Learn 2 Live

 

This section includes archived copies of articles and regular features previously posted on the website relating to education, training, personal and professional development:

Community Programs and Support Systems 

Here on the Sunshine Coast there are a range of programs and resources designed to support the community in a variety of ways. Learn2Live puts the spotlight on a range of them, FYI:

 

Community Focus Association Inc. operates the Discovery Program which provides people with mental health issues opportunities to be part of a community.  The program staff aim to provide a safe and welcoming environment for individuals to come together and work on discovering their own interests, talents and abilities.  Discovery are based at the corner of Duporth Avenue and Beach Road in Maroochydore and also visit the Hinterland.  Activities include social groups, men's, women's and peer support groups, outings, sports, yoga, fishing, bowling, computer access, art and craft, education, self-development opportunities, work skills and more.  For more info call (07) 5479 3110.

 

Sunshine Coast Community Information Service (CIS) - the first point of access for information about community organisations and events on the Sunshine Coast.  Visit www.sunshinecoastcis.qld.gov.au for info on ongoing literacy and computer courses.  Click here to see the new Indigenous website which contains info on diverse activities from walking groups, playgroups, to sports and personal development programs.

 

GROW is a community of persons working towards mental health through mutual help and a 12 step program of recovery.  Visit www.grow.net.au for more info or call 1800 558 268.

 

Link In Association Sunshine Coast provides a range of services for people with psychiatric disability, mental illness, challenging and/or dual diagnosis including case management, accommodation and lifestyle support and community access.  For more info go to www.linkin.org.au

 

Suncare Community Services Inc. provides a range of flexible respite options to people with a mental illness and their carers.  Suncare also auspices Recovery Australia which provides a diverse series of educational events that encourage participants to learn and discover the reality of recovery from mental illness.  Go towww.suncare.org.au for more info or call 1800 059 059.

 

Ozcare Community Care offers the Personal Helpers and Mentors Program which provides one to one support for people aged 16 and over with mental health difficulties, to work towards their recovery goals.  For more info go towww.ozcare.org.au or call (07) 5437 1222.

 

Lifeline offers a wide range of services including the Information Service which provides information and referral for people dealing with mental health issues, personally or as a family member or friend of someone with mental illness.  It also operates the 24 hour crisis line telephone counselling service (13 11 14).  Lifeline is also a registered training organisation delivering volunteer, community and corporate training and suicide prevention programs.  For more info go to www.lifeline.org.au or call 1300 11 24.

 

Mental illness support organisations - the Bipolar-Depression Support Group meets fortnightly on Mondays from 1.00 pm at the Caloundra Community Centre - it is a free group providing support to sufferers and their families - call 0439 719 890.  The Schizophrenia Fellowship of Queensland Inc provides services and support for people living with schizophrenia and other serious mental ilness and their family members - they have brances on the Sushine Coast, visit www.sfq.org.au or call (07) 3358 4424.

 

Alzheimer's Australia (Qld) offers the Living with Memory Loss program, a free information and support group for people with early stage dementia, designed to help them better understand the implications of living with dementia and plan for their future.  The program provides a safe environment for participants to share experiences, express feelings, gain information, focus on maintaining and enhancing skills and abilities and explore strategies for living with dementia.  Courses are run throughout the year and dates are tailored to suit the needs of participants.  For more info please contact Cathy on the National Dementia Helpline on 1800 100 500.

NAPLAN

In May, students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 from all state and non-state schools across Australia take part in the National Assessment Program Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) testing.  The tests assess students abilities in reading, writing, spelling, grammar, punctuation and numeracy.  It is important to remember that NAPLAN results represent achievements in tests conducted in May and should be considered along with performance in other school-based assessments.  There are some useful resources on the national website www.naplan.edu.au to help you understand your childs NAPLAN report.  The Queensland Studies Authority makes a summary of the results for every school in Queensland available on its website 

Scholarships

Educational institutions such as schools and universities often offer scholarships to students who have excelled in academic and non-academic pursuits.  Scholarships can significantly decrease the cost of education and also provide opportunities that students might not otherwise have access to, such as travelling overseas.

Parents and students might like to consider the range of scholarships on offer.  Learn2Live provides information and links to websites for local and non-local options to assist you in this process:

University of the Sunshine Coast

For more info on scholarships, bursaries and prizes, go to

 www.usc.edu.au/Students/Future/FinancialAssistance/ScholarshipsBursariesPrizes

 

 Sunshine Coast Schools

• Good Shepherd Lutheran College - Contact (07) 5455 8600; www.gslc.qld.edu.au
• Immanuel Lutheran College - academic and special talents (music and sport) scholarships providing 100% subsidy.  Academic (for entry in years 7,8 and 11); music (Years 8-11); sport (years 9-12).  Contact (07) 5477 3448; http://www.immanuel.qld.edu.au/
• Matthew Flinders Anglican College - academic, music, general excellence and co-curicular scholarships for secondary school students.  Apply via website at http://www.mfac.edu.au/
• Nambour Christian College - Selection is on the basis of prior academic record and achievement in at least one area of music, performing arts, visual arts, public speaking and sport.  See the website for details http://www.ncc.qld.edu.au/
• St Andrew's Anglican College - music and general excellence (years 7-12). Apply online at http://www.saac.qld.edu.au/
• Sunshine Coast Grammar School - academic, music and general excellence scholarships.  Visit the website at http://www.scgs.qld.edu.au/ 
• For more information on a range of other scholarships, click here to navigate to Learn2Live's easy links.

