about the importance of needs-based funding and the critical link between equitable funding distribution and student outcomes, the federal government has failed to ensure that public schools have the resources necessary to work with students who have higher needs for education support.

“National action on the critically important issue of funding for public schools is urgently needed. The federal government must ensure that all public schools are funded to 100 per cent of the Schooling Resource Standard to deliver the funding and resources needed to provide a high-quality education for all students.

“For every child to achieve their full potential, Australia’s school funding inequality must be rectified.”

Western Teacher March 2021

7

Issues

Proposed laws to regulate lesson content

By Pat Byrne President

It is 2022. A history teacher gives a Year 10 class a lesson covering the Holocaust.

The lesson is presented in accordance with ACDSEH107 of the Australian Curriculum.

The subject is part of the depth studies component, in this case World War II in which “Students investigate wartime experiences through a study of World War II in depth. This includes a study of the causes, events, outcome and broader impact of the conflict as an episode in world history, and the nature of Australia’s involvement.”

In accordance with the requirements of the curriculum, students investigate the scale and significance of the Holocaust using primary sources.

The next day an angry parent arrives at the school, demanding to see the principal.

The parent complains that the teacher failed to teach students that some people feel the Holocaust never happened, that it is all a giant hoax cooked up by powerful figures who want society to be run by a new world order of shadowy figures.

Two days later a writ is received by the school. The parent has applied to a court for an order enforcing the teaching of the theory that the Holocaust never happened.

A week later the school has been served with an order that every time any lesson is conducted around the Holocaust there has to be equal time given to the belief that the Holocaust was a hoax.

The school is found to have breached the provisions of an amendment to the Australian Education Act 2013 which reads as follows: 8

Western Teacher March 2021

22AA Conditions of financial assistance— prohibiting the indoctrination of children (1) A payment of financial assistance under this Act to a State or Territory is subject to the condition that the State or Territory has in force laws that: (a) prohibit a staff member (however described) of a school promoting partisan views or activities to students when teaching a subject or administering the school’s affairs; and (b)

require a staff member (however described) of a school to provide students with a balanced presentation of opposing views on political, historical and scientific issues as such issues arise in the teaching of a subject; and

(c) enable a court, on the application of a parent or guardian of a student at a school, to make an order for the enforcement of the

provisions of any laws that give effect to the requirements set out in paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section; and (d) require a school to: (i)

consult with parents or guardians of students at that school to ascertain the extent to which staff members (however described) have provided students with a balanced presentation of opposing views on political, historical and scientific issues as such issues arise in the teaching of a subject; and

(ii) have regard to any feedback received as a result of those consultations.

(2) In this section, school includes a non government school that provides distance education to students.

Issues

(3) This section does not apply to the extent (if any) that it would infringe any constitutional doctrine of implied freedom of political communication.

The state government in which the case is brought decides to fight the ruling but loses. The 20 per cent of funding of state schools previously supplied by the Commonwealth Government is withdrawn, with the Commonwealth citing the provisions of the act as justification.

The state concerned loses millions of dollars in funding.

Of course, one could argue this is fanciful, a clever invention to make a point.

No. This is a very simple example of what can, and undoubtedly would, happen under legislation which is before the Australian parliament right now. This frightening scenario is all too real a prospect.

The Australian Education Legislation Amendment (Prohibiting the Indoctrination of Children) Bill 2020 has reached the stage of being referred to the Senate Education and Employment Legislation Committee, which is due to report on the first Monday in July 2021.

The justification for the introduction of this bill was outlined by the sponsor of the bill thus: “The purpose of this Bill is to give parents the legal right to protect their children

from indoctrination at school. Parents have the right to move their child from a school or to home school their child, but they do not have the right to challenge teaching in schools such as gender fluidity theory and man-made global warming.”

The sponsor of the bill is Pauline Hanson.

The first part of the bill reads: Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority Act 2008 1 At the end of section 7 Add: (6) The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority must perform its functions and exercise its powers to ensure that school education in Australia provides a balanced presentation of opposing views on political, historical and scientific issues.

(7) Without limiting subsection (6), the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority must ensure that: (a) the national school curriculum is developed and administered to provide a balanced presentation of opposing views on political, historical and scientific issues; and

(b) information, resources, support and guidance that promote a balanced presentation of opposing views on political, historical and scientific issues are provided to the teaching profession.

Now of course it would be easy to dismiss all this as dangerous nonsense. That would be wrong.

The Morrison Government has just passed legislation abolishing the Family Court.

This was done in the face of opposition from just about every judge and legal expert in Australia.

But the legislation was sponsored by One Nation. The Morrison Government needs One Nation’s votes in the Senate so what Ms Hanson wants, Ms Hanson gets.

The chair of the Senate Education and Employment Legislation Committee is the Hon James McGrath, a Queensland Liberal Senator.

The danger here is real. Whatever your political views, the idea that one parent could direct how a teacher teaches and take them to court to impose that view is abominable.

I urge you to take an interest in this issue and support the SSTUWA’s efforts to make sure the bill is opposed and never comes to pass.

Western Teacher March 2021

9

Quality early childhood education is an investment in our children’s future

Quality early childhood education provides the knowledge and skills that enable children to succeed at school and throughout their lives. It develops the whole child – their social and emotional skills, their ability to communicate, get along with others and manage their behaviour and emotions.

These critical skills enable children to thrive during their transition to school and help them become lifelong learners. Preschool is an opportunity to build strong foundations for optimal early development and school readiness.

Providing ongoing, guaranteed pre-school funding is the most important step the federal government can make to give children the best start to school education.

The OECD has found that students who had attended pre-primary education perform better in school at age 15, and that a longer period of preschool has a significant impact on a child’s literacy at age five. The evidence is clear, and has been confirmed time and time again by multiple Australian and international studies.

Two years of preschool is the international standard

The benefit of two years of preschool is even higher, and is equivalent to more than an entire year of schooling. Despite this, nearly one quarter of Australian children arrive at school without the skills they need to thrive.

The vast majority of countries provide two years of preschool in line with the international standard.

Australia is one of 11 countries which only provides a single year along with Algeria, Angola, Bermuda, Gibraltar, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ireland, Nigeria, the Philippines, South Africa and Sri Lanka.

The Mitchell Institute has described funding for three year old preschool in Australia as “a clear opportunity” and found that “moving to universal access to two years of preschool can be an affordable, achievable and effective way for us to achieve greater and more equitable outcomes for Australian children.”

Funding Early Childhood Education benefits us all

There is very strong evidence showing that quality preschool makes a significant, life-long difference to educational and other developmental outcomes. While all children benefit, increasing participation among those who are experiencing vulnerability or disadvantage delivers a huge benefit across multiple areas.

There are also very significant economic benefits to society to providing funded preschool to all children – every dollar invested returns between $2 and $4 through increased employment, better health and improved life chances.

Preschool funding is due to run out this year

Australia has the equal third lowest level of preschool investment among OECD countries and the Commonwealth Government has not committed to funding preschool permanently - the current funding will run out at the end of 2021.

A Government commissioned review found that this insecure funding of preschool “has a debilitating effect on the sector” and that “non-renewal or a reduction of the Australian Government’s preschool contributions would have significant consequences, including for access and quality” leading to declines in school outcomes, social mobility. It recommended a new five-year plan to secure funding and to transition to a permanent funding arrangement from 2026 onwards, but the Government has not responded to these recommendations.

This uncertainty is hard for parents, teachers and educators. It is very difficult to attract and retain staff and plan for the future when funding is not guaranteed.

It is resoundingly clear that Australia should be expanding early childhood education – securing ongoing funding for four year olds and introducing universal access for three year olds. That requires investment and commitment by the Federal Government.

Early childhood education sets children up for school and for life

Experts agree that the first 1,000 days of a child’s life are the most important time for brain development and critical for building good social and emotional skills. Children who attend preschool can expect to achieve greater academic success, have better career prospects, better health outcomes and stronger family and personal relationships.

Australia needs a high quality, permanently funded preschool sector now. The Federal Government needs to step up and support young children and their families, as well as teachers and educators working in the sector by permanently funding early childhood education We need your help to ensure that the Federal Government understands how important this issue is to communities across Australia.

For more information on how we can ensure every child in Australia gets the best start in life visit: http://www.aeufederal.org.au/Preschool-Funding-Now or our social media pages below.

