Staying safe online over the summer holidays
The following end of year messaging from the eSafety Commissioner and the Directorate’s Online Safety Education team is designed to inform parents and carers on how they can help keep their children safe online over the summer holiday period. The messages include: parents and carers advice on family strategies for staying safe online, a guide for electronic gifts, resources for creating family technology agreements and setting up electronic devices in the home.
These messages can be modified to meet the needs of your school and context and should be shared with your school community through your newsletter, website or other communication channels. For more information about online safety for your parent community, check out the eSafety Commissioner’s brand new eSafety Schools’ Hub with downloadable and editable social media/newsletter/website content kits.
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Give a tree a drink
Have you noticed your neighbourhood street trees recently? Are they thirsty? This summer is going to be hot and dry. We encourage all school students to help protect our urban forest and make our city a great place to live by regularly watering their street trees. Water saving tip: take a bucket in the shower with you, and use the excess, to water the base of a street tree at least once a week. Canberra’s incredible trees provides much needed shade, clean our air and provides habitats for local wildlife. Help us protect trees so they can protect us.
The ACT Government has almost 60,000 young trees on the current watering program. While young street trees are watered by the ACT Government regularly to ensure their establishment and survival, the community can help by giving their local trees a drink over summer. For more information about caring for our public trees, read City Services Trees and Nature.
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Transport over the school holidays
A school holiday bus timetable will be in place from Monday, 18 December 2023 to Sunday, 28 January 2024 inclusive. The school holiday bus timetable will deliver the same reliable network and frequency that is currently in place just without the school services and diversions over the six-week period.
Free travel will be available on Christmas Day and from 5:00 pm New Year’s Eve for bus and light rail services. Visit www.transport.act.gov.au to plan your school holiday travel.
New Learner Driver First Aid Program available
Are you, or someone you know, learning to drive in the ACT? A new program is now available that allows learner drivers to obtain basic lifesaving first aid skills and claim five hours credit toward their required driving hours. To be eligible, you must have held your ACT learner licence for at least three months before completing one of the approved courses.
We know the first people on scene of a collision are often other drivers. Ensuring you have a basic understanding of first aid could make a big difference to those involved in a crash. Visit Road Safety to find out more about this new program including other approved courses available.
Contact Road Safety Policy on tccs_roadsafety@act.gov.au
Inquiry into literacy and numeracy in ACT public schools
The ACT Government announced an independent inquiry into literacy and numeracy performance in the ACT. Through the inquiry we will gain local insights into the opportunities for strengthening literacy and numeracy outcomes for all ACT public school students, with a particular focus on equity. The inquiry will also look at how supports for educators and students could be enhanced.
The inquiry is an opportunity to look at what we are doing well and opportunities to strengthen our education system.
How to get involved
An independent Expert Panel will lead the inquiry. They will consider the views of academics, educators, unions, parents and carers, and students. This will be done through calls for public submissions and stakeholder engagement.
To view the Panel Membership, Terms of Reference and more you can visit: www.education.act.gov.au/literacyandnumeracyinquiry
ACT public student scholarship opportunities
The Public Education Foundation has a range of scholarships open for public primary, high school and college students in the ACT. All scholarships are for the 2024 school year.
A list of scholarships, eligibility requirements and application due dates is available on the Student Scholarships - Public Education Foundation website.
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Become an ACT public school Homestay host
The ACT Education Directorate is seeking Homestay hosts for international students planning to study at an ACT public high school or college. International students participating in the Homestay program are aged 16 years or above.
Homestay is more than providing a room and meals. You’ll welcome a young person into your family and support their growth as they gain new perspectives, confidence, English fluency and academic and essential life skills.
If you can offer a place in your home, have the time to support a student’s social wellbeing and academic endeavours and have an interest in other cultures, we would love to hear from you.
A weekly payment is provided to help cover the costs of living expenses.
Please contact the International Education team via email at: ieu@act.gov.au or by phone on (02) 6205 9194. To find out more visit Homestay.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Grants
The Office of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs has a range of grant programs which provide funding support to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Grants rounds open at various times throughout the year. Categories of grants that are currently open include Reconciliation Day, cultural, leadership and scholarship grants. For more information go to Grants - Community Services.
A reminder to stay COVID Smart – communication to staff and families
As we experience new waves of the virus in our community, we’re reminding staff and families to stay COVID Smart. Please:
- Watch the latest ACT COVID-19 update (November 2022) from Chief Health Officer, Kerryn Coleman.
- Report COVID-19 cases (in students and staff) to the Education Directorate using the COVID-19 positive case reporting form.
Keep up to date at COVID-19 (act.gov.au).