The 20 Seed Funding Award winners for 2009 were announced on 7 September. Full list with project descriptions is at http://www.schoolsfirst.edu.au/sf-2009-awards-winners/index.phps.

The Local Impact Award winners in each state/territory will be announced between 24 September and 13 October. The State Impact Award winners in each state/territory will be announced between 22 and 29 October. Read the full schedule of winner announcements at http://www.schoolsfirst.edu.au/sf-stories/announcement-of-schools-first-award-winners.phps.

Read more at http://www.schoolsfirst.edu.au/

In last month’s newsletter, you may have read an article by Danielle Cronin , Executive Director of the Council of Catholic School Parents NSW/ACT.

Since then, Ms Cronin has been a guest on ABC Radio National’s Life Matters program, where she talked more about her views on parental involvement in schools: the search for true engagement where parents are partners in education, alongside teachers.

Listen online or download audio in MP3 format: http://www.abc.net.au/rn/lifematters/stories/2009/2638962.htm

The website emphasises the value of locally relevant and sustainable whole school approaches that address individual, environmental and psychological dimensions of behaviour, including discrimination on the basis of race, gender, sexuality, ability and socioeconomic class.

Features include The Issues – an exploration of the underlying factors, an Ideas box of practical activities, Profiles of people who have made a difference, Forums for teachers, parents and students and a Chill out space with activities for young people.

BNW also has an e-bulletin which is posted to subscribers on a monthly basis. It highlights useful research, resources and additions to the Bullying. No way! website, as well as what’s happening around Australia’s Government, Catholic and Independent education sectors.

Visit the home page to sign up and also to view previous editions: http://www.bullyingnoway.com.au

Most of us don’t need 40 years of research to tell us that parent involvement is important for children’s success at school and in life. Involvement in your child’s education can take many forms including being involved at the school (as class parents, on the P&F, at working bees) or at home (helping with homework, reading to your children, involving them in extra-curricular activities or just being interested in what they do at school).

More recent research however is telling us that deeper forms of parent engagement with schooling are also needed to further enhance student achievement and outcomes, close achievement gaps and build social capital and social inclusion.

Engagement implies parents taking their place alongside teachers in the schooling of their children, fitting together their knowledge of children, teaching and learning, with teachers’ knowledge about the child and teaching and learning (Pushor: 2007). Engagement sees parents as an essential part of the learning process and an extended part of the ‘pedagogic process’ to support the academic achievement of children (Harris and Goodall: 2007). Strong engagement has clear benefits for all children, parents and schools but it has particular benefits for more disadvantaged communities and those with special needs.

In Australia we are entering an important new era in relation to schools. We have the ‘education revolution’ and as part of that a growing recognition of the importance of parental engagement and the importance of more authentic partnerships between home, school and the broader community to support children’s learning. An associated idea is also emerging around broadening the limits of schools to be ‘hubs’ of extended or ‘wrap-around’ services to support the particular needs of the communities that support them.

An exciting opportunity exists for us as parents (and for schools, education offices and governments) to think about parent engagement in new ways. This will involve broadening old definitions of parent involvement, exploring new types of engagement and making sure parent engagement is seen as complementary to efforts in the areas of school reform, student achievement (including closing the achievement gap) and building community. The Australian government has begun to make headway in this important area by making partnerships between schools and parents a key policy objective. We also now have the National Family School Partnership Framework and the Family, School and Community Partnership Bureau to assist us.

The Fellowship also identified an increasing desire for governments to expand traditional definitions of schools and schooling and the desire to embed family engagement in whole-of-school and system-wide efforts to promote learning across all of the settings where children live and learn. Schools are being seen as ‘hubs’ for a range of complementary services to support children and families and the broader community including early childhood services to health and community services.

Source: June 2009 issue of Parent News Update, published by the Sydney Federation of Catholic School Parents.

What is your school community doing for its Celebration?

For schools who will be on vacation during that week, what will you be doing to celebrate Indigenous Australia?

Find out more at the National Aboriginal and Islander Day Observance Committee website at http://www.naidoc.org.au.

Go to http://www.teachingaustralia.edu.au/ta/go/home/op/edit/pid/594

The awards will be made in the six categories, with more than $1million in prizes …

Read more: http://www.familyschool.org.au/?p=621

What support do parents need to be active participants in their children’s learning and development?