TAFE

TAFE the pathway to a positive future

By Samantha Schofield Vice President

Recommendations outlined in the Productivity Commission‘s final report into the National Agreement on Skills and Workforce Development (NASWD), tabled in January 2021, have failed to recognise the enormous benefits that TAFE provides to students, the community, to employers and the economy, instead focusing on prioritising profit over public education.

It is disheartening to read another report treating education with the lens of a business model motivated by financial “return on investment” and a clear preference for private providers.

At a time when the world is in a global pandemic, now is the time to Rebuild with TAFE for a positive future.

However, instead of recommending strong investment in public TAFEs and reducing barriers to access and engagement through vocational education, the Productivity Commission’s report promotes and recommends creating and imbedding barriers and exclusionary practises, which will serve the interests (and bank balances) of private providers and further entrench inequality across Australia.

Some of the Productivity Commission’s recommendations include: • The Australian Government collecting unpaid VET student loans debts from deceased estates. There are also strong calls to pursue this reform for Higher Education Loan Program debts.

• Screening can improve completion rates by ensuring better matching of prospective apprentices and employers, as well as by identifying any need for support services. State and territory governments should consider screening candidates before their apprenticeships commences … screening could be extended to other VET students if found to be cost effective.

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Western Teacher March 2021

• The National Skills Commission to establish a national database of efficient course costs.

• Enhanced data analytics capability to evaluate VET outcomes and investments.

• State and territory governments should adopt the efficient costs and loadings currently being estimated by the National Skills Commission for setting their subsidies.

• The National Skills Commission should work with federal, state and territory governments to produce a method for simplifying the large number of course subsidies.

• The NSW and WA governments should cease fixing prices and student fees for VET courses.

• The Australian government, in consultation with state and territory governments, should replace the existing VET student loans course eligibility criteria with a ‘blacklist’ of ineligible diploma and above courses.

The blacklist should comprise only courses demonstrated, with evidence, to be leisure-related courses or courses with poor employment outcomes.

• Certificate IV students should be issued VET student loans with the same repayment terms as those issued to students undertaking diploma and above courses.

The full report and recommendations can be found at bit.ly/3c3szYv AEU President Correna Haythorpe said: “It is unbelievable that the Productivity Commission would recommend increased contestability and force TAFE to compete as ‘just another provider’ in the marketplace, when TAFE generates a staggering $92.5 billion in economic benefits each year, which is 16 times the annual cost of running the institution.”

“The federal government must ditch its failed VET marketisation model. It

has seen billions of dollars of funding stripped from TAFE and millions of dollars funnelled into the pockets of dodgy private training providers,” she added.

We know that TAFE works and that investment in TAFE is vital to assist with the economic re-build; to re-skill and upskill workers, address the apprentice shortage, reduce youth unemployment and provide career pathways for all Australians.

Australians trust and support TAFE and know the system can help re-build our economy, but we need our governments and politicians to show that same support by investing in TAFE to rebuild Australia socially and economically.

TAFE touches so many aspects of our society and economy from the arts and fashion, to construction, health and early childhood education, to opportunities for young people in rural and regional areas, and we cannot afford to lose it.

We must Rebuild with TAFE for a positive future for all.

Rebuild with TAFE The AEU is calling on governments across the country to make TAFE their first priority as Australia looks to rebuild from the COVID-19 pandemic and tackle the country’s skills crisis.

It has launched the Rebuild with TAFE campaign to call on governments to properly fund TAFE and maximise the system’s potential to assist with the economic re-build, re-skill and upskill workers, address the apprentice shortage, reduce youth unemployment and provide career pathways for all Australians.

Discover more about how you can get involved by visiting rebuildwithtafe.org.au

TAFE

Things to know Top achievements for TAFE members secured by the SSTUWA in General Agreement 2019 negotiations

Workload

The current General Agreement secured commitments from DTWD and TAFE colleges to examine class sizes, student curriculum hours and the implementation of timetabling principles.

Parental leave superannuation

Job security

Current entitlement now in the Agreement: one pay grade until Cert IV Training is obtained, then annual increments to level 1.9.

Prior hours of casual service will be taken into account when determining starting salary.

Progression

ARD for part-time lecturers

Superannuation is now paid on the unpaid component of parental leave – up to 12 weeks.

There is no longer a bar to grade progression after completion of Certificate IV in Training and Assessment.

Recognition of prior learning

Break in service extended

Assessing a student’s eligibility for RPL is now listed under teaching duties; the time comes from teaching hours. Only administrative components are part of PA.

Above Base Grade

Lecturers are now eligible for permanency any time after their initial contract, regardless of the reason for the contract.

Lecturers may not need to reapply for the same position.

Long service leave and personal leave credits are now reinstated for breaks in service of up to six months.

Current entitlement now in the Agreement, 7.5 hours off-site ARD is not applied pro-rata to part-time lecturers.

New leave

Lecturers can now claim paid leave to donate blood or plasma. Paid cultural leave is now available for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees.

Western Teacher March 2021

13

New educators

Graduate teacher entitlements

By Natalie Blewitt Growth Team coordinator

The SSTUWA has early career teachers covered. In this edition, the focus is on your graduate entitlements.

Your rights, entitlements and responsibilities as a public school teacher in Western Australia are laid out in the School Education Act Employees’ (Teachers and Administrators) General Agreement 2019 and the Teachers (Public Sector Primary and Secondary) Award 1993. Both the General Agreement and the Award are documents negotiated between the SSTUWA and the Department of Education (DoE) and are registered in the Western Australia Industrial Relations Commission. These documents apply across all Western Australian public schools, irrespective of Independent Public School status.

Graduate Teacher Allowance Full time graduate teachers in their first two years of employment will receive an allowance of $1,600 per annum. Graduate teachers who are employed less than full time (and who have a contract) will receive a pro rata graduate teacher allowance.

This annual allowance is paid according to the term of employment and payment will be made as soon as practicable after commencement of employment.

The graduate teacher allowance is paid directly to you through payroll. If you don’t receive the allowance within four weeks of your start date, use the Raise a support request link which can be found on IKON under the Understand your graduate allowance section.

Graduate Teacher Release Time In your first year of teaching, additional non-contact time of 0.05 FTE per week will be provided to each contracted graduate teacher.

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Western Teacher March 2021

While it is expected that this time allocation is available to graduates on a regular basis, up to 2.5 days a term can be accumulated to accommodate different contexts and needs.

Graduate Teacher Curriculum Materials Allowance A curriculum materials allowance is available to support contracted first year graduate teachers in acquiring personal curriculum materials. Primary and district high school graduate teachers have access to $150 and secondary graduate teachers have access to $78. You should use your own professional judgement to choose the materials most suited to your needs and the materials purchased will belong to you. Perhaps you may even like to purchase one of our resource books (visit sstuwa.org.au/shop).

Funding for the Graduate Teacher Curriculum Materials Allowance is allocated directly to your school once the department is notified of your appointment. Remember, prior to any purchases, make sure you speak with your business manager/manager of corporate services to ensure you are following proper ordering procedure.

Graduate Teacher Professional Learning Program Don’t forget to enrol in the Graduate Teacher Professional Learning Program.

Completing the four modules over the first 30 months of your teaching career (or longer if working casual or parttime), is a DoE requirement. Seize these opportunities to sharpen and refine your skills, network and advance in your career.

All graduate module participation by contracted teachers is entitled to be paid; funding for two days per module is allocated to your school. This includes modules completed online, on weekends and during school holidays. All contracted graduate teachers – including those completing graduate modules in regional

areas on Friday afternoons and Saturdays – should be paid for two days per module completed.

Travel Contingency Allowance Funding is available for graduates to participate in module 1 and module 2 of the Graduate Teacher Professional Learning Program. Any unspent funds for travel costs for the graduate teacher can be used to attend module 3 and 4 of the program.

The travel contingency allowance is based on the school’s location. So, for metropolitan schools, that equates to $113.30 for each graduate teacher and for those in regional schools, the amount paid is based on isolation and the distance from Perth. This allowance covers travel, accommodation and other associated costs.

Once again, remember to check with your business manager/manager of corporate services prior to your attendance at any graduate module to ensure you are clear about what expenses are covered for your individual situation.

