Based on our award winning Year 5/6 TAP into Farm Safety unit we were invited to be a part of a stakeholder dialogue facilitated by Behaviourworks Australia and Monash University for WorkSafe Victoria on “How can we use behavior change to optimize vehicle safety on Victorian farms". Other participants included representatives from agricultural industries, the National Centre for Farmer Health, WestVic Dairy, community groups, CWA and WorkSafe. The participants were engaged to seek views on a behavioral approach to farm safety that focused on tractors and quad bikes. We will be including this data in our Farm Safety unit later this year, so watch this space. To introduce the concept of ‘Healthy Bones, Healthy Body’ the Year 3/4 students recently hosted Timboon and District Health Service nutritionist, Diana D’Auria. Diane spoke about healthy food choices and meal planning using the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating pie graph. She asked students why their bodies needed healthy food and challenged them to design their own healthy meals. Yummo! As an introduction to the Year 7/8 Politics elective, “Have your say”, Corangamite Mayor, Neil Trotter, was invited into the classroom to outline the role of local government in our region. Neil described how local councils evolved from Roads Boards and that they are now responsible for many services such as rubbish collection, pools, libraries, halls, local roads etc. Neil asked students to raise their concerns about local issues so topics such as extending the Timboon skate park, safety concerns about the old structure under the Port Campbell pier, road maintenance of Shire roads and VicRoads thoroughfares, concrete power poles, roadside vegetation in light of the St Patrick’s Day fires, Shire pools, windfarms and the impact of tourists in our region were discussed. Neil encouraged students to take advantage of the agribusiness and tourism opportunities in our area and to be involved in our community. Great introduction, thanks Neil. STEM Coordinator, Anne Frazer, has recently been a delegate at the ‘Women In Agri-tech’ symposium in Brisbane which is designed to create and foster a strong network of female teachers who will become leaders in digital literacy, STEM and entrepreneurship in regional, rural and remote areas. Anne has participated in workshops on influencing change in schools, a drone reality check, Pasture.io, Moovement cattle tracking, Sheep CRcs, GPS Cows, Plant barcoding and soil moisture. Can’t wait to see some of this in the classroom! Over the last two days researchers from ARACY (Australian Research Alliance for Children & Youth) have been conducting interviews with students, parents, teachers, industry and community members about the TAP and Timboon P-12 School. ARACY has been commissioned by the Dept of Education and Training to identify and showcase a range of schools and programs that engage parents and families to support children in career education and future pathways. It was a great opportunity to share our TAP stories of engagement and community support, thanks Barbara and Lauren. |
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February 2024
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