Floating and sinking

For the 'Fish Alive' nursery rhyme we tested floating and sinking with some interesting results.

 

  

Bushfire prevention guys appeared today! Do much for giving me 48 hours notice! They are starting on the ramp today!

 

 

Testing floating and sinking at lunch break with outside materials 

 

 

Week 3

Hooray 116000 views

Cold, misty and sunny this morning!

 

 

The kids were busy in Japanese learning animal names and one of my students looked for good examples of onomatopoeia in our comic books to make a chart. Tiani from Prime popped in to see if we were happy with our TV advertising and the 'Tree Fellas' chopped down some branches away from powerlines on Longs Hill Road and gave us the barkchips! ( They think the road might be widened?) I'm going to have a bit of work to do in the weekend!

 

    

I enjoyed the sun which popped out at lunchtime today.

 

The Great Strike of 1917

From the ABC

PHOTO: Hundreds of women marched on NSW Parliament as part of the strike. (Supplied: Collection of Unions NSW)

Next week will mark 100 years since The Great Strike of 1917, when 100,000 workers around Australia walked off the job to protest changing workplace conditions.

The source of consternation was the introduction of time cards, designed to monitor worker productivity.

PHOTO: A time card used to monitor the time it took workers to complete tasks. (Supplied: Collection of Unions NSW)

As part of the new workplace systems, foremen began watching over labourers, counting the time it took them to do certain tasks.

The strikers called it "Americanising work" or "Robotism". The managers, "scientific management".

Workers believed the new system was turning them into machines, de-skilling them and destroying their collective bonds.

Their concerns came to a head at 9am on August 2, 1917, when employees at the Randwick tram and Eveleigh railways workshops in Sydney called a strike.

PHOTO: The strike began in Sydney's rail and tram yards, but quickly spread around the country. (Supplied: Collection of Unions NSW)

With Australia still deeply involved in the war effort, it was a controversial time to launch large scale industrial action.

Families and communities were divided over whether to strike during wartime, but it didn't stop hundreds of thousands of people rallying in cities around the country.

Among the strikers was Ben Chifley, who later became prime minister — he lost his job as an engine driver because of his participation.

The strike was declared over a month later, without having achieved its objectives.

PHOTO: An advertisement for a picture show that depicts the Great Strike. (Supplied: Collection of Unions NSW)

The movement had lost. In the end, the strike proved devastating for the labour movement, which was already split over conscription.

Yet the Great Strike of 1917 is an event that resonates today.

The dispute wasn't about pay, but the impact of technology and new forms of work organisation.

A worker from 1917 wouldn't have any trouble in understanding contemporary media discussions. We're dealing with a similar situation: new technology — automation, robots, algorithms and the gig economy — is changing the way we work.

The algorithm of 1917 was the time card. In 2017, this style of workplace management is on the rise again. It's called digital Taylorism, with software and other tools increasing the ability of management to break down, monitor and analyse performance.

As the modern workplace changes, workers may again decide they need to stand up for their rights and negotiate workable conditions with their employers. Time will tell if they're more successful than the strikers of 1917.

The AEU 'gets it!'

The AEU PCA newletter sent out on Friday 27th contained this story

Review into regional, rural and remote education

The Department of Education and Training has released a discussion paper on regional, rural and remote education.

The review, led by Emeritus Professor John Halsey of Flinders University, will consider the key challenges and barriers that impact on students' learning outcomes, including transitions toward, and success regarding, further study, training and employment.

The AEU will make a submission to the review and engage with members in rural and regional areas in the coming weeks to ensure the voice of principals, teachers and ES are heard loudly and clearly both in terms of the challenges faced but also the key solutions.

I informed the AEU PCA of this and I'm glad they posted this. I also sent it to my executive director, regional director, DET Secretary and Minister. It will be interesting to see if they promote this for teacher/ principal input as the AEU is doing? 

This is the email I sent ( This one to Gil Callister the Department Secretary)

Dear Ms Callister

 I am writing this letter to you to make you and your office aware that The Commonwealth Department of Education and training has launched a discussion paper and opened a portal for submissions for an inquiry entitled:

Independent review into regional, rural and remote education

The timeline for submissions is very short. They are due on August 29th.