If you have any questions about your graduate entitlements, get in contact with the SSTUWA Growth Team at neweducator@sstuwa.org.au or contact our Member Assist Team on 9210 6060 or at memberassist@sstuwa.org.au

Members’ matters

Taking it to the next level

By Natalie Blewitt Growth Team coordinator

Many members may be at the stage of their careers where they are looking at progressing but remaining in the classroom. One of the ways you can do this is to consider applying for Senior Teacher or Level 3 Classroom Teacher (L3CT) status.

Both positions will result in an increase to your salary and recognise your commitment to public education. In this article we will look at the L3CT application process.

Level 3 Classroom Teacher The purpose of the Level 3 Classroom Teacher career structure is to support the retention of exemplary teachers in the classroom. It is strategic in giving status and recognition to the commitment of teachers in the development of their colleagues and school communities, as well as their own ongoing professional development.

Application for L3CT status is open to permanent or fixed-term teachers and applicants must be employees of the Department of Education (DoE) at the time of lodging the application. You need to meet the following requirements to be eligible to apply: • Be an Australian or New Zealand citizen or have a permanent residency visa.

• Have full registration with the Teacher Registration Board of Western Australia.

• Be employed by the DoE. • Be employed for a minimum of 0.4 full time equivalent (which is four days a fortnight).

There is no limit on the number of people who can become a L3CT. The primary role of the L3CT is of an instructional nature, modelling high

standards of teaching in the classroom and continually improving professional teaching practice. This status allows for formal recognition of your work by your peers, school and the department.

Applying for Level 3 Classroom Teacher status: Stage One Stage One is a written portfolio of statements and evidence to show that you meet the L3CT competencies. There are five competencies and each competency is divided into four or five indicators.

Applicants need to achieve ratings of three or four for each indicator and at least one indicator must have a score of four. Each competency must have a mean average score of at least 3.2.

You can find the competencies and indicators in the Level 3 Classroom Teacher Assessment Rubric section on IKON.

Applying for Level 3 Classroom Teacher status: Stage Two In Stage Two, you will prepare and lead a 45-minute reflective practice session in a school context. You will also take part in the sessions of three or four other applicants. A reflective practice session includes an oral presentation and facilitated discussion.

During your reflective practice session, you need to address competencies three and four, as well as either competency one, two or five. You will need to demonstrate how you: • Facilitate a discussion on pedagogy with your colleagues which enhances their professional knowledge and practice.

• Engage colleagues in collaborative conversation and reflection.

• Critically reflect on your own practice.

• Facilitate effective professional development strategies used with peers during the reflective practice.

Once again, you need to achieve ratings of three or four for each indicator presented and at least one indicator must have a score of four. Each presented competency must have a mean average score of at least 3.2.

Critical dates If you are interested in applying for your L3CT status in 2021, applications must be submitted no later than 4pm Friday, 14 May 2021.

For those who successfully pass Stage One, the reflective practice sessions take place during the Term 3 school vacation.

For 2021, scheduled sessions are from Tuesday 28 September to Tuesday 5 October. To complete Stage Two, you need to be available to attend one day of sessions during this period.

The SSTUWA Education and Training Centre (ETC) facilitate excellent professional learning for anyone who is interested in applying for L3CT status.

Stage One training is offered in January of each year while Stage Two training occurs after the release of the Stage One results.

For 2021, the anticipated Stage Two training date is expected to be Saturday 28 August. Please contact our ETC Team to find out more at training@sstuwa.org.au The Level 3 Classroom Teacher Association also support aspirants and they can be contacted via email: contact@l3cta.org.au Not interested in Level 3 Classroom Teacher status but are still interested in progressing your teaching career? Make sure you read our next edition to find out if you are eligible to apply for Senior Teacher status.

Western Teacher March 2021

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Members’ matters

Know Your Rights: DOTT, duty and breaks Duties other Than Teaching (DOTT) time As from the start of Term 1, the primary teacher DOTT time (Years 1-6) entitlement is 270 minutes per week. See the table to the right. Teaching and DOTT time is listed in minutes per week.

As per the agreement, timetables should reflect this as a weekly provision. The DoE and the SSTUWA are in agreement on the allocation being timetabled weekly.

Should members need assistance with the management of this issue they should contact their union rep, who in turn can seek further advice as required from Member Assist or their schools organiser.

Yard duty The SSTUWA position is that yard duty be shared by all teaching staff, including administrators, in a fair and equitable manner. If members feel that this is not occurring, please refer to the grievance resolution procedure (Clause 47 in the General Agreement 2019).

Duty in Kindergarten and Pre-Primary years should be shared amongst all teaching staff.

Time

Teaching

DOTT

Total

Rest breaks

1.0

1280

270

1550

The SSTUWA recognises that the employer, under occupational safety and health (OSH) legislation, is obliged to provide a safe and healthy workplace, including safe systems of work.

0.9

1152

243

1395

0.8

1024

216

1240

0.7

896

189

1085

0.6

768

162

930

0.5

640

135

775

0.4

512

108

620

0.3

384

81

465

0.2

256

54

310

0.1

128

27

155

Failure to provide reasonable breaks may cause fatigue, soft tissue injuries, stress and other health problems such as bladder infections. It may also make other health conditions such as diabetes harder to manage. Disputes about breaks can be dealt with as an OSH issue.

The principal has a duty to ensure all staff are able to have a reasonable break during the day.

Other school staff such as education assistants, cleaners, gardeners and office staff do have designated time for breaks which are detailed in their awards.

Public Good campaign to continue UnionsWA, in collaboration with key public sector unions in WA and community supporters, will continue on with The Public Good campaign beyond this month’s state election.

The campaign is about highlighting the prominent and positive role that the public sector workforce plays in the lives of Western Australians.

Our public sector ensures that people most in need can access health care, schools, public roads and transport and other services. The state is also powered by many public sector workers who keep our community safe, plan for the future of our state and support those working on the front line.

UnionsWA acting secretary Owen Whittle said the public sector serves us all,

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Western Teacher March 2021

including the vulnerable in society.

“It’s often when emergencies occur that we realise how much we rely on public services,” he said.

“In a catastrophic fire or extreme weather events we rely on fire fighters and emergency services. The current pandemic has highlighted the importance of our health, hospital and other services.

“Our public sector workforce is dynamic, flexible and responsive to ever changing circumstances in WA. They sometimes receive thanks from the government, but they deserve more than that for their contribution.

“Public sector workers deserve a fair go.

“They want to be able to do their best for the people of WA, without funding cuts, redundancies and ongoing restructures.

“Like all Western Australians, they need to be paid fairly so that their pay keeps up with the cost of living.

“We believe privatisation undermines the quality of our public services. Privatisation leads to the loss of public sector jobs, rising costs of services, maintenance and safety concerns and a loss of future income and the capacity of our public sector.

“We will always take a stand against governments who have a privatisation agenda.

“We encourage the current state government to value our public sector workers and to invest in our public sector for the benefit of the whole community.”

To find out how you can be involved, visit: thepublicgood.com.au

Download the SSTUWA app Access Know Your Rights, your tax statement, membership card and more in the palm of your hand

Get the app!

Hold your phone camera over this QR code

Available now in the App Store and Google Play Authorised by Mary Franklyn, General Secretary, The State School Teachers’ Union of W.A. (Inc.) September 2020.

Western Teacher March 2021

17

Issues

Urgent action needed on teacher work conditions and salary An NSW inquiry has recommended major changes to the salaries and working conditions of teachers to address a crisis caused by rapidly escalating workloads, uncompetitive salaries and significant teacher shortages.

The report of the inquiry, Valuing the Teaching Profession – an independent inquiry, chaired by former WA Premier Dr Geoff Gallop, was released last month.

The inquiry was commissioned by the New South Wales Teachers’ Federation (NSWTF).

The first investigation of NSW teachers’ work since 2004 found the dedication and commitment of teachers remained high but there had been profound changes in the volume and complexity of their work, leading to unsustainable workloads.

Teachers’ work had increased due to constant policy changes, significant increases in student need, rapid changes in technology, the expansion and frequent reform of the curriculum, new compliance measures, administration, data collection and reporting responsibilities and higher community expectations of what schools and teachers can do, the inquiry found.

The extent of change dwarfed that of any other era of investigation dating back to 1970.

The inquiry found teachers had not been compensated for the rise in their skills and responsibilities and salaries had declined significantly compared to the average of other professions.

