Online Conference 11 October - save the date!
Our theme this year is "Recipes for Great Schools".
The Conference will be officially opened by the Deputy Premier and Minister for Education & Minister for Mental Health, the Hon. James Merlino.
Details and brochure coming soon.
|
|
Joan Kirner Award 2021
The Joan Kirner Award is an annual award given to a Member Parent Club, Parent, or Individual Member* who has demonstrated, encouraged, or facilitated parent or family engagement in their school. Parents and Parent Clubs have faced multiple challenges from the Covid-19 pandemic this year, and we know that many have risen to the challenge.
The awards will be presented virtually as part of our Online Conference on Monday 11 October.
Nominations
Nominations are now open, and will close at midnight on Friday 10 September.
Nominations should be emailed to the Parents Victoria office.
*If nominating a Parents Victoria Individual Member, the nominee must be a parent at the nominated school and their contribution must be in the capacity of a volunteer.
Photo: Education Minister James Merlino at last year's "Brave New World" Online Conference, announcing the Joan Kirner Award winner: Catherine Kirby from Sandringham College.
|
|
Protection of School Communities Bill
As reported in our last edition, Parents Victoria has concerns about the Education and Training Reform Amendment (Protection of School Communities) Bill 2021, which was passed by the Victoria Parliament on 28 June.
PV advocacy
PV successfully engaged a number of our Members of Parliament in regard to this Bill and this experience did demonstrate the importance of our parliamentary process.
PV contacted the cross benchers in the Legislative Council to draw people’s attention to our concerns, as many people had not considered the on-the-ground repercussions (unintended consequences) or further impacts on the workforce and the relationships of schools and families. As a result, the Bill did not move as quickly through the Legislative Council as others expected on 22 June. PV wishes to acknowledge Samantha Ratnum (The Greens) for asking questions and moving amendments in order to introduce additional safeguards. These included reporting measures and stronger internal review provisions; however the amendments were not successful.
|
|
Free offer: Family memoir project
Hopefully you would have received a special email about the Chapters of Our Lives project last week. Chapters of Our Lives is an online course that will guide your child through the process of interviewing family members and creating a family memoir. Normally the course costs $200 but Parents Victoria is funding a limited number of free places for our subscribers. Click the button below to see the original email and take us up on the offer!
|
|
School zone changes
The Herald-Sun reported recently on a zone change for Albert Park College that now excludes many families who were previously within the zone.
PV sought clarification from the Department of Education and was provided with the following statement:
“The Department reviews school zones annually to consider the opening of new schools, changing demographics and community feedback. Updated school zones are published on the Findmyschool website in Term 1 each year. Changes to school zones are minimised to provide consistency and clarity to schools and their communities.
This year Findmyschool was updated on 30 March to allow parents and carers to continue to have the latest information on the school zone they live in. The website allows families to find their closest government school and other nearby government schools, giving families clarity on what their options are.
Findmyschool shows the school zones for enrolment in the current academic year (2021) and the school zones for enrolment in the following academic year (2022), including the school zones for the 14 new schools and campuses opening in 2022.
Every child has the right to enrol at their designated neighbourhood government school or, if there is capacity, at another government school of their choice. No student currently enrolled in a school will be required to change schools.”
Get advice
Always use the Find my School website to check school zones, rather than relying on advice from real estate agents or other websites.
Parents Victoria staff are in regular contact with the Education Department about this and many other issues - we suggest you talk to the school first if zoning is a problem for you, and contact our office if you need further advice.
|
|
Community events at Whittington Primary
This Success Story is from Melissa Hutchinson, President of the Parents and Friends group at Whittington Primary School in Geelong. Melissa has not one but two stories to share with us.
Fundraising barbecue
Our first successful story is our Bunnings fundraiser. We all had tasks to do and we advocated on behalf of the P&F to gain community connections and support within the community sector. We were able to receive many donations from our community.
As an acknowledgment for these donations we were able to provide them with free advertising. Our BBQ day was a huge success. With teachers and parents working together we had the most wonderful day. We were blessed to receive more than enough funds to help us set our goals for the year ahead.
Mothers Day Stall
The next successful event was a Mothers Day stall. With the extra funds, our committee decided to fund a gift bag full of goodies for all the children. We see that the children in our area are from very low income families so a lot of people can’t afford to buy anything special for their caregivers and mothers.
