Minnis Journals

ET News Digest

Your Weekly Education Newsletter

Is Australian youth suicide a crisis?
The number of kids falling into despair is increasing, there is a marked increase in the number of youth suicides when compared to 10 years ago and by marked we mean it’s up by 70%.
ABS data show that 458 children and young people aged under 25 years died by suicide in Australia last year. Twenty-two of them were children aged 14 years or younger. Among adolescents aged between 15 and 19 years, 40% of all deaths were a result of a young person ending their own life. Read more

Australian expert panel says Brightpath meets a national need
There are not many Edtech start-ups that could hope to be identified as meeting a national need, but that is what has happened for Brightpath.
A recent expert panel identified Brightpath as one of the few tools ‘aligned with well-constructed learning progressions and capable of providing information about the points students have reached in their learning and the growth they have made over time.’
The panel stipulated that the development of an on-line assessment resource should not replace assessment resources, such as Brightpath. Read more

Victorian school students to raise $100,000 for children living in poverty
A multitude of Victorian schools have joined forces with the State Schools’ Relief ‘Every Student’ initiative to raise $100,000 for children living in poverty during Australia’s annual Anti-Poverty Week which runs from 13–19 October.
The ‘Every Student’ crowdfunding campaign, launched via MyCause, will see State Schools’ Relief match dollar for dollar the amount raised by all participating Victorian state schools with prizes being awarded to the schools who raise the most. Read more

The eight reasons you don’t have solar panels on the roof of your school
You already know that Australia now has over two million solar panel installations. You know that they’re getting cheaper every year. And you know how proud you’d feel to present your students and teachers with a lovely array of shiny blue panels. So what’s stopping you?
It is indeed expensive. There are panels, the inverter, installation, maintenance, and possibly batteries. For a school this will most likely mean dealing with the bank to get a loan, researching which panels to buy, and finding installers you can trust. It’s a lot of work. Read more

Nominees for Telstra Aria Music Teacher of the Year Award
Telstra, ARIA and The Song Room have announced the nominees for the 2019 Telstra ARIA Music Teacher of the Year Award.
The nominees are Antonio Chiappetta from St Andrews College in Sydney, Julia Rennick from Gunnedah Conservatorium in Gunnedah, Bel Skinner from North Regional TAFE in Broome and Lee Strickland from Narbethong State Special School in Brisbane.
Four ARIA Ambassadors, Conrad Sewell, Katie Noonan, Montaigne and yellow wiggle Emma Watkins, surprised the chosen music educators and their students at their schools. Read more

Aussie Mum’s tech-tracking and safety company grows 600% and goes global
Australian tech startup, iStaySafe, have achieved a 600% increase in sales in recent years with the TicTocTrack tracking software and watch going global.
With customer numbers growing in the American and NZ markets and a government investor, iStaySafe have already begun to develop their next product, exciting times for entrepreneur and Brisbane mum, Karen Cantwell.
Those with autism, dementia and the vision-impaired have all benefited from increased oversight and as a result, the product is covered by the NDIS. Read more

If you want a career in digital illustration go south
Adelaide is fast becoming a hub of digital illustration and effects with Flinders winning a place among the world’s top 10 digital illustration schools again. Careers in the field are exciting with graduates ending up working for film studios and multimedia.
The Rookies competition attracts leading multi-media schools from all over the world. For the third year running, the Flinders University / CDW Studios collaboration has been named a top 10 ‘Best Concept Art and Illustration School’, the only Australian institute to make the category. Read more

Study tips for Year 11 and 12 Mathematics students
Most students consider their final exams as the pinnacle of their education and the most important part of their future aspirations. While a good ATAR can mean that you will get into the degree of your choice, it is not the only way to reach your goals.
For Mathematics, the best thing you can do is to set some achievable goals and develop good study habits to prepare well for the exam. If you know you’ve done everything possible, then you’ll be more confident in the exam and therefore less anxious. Read more