NSW

This week, parents of students in NSW public schools will start receiving Click -– the NSW Government’s ‘Technology Guide for Parents’.

More than 150,000 students in years 11 and 12 at schools across NSW have a problem. Almost all are skilled users of computer keyboards. Most can easily outperform their elders when it comes to text messaging on their mobile phones.

Year 12 students would learn about household budgeting and the mathematics of the body in a new practical maths course planned for New South Wales.

The proposed course, aimed at students pursuing traineeships and apprenticeships, would also teach them how to measure the usage of household utilities, geometry and design skills, including creating scale drawings and house plans.

A severe shortage of casual teachers means almost two-thirds of NSW schools cannot find one when they need one, teachers say.

A survey of NSW Teachers Federation members found that more than 60 per cent of 1800 respondents said their schools were not always able to fill casual vacancies.

Finding enough volunteers to keep the canteen running is a challenge for schools of all sizes.

In devising a solution for Killarney Heights Public School, two enterprising parents have also paved the way for canteens to become more profitable and for lunch orders to be healthier, cash-free and parent friendly.