“At the same time as these increases in work, complexity and responsibility there has been a decline in the relative position

of teacher salaries alongside that of other professions and a reduced attractiveness of public sector teaching as a career; this being a contradiction that needs urgent attention by way of a significant upgrade in teacher salaries and an improvement in career options,” the report states.

Without a significant increase in salaries, the government cannot end teacher shortages or recruit the additional teachers required to meet an enrolment boom in public schools.

The inquiry recommended: • Salary increases of between 10 and 15 per cent for NSW public school teachers over the 2022 and 2023 period.

• An increase of two hours in the time teachers that have to prepare lessons and collaborate with colleagues.

The inquiry found that despite the intensification of teachers’ work, the hours of preparation time had not changed since the 1950s in secondary

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Western Teacher March 2021

Issues schools and the 1980s in primary schools.

• An overhaul of staffing arrangements to provide more specialist support services for teachers and an increase in permanent teachers to overcome casual teacher shortages. School counsellor numbers should also be increased to reach a ratio of 1 to 500 students by 2023. New expert teaching positions should be created.

• The scrapping of the NSW government’s timetable to introduce a whole new curriculum by 2024.

Starting the introduction in 2022 should only happen if teachers were provided with more time and support and administration workloads were significantly reduced.

NSWTF President Angelo Gavrielatos (pictured left) said: “These finding have to be a wake-up call for our politicians and the recommendations must be acted upon.”

“The NSW government must act in a way that is proportionate to the crisis we are facing. This is the first inquiry into the work of teachers since 2004 and it reveals a devastating picture of unsustainable workloads and uncompetitive salaries, leading to shortages and difficulty in recruiting and retaining teachers.

“Teachers need more time to concentrate on teaching and learning and improving student results.

“We need a significant reset of their salaries to recognise that teaching is a far more difficult and complex profession and to help recruit the thousands of additional teachers we will need to meet an unprecedented 25 per cent increase in enrolments expected within 20 years.

“We must act to ensure every child is taught by a qualified teacher and class sizes are not increased as enrolments boom. COVID has reminded us of the critical importance of education to our children, to families and to the functioning of our society.

“Tinkering around the edges on workloads and imposing a rigid public sector wages cap that limits salaries to up to 1.5 per cent a year is a recipe for disaster given the crisis we are facing.”

The inquiry was commissioned by the NSWTF after the imposition of a wages policy in NSW that made it impossible for the NSW Industrial Relations Commission to continue hearing work value cases

involving teachers as undertaken each decade between 1970 and 2004.

learning strategies that will help them succeed.

Those cases assessed the changing nature of teachers work, the salaries they were paid and the attractiveness of the profession. Following each case, salaries were reset at a significantly higher level to recognise the changing role of teachers and the higher skills and responsibilities they had.

“But this is time-consuming and highly specialised work. Instead of giving teachers more time to prepare lessons and collaborate with colleagues over the strategies that will lift results, they have been saddled with huge administration, data collection and compliance workloads.

Mr Gavrielatos said the years since 2004 had been a period of unprecedented change.

“Almost every aspect of a teacher’s daily life has been altered in some way,” he said.

“We are talking about the change from blackboards to smartboards, from chalk to computer coding.

“The composition of the classroom has been transformed: a 300 per cent increase in students with disabilities along with higher numbers of students from disadvantaged and non-English speaking backgrounds. Teachers have become far more skilled at determining the needs of each student and the teaching and

“Teachers have two jobs now: teaching and administration. They are run off their feet and caught up in more red tape that the public could possibly imagine.

“Principals are working, on average 62 hours a week while teachers are working, on average 55 hours a week now, attempting to meet all the needs of students while dealing with the compliance and administration burden that the NSW Department has saddled them with.”

The NSWTF will now seek meetings with the leaders of each political party to discuss the findings and recommendations of the inquiry.

To read the inquiry’s report in full, visit bit.ly/3dyiN2X Western Teacher March 2021

19

Issues

Private schools being over-funded by billions New research by Save Our Schools (SOS) Australia shows that private schools will be over-funded by $6 billion from 2021 to 2029 under current funding arrangements while public schools will be under-funded by nearly $60 billion.

SOS national convenor Trevor Cobbold said that the new figures show that school funding in Australia is heavily biased against public schools.

“The Morrison Government has abandoned all pretence at funding private schools according to need and it has washed its hands of ensuring that public schools are fully funded,” he said.

“Private schools are lavishly funded while public schools are starved of funds needed to make a difference for the vast majority of disadvantaged students.

“The blatant favouring of privilege over disadvantage is unconscionable. Australia has one of the most inequitable education systems in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

“Achievement gaps between rich and poor are huge because preferential funding of private schools gives them a massive human and material resource advantage.”

Mr Cobbold said that private schools will be funded at over 100 per cent of their Schooling Resource Standard (SRS) from 2021 until at least 2029. The sources of the over-funding are: •

•

•

$2.4 billion from funding at over the Commonwealth target of 80 per cent of the SRS. $2.5 billion from funding at over the states’ target of 20 per cent of the SRS. $1.2 billion through the Commonwealth’s Choice and Accountability slush fund (from 2020).

Mr Cobbold said that these figures are based on the government’s own data provided in Senate Estimates and on figures published in the Commonweathstate bilateral funding agreements.

“However, this over-funding is just the tip of the iceberg,” he said.

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Western Teacher March 2021

“Over-funding is under-estimated because the Direct Measure of Income (DMI) method of calculating the financial need of private schools ignores income provided by grandparents and untaxed capital gains income as well as donations to private schools.

“As a result, the financial need of schools is over-estimated and they receive even more funding than warranted.

“If other sources of family income and multi-million dollar donations to schools were taken into account, government over-funding would amount to billions more than we have estimated.”

SOS estimates that public schools will be underfunded by $57.9 billion to 2029.

Mr Cobbold said that this is the result of the bilateral funding agreements between the Commonwealth and the states.

“The Morrison Government has conspired with state governments through the bilateral funding agreements to underfund public schools indefinitely,” he said.

“While private schools will be funded at over 100 per cent of their SRS, the target for public schools is 95 per cent. Even this lower target is a deceit. It is actually only 91 per cent because the agreements allow the states to count some expenditures excluded from the definition of the SRS as part of their target of 75 per cent.

“The same accounting trick is not applied to state funding of private schools. They still get more than 100 per cent of their SRS to 2029. It is a stark example of government favouritism of private schools over public schools.”

Mr Cobbold said that school funding in Australia must be completely overhauled to re-focus on need.

“The Morrison Government has completed the demolition of the Gonski funding model after years of sabotage by the Abbott and Turnbull governments,” he said.

“There is now no option other than to return to the drawing board and design a new funding model to address disadvantage and improve equity in education.”

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Issues

The importance of preschool for Indigenous children This article was co-authored by Nicholas Biddle, Professor of Economics and Public Policy, ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences, Australian National University; Emily Banks, Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health, Australian National University; Kathleen Falster, Senior lecturer, UNSW; Mark Hanly, Research Fellow, UNSW and Sandra Eades, Dean, Medical School, Curtin University. It was first published at The Conversation website and is reproduced here with permission.

A large study has, for the first time, shown preschool benefits Indigenous children more than other types of care such as long daycare (childcare) or home-based care.

This is important because while past studies had shown Indigenous children who had attended preschool were more likely to be ready for school, it was unclear whether preschool contributed to better outcomes.

These children might have had better developmental outcomes regardless of their participation in preschool. For example, children who attend preschool are also more likely to live in more advantaged households. This also contributes to better outcomes.

We set out to find whether preschool itself benefited children, and to measure these benefits using real-world data.

Our study of NSW public school children, published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, shows preschool attendance appears to have developmental benefits for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, compared with home-based care in the year before school. This is after taking into account differences in children’s socioeconomic and health circumstances.

We classified any type of care that wasn’t preschool or long daycare as home22

Western Teacher March 2021

based care. This can include family daycare and care at home by parents and grandparents.

Although beneficial, Aboriginal children experienced fewer developmental benefits from preschool than non-Aboriginal children in our study. This suggests we need to improve the early childhood education experience of Aboriginal children.

We also found differences in early life circumstances explained much of the developmental gap between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal children in all types of early childhood education and care.

One assumption underlying these targets is that early childhood education will improve developmental outcomes among Indigenous children. We wanted to find out if preschool is achieving this goal, and to what extent.

