‘Reclaim the classroom': Catholic school discipline goes back to basics
Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS) will announce its new 'Vision for Engagement' that covers its 290 schools and 118,000 students on Wednesday at The Age Schools Summit in the CBD.
The new MACS framework will be based on the principles of explicit instruction – which was adopted by all MACS schools for maths, reading and writing last year – and will aim to make respectful student behaviour a core focus.
The approach will also feature a 'strong stance' against the harmful effects of social media.
MACS executive director Ed Simons, who will outline the vision at the summit, says the objective is to create calm, respectful and inclusive classrooms that give children the best chance of a quality education.
Loading
Simons told The Age on Tuesday that explicit teaching in maths, English and reading had shown promising early academic results, and that the approach would be widened to cover most aspects of school life.
'Now, we are intentionally sharpening our focus on student engagement as a key pillar of how we support student growth – through explicit teaching of respectful behaviour, shared expectations and consistent reinforcement,' Simons said.
Expectations of students include 'behaving respectfully towards others, attending school every day on time … and listening intently and paying attention'.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Age
11 hours ago
- The Age
A Perth pet hospital nearly sent me broke. But the alternative was worse
Before you hurl fur balls at me, a recent survey by comparison website Finder found that, on average, Aussies would fork out around $6200 to save their furry friends from the 'green dream'. An impressive 8 per cent would spend more than $10,000 to prevent their pet from being euthanised. At the other end of the scale, 6 per cent of people wouldn't cough up a cent to stop their pooch or mouser going to animal heaven. However, before we rapidly point the finger at those miserly mutt and moggie-owners, there are undoubtedly moments when cash-strapped animal-lovers can't afford to splash out weeks' worth of wages to save their pet. I didn't have to subject myself to clinical trials for fast cash because our tax returns had just popped into our bank accounts. But with thousands of Australians drowning in the cost-of-living crisis, having to euthanise your pet because you couldn't afford the bill would be devastating. As a lapsed Catholic, I'm well-versed in guilt, but if I had lacked the coin to save my cat, I would have fallen into a self-condemnation that even the patron saint of suffering, Saint Dymphna, would find impossible to endure. There are quick-access loan schemes, but the exorbitant interest rates and fees mean you'll still be in debt long after Rover and Ruby Tuesday have crossed the rainbow bridge. Consumer watchdog CHOICE has previously slammed such schemes for 'enticing pet owners into unaffordable debt'. 'A beloved pet's illness can be one of the most stressful times in a person's life,' says CHOICE's Head of Policy, Patrick Veyret. 'Lenders … should not be profiting from people's anxieties about their pets.' Like many of these modern-day lay-by schemes, the scheme preys on the most vulnerable. I wouldn't have flinched or even read the fine print when signing up for a pay-later service to keep Salem alive. There will be widespread disagreements about spending money to save or prolong pets' lives. However, I agree with American philosopher and animal rights activist Jeff Sebo that we must remember that our furry friends are significant beings that belong to our moral community. Loading Sebo's The Moral Circle argues humans will prioritise themselves at the expense of many other beings and while our household animal companions might demand some of our attention, we don't always accord equal value to all animals. Sebo addresses some challenging ethical questions about the extent to which we should expand our moral circle, discussing everything from insects to AI. Whatever monetary misgivings I had about Salem instantly evaporated the moment he staggered onto my lap, while projecting phlegm onto my jumper.
Sydney Morning Herald
11 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
A Perth pet hospital nearly sent me broke. But the alternative was worse
Before you hurl fur balls at me, a recent survey by comparison website Finder found that, on average, Aussies would fork out around $6200 to save their furry friends from the 'green dream'. An impressive 8 per cent would spend more than $10,000 to prevent their pet from being euthanised. At the other end of the scale, 6 per cent of people wouldn't cough up a cent to stop their pooch or mouser going to animal heaven. However, before we rapidly point the finger at those miserly mutt and moggie-owners, there are undoubtedly moments when cash-strapped animal-lovers can't afford to splash out weeks' worth of wages to save their pet. I didn't have to subject myself to clinical trials for fast cash because our tax returns had just popped into our bank accounts. But with thousands of Australians drowning in the cost-of-living crisis, having to euthanise your pet because you couldn't afford the bill would be devastating. As a lapsed Catholic, I'm well-versed in guilt, but if I had lacked the coin to save my cat, I would have fallen into a self-condemnation that even the patron saint of suffering, Saint Dymphna, would find impossible to endure. There are quick-access loan schemes, but the exorbitant interest rates and fees mean you'll still be in debt long after Rover and Ruby Tuesday have crossed the rainbow bridge. Consumer watchdog CHOICE has previously slammed such schemes for 'enticing pet owners into unaffordable debt'. 'A beloved pet's illness can be one of the most stressful times in a person's life,' says CHOICE's Head of Policy, Patrick Veyret. 'Lenders … should not be profiting from people's anxieties about their pets.' Like many of these modern-day lay-by schemes, the scheme preys on the most vulnerable. I wouldn't have flinched or even read the fine print when signing up for a pay-later service to keep Salem alive. There will be widespread disagreements about spending money to save or prolong pets' lives. However, I agree with American philosopher and animal rights activist Jeff Sebo that we must remember that our furry friends are significant beings that belong to our moral community. Loading Sebo's The Moral Circle argues humans will prioritise themselves at the expense of many other beings and while our household animal companions might demand some of our attention, we don't always accord equal value to all animals. Sebo addresses some challenging ethical questions about the extent to which we should expand our moral circle, discussing everything from insects to AI. Whatever monetary misgivings I had about Salem instantly evaporated the moment he staggered onto my lap, while projecting phlegm onto my jumper.
