It’s not just pencils and exercise books in the school bag this year – a growing number of schools are continuing to introduce ‘Bring Your Own Device’ (BYOD) in the classroom, with many even making this compulsory. From 2009 to 2013, the Federal Government supplied a laptop to Year 9 students in Australian public high schools,.. Read more
Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) – Choosing and managing devices for high school
February 3, 2014 8 Comments
The heavy responsibility of choosing the right school
January 30, 2013 26 Comments
By Emma Toomey. As the first day of the school year looms large there is the usual nervous buzz of anticipation – stationery is bought, haircuts are had, uniforms are sorted and old pencil cases are salvaged. But this year at our house there is a palpable anxiety … at least for me. Our three.. Read more
The social media background check: why your teen needs to be careful now
November 15, 2012 6 Comments
By Katie Adema. Grace* is in her early twenties and has just applied for a job. For her first round interview, she was asked to bring a print out of every single one of her social network profiles, including Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Tumblr. She was also asked to identify any contact with media that.. Read more
Selective schools and missing out
November 1, 2012 4 Comments
Places at selective schools in Australia are limited and highly competitive. For every student that is offered a place, many more will need to consider plan B. And if children have undertaken months of practice tests and other intense preparation for the selective schools test, or are experiencing pressure either from their parents or self-imposed,.. Read more
Facebook for under 13s
August 17, 2012 29 Comments
A friend wrote to me during the week – ironically, via Facebook – to get some advice about her tween daughter and the social networking site. She said: Hi Rach, I’m wondering if you could get some feedback for me or any advice as to what age is deemed suitable for Facebook. We allowed our.. Read more
20 things teacher wants to say to parents
June 25, 2012 4 Comments
By Paul Whitehead. Can we have an honest conversation? I promise, I am not “representing the teaching fraternity” by writing this… I haven’t consulted with my colleagues; in fact they may well feel VERY differently from the views I express here. I do want to express some of my thoughts from my own teaching experiences.. Read more
How to make the most of parent teacher nights
April 30, 2012 Leave a Comment
Parent teacher nights can be stressful experiences. Both for your teenager, who may be sitting there nervously waiting for the guillotine to drop, and for yourselves, as you struggle to find your way around an unfamiliar campus, to line up for a few minutes with a teacher, only to find you’ve missed your slot because.. Read more
Starting high school is tough on parents too
January 27, 2012 3 Comments
By Rachel Hynes. It’s not just kids who have to navigate the transition from primary school to starting high school. Parents may also experience difficulties as their role changes and they feel shut out of their child’s education. In primary school, there are many ways for parents to be involved in their child’s schooling: reading.. Read more
Back to school, earlier to bed
January 24, 2012 9 Comments
Over the school holidays, our teenagers have been enjoying late nights and even later mornings. They’ve been playing Xbox, Facebooking and watching DVDs till the wee hours, waking only when the lunchtime hunger pangs hit. But holidays are at an end and parents are now facing a zombie child in the morning and Jack Russell.. Read more
Teens who feel responsible to their parents are more engaged in school
September 8, 2011 Leave a Comment
As children enter high school, their engagement in school can decline, followed by their achievement. But a study has found that young people who said they felt responsible to their parents were more invested and engaged in school and often earned higher grades, independent of the quality of the parent-child relationship. Responsibility was defined as.. Read more