We used developmental data for 7,384 Indigenous and 95,104 non-Indigenous public school children who started school in NSW in either 2009 or 2012. The data were collected as part of the AEDC. It takes place every three years and is based on teachers’ knowledge and observations of the children in their classes.

This highlights the importance of meeting the health and social needs of Aboriginal children and families, alongside early childhood education, to improve early life outcomes for these children.

Children’s development is scored between zero and 10 on each of five key domains of development: physical, social, emotional, language and cognitive, and communication.

Why we did our study

Children with scores in the bottom 10 per cent, according to the 2009 AEDC benchmark, are considered developmentally vulnerable. We looked at how many children were developmentally vulnerable on one or more of the five domains.

One of the seven early Closing the Gap targets was to ensure 95 per cent of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander fouryear-olds were enrolled in early childhood education by 2025.

In 2018, the Morrison Government updated the Closing the Gap framework in partnership with Aboriginal peak organisations. There are now two targets related to early childhood education: • To increase the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children enrolled in early childhood education the year before full-time schooling to 95 per cent by 2025.

• To increase the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children assessed as developmentally on track in all five domains of the Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) to 55 per cent by 2031.

We combined the developmental data with other population datasets, including birth registrations, midwives and hospital and school enrolment data. This was to understand children’s health, early childhood education and family circumstances.

We looked at whether children had attended a preschool program, a long daycare centre (without a preschool program) or home-based care in the year before full-time schooling.

Our findings Overall, across the two school starter cohorts, 71 per cent of Indigenous children and 74 per cent of non-

Issues Indigenous children attended preschool in the year before full-time school.

The majority of Indigenous (64 per cent) and non-Indigenous children (80 per cent) were not developmentally vulnerable on any of the domains assessed.

Among Indigenous children, 33 per cent who had attended preschool and 44 per cent who had attended home-based care were vulnerable on one or more domains.

The figures for non-Indigenous children were 17 per cent and 33 per cent of those who attended preschool and home-based care, respectively.

There were substantial developmental gaps between Indigenous and nonIndigenous children in all types of early childhood education and care. Among children in preschool, Indigenous children were almost twice as likely as nonIndigenous children to be developmentally vulnerable at the age of five.

Our modelling shows a beneficial effect of preschool in both Indigenous and nonIndigenous children — which was larger in non-Indigenous children.

After taking into account the differences in children’s early life circumstances, the risk of developmental vulnerability was six percentage points lower for non-Indigenous children who attended preschool than those in home-based care. It was three percentage points lower for Indigenous children who attended preschool compared with those in homebased care.

Children in home-based care had the highest risk of developmental vulnerability. For non-Indigenous children, there was a lower risk for long daycare compared to home-based care.

However, we found there were no benefits of long daycare without a preschool program for Indigenous children. This highlights the type of early childhood education and care matters.

What does all this mean?

Preschool is an important part of the ongoing strategy to ensure Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children start fulltime schooling ready to achieve their full potential.

children did not seem to benefit as much as non-Indigenous children from preschool.

Differences in their early life circumstances explained much of the gap in developmental vulnerability between Indigenous and non-Indigenous children. This suggests investments in early childhood education and care need to be considered alongside health and social services to improve the early life circumstances of Indigenous children.

Our findings reinforce the importance of the new Closing the Gap partnership with Aboriginal peak organisations to ensure Aboriginal leaders and communities are integrally involved in using data to understand, and respond to, the needs of their children and families.

A final point worth emphasising is that most Indigenous children are not developmentally vulnerable when they enter full-time schooling. This highlights areas of strength that future policies can draw upon.

This includes strategies to increase participation in preschool. We have shown this has benefits for Aboriginal children.

It also highlights the need to invest in quality, culturally appropriate preschool for Indigenous children, as Indigenous

This research would not be possible without governments facilitating access to, and links of, administrative datasets, and the ongoing contribution of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families to data collection in Australia.

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Western Teacher March 2021

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Western Teacher at 50

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Western Teacher March 2021

Western Teacher at 50

Western Teacher March 2021

25

Issues

School banking programs in spotlight The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) has conducted a review of school banking programs to determine their benefits and risks.

ASIC sought to identify why banks, schools and students engaged with these programs, whether banks assessed the impact of their programs on students’ savings habits and analysed the long-term impact on children of marketing through these programs.

The review’s key findings were as follows: • School banking programs claim to help children develop long term savings habits; however, providers were unable to demonstrate that these programs in and of themselves improved savings behaviour.

• Payments to schools for implementing school banking programs incentivised schools to encourage greater participation in the programs.

• Young children are vulnerable consumers and are exposed to sophisticated advertising and marketing tactics by school banking program providers.

• School banking program providers fail to effectively disclose that a strategic objective of these programs is customer acquisition.

ASIC regulates the deposit accounts which must be opened in order for a student to participate in these programs.

The authorised deposit-taking institutions that issue these deposit accounts must comply with their Australian financial services licence obligations, including the requirement to provide financial services efficiently, honestly and fairly.

One of ASIC’s core statutory functions is to promote confident and informed participation of consumers in the financial system.

School banking programs facilitate the establishment of bank accounts for students. These programs support arrangements for students to make ongoing deposits into those accounts at school.

ASIC is aware that a number of banks and other financial institutions also offer financial literacy education programs to schools, which are designed to build understanding of key financial concepts.

As these programs are not promoting a financial product, they were not captured in the ASIC review.

To conduct the review, ASIC:

• Engaged with school banking program providers to understand how their programs operate and analysed documents obtained from providers to understand how school banking programs are measured and evaluated.

• Engaged a consumer researcher to undertake qualitative and quantitative consumer research with school authorities, parents, and current and former students, to understand their experiences and expectations of school banking programs.

• Procured academic research, to better understand the impact on children that marketing through these programs has.

• Undertook a public consultation process seeking responses to questions on school banking programs. It received over 1,200 responses and submissions from individuals and organisations.

• Consulted state and territory education authorities to understand existing school banking programs policies and practices.

A literature review on the impact of marketing to young people was also commissioned.

Winston a worthy future teacher prospect The SSTUWA would like to extend its congratulations to former Lesmurdie Senior High School student Winston Middleton, the recipient of the school’s Future Teacher Award for 2020.

Winston is pictured, standing left, with Lesmurdie SHS the arts head of learning area Boby Markovic.

The award, sponsored by the SSTUWA, is presented to a Lesmurdie SHS student who demonstrates a passion for teaching and desire to pursue a career in education and union involvement.

Winston, who completed Year 12 last year, has an ambition to become a secondary school teacher and has demonstrated leadership skills, actively seeks feedback to improve his results and continually strives to achieve his very best.

The attributes he has displayed during his time as a student at Lesmurdie SHS will no doubt make him an outstanding teacher.

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Western Teacher March 2021

Call for 2021 nominations

Rosemary Richards Scholarship Rosemary Richards was a proud feminist, unionist and educator.

A trailblazing leader, she was committed to advancing gender equality across the AEU. In her memory, the Rosemary Richards Scholarship continues her legacy by building the capacity of women as activist and leaders.

This is an opportunity for an AEU woman member with an idea for an innovative project, research or study experience that will increase her skills and experience in the union’s work at state/territory, national or international level.

By extension, it should also support the AEU’s women members.

The Scholarship is valued at $10,000 and is intended to cover all project expenses including, but not limited to, travel, attendance at conferences, workplace visits, training and developmental opportunities, work-shadowing, research, project design and implementation.

All women AEU Branch or Associated Body members are strongly encouraged to apply.

Contact your local Women’s Officer for more information.

For more information and application forms visit sstuwa.org.au/scholarships The submission deadline for application forms is 4pm Friday, 7 May 2021.

Education and Training Centre

Education & Training Centre SSTUWA Online Learning in 2021 The SSTUWA is proud to continue to partner with the Teacher Learning Network (TLN) in Melbourne to offer members over 40 online learning events across a wide range of topics during 2021. If you are working in a regional area, find it difficult to find time to attend face-to-face professional learning events, or just prefer the comfort of your own learning space, then these online events are for you. If you choose to be part of our online learning community you will benefit from interacting with educators from all across Australia. You will also be able to download valuable handouts and resources as you participate in LIVE events. The following options will be available:

• Live 60-minute events.

• Live three-hour events.

