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Education & training

Bold changes

An education union has called for bold changes in the way the South Australian Education Department manages education across the state, particularly in country schools. Australian Education Union (SA Branch) president Andrew Gohl says for over a decade, governments have banked on the goodwill of educators to keep their system running ... the Department’s own Country Education Strategy highlighted several areas that needed improvement, including the attraction and retention of staff, incentives, access to student support services, country housing, and conditions.

New soil practitioner accreditation hits the ground running: DAFF

Farmers and land managers can have more confidence in soil practitioner knowledge thanks to a new $1 million accreditation funded by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. The Registered Soil Practitioner (RSP) accreditation, which was developed by Soil Science Australia in collaboration with soil scientists, industry, government and land and natural resource managers, opened for applications on 22 May.

Combined schools cross country

The claypan flat at Yeovil was the place to be on a typical Wilcannia autumn day, giving the students and staff from Wilcannia Central School and St Therese’s School a perfect setting for the first combined schools cross country event ... Primary kids only had to run 1k, secondary had a 4k slog, well most of them did.

Crying out for accessible care

Australia needs a high-quality, universally accessible and affordable early learning childcare system, according to Thrive by Five. The organisation is calling on federal and state governments to reform early learning and child care to benefit more families and early education staff.

Costs of transitioning to net zero emissions under future climates

Assoc. Professor Matthew Harrison presents the results of a comprehensive study on the costs of transitioning farming systems across Australia to net zero emissions using a range of practical models. The study found that there are multiple pathways to net zero.

Anderson ramps up push to bring local control back to TAFE

Member for Tamworth Kevin Anderson is continuing his push for greater local control and decision making in TAFE campuses across the New England Northwest. Mr Anderson said the community and local teachers had raised concerns with the lack of local control and the local decision-making process in our region, with local businesses expressing frustration with the disconnect between class offerings and the needs of the business community.

Students join UNESCO in global eDNA research

On 14th of February 2023, 20 students aged 8 to 11 years old from Lord Howe Island became marine scientists for the day. In doing so, they joined UNESCO’s global environmental DNA research initiative that is being rolled out across 25 marine World Heritage sites to better understand ocean biodiversity and the impacts of climate change.

Rex Minerals identifies new resource

Patrick Goldsmith. Rex Minerals and the state government will work to deliver a long-term plan assisting students from across Yorke Peninsula to enter the resource sector. The resources pathway program will be hosted by Ardrossan Area School from next year, with students invited to attend a career awareness day in June to learn more.

Beanies may be a life changer

This is the ninth consecutive year of the FightMND movement, and for this year, for teacher Kim Griffiths and the Year 12 Donald High School girls, it’s personal. Tony Goode was a vital part of the heart of the school. For this year, as it was last year, the funds raised from the FightMND beanies and socks will be in honour of him.  

Raising cyber safety awareness across regional NSW: Dib

From the historic streets of Bathurst to the outback city of Broken Hill, people across regional NSW will be empowered with knowledge about how to keep their identity secure as ID Support NSW visits eight regional communities from 30 May until 28 June. Following a successful roadshow along the Northern NSW coast last year which saw more than 400 people attend, ID Support NSW is engaging more communities to help improve their identity, privacy, and cyber security awareness.

New app ‘RiversNearMe’ provides timely river level data: Charles Sturt University

A Charles Sturt University researcher has developed a mobile phone app that provides information about NSW river levels in a 50-kilometre radius from the user. The ‘RiversNearMe’ app was developed by Dr Darren Yates, a postdoctoral research scientist in the Charles Sturt School of Computing, Mathematics and Engineering and in the Charles Sturt Gulbali Institute of Agriculture, Water and Environment.

Deadly Hair Dude opens salon in Tennant

There is no more excuse for split ends in Tennant Creek any more, with the new opening of the Deadly Hair Dude's new salon in town. Hairdresser Gary Strachan has been working hard with RN Employment to open the salon for two weeks each month both as a training opportunity for locals and a service to the community with the aim it will eventually become a sustainable local business.

Battling youth offending

With existing measures seemingly having minimal effect on perpetrators of youth crime, a 24/7 youth co-responder team was introduced to Toowoomba last weekend in an effort make a positive difference. In Toowoomba to launch the team last Saturday, new Youth Justice Minister Di Farmer said it was one of five new co-responder teams being established across Queensland, alongside Mount Isa, Hervey Bay, South Brisbane and Ipswich.

Trainee pilots visit Nhill

Over the past month, eleven planes from ‘Flight Training Adelaide’ have flown into Nhill. The pilots are all trainees from Hong Kong, sponsored by Cathay Pacific Airlines. Flying Austrian-built Diamond Star aircraft, with their 180 hp Lycoming engines, the pilots have been doing flying navigation exercises, learning to use maps rather than GPS technology.

Asbestos found at local schools

Vale View State School, Bunker’s Hill State School and Harristown State High School are among 287 state schools across Queensland where there were asbestos-related incidents last year. Minister For Education Grace Grace said in all schools where asbestos is found, the Department of Education sends a letter to parents and caregivers advising what precautions have been implemented in response to the incident.

Former Broncos star pays visit

Wyreema State School students last Wednesday had a treat as former Brisbane Broncos and Queensland Maroons rugby league player Andrew McCullough visited the school. Andrew, who retired only last year after a 309 game career, ran a league skill session with a selection of students.

Top turtle queries from students on World Turtle Day

From kindergarten to high school, Sunshine Coast students are turtle-y in love with turtles ... “Hatchlings are the most popular topic with the kids wanting to know if they can breathe under the sand, how they get out of the nest, what happens if they get left behind and if a mother turtle can find the hatchlings if the nest is relocated": Leisa Baldwin.

Nhill shows support for do it for Dolly Day

Friday 12 May is Do It For Dolly Day, a national day dedicated to bringing the community together, spreading kindness and uniting in taking a stand against bullying. One in four Australian school students between years 4 and 9 are being bullied. One in seven of them won’t tell anyone. That’s over 340,000 young people staying silent.

Long serving school principal retires

Dr Shaun Kanowski has announced his intention to retire at the end of the School Term. We put some questions to him ... "Since arriving in Allora, I have noticed significant changes in the last 22 years ... Something that has never changed in my time at Allora, is the strong sense of community that is instantly apparent when you come to the best little town on the downs."

National Simultaneous Storytime

Lockyer Valley Libraries will participate in National Simultaneous Storytime later this month. The event, to be held at the Gatton Library on Wednesday 24 May, is an annual campaign  by the  Australian Library and Information Association  (ALIA) that encourages young children to read and enjoy books.  

College warmly welcomes new Principal

The Hamilton and Alexandra College is pleased to welcome Mr Michael Horne as the 39th Principal in the school’s 151-year history. Mr Horne is an experienced educational leader and was most recently Associate Principal at Braemar College in Woodend, Victoria. Prior to this role, was Head of Senior School at Braemar College, and has held senior leadership positions including Deputy Principal at Salesian College and Ave Maria College.

Charles Sturt leads international collaboration exploring positive emotion in Thoroughbred horses

Charles Sturt University academics are collaborating on an international project to investigate how racehorses express positive emotions in their interaction with humans. Researchers from Charles Sturt, EITITe Pūkenga in New Zealand and Hartpury University in the United Kingdom have secured funding from the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) Equine Welfare Foundation for the three-year study.

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