Total Education Blog

Dr Ali Black from the University of the Sunshine Coast spoke about the skills needed for the 21st Century at the Graduation Ceremony last November. Here, we provide a transcript of her talk.

We were privileged to have Dr Ali Black, senior early childhood lecturer at Sunshine Coast University, speak at our graduation ceremony this year. The event doubled as a celebration of our graduates as well as the final Parents' Program for the year.

The School of Total Education was privileged to have Dr Derek Chong, Queensland's first indigenous psychiatrist, visit the school in late November following his address to the International Men's Day breakfast, which was hosted by the school's psychologist, Mark Cary.

Children are taking in thousands of impressions every second; they take in everything. Their 'camera' is running all the time. With all this going on, by the time they get to 16, the picture they have built up is unacceptable. This is why we as parents must take a hard look at ourselves in the interest of our children's future. - By David Leech

To celebrate the special status and contribution of Australia’s Indigenous people, The School of Total Education in Warwick together with Venkateshwar International School, Delhi, staged a combined skype performance of the song ‘Into the Forest’.

Last Sunday saw an uplifting graduation at The School of Total Education’s Vijayadev Yogendra Auditorium as the ten graduating year 12 students and one graduating Year 10 student received their certificates of graduation and bid the school farewell.

We are very fortunate that past student of the school, Dr Indra Nordstrand, is returning to address the graduates and parents at our graduation ceremony and parents seminar on Sunday 20th November 2016. Most parents and newer teachers will not know Indra, who graduated from The School of Total Education herself in 1989 and went on to study medicine at the Flinders University of South Australia. After developing an interest in Cardiothoracic Surgery, Indra completed postgraduate studies in surgery at the University of Queensland and specialist surgery training in Victoria to ultimately become one of a few female Cardiothoracic Surgeons in Australia.

At the end of last term, the primary school brought to life the classic folk tale The Pied Piper of Hamlyn in musical form. The children played to a packed Vijayadev Yogendra Auditorium two nights running and performed beautifully.