Parents of primary and secondary students, in all locations, are invited to take part. It runs  from 6am Monday 18 May to midnight Sunday 24 May. No special software is needed, other than an internet-connected computer and a browser.

The Parents Victoria Online Conference 2009 website will open from 6am on 18 May at: http://www.cybertext.net.au/pv1_09/ but please register yourself (free) online first at http://www.cybertext.net.au/pv09.htm

Each day, the conference will discuss one of the following questions:

• Parent/teacher meetings – how could these meetings be improved?
• School attendance – when is it okay to stay away?
• Transition – what could be done to improve transition from one level of schooling to the next, i.e. kindergarten to primary, year 6 to secondary?
• Cyberbullying – how do we keep our children safe?
• Sex education – who’s responsible?
• Banning confectionery from school canteens – tell us your thoughts  (this will be hosted on Thursday 21 May by Prue Cerin from the Victorian School Canteen Association)
• Parental engagement – What can be done to get more parents involved in their children’s schools?

For details: http://www.parentsvictoria.asn.au

There are two categories of award:  IMPACT AWARDS  for partnerships that are up and running, and SEED FUNDING for schools that want to get a partnership off the ground.

Click here to get the basic guidelines on what your application will need to consider: http://www.schoolsfirst.edu.au/sf-winning-awards/index.phps

1. Groovy Green Schools Queensland based teacher, Miranda Mason, shares her idea on how we can create Green schools that empower students to live and dream for sustainable futures. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JknYgJuSBGw&feature=channel_page
2. Environmental Science Griffith University students, Sonia Williams and Timm Hayer, argue that primary schools should be supplied with Environmental Technology Centres. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aT5LhsFu1eo&feature=channel_page
3. Play Based Learning Academic and consultant, Prue Walsh, claims we need to remember that a child’s prime way of learning is play. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBKdwmeYkvE&feature=channel_page
4. Extreme Makeovers For Ugly Classrooms Academics and Teachers colleagues, Michael Dezuanni, Jo Lampert & Chris Poulsen, suggest extreme makeovers could create better learning environments.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4EW-6zKm4c&feature=channel_page
5. Physical Environment Regionally based senior academic, Dr Stephen Winn,, says by improving the physical environment, specifically the acoustics and temperature within classrooms, schools will be made better. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWdq0YbKtRY&feature=channe_page
6. Real World Experience PhD. Scholar at CQUniversity, Parves Sultan, argues learning could be improved through real world experience.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ablKcCowMBM&feature=channel_page
7. HOTmaths Teacher of twenty years, Sharon London showcases interactive online mathematics package HOTmaths.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlHx_2IB1Wc&feature=channel_page
8. OZRead and Spell Victorian 80 year old Valerie Yule showcases OzRead and Spell. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ISu4LWGOyY&feature=channel_page
9. Listen to the kids New South Wales mother of four, Jolanda Challita, wants to make schools better by asking the kids for their ideas http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeA61y1BsDQ&feature=channel_page

If you want to know more about the project, contact:

Timothy London | Creative Manager
Eidos Institute  166 Ann Street, Brisbane, AUSTRALIA
T +61 7 3009 7900 | F +61 7 3229 6184  |  M +61 450 643 336
GPO Box 3277, Brisbane, QLD, Australia 4001 | www.eidos.org.au

McDonald’s Australia is offering a free maths program to more than 1.4 million students nationwide in a move that has divided opinion.  The world’s largest fast-food chain suggests that the program, which normally costs $40 per month but will now be offered free, is about helping the community rather than promoting their products……

Students will be informed that it is “proudly provided by your local McDonald’s restaurant” upon opening the program, but there are no other links to the company once they begin the tutorial. The company has the support of Federal Education Minister Julia Gillard and the Australian Secondary Principals’ Association, but NSW State Opposition education spokesman Adrian Piccoli was cynical of the move….

The New South Wales Parents and Citizens Federation is also skeptical, accusing McDonald’s of “subliminal advertising in the greatest form” on ABC radio.

For the full article go to: http://www.ausfoodnews.com.au/2009/03/20/mixed-response-to-foray-into-maths-curriculum-by-mcdonalds.html

Check out the online maths tutoring package yourself at: http://www.mathsonline.com.au/