Don't forget to keep all your receipts from back-to-school expenses so that you can take advantage of the Education Tax Refund. The refund gives eligible parents and caregivers a 50 per cent refund on a range of primary and secondary school education expenses, including school uniforms. For the 2011-2012 financial year you may be eligible for the following: Primary school child You can claim a maximum of $818 for each of your primary school children – that is a refund of up to $409. Secondary school student You can claim a maximum of $1,636... Read more

A suite of resources, including the School A to Z website and the annual back-to-school hotline, is available to help parents prepare for the new school year. School A to Z website The School A to Z website provides you with practical help to get involved and support your children's learning and includes a webcast on the theme of ‘Getting off to a great start at school'. The School A to Z webcast answers commonly asked questions that range from how to motivate children for learning, to tips on how to manage technology use at home, bullying,... Read more

The state's most talented young singers, dancers and musicians displayed their skills during four exciting and extravagant performances at the 2011 Schools Spectacular, held recently at the Sydney Entertainment Centre. If you missed the live shows or if you just want to enjoy it all again, you can catch the highlights on ABC TV. Two telecasts are scheduled (check your local TV guide for confirmation): 7.30pm Sunday, 18 December on ABC1 (1hr version) 7.00pm Saturday, 31 December on ABC2 (2.5hr version). The brilliantly choreographed and... Read more

Now that you've received your HSC results, you may need help with what to do next. A free phone and email careers advisory service is available for students and their families from Thursday 15 December 2011 to Friday 6 January 2012, and is provided by the NSW Department of Education and Communities. Experienced careers advisers will be available on 1300 300 687 or via the Careers Advisory Service website to answer your enquiries and provide advice about career and study options. If you need assistance in clarifying course choices, employment... Read more

Royal Life Saving NSW has emphasised the importance of swimming and water safety education, saying 50,000 children are leaving primary school every year unable to swim. The organisation says participation in swimming lessons has been in decline for the past 10 years and many Australian children are at risk of drowning. Both Royal Life Saving and the NSW Government agency Sport and Recreation offer learn-to-swim lessons throughout the state under the Swim and Survive banner. The Sport and Recreation program caters for children aged between 18... Read more

Our senior students like to celebrate their major milestones at this time of year, such as finishing exams and leaving school. We encourage parents to work with us to ensure their safety, health and wellbeing during this time. Be assured, our school doesn't allow alcohol at any student function whether held at the school or at student dances, farewells, sports events and barbecues outside the school. Celebration guides for parents and students Time to party Parties are part and parcel of teenage social life and help mark the move... Read more

You can't always trust what you read when researching information for assignments. Here are ways your child can tell a good website from a bad one. With so much information on the web and no-one responsible for fact checking, kids need to look out for: bias and hidden agendas factual errors outdated information information which is country-specific commercially motivated information. Play the detective The ability to question information is a vital tool for all school kids. People can publish something that looks great but is full of factual... Read more

Feeling anxious before exams is perfectly normal and can even help kids do better. The problems arise when the worry gets out of hand and prevents your child from studying effectively. While you obviously can't jump in and do the work for them, parents can help their kids manage the fear and, in the process, learn valuable skills that will be crucial in later life. Child psychologist Kimberley O'Brien says these key areas are where a little parental guidance can make all the difference: Make sure your child is eating a balanced diet with... Read more

You don't have to be an expert to help your child with writing. Simply supporting your child with the areas of writing that you feel confident with will benefit them. When you're writing something down such as the shopping list, sending an email or filling in a form, talk to your child about what you're doing, why you're writing it and who you expect to read it. When writing at home, make it purposeful and interesting for yourself and your child. It's essential that kids learn that we write for a purpose It's important that your child... Read more

On Thursday 8 September 2011 due to industrial action by NSW Teachers Federation Bulahdelah Central School will be Non-Operational on this day. No supervision of students will be possible with the exception of Year 11 who are sitting their final exams. Special provisions have been made for these students who must attend. Please do not send your child to school on Thursday. The decision to participate in industrial action is not taken lightly and the safety of all students is paramount. Your support in this matter is appreciated.... Read more

