Newsletter
What's new - May 2006
Welcome to the fourth ‘What’s new’ of the Values Education website for 2006.
Values Education Good Practice Schools Project – Stage 2
All schools are invited to take part in the Values Education Good Practice Schools Project–Stage 2. The Values Education Good Practice Schools Project – Stage 2 (VEGPSP – Stage 2) is part of the Australian Government’s Values Education programme funded with $29.7 million over four years (2004–2008). The programme is designed to foster and support improved values education practice in Australian schools. The programme supports the National Framework for Values Education in Australian Schools, which has been endorsed by all Australian Education Ministers.
The VEGPSP Stage 2 builds on the work of the Values Education Good Practice Schools Project Stage 1 and will identify, select and fund 25 clusters of schools to design, implement and evaluate quality projects in values education.
Applications can be submitted via an online application form on this website. Applications close 9 June 2006.
Values for Australian Schooling Kit
Professional learning resources for primary and secondary schools have been developed for distribution to all Australian schools. The Values for Australian Schooling Kit is an integrated package of resources for every school in Australia. P–12 schools will receive a copy of both the primary and secondary versions of the kit. Multi-campus schools will receive a copy of the relevant kit at each campus.
The Values for Australian Schooling Kit will be delivered to schools around 9 June 2006. Kits will be addressed to the attention of the Principal. The print materials from the kit may be downloaded from the Values for Australian Schooling Kit page on this website. Additional copies of the kit will be available at cost from Curriculum Corporation.
Values Education Email News Alert
If you wish to receive an occasional email alert to notify you of Values Education for Australian Schooling news please follow the link below and complete the subscription details.
Events
5 June 2006, World Environment Day: Deserts and Desertification http://www.unep.org/wed/2006/english/
9 June 2006, Values Education Good Practice Schools Project – Stage 2: Applications close
See individual States and Territories links below for workshops and seminars within your State or Territory.
National
The 2006 National Values Education Forum: 'Values Education in Practice: Building Capacity in Australian Schools' was held at the National Museum of Australia in Canberra on 4 and 5 May 2006. A report on the forum will be available on the values education website soon.
States and Territories
There is a new Contact Officer in Western Australia and a new contact person for Catholic Education in South Australia.
In the ACT all ACT schools have been involved in a wide range of activities that have embedded values education into school culture during 2006. An overview is given of programmes at Canberra Grammar School and Mawson Primary School. A successful professional learning session on school forums was held for ACT teachers in April, with a further workshop for schools intending to hold their forums in 2007 planned for 25 October 2006. A new curriculum framework will be trialled during 2006, which has six Essential Learning Achievements that relate directly to the continued embedding of values education into school curriculum.
In New South Wales the ten regions of the NSW Department of Education and Training are now enacting their Values Education Plans through provision of professional development activities. All sectors participated in a State government initiative on Respect and Responsibility with a forum held on 30 May 2006.
In the Northern Territory Acacia Hill School in Central Australia is the first Northern Territory School to hold a school community forum.
In Queensland there are full-day workshops and breakfast seminars coming up and the Queensland State conference will be held in Townsville on the 31 July 2006.
In South Australia a highlight of the South Australian professional learning program was a seminar held in April. Sharon Duong is the new values education contact person for Catholic education.
In Tasmania, during March and April, there have been opportunities for regional sharing in conjunction with the School Education Division Professional Learning around Acting Democratically (Civics and citizenship education).
In Victoria 220 schools have now applied for grants for school forums with more than 50 applicants having conducted forums.
In Western Australia over 200 schools have registered to hold a Values Education Forum. Carine Primary School turned their values forum into a (values-rich) circus! Girrawheen State High School has laid a lot of groundwork for values education before it holds its forum.
Good Practice Schools
Values Education Good Practice Schools Project – Stage 2
All schools are invited to take part in the Values Education Good Practice Schools Project – Stage 2.
Good Practice Schools – Stage 1
A number of schools in the Good Practice Schools Project – Stage 1 have started to incorporate information about their values programmes into their websites.
Case Studies: Good Practice Schools
As the schools involved in the Values Education Good Practice Schools Project – Stage 1 carry out their projects they have been generating many useful ideas, tools and other examples of best practice. The following example has been added to the case studies:
- Townsville Central State School Cluster – case studies
Briefing sessions
The Final National Briefing Session for Values Education Good Practice Schools Projects – Stage 1 was held on 3-4 April 2006 in Kingscliff, New South Wales.
Resources
Values for Australian Schooling Kit
The Values for Australian Schooling Kit will be delivered to schools around 9 June 2006. Kits will be addressed to the attention of the Principal. The print materials from the kit may be downloaded from the Values for Australian Schooling Kit page on this website. Additional copies of the kit will be available at cost from Curriculum Corporation.
Professional Learning
Jonathan Walter, School Head of Middle School at Caulfield Grammar in Melbourne, has written a paper on ‘Increasing student engagement: The theory behind Learning Journeys’ which is an approach to engage students in the Middle Years.
Articles
Two new articles have been included:
- ‘Manningham Catholic Primary Schools Cluster, Vic: student action about values’ by Sue Cahill, Geraldine Butler and Leesa Duncan (Connect, No:157, February 2006)
- ‘Measuring values in education: developing tools for the renewal of school culture’, (A Research Project Sponsored by Australian College of Educators Queensland Branch 2004)
Reviews
Three new books for values education have been added to the list:
- Bullying Solutions: Evidence-based approaches to bullying in Australian schools by Toni Noble, Helen McGrath (Pearson Education Australia)
- Plays to Value by Bruce Shearer (Curriculum Corporation)
- How to Succeed with Developing Resilience by Jen Allen, Michele Murray and Kelli Simmons (Little Books of Big Ideas series, Curriculum Corporation)
Links
New web links for values education resources include: Behind the News; Books for Life; Curriculum Corporation Catalogue: Values; Global Education; Racism. No way!; Schooldays for Parents.