Act Smart - Be Safe
Act Smart - Be Safe is a new website (within the Education Queensland website), which provides tips and information for students on handling situations involving violence, drugs or alcohol. It also provides resources for teachers and parents on keeping young people safe including topics such as safely monitoring the use of technology, and safely hosting a party for teens. To access the site click here.

Children with a Disability

Parents of children with a disability can now access Education Queensland's updated online resource, Education for children with a disability a guide for parents. This resource broadly outlines the support available for children and young people with disabilities in the state school sector. The guide is a starting point to help parents understand how the education system works and what special education programs and services are available for students with disabilities. The guide was developed after working closely with parents, parent organisations, school staff, Queensland Health, and the Department of Communities - Disability Services.  For more information go to:

http://education.qld.gov.au/studentservices/learning/disability/parentguide/index.html

 

Resourceful Schools Guide
Published by the Queensland Department of Education, Training and the Arts, the Resourceful Schools Guide provides a comprehensive collection of information, links and guides which cover areas such as Arts and Cultural Development, Family Assistance, Environment, General Grants, Health and Wellbeing, Safety, Transport and many more. This is a fantastic resource for all parents and school communities! To view this document click here.   

 

Raising Children Network

New practical online resources are now available to support parents and help separate fact from fiction on parenting children through the pre-teen and early teen years. Informed by Australian parents and developed by parenting professionals, Raising Children Network: Teens provides parents with information to help them make informed choices about a range of topics: from teenager independence and development to encouraging good behaviour and healthy parent-child relationships.  For more information go to: 

http://raisingchildren.net.au/early_teens/early_teens.html

 

 

 

Preparing for School

With the new school year approaching, below are some resources to help smooth the way for a great year:

A helpful book for families with little ones heading to school for the first time, check out Our Family is Starting School: A Handbook for Parents and Carers by Sue Dockett, professor of early-childhood education at Charles Sturt University and Bob Perry, Pademelon Press, 2006

Early Childhood Australia's website contains a range of school readiness resources - check out www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/learning_about_children_3_to_9_years/preschoolers/school_readiness.html

The Parenting and Child Health website is a great resource for parents and caregivers on everything related to health and development of children - there is a great section on starting school, go to www.cyh.com

Similarly, the Raising Children Network, Australia's parenting website also contains tips for parents - visit http://raisingchildren.net.au

Also helpful are Kathy Walker and Associates' fact sheets on school preparation and a variety of other issues - visit http://www.kathywalker.com.au/

Need to label everything - check http://www.stuckonyou.biz/  and http://www.thatsmine.com.au/ for a wide range of labels for uniforms, shoes and socks, pens and pencils, lunch boxes, back packs and books.

Physical Activity 

If you are interested in fund-raising events, there are two programs taking place in May which promote healthy lifestyles.  fit4fun month is run by the Royal Children's Hospital Foundation and is designed for primary schools, families and other groups, including Outside School Hours Care Centres.  The idea is for children to set themselves healthy eating and activity goals and then ask family members and friends to sponsor them to achieve these goals - check out http://www.workingwonders.com.au/go/learn-more/events/fit4fun/ for more info.  Jump Rope for Heart is the Heart Foundation's program for schools to promote health and fun while raising valuable funds, for more info see http://www.heartfoundation.org.au/

On the Sunshine Coast, we are lucky to have a climate and environment conducive to physical activity and people dedicated to helping us achieve it. 

A very useful resource for families on the Sunshine Coast is "A Parents Guide to Keeping Kids Active" by Karen Shelley and Wendy Gilmour.  This Guide is packed full of information about the many possibilities for families to keep active and entertained.  Whether you have lived on the Coast for years or just visiting, you will discover that there is plenty to do here.  For more information on this excellent initiative, contact Karen on 0438 785 154 or Wendy on 0400 324 448 or visit http://www.keepingkidsactive.com.au/

Also supporting the Sunshine Coast is the group, Healthy School Pathways.  Healthy School Pathways Inc.is funded by the Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs to directly support schools in their efforts to create healthy school communities through creative health programs.  The aim of the group is to create positive health cultures in schools, to assist with networking and liaison and to provide support for existing school health programs.  You can read more about this great initiative and the next "Come and Try Day" at www.healthyschools.org.au

 

 

Source: Education Queensland
Source: Department of Employment and Industrial Relations