News

On the 6th February, AISWA staff were fortunate to be guided by artist Jenny Knapp in the creation this stunning community artwork as part of the organisations Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP).

The Turnbull Government has locked in a $440 million funding boost for preschool education and is urging states to boost the enrolment and attendance rates of preschoolers in early learning. Minister for Education and Training Simon Birmingham said the extra funding would extend the National Partnership on Universal Access to Early Childhood Education into 2019 to more than 348,000 children to ensure they have access to 15 hours of quality early learning in the year before school. The Turnbull Government’s $440 million funding boost secures education opportunities for more than 348,000 of Australia’s littlest learners, Minister Birmingham said.

Indigenous retention is up 15% over the decade but is still well below the non-Indigenous rate.

The Independent Schools Council of Australia (ISCA) cautions parents about glossy marketing campaigns for education focused financial products that misrepresent the cost of Independent school fees.

From 2018 the Commonwealth funding arrangements for all schools will change. Under the current arrangements, all schools are moving towards their Schooling Resource Standard (SRS) funding entitlement over time. Originally envisaged as a total public funding model, the share of public funding being provided by the Commonwealth was based on historical funding patterns. This means that schools serving the same type of students receive different funding from the Commonwealth depending on where they are located.

The public submission process for the Review to Achieve Educational Excellence in Australian Schools (the Review) is now open and will close at 5 pm (AEDST) on 2 November 2017.

The Kate Mullin Association (KMA) has an annual Teacher Award. The Award is for the teacher in WA who makes the greatest contribution to teaching English to Aboriginal students, and is a flagship event of the year. The winner gets $5,000. Submissions close 1 November 2017.

In 2018, 12 outstanding educators will receive a $45,000 Teaching Fellowship, comprising $30,000 for a project at the Fellow’s school, $10,000 for professional development and a $5,000 study tour to a high-performing education system. Applications close on 12 October 2017.

The conference theme is Humanities and the Science of being Social with a focus on past, present and future means of communicating, connecting and collaborating. All sessions will assist teachers in their implementation of the WA Curriculum, pedagogical approaches, HASS inquiry skills, Information Technology, interdisciplinary methods of teaching HASS, interesting topics, issues and arguments.

What does it mean to use an inquiry approach in today’s classrooms? Many of us still think of inquiry as an approach lacking in structure or explicit teaching when in fact true, contemporary inquiry teaching is highly intentional and carefully designed. In this workshop, Kath will help Year 3-6 teachers explore both what effective inquiry looks, sounds and feels like in the classroom and understand why it can be such a powerful way to engage young people in learning. Based on her best-selling book ‘The Power of Inquiry’, the workshop will focus on both the planning and the pedagogy that accompanies this approach. Kath’s work emphasises ways to engage students in deep thinking through strategic questioning and the development of rich contexts that invite students to do the cognitive ‘heavy lifting’ as they wonder, investigate, analyse, make connections and take meaningful action. Teachers will leave the workshop with a greater understanding of inquiry as a teaching ‘stance’ across the curriculum and a practical repertoire of approaches they can use to involve their students as active investigators and powerful learners. Participants will receive a copy of Kath Murdoch's book 'The Power of Inquiry'.

The Aboriginal History Research Unit at the Department of Aboriginal Affairs (DAA) has undertaken a state-wide collaboration with the WA Museum (WAM), State Library of WA (SLWA), ABC and National Archives of Australia to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the 1967 Referendum, the 25th Anniversary of the 1992 Mabo Decision, and the 20th Anniversary of the Bringing Them Home Report. To acknowledge these milestones, the Western Australian Department of Aboriginal Affairs’ Aboriginal History Research Unit has developed an information toolkit to provide a unique WA perspective of this event and look at the progress of Aboriginal rights in WA to date. The Toolkit aims to educate the broader public and to be incorporated into WA school curricula, to focus on the history of these significant events and open up a contemporary dialogue with the Aboriginal community.

More than 250 regional and remote Indigenous students who attend boarding school in the metropolitan area will be encouraged to further their education through tertiary studies, employment and training at the 2017 Future Footprints Expo.

The Annual General Meeting of the Association of Independent Schools of Western Australia (AISWA) has endorsed the report of Economic Significance of Independent Schools to the WA Economy.

A collection of Teaching and Learning Programs based on the Australian Curriculum for primary students to wonder about the past by actively engaging in the historical inquiry process.​

The Association of Independent Schools of Western Australia (AISWA ) welcomes the new funding arrangements announced by the Commonwealth Government which will provide an additional $2.2 billion over the four years 2018 to 2021. This is in addition to the $1.2 billion announced in last year's budget.

March is National Certification Month where we celebrate as a profession the Highly Accomplished and Lead Teachers who have completed the National Certification process and we encourage those considering applying to make the commitment to pursuing registration and to further develop their expertise.

Today the Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science, the Hon Arthur Sinodinos, announced the government will invest $4 million over the next four years for eligible Australian schools and community organisations to set up dedicated maker spaces to offer students the ability to develop STEM skills through hands on experience in aspects of design, technology, innovation and entrepreneurship.

We are very excited to see the work of the Australian Children’s Laureate with one of our remote Indigenous member schools

Lifting the Lid on Words and Pictures: Brett Healey looks at the Watertower by Gary Crew and Steven Woolman - AISWA's newest publication available for purchase from the AISWA Bookstore.

​In 2016, the AISWA STEM Grant provided many of our schools with the inspiration and opportunity to try new ideas for teaching STEM subjects in a rich and integrated way. This is an opportunity for interested teachers and school leaders to come and explore some of the projects that were undertaken.

Social Ventures Australia presents Evidence for Learning in this information session for school leaders.

The AISWA LITERACY TEAM compile a frequently emailed digest containing targeted information on exciting upcoming professional learning, news and stories we feel may be of interest to you.

Executive Director, Valerie Gould and the Staff of the Association of Independent Schools of Western Australia wish you a wonderful holiday season and a healthy and peaceful New Year. The AISWA Office will be closed from midday on Wednesday 21 December 2016 and will reopen on Tuesday 3 January 2017.