We set up the hall as a stall. We filled the place with balloons, posters and very pretty tablecloths. At one end was the tea and coffee bags, at the other was chocolates. Each child came through with their bag and chose each item to put in.
To them it was like an actual stall. The look on their faces was priceless; it was so beautiful and exciting as they got to pick something for their mums.
The future
We as a committee saw this day as a huge success. We all loved being involved and very blessed to be able to give back to our community. The feedback from this stall has been all positive and it’s very exciting to see what the P&F will do in future.
We love our school community and we all love to build up each other’s skills and leadership. We are all growing and learning more about our roles and committee development. We are all willing to learn more.
|
|
Careers webinar follow-up: Q & A
Our "Supporting your child on their career journey" webinar in May provided lots of valuable information for the parents who attended, and here's a bonus follow-up: a transcript of the Q & A session.
The questions cover school based career education, work experience, gap years, gaining life skills for students and post-school course selection.
Here's just one example:
Q: How can parents be included in their children’s career discussions and what is the opportunity for parents to provide a feedback loop to the school?
A: Parents often have good insights into their child’s areas of interest that would be valuable in career conversations and schools should encourage parents to participate in their child’s career exploration and journey. Parents can contact their child’s careers practitioner and request a meeting (face to face or online) with their child present to discuss their child’s course and career options. If their child has undertaken the Morrisby Assessment at school, parents are welcome to attend the unpacking session with their child, where they are taken through their Morrisby Profile report, and are provided with a demonstration of how to utilise the online version of the report.
|
|
Free career advice from myfuture
myfuture is a free government-funded service, supported by industry, that supports students to develop the skills and confidence to make more informed career decisions.
Students can learn more about themselves, explore career opportunities, and expand their knowledge about the world of work.
It's a secure and private space, and they can explore at their own pace.
myfuture gives free access to trusted, impartial and reliable career information based on research and evidence.
|
|
Department policy on school levies
We know that in the second half of the year, schools will be requesting payments from parents for the 2022 school year. The Education Department (DET) has extensive policy documentation about what schools can and can't charge for. The Department web page is headed "Parent Payments" but we prefer to call these payments "levies". Over the next few issues of Parents Voice, we'll be highlighting several important aspects of the DET policy.
Free education in government schools
The DET Policy and Advisory Library states that, "All students in Victorian government schools must have free access to instruction that is offered by a school to fulfil the curriculum requirements in the eight key learning areas of the Victorian Curriculum F-10, the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) and the Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL)." The policy further states that schools cannot
deny students access to the standard curriculum program or disadvantage students because payments have not been made, nor can they request payments from parents for school operating costs, or general and unspecified charges (for example, subject levies).
Questions?
If you have any questions regarding a levy request from your school for the 2022 school year, you can:
|
|
Family engagement: lessons from the ACT
We know that genuine, meaningful engagement between schools and families gives great results for children and school communities. This research report, released in 2017, tells the story - or rather, lots of stories, from schools in the ACT. One of the case studies is Isabella Plains Early Childhood School, which keeps its community engaged with parent workshops, a Class Connect program, lots of social events and celebrations, a family engagement app and a parents' association. There are plenty more inspiring stories like this in the report. It's titled In Their Words: ACT Schools Share Their Parent Engagement Practice and it's published by the Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth (ARACY).
|
|
'Green Room' at Frankston Primary
Frankston Primary School recently announced a new initiative in its newsletter: a "Green Room" for students who are struggling with anxiety or other issues that cause them to need a bit of voluntary 'time out'. The purpose of the room is "to create an environment that is supportive and assists students to self-regulate by offering a calm, peaceful, relaxing and non-threatening space to settle with the intention of returning to the playground".
Our view
We applaud Frankston Primary School leadership and staff for the Green Room initiative and also for providing informative and practical wellbeing information in the school newsletter to support parents and carers, including conversation starters and wellbeing activities. It's terrific when schools know their families and make spaces and places to connect, support and help the children to be at their best.
Schools leading with care and compassion get a big tick from Parents Victoria!
|
|
Australian Curriculum Review submission
As we have reported in our last 2 issues, the Australian Curriculum is under review by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA). The public consultation period is now closed. Parents Victoria made a submission to the Review. In our submission, we said that,"...a quality 21st century curriculum needs to focus on an inclusive, equitable, relatable education. Students need to see themselves reflected in the curriculum, and to see the relevance to their future lives in their learning."
