How many tipping points will turn the tide?

School News hit the printers following NAPLAN’s chaotic online-only rollout and during election week!

Widespread reports found that 70 Adelaide schools experienced internet glitches and an NBN outage caused statewide testing issues for Queensland schools. The Queensland Teacher Union President Cresta Richardson criticised the added pressure of internet disruption on teachers and students to deliver what she described to ABC News as “a tired and yet still useless NAPLAN”. Meanwhile, in the latest election week story, Scott Morrison has taken credit for “saving” Australia during the pandemic. In a viral interview clip, A Current Affair’s Tracy Grimshaw refers to his government’s delayed undersupply of vaccines and RATs on top of limited resourcing for disaster flooding and bushfire relief, querying whether he “slightly over-egged the part about saving the country”, to which Morrison responds, “that's quite a long list you've been able to pull together”. Canberrans and Victorians are still on high alert as combined COVID and flu outbreaks plus staff shortages have led some schools back to remote learning, while South Australian primary schools are set to open vaccination hubs in a renewed push to boost low vaccination rates after nine children in the state developed a rare but potentially life-threatening condition associated with COVID.

Following this election cycle, our Special Report from Sarah Davison focuses on concerns for teachers and school staff heading into a new government. She addresses the mass walkout staged by NSW teachers, reports of chronic underfunding for public schools, and repercussions of reported private school profits from the 2020-2021 JobKeeper program (page 7). Elsewhere this issue, we look at how schools are innovating their library spaces on page 14, implementing new school management systems on page 20, and changing the teaching game with interactive classrooms on page 25. On page 32, Adam Voigt tells us it’s time to re-think student behaviour by thinking more like grandmas and, on page 34, teacher wellbeing specialist Daniela Falecki offers six ways for schools to solve common causes of staff burnout. On page 8, we hear from Kingsgrove North High School’s visionary Principal Angelo Stasos following the impressive implementation of a phenomenal STEM program. He details the three-year process, which included investing in resources, implementing an inclusive STEM program with neighbouring schools, upskilling teachers, developing community links, and constructing a stellar innovation hub.

You won’t want to miss Principal Speaks this issue either (page 8), as St Luke’s Catholic College Principal Greg Miller outlines some of the groundbreaking initiatives he has implemented in a push to boost educational outcomes by using time differently, starting with late starts for secondary students and a Friday half-day for primary students.

Rosie Clarke, Editor, SchoolNews editor@school-news.com.au

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