Over the past two years the Victorian Parents Council has been fortunate to host students from Macquarie University’s PACE program. The students have undertaken research on the joys and challenges of modern parents with emerging teens. In this excerpt we look at the Link Between Parent and Child Mental Health   Children tend to learn…

Over the past two years the Victorian Parents Council has been fortunate to host students from Macquarie University’s PACE program. The students have undertaken research on the joys and challenges of modern parents with emerging teens. In this excerpt we look at the importance of “parenting style.”   Parents play critical roles in the upbringing…

I was extremely fortunate to work at the same school- where I was bullied as a student! By then I found it simple to empower bullied students! After I went into private practice, I wrote “Bully Busting” (1999, “Bully Blocking” (2007) both bestsellers, and in five other languages and hopefully “Bully Blocking at School (2013).…

 The inaugural ASG-ACE Teachers Report Card stated that “we must work as a community to ensure the standing of the teaching profession is more valued and respected by the broader public.” This is a primary goal of Australia’s longest running education awards program, the National Excellence in Teaching Awards (NEiTA). The Awards were established 28…

  The Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority (VRQA) is Victoria’s education and training regulator.   Part of our responsibilities is registering children for homeschooling in Victoria. Any child of compulsory school age (6–17 years) who is being educated at home must be registered with the VRQA   In Victoria, home education or home schooling means…

From 2023, the new VCE Vocational Major will replace Intermediate and Senior VCAL. This means the VCE will recognise different students equally. The new Victorian Pathways Certificate (VPC) will replace Foundation VCAL. Students will have more education choices, a higher-quality curriculum and better workplace experiences – preparing them for further study, training at TAFE or…

The Victorian Institute of Teaching (VIT) is an independent statutory authority whose primary function is to regulate members of the teaching profession to ensure quality teaching, and provide for the safety and wellbeing of children.     All teachers must be registered with VIT in order to undertake the duties of a teacher in a Victorian school or…

How well are you coping in today’s pandemic period? Want to measure your own resilience?  Over the past 24 months, everyday Australians have had to deal with the pandemic, natural disasters, increased financial pressure, and the largest household debt in its history. Not only do Australians need to cope with an ever-increasing level of stress,…

It really is the business end of the year, final exams are over and now we are waiting for the results. Transitions are challenging. At this time of the year parents and their now adult, or nearly adult children are negotiating some interesting relationship terrain after what is commonly a challenging experience over the final…

Regular school attendance is really a “no brainer” when it comes down to the factors that contribute to school success for students. There is a legal requirement for attendance in each jurisdiction. Improving attendance and retention rates have become embedded social and economic policy goals.  Away from the regulatory environment schools and teachers are being…