Parents Victoria also supports the submission made by ACSSO, which makes some excellent points about Cross-Curriculum Priorities, Sustainability and Civics and Citizenship, among other topics.
|
|
Australian Primary Principals Day
On Friday, 6 August 2021, the Australian Primary Principals Association (APPA) invites you to acknowledge the dedication and contribution that your Primary School Principal makes to your school community.
During the COVID lockdown periods, we have all developed a new appreciation of the value of schools in their local community and in their students’ lives.
The Association suggests that school communities might like to take a moment to consider your principal’s unique place in your school community and use Australian Primary Principals Day as an opportunity to say thank you.
Some ideas on how to celebrate this day are a celebratory morning tea, a few words of thanks at assembly, a parent saying thanks or a small card or picture from the students. Any acknowledgement on this day will go a long way in reminding Principals why they love doing what they do and assure them of your appreciation and support.
|
|
Consultation for senior secondary reform
Engage Victoria is currently providing an opportunity for parents to have a say on the transformation of senior secondary schooling for Victorian students.
As our economy and society change, senior secondary education is changing too. Vocational education, careers education and certification are all changing, and the Victorian Government is inviting parents and other stakeholders to comment on a wide range of topics related to these changes.
|
|
Get active vouchers
The Get Active Kids Voucher Program helps eligible families get their kids involved in organised sport and recreation activities by reimbursing the cost of membership and registration fees, uniforms and equipment. Round 2 has been extended until 30 July.
|
|
|
School grants now open
Schools Plus is a national not-for-profit that helps children who are facing disadvantage succeed at school.
Applications for their Smart Giving grants are now open.
Eligible schools can lodge a simple application for a chance to be matched with a donor who will provide funding for a project designed to improve student outcomes. The grants provide funding of up to $30,000 for individual schools or $60,000 for clusters of 4-10 schools.
Eligibility
To be eligible, schools must have a value below 1000 on the Index of Community Socio-Educational Advantage (ICSEA).
Applications are open until Friday 20 August,
The Schools Plus website has guidelines, a video and an interactive map to check your school's eligibility.
|
|
Public Education Foundation scholarships
The Public Education Foundation has a range of scholarships to help young people at public schools reach their potential.
What does a scholarship provide?
- Financial support: Funds for educational goals such as tutoring, school supplies, laptops, school excursions and incidental fees. The amount depends of the scholarship. They may be multi-year or single year scholarships.
- Academic support: For school scholarships, the Foundation works with teachers and principals to ensure ongoing support and mentoring for scholarship recipients, plus amazing tutoring support from our friends at Studiosity.
- Awards ceremony: A formal acknowledgement of recipient achievement at the annual Public Education Awards Ceremony in Sydney.
Deadlines
- Scholarships for students moving on to tertiary education in 2022 will close on 3 August 2021.
- Scholarships for secondary school students will close on 14 September 2021.
- Scholarships for primary school students will close on 21 September 2021.
|
|
Mentoring and support for senior students
The Australian Business and Community Network (ABCN) is a not-for-profit organisation that brings businesses and schools together to address educational disadvantage.
Their Accelerate scholarship program supports exceptional Year 10 students facing economic, family or social challenges that impact their studies or capacity to achieve their tertiary pathway.
Through the program, students will receive support from a dedicated corporate mentor who assists them in setting goals and developing valuable workplace skills.
Students will also receive $7000 in financial assistance over a three-year period, from Year 11 to their first year of tertiary education or training.
Applications must be submitted by the school principal on behalf of the student, with one application per student.
Applications for the Accelerate program close on 20 August.
|
|
Our inspiring rural young people
One of PV's longest-standing Member Clubs is at Ouyen P-12 School, so we were interested to see one of their former students featured on the Rural Inspire website recently.
After finishing school, Xavier Healy went on to study Arts at the University of Melbourne and now works as a policy advisor at the Victorian Parliament. On the Rural Inspire page, Xavier tells his story and offers lots of reflections and advice on schooling, tertiary education and the value of life experience gained through working, volunteering and travelling.
|
|
Want to share our content?
Some of the articles in this newsletter may be of interest to your school community. Please feel free to copy and shere articles in your school newsletter or other communication channels.
|
|
|
|
|
|
