No sooner than the Christmas tree is boxed away and the holiday suitcases are unpacked, it’s time to get the kids ready for the new school year. Making the most of the long break is the key to a smooth start, says primary school teacher,...
Thea van de Mortel looks at how to tell if your COVID test can detect Omicron You’ve tested negative for COVID using a rapid antigen test (RAT), but are a close contact of a positive family member and have symptoms. So you might be wondering...
Australia’s preschool expansion ‘has not better prepared’ kids for school, report researchers Ragan Petrie and Marco Castillo Since 2008, Australia has spent more than A$11 billion dollars over ten years to expand government-funded preschool (or kinder in Victoria) for four-year-olds to better prepare children for school. But...
Nishadi Withanage, Jessica Botfield and Danielle Mazza show optimising health before pregnancy can improve health outcomes for both the mother and her newborn. However, not everyone is aware of the need for good health before pregnancy – they generally start thinking about this during pregnancy. Modifiable risk...
Elvira Kalenjuk reports that recent data from the National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) shows that many Year 9 students are writing at standards well below expected levels. Several commentators have attributed low writing achievement to illness and high rates of absenteeism because of the pandemic,...
Randa Abdel-Fattah demystifies the values and practices of Australia’s Islamic schools, of which she was a pioneering student. I graduated from St Clement of Rome Primary School in Melbourne in 1990. I was one of a small number of Muslim students, but my parents didn’t feel...
Researchers Ross Gordon, Gordon Waitt and Theresa Harada look at the many ways to keep cool over summer With energy prices and temperatures both rising, keeping cool in summer is an increasingly costly challenge for many Australians. Energy bills are predicted to increase by 50% over the...
Visual artist and lecturer Naomi Zouwer advises how to set up a kids’ art studio at home (and learn to love the mess) Many parents want to encourage their children to be creative. This is not just about training the next Archibald Prize winner. Young people...
A Senate inquiry is calling for a new ‘behaviour curriculum’ to try and tackle classroom disruptions reports researcher Erin Leif A Senate inquiry has found Australian students need specific lessons in how to behave. The inquiry, which has been looking at “increasing disruption in Australian school classrooms,”...
If you read the label, you may be pleasantly surprised, report researchers Lauren Ball and Katelyn Barnes The cost of groceries in Australia has sky-rocketed this year. So people may be tempted to switch to home-brand foods to save on their weekly food bill. Home-brand foods are...