Parents can now access quality information to help with their child's homework and assignments while on the go. The School A to Z mobile app, available free for iPhone, iPad and Android devices, is part of a new online parent resource developed by the education department. The app features: plain-English definitions of maths, English and technology terms, including videos and help sheets information and useful links to help with common classroom assignments Maths Monkey times tables learning game Spelling Bee learning game. The Spelling Bee... Read more

Parents can support their child's learning with a new purpose-built resource that includes a website, mobile applications and social media channels. The School A to Z online school community, developed by the education department, provides practical advice about homework, tips on learning, wellbeing, technology and resources to help parents and carers support their child's social, physical and mental development. It includes a free mobile application for iPad and smartphones that features hundreds of definitions about maths and English terms,... Read more

July 26Beginning at 3.15 for all students in Years 7 to 11Bookings are essential and all students have been given a booking sheet.... Read more

Here are some practical tips to help your child work out the best way to express themselves through their writing. Help your child to understand writing tasks that they may have been given for homework. Ask them to talk about what has to be done. Help your child to use reference materials such as dictionaries, thesauruses, encyclopaedias, DVDs and the internet. Before your child attempts a task, help them to understand what reference materials are needed by talking about the task and asking questions which will guide the child's planning.... Read more

Many students find study a challenge, but you can help make it more rewarding for your child by encouraging them to use some of the following ideas: Keep up with assignments and assessment tasks mark key dates on a calendar make an assignment schedule for each week make daily 'to-do' lists. Review class work each day keep a notepad handy while reading to make notes or reminders create flash cards of main ideas or key points (with details on the back) make up study questions to test learning. Take breaks while studying your child will... Read more

24 June 2011 Encouraging your kids to pick up a few good books during the holidays is a great way to keep their hard-earned reading skills from slipping. Here are some suggestions. Books for young kids For boys and girls in Kindergarten to Year 2: The Terrible Plop - Ursula Dubosarsky Clancy & Millie and the Very Fine House - Libby Gleeson. For boys and girls in Years 3 and 4: Ballroom Bonanza - Nina Rycroft (a fabulous rhyming alphabetical picture book) The Adventures of a Late-Night Swearer - Nette Hilton The Walk Right in Detective... Read more

8 June 2011 With the financial year almost over, now is the time to start collating your receipts from education expenses to take advantage of a federal government tax initiative. The Education Tax Refund (ETR) gives parents and caregivers a 50% refund on a range of primary and secondary school education expenses. For the 2010-2011 financial year you may be eligible for the following: Primary school child You can claim a maximum of $794 for each of your primary school children and receive a maximum refund of $397 per primary school child.... Read more

Can kids really do their homework and multi-task? Parents around the world are divided on this. Half watch their teenagers sitting among a pile of books, earphones in, computer on, TV humming in the background and think, "I wish I could multi-task like that". The others stride across the room, pull the plug on the distractions, and ask the age-old question: "How can you study with that on?" What does the international research reveal about multi-tasking? Here is a summary of the key findings: Teenagers might be regularly multi-tasking, but... Read more

Success in maths in the later years of school is dependent on developing a solid understanding of the foundational concepts: addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Maths expert and parent, Associate Professor Janette Bobis from the University of Sydney, gives her top tips on how young kids can become confident in maths. Have a positive attitude towards maths When parents tell their children that they themselves can't do it, it means they're communicating messages that it's OK not to be good at maths, which can carry all the way... Read more

Parents can help with their child's understanding of science and scientific principles. Here are some top tips: Encourage your child to ask questions and help them find the answers. Talk to your child about being a good problem solver. Give them increasingly difficult puzzles to solve as they develop more skills. These could be in the form of games or experiments, questions or puzzles, including those found in newspapers such as Sudoko, or physical problems such as jigsaws or 3D models. Talk to your child about basing their views on evidence... Read more