Where's the money going? Private schools!
"Funding for students at Catholic and independent schools in Victoria has grown almost 15 times faster than for state schools in the past decade, prompting warnings that disadvantaged students who need the most support are instead being left further behind."
This article in the Age highlights the growing disparity in funding between government and non-government schools. And it's worst of all in Victoria, according to Save Our Schools. Their analysis shows the average student at a state school in Victoria had $13,663 spent on their education in 2018, compared with $16,303 per Catholic school student and $25,000 for a student at an independent school.
Message to parents from the Chief Health Officer
Victoria's Chief Health Officer, Brett Sutton has published a letter to all Victoria parents about the current COVID-19 situation.
The letter begins:
"As the school holidays approach, we can’t ease up on looking after ourselves and our families. The only thing between us and a second wave is what we do next. Wherever you go, please be mindful of the risks. Be aware others may be carrying the virus and practice physical distancing."
Office closed 29 June - 3 July
We're taking a short break in the first week of the school holidays (Mon 29 June - Fri 3 July).
Our office will be closed for phone and email enquiries during that time.
We'll be back on board on Monday 6 July.
Have your say: Remote and flexible learning
The Victorian Government is seeking the views of a wide range of stakeholders - including parents and carers - on their experiences of the period of remote and flexible learning for school-aged students during April – June 2020. Your views will help the Government identify opportunities to strengthen school education in Victoria.
You can give your views via a simple online form. Apart from a few optional questions about how you're involved in schools (parent, teacher, student etc), the main question is, "What can be learned from the period of remote and flexible learning to strengthen school education in Victoria?"
There's plenty of room for a long response if you have a lot to say!
Or, if you just have a simple point to make, this is an easy way to do it without having to go through a formal submission process.
Read more or take the survey on Engage Victoria website.
Return to school: PV media comment
PV Executive Officer Gail McHardy was interviewed by 7 News on Friday - the last day of home learning for many Victorian students.
Gail commented on the range of experiences reported by parents and the mixed feelings that many parents will have when students return to school on Tuesday.
UNICEF grants for Parent Clubs
UNICEF grants of up to $3,000 are available for Parent Clubs at drought and bushfire affected schools.
From the UNICEF website: "As part of our support to assist children and local communities in the context of COVID-19, we will be providing a one-off round of School Community Grants for 30 primary and high schools to use on activities related to strengthening connectivity, wellbeing and implementing social distancing programs in a child-friendly way during the pandemic."
More details on the UNICEF website
Return to school resources for autistic students
Amaze (the peak body for autistic people and their supporters in Victoria) has developed a set of online return-to-school resources for autistic students and their parents/carers. They provide practical tips and strategies to help children and young people manage anxiety and regain routines. The resources include:
- Tips and FAQs for primary and secondary students returning to school
- Checklist for supporting your child
- Using a social script to explain a new situation
See the resources on the Amaze website
We're listening... tell your story
Parents Victoria is already hearing stories from parents about the impact of remote learning on their children, some about problems and some very positive. If you want to share your experiences, specifically about the learning from home/return to on-site schooling situation... we're listening!
We have the opportunity to pass on parents' responses to the Education Department, so let us know how things went for you and we'll put your stories and experiences together and pass them on. What went well? What were the big problems for you? What could have been done better?
We're keeping the format wide open - no questions, just tell your story.
Tell your story via our online form
Schools back to remote learning: PV comment
The Age reported late yesterday that "Two schools in Melbourne’s north-west remained closed for deep cleaning on Monday after students tested positive to COVID-19 last week, with one school telling families it would revert to remote learning until further notice."
The article includes comment from PV Executive Officer Gail McHardy:
Parents Victoria executive officer Gail McHardy sympathised with the VET students who had been sent into isolation so soon after returning to practical classes."It would be hard for those students when they have been missing out on doing certain tasks," Ms McHardy said.
She said inter-campus VET classes should continue, with arrangements in place to ensure students' health and safety.
"The chief health officer and the government have been clear that there would be further outbreaks, its just how we manage those outbreaks."
Parent survey: schooling in the pandemic
Preliminary results from ACSSO's parent survey on schooling during the COVID-19 pandemic are in.
Over 3,300 families responded from many areas of the country.
The survey weas designed to identify family circumstances, what worked, what challenges they faced and their input on safety and improvements.
“We’re still analysing, but comments from the ‘learning from home’ families suggest that increased school engagement and more consistency with the learning programs would improve their wellbeing emotionally as well as educationally,” said Andrew Bidwell, President of ACSSO.
