December 2018 Newsletter
Dear Colleagues,
Let me take this opportunity to wish you a merry Christmas and happy new year on behalf of myself and everyone at PIEFA.
2018 was an exciting year for food and fibre education generally and PIEFA specifically. In relation to PIEFA the highlights have been the inclusion of the website www.careerharvest.com.au as part of our suite of offerings and the expansion of our network to include over 1000 schools nationally. PIEFA is also very pleased to see the growing success of many, many other food and fibre education related programs and it gives us great pleasure to continue to support and promote these via all our platforms.
PIEFA has also believed that we can only succeed of everyone succeeds and we are always happy to support others in their endeavours. Please contact me at ceo@piefa.edu.au to discuss partnership opportunities.
2019 represents another year of opportunities and challenges. There is undoubtedly a growing interest in food and fibre education, especially in relation to the technology and science involved in producing our food. The Tech Mandatory program for year 7 and 8 students in NSW is great to see and PIEFA looks forward to continuing the discussion in other jurisdictions to see how we can support all students in Australia to learn about from where their food comes.
2019 will also see the commencement of state-based Primezone workshops which will allow PIEFA members and our network of stakeholders to directly engage with teachers across the country. South Australia, Victoria, Queensland and the Northern Territory are the first states in 2019 with the remainder to be included in 2020 and beyond. Follow our website and social media for more information.
In the meantime, as always, happy reading!
Ben Stockwin, CEO, PIEFA
In this newsletter:
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Send us your news!
If you would like to submit a news item for the next edition please email info@piefa.edu.au. |
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CQU’s first cohort of agriculture students graduate
Congratulations to Central Queensland University’s (CQU) first cohort of Bachelor of Agriculture graduates (and to their friendly steer Gilbert, pictured below). It is encouraging and wonderful to see stories like that of CQU graduate Dana Walkington who has found a job in the agriculture sector straight out of university.
PIEFA was founded to help turn around the decline in the number of students in agricultural career pathways and schools offering agricultural courses and hopefully with Career Harvest, Primezone and the fantastic work of so many teachers and members of the agricultural industry working together we will see many more stories just like this. READ MORE ABOUT DANA
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Join us at the Food, Fibre and Agriculture Educators Conference
AgForce Queensland's School to Industry Partnership Program (SIPP) presents the Food, Fibre and Agriculture Educators Conference in January 2019 to provide professional development for teachers and agriculture assistants interested in agriculture, science and technology. PIEFA is presenting a plenary session on Career Harvest and we hope to see you there! REGISTER NOW
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Great workshop opportunity for school wine makers
If your school is one of the 82 across Australia that has a wine growing program and you’re keen to prepare your students for a career in the wine industry, join Primezone and Wine Australia at the Food, Fibre and Agriculture Educators Conference for a workshop on 14 January 2019 about how to safely include wine making in your school program. The session will be co-presented by 2017 Wine Maker of the Year, Mike Hayes who has extensive experience in supporting schools and universities to explore wine production. All are welcome. REGISTER NOW
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Knowing and Growing professional development program launched
The Royal Agricultural Society (RAS) of NSW and the NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) have been supported by PIEFA to roll out a program of specially designed teacher professional development workshops. The program is called Knowing and Growing (K&G) and aims to support teachers and prepare them to teach about food and fibre, especially if they have never been on a farm themselves. FIND OUT MORE
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Farm virtual reality: K-12 Geography, History, Science and Technologies
The recent addition of virtual reality videos to the NSW DPI's Tocal Virtual Farm makes it a resource for people of all ages to experience and understand where their food and fibre come from and farming practices. VIEW RESOURCE
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Yabbies: Years 7 and 8 Science and Technologies
This unit of work provides students with the opportunity to investigate the importance of aquaculture production to our society through focusing on Australian freshwater crayfish production. VIEW RESOURCE
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2019 scholarships available
Numerous scholarships for undergraduate and postgraduate university students interested in a career in agriculture are still open for applications until early 2019. For a full list of these opportunities visit CAREER HARVEST.
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Horticulture Innovation internship program
Horticulture Innovation Australia has identified a need to build capacity in people in the horticultural industry to ensure the development of future industry leaders. Scholarships are now available which will allow selected students to target internships in the horticultural industry. FIND OUT MORE
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Bendigo and Adelaide Bank scholarships for rural and regional students
For first time university students starting in 2019 and coming from a rural or regional area, Bendigo and Adelaide Bank scholarships are available to help with the cost of study. FIND OUT MORE
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RuralBiz regional and remote scholarships for Diploma of Agriculture
RuralBiz Training are pleased to offer two scholarships for regional and remote students wishing to study the AHC50116 Diploma of Agriculture. These scholarships cover the full course fee of $11,000. Applications close 31 January 2019. FIND OUT MORE
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The Crawford Fund 2019 Student Awards
The Crawford Fund is an Australian non-government organisation that encourages greater recognition in Australia of the importance of international agricultural research, development and training for food and nutrition security. Part of its efforts focus on encouraging the next generation of researchers and research funding awards are now available. FIND OUT MORE
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Love your forests and win a trip to Rome
The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) is offering teachers from around the world the chance to win a trip to Rome for International Day of Forests. Send a short video before 31 January 2019 about how you teach future generations about the importance of forests for your chance to win. FIND OUT MORE
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Young agricultural innovators to take the stage
Ten young innovative Australians with a passion for agriculture have been selected to take part in the inaugural international agrifood technology event evokeAG, presented by AgriFutures Australia. On stage in Melbourne in February 2019 these bright young minds will tackle agricultural sustainability and exposing metropolitan dwellers to the everyday operations of farms.
