Changes to teacher registration in South Australia are due to come into effect from 1 July this year. The amendments are designed to strengthen teacher registration and regulation in line with national teaching direction.

New legislation, passed by Parliament in October 2020 and new regulations currently awaiting final Cabinet approval, will improve the ability of the Teachers Registration Board to protect children and ensure integrity in the teaching profession.

The welfare and best interests of children will be the paramount consideration and the TRB will maintain professional standards to safeguard the teaching profession as one whose members are both competent educators and fit and proper persons to have the care of children.

Key changes you will need to be aware of include:

• Teachers will be registered for five-year terms when they next renew and will be provided with the option of paying fees up front or on an annual basis.
• The TRB’s ability to ensure only fit and proper persons are employed on education sites will be strengthened through new reporting obligations around allegations of incompetence and new reporting requirements for Special Authority to Teach holders.
• Highly Accomplished and Lead Teachers will receive greater recognition through the recording of HALT status on certificates of registration (Certification continues to be administered by the SATCC).

Please note, if you have a current registration there is no action required. You will remain on a three-year term until your next registration renewal is due.

For the latest information visit the TRB website.

Bob Willis’s teaching career spanned more than five decades and gave him the opportunity to impact the lives of thousands of young South Australians across more than 25 schools.

The former principal retired at the end of last year, 55 years after taking up his first teaching role at Salisbury North Primary School.

“I became a teacher because that is basically what I had always wanted to be,” Mr Willis said. “I also had a love of children; essential for any aspiring teacher.”

“My favourite memories of teaching were that I was doing a job I loved, the relationships with fellow staff members, the relationships with the parents of the children I taught, the love of the children in my care, which I reciprocated, and the fact I was probably the most important influence in their lives after their parents,” Bob said.

“You must take on this huge responsibility wholeheartedly. Teaching is not an easy profession, and it is probably even more difficult now than what it was all those years ago when I first started. However, if you love children and have a sense of humour, you will get there. Children learn best in a friendly, warm, caring and happy environment.”

Mr Willis said it was often a proud moment to run into a former student and see how they had progressed in their lives.

“It’s part of being a teacher, you’re always running into former students,” Mr Willis said.

“About 10 years ago…at Marion Cricket Club, one of the ladies serving afternoon tea said ‘Do you remember me? You taught me at Salisbury North Primary School’.”

“She said, ‘You were such an inspiring teacher you actually inspired me to become a teacher’.”

Mr Willis said it was important for those new to the profession to take pride in their work.

“My advice to young teachers would be that you are entering a most honourable and worthwhile profession, and you need to live up to this reputation both in and out of school,” he said. “We cannot let a few bad apples spoil the image of teachers.”

Recruitment and retention problems are major concerns among Australian school leaders, according to the 2020 Australian Principal Occupational Health, Safety and Wellbeing Survey.

In a year that included major bushfires and the Covid-19 pandemic principals reported worsening results from long-term health indicators, such as sleeping troubles and depressive symptoms.

They faced greater demands, longer work hours and 83 per cent were subjected to offensive behaviour, including threats of violence, actual violence and bullying.

School leaders worked an average of 54.5 hours per week in 2020 and during the school terms 22 per cent worked more than 60 hours per week.

"Having navigated their schools through the tough and uncertain conditions of 2020, the combination of continuous stress and eligibility for retirement has resulted in 6.8 per cent of school leaders reporting their intention to retire in 2021," the report, from researchers at Australian Catholic University and Deakin University, said.

The report made several recommendations including the provision of more professional learning around emotional aspects of leadership.

Read the full report.

Congratulations to Kangaroo Island Community Education who won 'Regional School of the Year' for the third year running at the 2020 Australian Education Awards last November.

The Australian Education Awards is an independent awards event for the education profession. It celebrates the outstanding achievements of top performing schools, principals, department heads and teachers.

The judges noted that the school had shown an ongoing commitment to support educational outcomes within the school and beyond at the state, national and international level. Despite significant challenges, including the 2019 bushfires, the school continued to show academic growth, high-quality student outcomes, resilience and an absolute commitment to a sustainable, collaborative recovery.

Congratulations also go to KICE principal Maxine McSherry (pictured, centre, on the school's facebook page), who was recognised with an Excellence Award in the Government School Principal of the Year category, and Julie Murphy from Elizabeth Vale Primary School, who received a Primary School Principal of the Year (Government) Excellence Award.

Nominations have now closed for the 2021 awards, which will be presented on Friday, August 27 in Sydney.