1

Hour

60-Minute Live Events: Term Two

Tues 4 May 2.30pm

Tues 4 May 5.30pm

Tues 18 May 2.30pm

Improving Assessment Strategies in the Primary Classroom

Encouraging Positive Mental Health Practices in the Classroom

Building Rapport with Students

Tues 18 May 3pm

Tues 18 May 4pm

Tues 1 June 2.30pm

Inclusion in Early Childhood – A Cultural Focus

Understanding Indigenous Content with the Curriculum

Managing Disruptions in the Classroom

Tues 1 June 3pm

Tues 1 June 5.30pm

Tues 1 June 6pm

Mental Health for Children in Early Childhood

Strategies to Support Gifted Students

Students with Additional Learning Needs in ECE

Coby Beatson

Siobhan Hannan

Kathy Eyre 28

Western Teacher March 2021

Bernadette Sheedy

Al Fricker

Bernadette Sheedy

Josh Walker

Josh Walker

Meg Aimee

Education and Training Centre

Online Professional Learning Opportunities 1

Hour

60-Minute Live Events: Term Three

Tues 20 July 2.30pm

Tues 20 July 4pm

Tues 3 August 3pm

Managing Challenging Conversations as a Classroom Teacher

Mental Health First Aid

Managing Challenging Behaviours in Early Childhood

Tues 3 August 4pm

Tues 31 August 2.30pm

Tues 31 August 4pm

Identifying and Supporting Students with Anxiety

Managing Complex Workloads

Supporting Students Struggling with Literacy in Years 6-8

Tues 31 August 5.30pm

Tues 31 August 6pm

Supporting Students Struggling with Numeracy in Years 6-8

Transitioning Children from Early Childhood to School

Kirsty Elliot

David Vinegrad

Iain Reed

1

Hour

Bernadette Sheedy

Michael Victory

Kay Bryan

Lara Schendziel

Heidi Ratje

60-Minute Live Events: Term Four

Tues 12 October 3pm

Tues 26 October 3pm

Tues 26 October 5pm

Creating Calm Environments

Using Mindfulness and Gratitude for Yourself and Your Students

Developing Emotional Intelligence in Children

Kirsty Elliot

3

Hour

Tanya Whiteside

Heidi Ratje

Three-Hour Live Events: New and Aspiring Leaders (Holidays)

Tues 13 April 7.30am

Tues 6 July 7.30am

Tues 6 July 11am

An Introduction to Leadership

Challenging Conversations as a Leader

Instructional Leadership

Tues 28 September 7.30am

Tues 28 September 8am

Narrative Leadership

Leading for Well-Being – Your Own and Your Team

Roland Lewis

Michael Victory

Jane Langley

Jo Alford

Jess McKay

Visit sstuwa.org.au/ training Western Teacher March 2021

29

Member benefits

Member benefits Accountants and Financial Advisers Aston Accountants

10% discount on personal income tax returns for members.

sstuwa.org.au/aston

Industry Fund Services

Specialist financial products for union members.

sstuwa.org.au/ifs

LIFE Financial Planners

$1,200 off your statement of advice fee plus a free financial health check for members.

sstuwa.org.au/lifefinancial

Teacher Tax

$99 tax returns for members.

sstuwa.org.au/teachertax

TIPS Financial Services

$1,100 discount on your TIPS Transition to Retirement strategy or Retirement plan.

Exclusive to members.

sstuwa.org.au/tipsfs

Banking ME Bank

Special offers throughout the year for members. A bank built by, and for, union members.

sstuwa.org.au/mebank

Mortgages, Money and Me

Complimentary advice, property reports, finance tools and more for SSTUWA members.

sstuwa.org.au/mmme

OFX Money Transfers

When it matters, OFX it. Save with the experts in international money transfers.

sstuwa.org.au/ofx

Teachers Mutual Bank

Banking exclusively for the education community.

AutoBahn

Mechanical and electrical services.

Members receive $20 off any service or 5% off any repair.

PLE Computers Save on your IT with access to the PLE Computers academic portal.

sstuwa.org.au/autobahn

sstuwa.org.au/ple

Bayswater Mazda

The Good Guys Commercial

Exclusive offer including $500 fuel card, 4 years free service and more.

sstuwa.org.au/bayswatermazda

Bob Jane T-Marts

Online access to live discounted pricing on The Good Guys’ full range.

sstuwa.org.au/thegoodguys

National fleet pricing on a range of products and services.

Educational Resources

easifleet

A Thinking and Caring Approach. By Barrie Bennett and Peter Smilanich.

sstuwa.org.au/bobjane

Bose headphones or Bluetooth speaker, or a year’s worth of Magic Hand car washes with any easifleet procured novated lease.

sstuwa.org.au/easifleet

Fleet Network

Package your next car and save on tax.

Bonus Samsung 8” tablet or Dash Cam with vehicle delivery.

Classroom Management

sstuwa.org.au/classroommgmt

Effective Group Work Beyond Cooperative Learning. By Barrie Bennett.

sstuwa.org.au/effectivegroupwork

sstuwa.org.au/fleetnetwork

Graphic Intelligence

Hertz

Possibilities for Assessment and Instruction. By Barrie Bennett.

5-10% discount on vehicle hire in Australia, NZ, USA and Canada.

sstuwa.org.au/hertz

Motor Market by Union Shopper

You choose the car, then we find you the lowest price.

sstuwa.org.au/motormarket

Thrifty Car and Truck Rental

10% discount on vehicle hire in Australia.

sstuwa.org.au/thrifty

tyresales.com.au

sstuwa.org.au/graphicintelligence

Instructional Intelligence Building Instructional Expertise for the Classroom. An SSTUWA project in collaboration with Barrie Bennett.

sstuwa.org.au/instructionalintelligence

Teacher Superstore 5-10% discount, in store and online.

10% discount on tyres.

sstuwa.org.au/teachersuperstore

Western Motor Vehicle Consultants

Entertainment

sstuwa.org.au/tyresales We’ll find a car you’ll love. Save time and money when sourcing your next vehicle.

sstuwa.org.au/westernmotors

Computers Altronics

Adventure World Save up to $14.50 on Adventure World tickets with Westclub.

sstuwa.org.au/adventureworld

Movie tickets

sstuwa.org.au/tmbank

Build it yourself electronics centre. VIP trade discount in store and online.

Cars

sstuwa.org.au/altronics

Discounts on physical tickets (greater savings) and instant digital tickets.

Apple on Campus

sstuwa.org.au/movietickets

sstuwa.org.au/apple

Rockface

Allwest Fleet

Vehicle salary packaging – save time, money and tax. Receive a $300 gift card with your new car.

sstuwa.org.au/allwestfleet

30

Massive discounts on products and services for SSTUWA members

Western Teacher March 2021

For details visit:

Dell

Indoor rock climbing in Balcatta. $15 all day climbing pass with harness hire.

sstuwa.org.au/dell

sstuwa.org.au/rockface

Save up to 5% off selected items.

Member benefits *Terms & conditions apply.

Please visit our website for full details.

For more information visit sstuwa.org.au/benefits and the benefits tab of the SSTUWA App Food and Wine

Insurance and Legal

Campbells

ISinsured

sstuwa.org.au/campbells

sstuwa.org.au/isinsured

Access wholesale prices with a complimentary day pass.

Cellar d’Or

Best value winery tour in the Margaret River Region. 10% discount for members.

sstuwa.org.au/cellardor

Cracka Wines

7.5% off online wine orders.

sstuwa.org.au/cracka

Taste Bud Tours

Swan Valley “Speed Grazing” – 20% discount. Good Food, Wine & Cider (am) or Good Food, Wine & Beer (pm).

sstuwa.org.au/tastebudtours

Health and Wellbeing Goodlife Health Clubs

20% discount on platinum 12 month memberships. Includes access to all Goodlife Health Clubs in WA.

sstuwa.org.au/goodlife

St John

Insurance for union members. Home, contents, car, landlords.

SSTUWA Legal Services

Access to quality legal services for both work-related and personal matters.

sstuwa.org.au/legal

Teachers Health Fund

Join the thousands of teachers who have already made the switch.

sstuwa.org.au/teachershealth

Teachers Health – Travel For details visit:

sstuwa.org.au/travelinsurance

Shopping Dot Mall

BBQs, heaters and backyard kitchens.