FIND OUT MORE
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Congratulations to National #AgDay Careers Competition winners
Congratulations to Tom Ramsey, Hamish MacClure and Joshua Carpenter, winners of the 2018 National #AgDay Careers Competition. The competition was a partnership between Career Harvest, Little Brick Pastoral and Art4Agriculture and all the entries and their use of LEGO farmer photos were inspirational, as was reading through the imagined 'day in the life' of a future career in agriculture. VIEW WINNERS
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NAAE constitutional review
The National Association of Agriculture Educators (NAAE) constitution is now open for comment by members and can be found on NAAE website here. Please email any comments, in the form of reworded clauses, to naaeexecutive@gmail.com. |
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VAAHE Annual Conference next March
The Victorian Association of Agricultural and Horticultural Educators (VAAHE) is holding its 25th Annual Conference from 13 to 15 March 2019 at the University of Melbourne’s Institute of Land and Food Resources, Dookie College Campus. Visit Facebook to FIND OUT MORE
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Extended Agricultural Investigation example
Provided by the Queensland Agriculture Teachers Association (QATA) is an case study of an exemplary Extended Agricultural Investigation from Clare Lowe, a student from Tully State High School. Clare's work is a great example of the work being produced by Queensland students in their senior studies and Clare has gone on to be awarded agricultural scholarships. The example is available on the PIEFA website or you can download it HERE.
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Epic turtle sculpture at NT primary school wins NRM award
Congratulations to Anula Public School in the Northern Territory for winning a 2018 NT Natural Resource Management Award for their Anula Turtle Project, the creation of a large sculptural turtle made from the schools’ fallen timber during cyclone Marcus. FIND OUT MORE
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Wool4School 2019 registrations now open
Registrations are now open for the 2019 edition of Wool4School. Free lesson plans have been created in line with each state’s curriculum, and the Wool4School Teacher Booklet allows teachers to easily adapt the lessons for their students. The first 350 teachers to register will receive a free resource pack, filled with fabric samples and more. FIND OUT MORE
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Cheesemaking on the menu at Tasmanian schools
Senior students at New Town High School in Hobart have been learning how to make a selection of fresh cheeses as part of their Design and Technologies – Food and fibre production studies. FIND OUT MORE
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HSC student's invention saving the lives of fishers
With a passion for fishing, Isaac Heagney, from St Columba Anglican School in Port Macquarie, NSW, has spent his HSC year developing an invention that could help save the lives of rock fishers who end up in the water. Isaac won the national title of Rural Young Scientist for his emergency alert invention.
READ MORE
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Kempsey students pitch problem-solving ideas to Sydney
As part of their school agriculture program two Kempsey High School students have created new sensor technology that could revolutionise the livestock industry. Ellie Prior and Freya Weismantel travelled to Sydney to pitch their innovative design for a cattle feed bin sensor to a panel of industry experts. Story from The Land. READ MORE
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Ag STEM robotics for rural schools
A two-year Ag STEM robotics program, funded by the NSW Government, will be delivered to rural schools in 2019 and 2020. The program uses the Digital Farmhand, a small agriculture robotic platform, to teach students about robotics and coding in an agriculture problem based learning context. Watch the video to FIND OUT MORE
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Have your say - Australian STEM report
The 2018 Australian STEM report highlights the progress, challenges and opportunities in the Australian STEM ecosystem. If you are an educator, student, parent or STEM supporter, please help Refraction Media measure perceptions, choices and opinions around STEM. It takes just 3 minutes and you could win one of five prize packs. FIND OUT MORE |
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Making connections between schools and agrifood
The East Gippsland Food Cluster is calling for expressions of interest from schools, teachers and agriculture and food businesses to participate in an innovative project to support making effective connections between the agrifood industry and schools. For more information email Dr Nicola Watts.
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New book from George the Farmer
The fifth picture story book in George the Farmer series, Harvest Hiccup, has just been released. 50 cents from the sale of each of these Australian made books will be put towards creating free curriculum-aligned agricultural resources for Pre-School to Year 4. FIND OUT MORE
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CoralWatch teacher professional development
CoralWatch, a project based at the University of Queensland, is offering a four-day practical teacher professional development program in March 2019 on Lady Elliot Island, focusing on coral biology, reef health and threats, coral bleaching, citizen science and the importance of reef conservation. For more information contact workshop coordinator Diana Kleine.
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Jillaroo and jackaroo school
Hay Inc Rural Education is calling for the next cohort of students for its jillaroo and jackaroo school. Since 2014, Hay Inc has been providing hands-on training that is delivered by industry experts, volunteer farmers and rural trainers to give participants great skills and tips on how to be a farmer. Story from The Land. READ MORE
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PIEFA gratefully acknowledges the continued support of its members
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Thank you also to our associate members
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