Carnarvon School, in Of The Air Carnarvon
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| Carnarvon, located on the coast in the Gascoyne Region of Western Australia's northwest is noted for its moderate subtropical climate. The town (pop approx 6800) supports an extensive pastoral and horticultural industry, prawn and snapper fishery. Students on remote pastoral stations in the region are widely scattered in a 500km radius of the town and beyond the reach of normal education services. The school was established in 1968 to provide education services to students through the Royal Flying Doctor Service radio network and the state Correspondence School. The high frequency radio network was phased out in 2004 and IT based lessons are now delivered via satellite and supplemented with set work curriculum materials.Carnarvon School of the Air (CSOTA) has become part of the state's distance education network and forms part of the Schools of Isolated and Distance Education that is based Perth. In the home school room students are assisted by a home tutor, usually the children's mother or a hired tutor. Students 'meet' their fellow students daily on-air in their 'virtual classroom' where teachers conduct lessons to supplement and enrich the distance education materials. Several times a year teachers visit their students and their Home Tutors to provide the face to face learning support required. Students also meet at camps held throughout the year in central locations. Twice a year the school conducts training seminars for Home tutors and new parents. Parents, teachers and students meet for a week of professional development and class lessons. Base Teachers and visiting speakers keep Home tutors up to date with the latest developments in curriculum resources and teaching practice. The school provides professional teaching support, educational programs and information and resources. The school has developed a comprehensive and well resourced curriculum including guides for the use of the Home tutor. Work is usually completed in fortnightly sets comprising 10 days school work. Sixteen such sets, spread over the four terms, are completed throughout the year. Additionally, teachers plan review and consolidation sets and the school year incorporates attendance at school camps where school work is completed face to face. Individual Learning Plans are established for students to cater for individual learning needs. Time, distance and weather conditions are major factors affecting the posting, dispatch, marking and returning of students' work. Technology increasingly helps overcome the tyranny of distance. Fax, telephone and computers are used to enable more rapid and timely communication between home-tutor, teacher and student. Using high quality computers, research, desk-top publishing, educational games and electronic transfer of data have become integrated into the student's work. The curriculum offerings at Carnarvon SOTA include a Japanese Language program delivered through SIDE, Skills for Life Program, Music tuition, and extension programs for Talented and Gifted students. A support teacher is provided for student with learning difficulties. Home tutors are a key part of students' engagement with the learning program. To this end Home Tutors are invited to participate in seminars and area camps. Regular email and telephone contact as well as teacher visits to families further support the role of the Home Tutor. The School Council is the parent decision making group and meets to plan school priorities, ratify the school plan and provide input in school issues. Members are elected and represent staff, parent and Home Tutors. A Community Representative is also appointed. The group meets by tele-conference and two face to face meetings are planned each year. The school has an active Parents & Citizens Association who meet 'on-air', using the same CENTRA technology as is used for virtual classroom lessons each term. They play an active part in school matters and provide a sounding board for ideas. The meetings are an opportunity to disseminate information and maintain contact with one another. Minutes are posted electronically to all families as well as by mail. The Isolated Children's Parent Association (ICPA) has two branches within the Carnarvon School of the Air region. The ICPA raises funds to support students in isolated areas and is an active lobby group on behalf of rural families. | ||||
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