5% discount for members.

sstuwa.org.au/dotmall

Electrical buying

Vet Products Direct 10% discount on pet products, plus advice from professionals.

sstuwa.org.au/vetpro

Travel and Accommodation Accor Hotels Great savings for teachers at Accor Hotels in the Asia Pacific region.

sstuwa.org.au/accorhotels

Choice Hotels Choice Hotels welcomes SSTUWA members with exclusive rates at locations in Australia and NZ.

sstuwa.org.au/choicehotels

Comfort Hotel Perth City Rooms from $145 per night including Light Start Breakfast for two. Located near the WACA in East Perth.

sstuwa.org.au/comfortperth

Experience Oz

First aid saves lives. Discounted first aid courses and kits for members.

Let Union Shopper find the best deal on your electrical purchases.

WA Opticians

isubscribe

sstuwa.org.au/waopticians

sstuwa.org.au/isubscribe

Forest retreat, 4-star, with indoor pool,

Jackson’s Drawing Supplies

Jacuzzi, sauna and BBQ. Adults (12

sstuwa.org.au/stjohn

20% discount on spectacle frames and lenses. Perth and East Perth.

Housing Houspect

Buy, build and invest with confidence. $50 discount on building inspections.

sstuwa.org.au/houspect

Johns Building Supplies

Trade prices on paint and painters’ hardware. Builders prices on all other hardware lines.

sstuwa.org.au/jbs

Kleenheat

In appreciation of teachers’ support of the community, Kleenheat is offering SSTUWA members bigger savings on natural gas.

sstuwa.org.au/kleenheat

SkylightsWA

Specialising in skylights and roof ventilation, servicing all regions of WA. 7% discount off selected products.

sstuwa.org.au/skylightswa

sstuwa.org.au/electricalbuying

Up to an extra 10% off any print and digital magazine subscription; over 4,000 titles.

10% discount in Jackson’s 12 shops and online.

sstuwa.org.au/jacksons

Petals Flowers & Gifts

20% off flowers and gifts. World-wide delivery available.

sstuwa.org.au/petals

Retravision

Cost plus 5% on all products. Osborne Park location only; in store or via phone.

Nation-wide delivery available.

Save 10% on over 3,000 experiences across Oz + NZ.

sstuwa.org.au/experienceoz

Inn the Tuarts Guest Lodge

years+) only. Five minutes to Busselton.

Studios and rooms. 22.5% off rack rate or best available rate.

sstuwa.org.au/innthetuarts

Jarrah Grove Forest Retreat Luxurious, self-contained accommodation in Margaret River.

Discounted rates for members.

sstuwa.org.au/jarrahgrove

sstuwa.org.au/retravision

Mandurah Houseboats

Teacher Superstore

10% discount on houseboat holidays.

5-10% discount, in store and online.

sstuwa.org.au/teachersuperstore

The Good Guys Commercial

Online access to live discounted pricing on The Good Guys’ full range.

sstuwa.org.au/thegoodguys

sstuwa.org.au/houseboats

Rottnest ferry tickets Save up to $15 on Rottnest ferry tickets with WestClub.

sstuwa.org.au/rottnest

Western Teacher March 2021

31

Classifieds

Classifieds For sale: Albany

Set on 2.2 hectares, 22km from Albany, this double story 3x1 mudbrick house has solar power and abundant rainwater.

There’s a cottage, workshop, selfcontained carriage, yoga room and orchard. School buses service both Albany and Denmark. $750,000-$820,000.

0456 702 559

For sale: Cooloongup

3x2 plus large utility room, fully powered workshop set amongst a quiet street and bushland. Large patio area and backyard for entertaining and family time. Offers from $350,000.

EOI: 0401 847 317

For sale: Dunsborough caravan

Spend holidays at Dunsborough Lakes Caravan Park in your new onsite van!

Freedom caravan with 9m hard annexe, sleeps 8. Fully refurbished inside and out - new painting, windows/security grill, concrete driveway pad with improved drainage. 16m frontage, great for boat/ jetski. WIWO. $36,000 ono.

Sharyn: 0419 908 002

Block for sale: Jurien Bay

Cowaramup (Margaret River Region) Private B&B within newly built home.

Parkland setting. Private queen bedroom, bathroom and breakfast room. Private entry and dedicated parking. 10 mins to Margaret River, Gracetown, central to wineries/breweries and beaches. $120 per night per couple including breakfast.

Lee: 0412 902 932

Denmark

700sqm fully serviced, ready to build on, one block back from beach. Close to schools, town centre, marina and recreational water activities. Perfect holiday, retiree or sea-change locale. $94,500 ono.

Peter: 0437 377 361 | westside@tower.net.au

The Rise is a modern, comfortable, 3x2 fully equipped house close to town with elevated views. Located close to Scotsdale and Mt Shadforth drives and their many tourist attractions. Stay for 7 nights and pay for 6 nights.

Bookings.denmark.com.au (property The Rise) (08) 9848 2055, 9am to 5pm

Blocks for sale: Williams

Dunsborough (Quindalup)

Two blocks of land, side-by-side, 1,000sqm each. Walking distance to shops, school and all amenities. Buy both or just one – your choice. Easy getaway, close to Perth and Boddington. $27,500 each or better deal if you snap up both.

0402 349 203

Albany (Little Grove)

Silent Grove Cottage. Self-contained two bedroom (queen/two singles) on two hectares of bushland. Undercover parking. Close to yacht club, walking/ bike trails, national park and beaches.

Teachers’ rate: $150 per night. Stay seven, get one free. www.silentgrove.iinet.net.au 9844 4950 | merron@iinet.net

Augusta

3x1 spacious holiday rental. One double, one queen, five singles. 200m from the river and town. Magnificent river views. One large living area, three sided veranda and BBQ. Provide own linen and towels. $150 per night plus $50 cleaning fee. gregrowl@iinet.net.au

Large 4x2 holiday home on Geographe Bay Rd. Swimming beach 30m away. Free use of private boat mooring. Room to park boats with boat ramp a minute away. Slow combustion wood heater and reversecycle air-con. Available all year except for leavers’ vacation. No pets.

0419 943 203 | 9448 5527 a_r_moore@bigpond.com

Dwellingup

Après Huit and Dwell Cottage provide luxury self-contained accommodation set in beautifully landscaped gardens. Can be rented separately or together. Après Huit: 2x2, main house. Dwell Cottage: 1x1, furnished in a French theme.

Robert: 0419 954 079 dwellcottage.com.au

Floreat

Studio B&B. New, stylish single room.

Fridge, kitchenette, TV, aircon in lovely peaceful Floreat house and garden. Linen, tea/coffee, continental/cooked breakfast ingredients supplied. Suit mature person wishing to enjoy quiet accommodation.

Close to city, buses, shops, hospitals and

beaches. $85 per night, min two nights.

Weekly and monthly rates available.

SMS: 0422 333 057

Fremantle

Short term accommodation in central Fremantle. Recently refurbished with all conveniences for modern living.

Townhouse has three queen-sized bedrooms plus provision for two singles.

Enjoy time in the rear garden, complete with BBQ. Secure parking for two cars, access controlled by electric gates.

9430 4458 | 0407 083 174 info@westerley.com.au

Kallaroo

Serenity Escape is a 2x1 apartment with full kitchen, offering comfort and convenience. 20 min walk to beach, 5 min drive to train station, walking distance to Whitfords Brewing Co, cinema and shops.

Toiletries, slippers and coffee machine provided. Min 2 nights. Sleeps 4, or 5 with mattress. No pets. $125/night for 3 people; $10/night per extra person.

Molly: 0428 166 559 mollysletters@gmail.com

Kalbarri

Clean, tidy, self-contained family-friendly 3x1 brick house at the top end of a quiet cul-de-sac. Sleeps 8: 2 x queen beds and 2 x bunk beds. Close to Blue Holes Beach, 15 min walk to town. kalbarriwa.net.au | 0435 845 504

Lancelin

Large 5x2 holiday home. Everything within walking distance, close to beaches and town centre. Sleeps 14. Large wrap around verandah with outdoor seating/ eating and bbq. Heaps of parking for boats or quads. $45/night/person (min 6).

Min 2 nights.

SMS: 0412 804 345

Margaret River

Two bedrooms, private, comfortable, fully

Email 50 words or fewer to editor@sstuwa.org.au with your phone and union membership numbers. Free for members.