Sydney Morning Herald
a day ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘People are crying out for something different': Brisbane's shrinking public primary schools
While home-education surged, the Brisbane School of Distance Education – where learning is delivered through online lessons – had one of the biggest drops, with Prep to Year 6 enrolments declining 26 per cent. English, a researcher at QUT, said families were increasingly looking for choices that better met their young person's needs rather than automatically choosing the local state school. She said the pandemic gave parents a 'window' into their child's classroom that exposed bullying and other concerns, and also gave some professionals greater work flexibility. 'They look at the local state school, and they think, you're so constrained by overarching forces of what you can and can't do,' she said. 'They think their child is a square peg in a round hole, and they don't want their child to lose those edges.' Green said her daughter Pixie, 11, had ADHD and autism and dreaded going to school. But home-schooling meant the 'quirky, sweet kid' who loved reading, writing and music was finally able to be herself. 'There was nothing more you want than for your child's wellbeing to be good,' she said. 'It was heartbreaking what we went through. 'There's not a lot of other options for kids who are struggling in mainstream unless you've got money to maybe go to an independent school.' Griffith University Professor Beryl Exley said families were making conscious decisions to align education to their students' needs, considering teaching philosophies, logistics, and where their child would thrive academically and socially, with some seeking specialised subjects, inquiry-based learning, or a focus on the International Baccalaureate. 'Many parents and carers are strategically enrolling their children in recognised feeder primary schools to improve their chances of gaining admission to certain state or independent secondary schools,' she said. Changing demographics, including housing affordability in certain catchments, also had an impact on school trends, English said. Brisbane families are also having fewer children – there were 416 babies fewer born in 2019 compared to 2016 – but this is offset by increasing migration to the city. Loading Some shrinking schools did have smaller Prep cohorts. For example, Aspley State School had 114 Prep students in 2021 and only 84 last year, as it shrunk by 6 per cent overall. While some state schools shrunk, there were hundreds more students enrolled in private primary schools in 2024 compared with 2021. Some, such as Brigidine College, have recently introduced year 5 and 6 to their high school offerings. Meanwhile, state schools in the affluent suburbs of Graceville and Ascot had noticeably fewer students enrolled in Year 5 last year compared to Year 4 the year before – suggesting some had left for Year 5 entry at private schools. The biggest shrink at a state primary school was at Hendra State School – already Brisbane's smallest state primary school – where enrolments halved. It was not just tiny schools that became smaller, with larger schools shrinking, like Jindalee (down 20 per cent to 587 students), Bulimba (down 18 per cent to 660 students), and Grand Avenue in Forest Lake (down 16 per cent to 983 students). Enrolment management plans kept a lid on some schools, with strict rules that did not allow children living out of the local catchment area to enrol. For example, Ironside State School had 1080 students in 2021, and dropped 13 per cent to 937 last year. Some state primary schools bucked the trend, including Pallara State School, which surged by 48 per cent to 1283 students, while Stafford Heights, Hamilton, Petrie Terrace, Moorooka, Kenmore, Newmarket and Mayfield state schools all increased by more than 20 per cent. Among the top 20 primary schools for growth, six were over-capacity last year – Kenmore, Enoggera, Sunnybank Hills, Mackenzie, Wishart and Brisbane Central state schools. An education department spokesman said they were committed to ensuring all students had access to a world-class education, and pointed out demand for state schools remained strong, with almost two-thirds of Queensland students attending a state school. 'Many schools are subject to fluctuations in enrolments as a result of demographic factors in the communities they serve,' he said. 'Changes in the school-aged population as well as local population movements affect individual school enrolments.' The spokesman said the department prioritised relief for schools experiencing catchment pressures by expanding existing schools or building new ones.
