Parent And Community WEB

This is a slideshare version of a presentation at the Central Coast P&C on 29th June 2009.

On the same evening, colleague Pip Howell also provided input about web 2.0 tools in schools.  For access to lots of the great resources Pip has developed and presented, visit her blog.

For more information, please feel free to contact Roger

Please click the Comment link if you would like to comment on this post.  We’d love to hear from you !

Australian College of Educators (Hunter) Teacher Recognition Awards

Students in the Hunter will get a chance to acknowledge their teachers by nominating them for recognition in the ACE Hunter Teacher Recognition Awards. These awards recognise teachers who do their job “above and beyond the call of duty”. Unlike many other awards, the ACE Hunter award is nominated and supported by the teachers’ students, people who work with these teachers and are best placed to comment on their effect.

Students, and/or their parents and community served by the teacher, can nominate the teacher who offers inspiration, support and clearly gives extra to encourage a love of learning, showing respect for their students and support for community engagement in education. The nominations can be made in early childhood, primary, secondary, University, WEA, and TAFE levels of schooling and cover all sectors; state, Catholic, independent and other systems.

In keeping with our students’ abilities and interests, nominations will be made through an online form available at http://eduleader.org/ace/awards2009.

Students who nominate a teacher need to find other students who agree with their nomination, as well as an adult who is able to confirm the details. This awards process gives our students a voice in determining who should be recognised for giving them educational support, motivation and direction.

The online nomination form requires details on nominators and supporters with a 100 word description detailing why the teacher nominated deserves recognition for excellence. All nominations will be assessed and checked for reference and accuracy by the ACE Hunter Awards Panel.

Students will receive emails through their school accounts over the coming weeks giving details on how they can nominate their teachers, and for what. This is a unique opportunity to recognise and acknowledge excellence in the professional practice of teaching through listening to those who most benefit: students, parents and the community. So if you, or your friends, parents or community members, have been taught by an outstanding educator, complete the nomination form online and publically acknowledge their contribution. If you know of an outstanding educator, encourage his or her students to consider nominating them for an award.

Nominations open on August 11th and close on September 11th. Awards will be made at a special ceremony at the Newcastle Town Hall on November 3rd. Awards will be presented by representatives of the various education sectors in our region; state, independent, TAFE and University dignitaries.

Be part of the ACE Hunter Teacher Recognition Awards by nominating today!

There has been some recent publicity about some of the dangers people may face in an increasingly online world. 

Parents and schools may find that the resources available through the DET website and in other locations are useful to begin and sustain the conversations we need to have to ensure that we continue to get the most positive benefit from this changing world.

Have you heard about Twitter ?  Lots of people with far too much interest in what other people are doing ?

Well, yes, that could be one way of looking at it.  Another way os to see the great potential of this form of networking to convey lots of realy useful information quickly and cleanly.

Look at this great example

SchoolLifeI’m sure you’ve asked your child what they learnt at school today and chances are they said not much or nothing try this http://bit.ly/woJFy

 Take a look at the NSW Public Schools site.  Not only is there a lot of information, but you have the option to access video, online e-zine formats and, to make it really easy for you, you are able to subscribe to RSS feeds from some parts of the site.

Have a look around and also come back here often as we’ll try to post more information to help parents. In the meantime, scroll back through the posts on here and look some of the other links.

Make sure you check out ‘Cick’ - see the picture for where to ‘click’

Use the ‘Comments’ link to share your ideas and questions

Go to the NSW Public Schools site here

There are some really interesting things happening in the UK as communities and schools wrestle with the issue of maintaining relevance in a changing world.

This video heightens awareness of the need for us to move from thinking just about school planning, to a place where, instead, we all think seriously about the key things needed if we actually talk about planning school.

Find more videos like this on Hunter Central Coast web 2.0 in schools

This is from the Department for Children, Schools and Families in the UK.  Use the Comments link to kick off some comment.

CyberBullying

And, for a chilling reminder of the destructive power of Cyberbullying, another DfCSF video pasted below from YouTube underlines the critical need for us all to work together.

Latest newsletter now available. Just click here to view online

I would like to take this opportunity on behalf of the committee to thank the following people and organisation for their invaluable assistance to our association throughout 2008.

Mr John Mather, Regional Director, Hunter/Central Coast Region :  It is with sadness that we say goodbye to John at the end of this school term. John has been instrumental in the commencement of many new programs that are now either underway in our public schools, or will be in the near future. He has shown, on many occasions, his total commitment to public school education and for that we say ‘thank you’.  We have sincerely appreciated the time he has taken to attend our meetings - which has always meant a late night for him after already working a big day. We would like to pass on our best wishes to John and his wife as they enter the next chapter in their life back in New Zealand.

All of the School Education Directors, the office staff both at Bull Street and at the Swansea office : Whether it was receiving help over the phone or face to face, or being made to feel at ease during a merit selection panel, or even shown how to use this website……..we would like to say a big thank you to you all !!! 

The Cardiff RSL Club, Macquarie Road, Cardiff :    Over the past few years that the association have been running, your club and its friendly staff, has shown nothing but courtesy and professionalism to us.  We find the venue is perfect for parking and the choice of room sizes for meetings is ideal. We would like to sincerely say ‘Thank you’.

The parents and caregivers : To all of the people who have attended our meetings we also say a thank you - we hope you have learnt a few things along the way through the meetings and will continue to come along in 2009 and bring a few more parents who are interested in their child’s education. 

We wish you all    A  MERRY  CHRISTMAS  AND  HAPPY   NEW  YEAR

Clarice Hamling                                                                                                                                        

Publicity Officer

Congratulations to Leanne and her team for putting together a parent seminar at Ourimbah campus on Saturday 25 October.

While numbers were not as positive as they could have been, the concept of providing a forum where parents can catch up on some of the latest ideas about issues affecting education is a great idea..Well done!