 

The blurb on their website says: 

Country students will be the focus of an independent review into regional, rural and remote education. The review will consider the key challenges and barriers that impact on students’ learning outcomes, including transitions toward, and success regarding, further study, training and employment.

The review will be led by Emeritus Professor John Halsey of Flinders University.

The final report and recommendations will be provided to the Government by the end of 2017.

 

I have already sent my submission, I think it is essential that all stakeholders, especially state rural school teachers and principals participate in this inquiry. (They require responses to be made under pre-determined headings and don’t want those to exceed 350 words. Very limiting but their rules.)

I believe that it is important to have all voices heard. Because it has been a ‘well-kept secret’ can I ask you to ensure that the existence of the inquiry is made known to all school leaders and that it would be a perfect opportunity to inform the Commonwealth of important issues affecting rural and regional education in Victoria.

The next DET School update may be too late for the deadline. Can I suggest a direct memo out to Principals.

I have discussed this matter with the Office of the Federal Deputy Leader of the Opposition and Education Spokesperson and AEU and have their support in encouraging participation in the inquiry. I have also sent this email to my SEIL , Area Executive Director, Regional Director and the Minister’s office.

 

The portal can be accessed from this link.

https://www.education.gov.au/independent-review-regional-rural-and-remote-education

 

Tony Shaw

Principal Glen Park Primary School

25/07/17

(I am happy to email my submission to your office on request)

Too crook for school

Well..... I've been crook all week ( in fact I think I've had this cold since May!) I don't normally get colds and this is hanging on. If I wasn't in a one teacher school I would have taken the last few days off. Thankfully it's the weekend so I'm not going up to work this weekend for the first time in years. I'm going to relax on the couch, tweet a bit,  catch up with some reading ( refer photo) and nap. I'm sure the school will function ok next week ( everything doesn't have to be planned to the last degree all the time and some things can just wait!)

Oh, and here is the lovely silent movie star Louise Brooks with a koala ( I don't know why) and from the same era (1920s) an impression of the future ( interesting) also s potential cold cure for me?

 

Oliver

One of my ex students is playing the role of Oliver in a production of the musical in Geelong. He is very talented.

 

Creating a 1metre square and testing it out!( about 35 books over 1 metre square)

 

 

Doctor Foster

 

Love Google's tribute to Aboriginal artist Albert Namatjira.

 

Quote from Tanya Plibesek today

Labor will restore every dollar that Malcolm Turnbull has cut from schools. Every single dollar. 

Hold you to that!

 Working on the number mat

Swimming #2

Busy at the fire station this morning???

 

Our second swimming session and the kids are doing very well.

 

    

 

Oh....and big news from Trumpville- President Trump donates his 2nd quarter salary — $100,000 — to the Department of Education. He has CUT $9 billion from their budget!

Aladdin

At Her Majesty's in Melbourne with the kids to see Aladdin!

 

 

 

Lollies at intermission

  

Ushers are very strict about photos!!!!

 

Frogs

My grade 3 student just finished a unit on the wonderful 'Frog' stories by Max Velthuijs. We made some 'hungry frogs'.

 

 

It is his favourite spot!

 

Cows checking out the better looking grass on the other side of the fence!

A Monster Calls unit

To coincide with the release of the movie of the book in Australia on Thursday I am posting my literature unit on TPT for A Monster Calls: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/A-Monster-Calls-3279113

Only $2.00

Winner of the worst cover art ever?

A boy sits amid the ruins of a London bookshop after an air raid Oct,8, 1940, reading a book. I hope he wasn't shot for looting!

Week 2

We had a busy morning today with Japanese to start, making Cats for the Owl and the Pussycat, finishing our Italian work on face words and completing comprehension tasks using a Tarzan DVD. The bushfire prevention people will start work this week. I'm a bit annoyed at their plans which have of course changed without any consultation but not much I can do!

Today I will also post my A Monster Calls unit before the movie release here in Australia.