32

Western Teacher March 2021

Classifieds

Classifieds equipped stone cottage with fireplace, located amongst the forest opposite Boranup National Park, 17km south of Margaret River on Caves Road. Close to beaches, wineries, caves and galleries. $150 per night for two people, or provide own linen and towels for $120 per night.

Russell: 0418 933 270

Mt Lawley/Dianella

Newly built 1x1 self-contained extension, furnished, with laundry, dining, lounge, kitchen and one undercover parking bay.

Aircon, TV, fridge, washing machine and microwave included. Quiet residential area close to city, buses, Galleria Morley, Mt Lawley cafe strip and Northbridge. 10 min walk to Terry Tyzack Aquatic Centre; golf course across the road. $80 per night, min two nights. $50 per night for weekly and monthly rentals.

0439 964 239 | cymbie.burgoyne@gmail.com

Northam

Renovated, self-contained 30s-style three bedroom house with beautiful river views.

Short walk across the bridges to town.

Sleeps six-eight.

Kevin: 0414 446 431

restaurants close by. Sleeps six. No dogs. stayz.com.au (property 136151) Kirsty: 0419 927 660

Tranquillity Counselling, Psychotherapy and Career Development

I provide holistic, confidential practical counselling to help you deal with an array of issues, some being: general relationship, mental health, anger issues/management, anxiety, depression, self-harm, grief and trauma, addiction, abuse, palliative care.

Milica Robinson, MCnsig&Psychthpy, GradCertCareerDev, BEd. 0422 358 187

Retirement coach

Marriage celebrant

Personalised approach to boarding your canine companion. $25 per dog – mention you’re a teacher to receive a 10 per cent discount. Located in Southern River.

Elisa: 0417 620 766 | FB: @bellyrubsboarding

Trigg

Marriage celebrant

Yallingup

Rammed earth cottage, 2x1, nestled amongst bushland. Well located, short walk to Studio Gallery Bistro, two-minute drive to Caves House. Beaches, galleries, wineries and

Learn jive, waltz, rumba, samba, tango and other dances for social events (ball, wedding, cruise, etc). A fun and easy course with quality instruction. Join with or without a partner. Melville (LeisureFit) Recreation Centre. Mondays 7.30-9pm. $118/8 weeks. Beginners’ course held every term. Term 2 starts 3 May. Stan: 9330 6737 | stan@stansdancing.com

First aid training for students

One bedroom private spa apartment in quiet Prevelly cul-de-sac. Two minute walk from beach. Suits couples. $165 per night for Western Teacher readers.

Lucy: lcartell@iinet.net.au Self contained accommodation. Kitchen, laundry, queen sized bed plus fold out double couch in lounge. Free WiFi and Netflix. Own entrance. Find us on Facebook.

Kerry: 0409 884 330 | FB: @justriggin 67justriggin@gmail.com

Learn to social dance

Are you recently retired or retiring soon?

You probably have a financial plan in place but developing a plan for the non-financial side of retirement can be as important as preparing financially. I offer support and guidance for the transition from work to retirement, helping you to find purpose and meaning in retirement. Contact me to arrange an obligation free chat. retirementcoaching01@gmail.com Marriage celebrant with 12 years of experience, working in the Peel, South West and Perth areas. Specialising in creating personalised ceremonies for couples at their chosen wedding location.

I’d love to help you plan your special day!

Meridith: 0400 312 535 meri.lake4@gmail.com

Prevelly

will help you design an unforgettable and uniquely personal ceremony.

Mary: 0418 906 391 maryburke40@hotmail.com

Heart Centered Ceremonies for couples wanting a personalised wedding. Lee will help you design your dream wedding – a memorable occasion. Mention this ad to receive a discount.

Lee: 0404 655 567 leehalligancelebrant.com.au

Marriage celebrant

Experienced professional celebrant available, all areas. Formal or informal, large or small weddings. A Beautiful Ceremony

St John Ambulance WA offers free first aid training to all school aged students, ranging from Triple 000 Hero for kindergarten students to Road Trauma First Aid for secondary school students.

Courses are curriculum mapped.

9334 1259 | youth@stjohnambulance.com.au

Belly Rubs Boarding Kennels

Macramé is the new yoga

I'm a teacher running small group macramé classes in a cosy home studio.

Join me and discover the power of mindfulness as you learn to engage your mind and your hands in a fun supportive environment. It's a powerful way to calm a busy mind. marcia@knotinlove.com.au

Teaching resources: Italian & French Italian and French teaching resources, free to anyone who may be able to use them.

Lots of unit curriculum and other themed topics with worksheets and activities.

Melinda: 0435 579 206

Western Teacher March 2021

33

Noticeboard

Noticeboard

Email to editor@sstuwa.org.au

Join the RTA choir as our conductor

Retired Teachers’ Association We continue to need a conductor for the choir. The room is attractive, the singers cheerful, the parking free, and morning tea welcome.

Literature is to begin on Monday 12 April at 11.30am, to talk about the contemporary Australian novel Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton.

The following talk on 3 May will

State Council Conference Members/branches wishing to submit motions for June State Council must do so by 5pm Thursday 1 April.

Items for November State Council must be received by 5pm Friday 24 September.

feature favourite poems of Clive James.

If you’re interested, or for more information, contact SSTUWA reception: (08) 9210 6000 contact@sstuwa.org.au

Ann Strauss: 0458 625 520

Global Action Week for Education

Earth Day 2021

Global Action Week is one of the major focal points for the education movement. This year it is scheduled to be held from 26-30 April. It provides every national and regional education campaign with an opportunity to highlight one area of the Education For All agenda and make targeted efforts to achieve change on the ground, with the added support of education campaigners and millions of members of the public worldwide joining together for the same cause. For more information visit: bit.ly/3ieN1bn

Globally Earth Day is marked on 22 April and commemorates the birth of the modern environmental movement in 1970. The day is used to promote environmental protection, clean living and a healthy sustainable habitat for humans and the natural forms of life we share the planet with. For more information visit earthday.org

Level 3 Classroom Teachers’ Association

IDAHOBIT 2021 International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Interphobia & Transphobia (IDAHOBIT) falls on 17 May. It celebrates LGBTIQ+ people globally and raises awareness for the work still needed.

It marks the day in 1990 when the World Health Organisation removed homosexuality from the Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems. Celebrate IDAHOBIT in your home, school, university and workplace. For more resources and information visit idahobit.org.au

SSTUWA committee meeting dates:

Early Childhood Educators’ TAFE Committee Committee

2021 meeting dates: Saturdays, 10.30am-noon at the SSTUWA premises Term 2

Term 3

Term 4

22 May

21 August

27 Nov (AGM)

Venue subject to change. Visit www.l3cta.org.au for venue information and to confirm attendance, or email contact@l3cta.org.au

Venue: SSTUWA office | Contact: (08) 9210 6000 or contact@sstuwa.org.au Teleconference facilities are available

International Committee

LGBTIQ Committee

Time: 4.15pm

Time: 5pm

Time: 4.30pm

Time: 4pm

2021 dates TBC

22 April 21 October 20 May 18 November 17 June 16 December 22 July 19 August 16 September

2021 dates TBC

2021 dates TBC

Women’s Committee

ATSIE Committee

Time: 3.45pm

Time: 4pm

2021 dates TBC

2021 dates TBC

New Educator Committee Time: 4.15pm 15 June 7 September

34

The Retired Teachers’ Association choir is in search of a conductor.

The AGM was on Wednesday 24 March at 10am. The speaker was a representative of the Smith Family charity. Lunch was provided.

23 November

Western Teacher March 2021

We’ve got you covered

It’s 2021 and we’ve got you covered Expert advice at your fingertips | Access to Teachers Health Fund Support when you need it | Journey Accident Cover insurance Huge savings on professional development | Member benefit discounts

Tell a friend and win!

Encourage a colleague to join the SSTUWA during Term 1 and you’ll both go into the prize draw when they sign up.

Join at sstuwa.org.au/join Second prize

First prize

$500

$300

each

each

Third prize

$200 each

Fourth prize

Choice of Barrie

Bennett book

Ts & Cs apply. Visit sstuwa.org.au/joincomp for full details.

We’ve made a promise.

To be there for the educators, the inspirers and the nurturers.

2

Western Teacher

December 2020

To find out more about what we can do for you, head to teachershealth.com.au/promise

Western Teacher March 2021

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