Raising Literacy Australia is a not-for-profit children’s literacy organisation who, through various programs, provide reading packs, books, professional learning and educational resources to nurture children’s development and establish lifelong learning. 

The group's publishing house, Little Book Press, has STEM resources, activities, learning times and new big book editions of Garden Stew and Jump and Shout available for wholesale purchase. These big book titles are great for classroom or library group reading sessions.

Each book purchased supports Raising Literacy Australia's early childhood programs across Australia. You can purchase resources at littlebookpress.com.au or find out more about the organisation at raisingliteracy.org.au.

Catholic Education South Australia is celebrating 200 years of Catholic Education in Australia throughout 2021.

Next month a national mass, encompassing every state, territory and diocese, will be held on the Feast of Our Lady Help of Christians (24 May) as part of a year-long program to mark the bicentenery.

A virtual launch in February was streamed to Catholic school communities across Australia which includes 1751 schools, 768,000 students and 98,000 staff members.

For more information on events planned throughout 2021 visit th official bicentenary website.

RSPCA South Australia has developed a series of resources aimed at educating young people about animal welfare to help them develop responsible and caring behaviour toward animals, preventing animal cruelty and neglect in the long-term.

RSPCA AWARE (Animal Wellbeing: Awareness, Responsibility and Education) provides resources for educators, students and parents. These resources help young people develop knowledge, skills and understandings around improving the welfare of all animals, be they companions, farmed or wild animals.

On offer are well established and extensive online curriculum-linked resources which are presented in Year levels and then subject areas as well as cross-curricula Units of Learning.

Best of all, the program is free!

There is a Teacher Portal (requires registration) and a Kids Portal (no registration required)    

A tour of one of the RSPCA shelters could also be arranged to consolidate the key messages. Shelters are at Lonsdale, Whyalla and Port Lincoln.

Online Blended Learning and Teaching
Learn how to apply the latest eLearning theories in your teaching practice. Develop contemporary learning experiences and create cutting-edge resources that you can confidently use in your classroom.

Online Blended Learning and Teaching comprehensively explores the most influential theories and practices for the effective use of digital technologies in secondary school classrooms. You will learn how to plan lessons, design assessments, provide feedback and create learning resources through contemporary pedagogies and cutting-edge digital tools. As you engage with the course, your own digital capabilities will also develop considerably.

Click here for more information

Global Responses to Wellbeing Education
Learn about the latest developments in wellbeing education, reflect on your teaching and lead with confidence.

Global Responses to Wellbeing Education provides an introduction to international developments to wellbeing in schools. Combing an overview of the field and case studies, you will learn how to support wellbeing in your school. Explore current wellbeing research, how it relates to teacher professional practice, planning and leadership.

Led by Associate Professor Mathew White, in this online short course, you will examine the latest international trends of wellbeing education, explore the strengths and limitations of various approaches to wellbeing education and able to argue a case for wellbeing in a variety of educational settings.

Click here for more information

Humanities and Social Sciences SA will host their annual conference on Saturday, 1 May at Adelaide Botanic High School.

This year's conference includes workshops on using voting to empower students in the classroom, tools for tackling 'fake news', sessions on "South Australianising" the carriculum and a one-hour walk led by Senior Kaurna Man Uncle Mickey O'Brien.

A keynote address from Scotch College's David Albano will explore the question: At what stage is access to "too much" information counterproductive to developing skills of inquiry?"

The conference is relevant to R-12 teachers and there are cheaper registration fees available for TRTs and early career teachers.

For more information visit hass-sa.asn.au/conference or book tickets here

The Highly Accomplished and Lead Teacher Summit is a free event for nationally certified teachers from across Australia. The Summit provides an opportunity for HALTs to work with leading thinkers to develop skills that equip them to lead and inspire colleagues and collaborate with other Highly Accomplished and Lead teachers.

For the first time, this year’s Summit will be delivered as a blended event. You can register to join us in Brisbane or attend the Summit virtually. Virtual attendees will still be able to participate in the main Summit sessions, such as the keynotes, workshops and sharespaces.

Visit the website or click here to register.

Teach is an exciting new podcast about life as an educator in South Australia. It is an open discussion all about the trials and triumphs straight from the classroom.

Listen to the first episode, which is about the Simple View of Reading technique, featuring special guest Professor Pamela Snow from La Trobe University. Plus the hosts chat with educators at Pennington R-7 to hear how they used the technique to improve student reading outcomes.

The second episode, on career development, will be released soon.

Make sure you don’t miss an episode – subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or search ‘Teach South Australia’ in your favourite podcast app. You can also stream it at here