The Connection is a network of high-performing school leaders working in some of Australia’s most challenged communities. They’ve been reflecting on successful practices in their own schools since the start of the pandemic. Today’s article shares their top five recommendations for learning through COVID.

‘Educators employ a range of strategies to manage student wellbeing, but the impact of COVID-19 on their approach to this is not yet fully understood.’ Dr Bridianne O’Dea – Senior Research Fellow in youth mental health at the Black Dog Institute – shares the findings of a recent investigation into secondary school educators’ approaches to student mental health during the COVID-19 lockdown.

After many educators experienced lengthy periods of remote learning once again this year, the challenges of switching off from work might be even greater these holidays. In this article, we’re joined by Dr Joanne Beames from the Black Dog Institute, who shares some evidence-based strategies educators can use to switch off and put their wellbeing first.

‘I’ve emptied my cup completely several times. It always creeps up slowly, but surely, in the background under the guise of contributing to the greater good.’ Aimee Blazek from Mount St Patrick College in Murwillumbah, New South Wales, shares a range of wellbeing strategies she employs to fill her cup.

As a school leader, what’s your response to negative events or difficult situations? In the upcoming school year, what areas might you choose to work collectively with staff on improving? We’ve unpacked these questions recently at Teacher, so in this episode we’re looking at leadership.

Back in 2018, we brought you the story of a new intervention program for disengaged male students at Cherrybrook Technology High School in New South Wales. Nearly four years later, in today’s article, we hear how the program has evolved over the years and the impact it’s had on student learning and wellbeing.

In our annual Teacher magazine reader survey, we ask you to share one piece of advice with a fellow educator. As the school holidays approach, in this infographic, we share some of the responses we received about the importance of switching off from work.

In her final Teacher column of the year, Dr Sue Thomson explores data from a new large-scale survey of young people’s social and emotional skills that reveals significant differences between students from advantaged and disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds.

Barbara Gillis, an educator working to develop curriculum materials for a peace education program to be piloted in South Australia, shares her review of Prem Rawat’s book ‘Hear Yourself – How to find Peace in a Noisy World’.

A report released by the Australian Government Department of Education, Skills and Employment, addresses the unique challenges faced by school leaders in regional, rural and remote schools and outlines four key qualities of school leaders achieving high impact in these settings.