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PARRAMATTA

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Starting school – trials and elations


Professors Sue Dockett (left) and Bob Perry.Starting school can be exciting and, perhaps, a little scary – and that’s just for parents. Two senior education researchers at Charles Sturt University (CSU) have developed guidelines to help parents, teachers and children as they start school. “Starting school is an important milestone in the lives of children and families. If children have a successful start to school, they are likely to stay connected to school and regard it as a positive place to be,” says Professor Bob Perry from CSU. Drawing on over 15 years of research, Professor Perry and Professor Sue Dockett, who research and teach at the University’s Murray School of Education, have led the way for parents and teachers on how to help all involved feel competent and confident when children start school.


Media Officer: Wes Ward
Telephone: 02 6051 9906

Media Note: For interviews with Professor Bob Perry or Professor Sue Dockett contact CSU Media. For more on the parent guide to starting school, see here.
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2010 arrives


The CSU Media team welcomes you to 2010. We hope you had a safe and enjoyable holiday season, and that the year ahead is a healthy one.


Media Officer: Fiona Halloran
Telephone: 02 6933 2207

Media Note: For media queries during January 2010, please contact Media Officers Ms Holly Manning (Wednesday 6 January to Friday 8 January) on 02 6365 7813, Mr Bruce Andrews (Monday 11 January to Friday 15 January) on 02 6338 6084 and Mr Wes Ward (Monday 18 January to Friday 22 January) on 02 6051 9906. Media Relations Manager Ms Peita Vincent returns from leave on Wednesday 27 January on 02 6933 4447.
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Congratulations Year 12 students!


NSW HSC OnlineHaving worked diligently to ensure Year 12 students had access to the best possible resources, the Charles Sturt University (CSU) NSW HSC Online website  team has taken time out to congratulate students who worked hard to receive notable results in their NSW Higher School Certificate (HSC) last week. "While creating this website, the NSW Department of Education and Training and Charles Sturt University were keenly aware of the crucial information this website delivers to students studying for the HSC," said NSW HSC Online coordinator and CSU senior lecturer Dr Deb Clarke. "It’s wonderful to know our resources helped students gain the marks they wanted in the HSC.” The NSW HSC Online developers are now reviewing the site to ensure the next group of students studying for the HSC can access quality education resources for 50 HSC subjects in 2010. “Each month the website delivered up to 1.65 million pages to students, teachers and parents and we believe this will increase in 2010.”


Media Officer: Holly-Amber Manning
Telephone: 02 6365 7813

Media Note: For more information contact CSU Media.
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Decision time for students


Final year high school students around Australia are receiving their final results and making big decisions about their futures - What do I want to do? Do I study or work next year? Where do I study? Charles Sturt University (CSU) is helping these students make informed decisions with a series of Change of Preference Information Sessions on all campuses next week. CSU Market Development Manager Ms Cheryl Howell says these sessions will help students and their parents think about study options for 2010 at CSU, with academics and support staff available for discussions. "If prospective students want to discuss our courses, preference options, school results or living and learning at CSU, they can attend one of these sessions being run throughout the University's region," said Ms Howell. Victorian students can call CSU on (02) 6051 9962 or 1800 334 733 to discuss their options before their change of preference period closes.

Media Officer: Wes Ward
Telephone: 02 6051 9906

Media Note:

Change of Preference Information Session times and places are listed below. Contact CSU Media to arrange photos and interviews at these locations during session times.

  • Albury-Wodonga
    When: Monday 21 December, 12 noon to 6pm
    Where: Nowik Theatre, CSU Albury City site, Cnr Guinea and Olive Streets, Albury
  • Bathurst
    When: Monday 21 December, 12 noon to 6pm
    Where: Gymnasium, CSU in Bathurst       
  • Dubbo
    When: Tuesday 22 December, 12 noon to 6pm
    Where: Library, CSU in Dubbo
  • Orange
    When: Monday 21 December, 12 noon to 6pm
    Where: Administration Building, CSU in Orange
  • Sydney
    When: Tuesday 5 January 2010, 10am to 6pm
    Where: Shop 18, 63 Oxford Street, Sydney
  • Wagga Wagga
    When: Monday 21 December, 12 noon to 6pm
    Where: Convention Centre, CSU in Wagga Wagga

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Record lottery jackpot gives scientist pause for thought


CSU's Professor Nick KlompTo say the odds are long when it comes to the chance of winning the largest lottery draw in Australian history on Tuesday 30 June is an understatement. Professor Nick Klomp, Dean of the Faculty of Science at Charles Sturt University (CSU), puts the chance of winning the jackpot in the $90 million Oz Lotto draw next week at one in 45 million. “If you want an even chance to win the first division just once in your life, you would have to buy a 10-game ticket every single week of your life, even when a baby,” said Professor Klomp. However the CSU academic adds “oh, and you’d have to live to be over 87 000 years old”. “You are much, much more likely to die from being struck by lightning than pick the seven winning numbers by playing a single game next week.” Professor Klomp usually advises people to keep their money in their pocket. He sees lottery tickets as voluntary taxes for people who are lousy at mathematics, but the size of this jackpot makes it worth thinking about.“In any normal week, the best way to be a winner is to put the money you were going to spend on lottery tickets into a savings plan,” said Professor Klomp. “However a $90 million lottery is not normal.  As soon as the first division prize goes over $50 million, the potential payback becomes worth the investment.  It doesn’t increase your chances of winning; it just makes it mathematically more sensible to buy a ticket.” Professor Klomp is keen to point out that all of this assumes that if you win the jackpot, you aren’t sharing it.  “You need the potential payback to be at least 45 million times every dollar you spend. So long as you don’t think it’s an investment and you get your money back in fun, then go ahead and enjoy yourself,” advises Professor Klomp.

Media Officer: Wes Ward
Telephone: 02 6051 9906

Media Note: Professor Nick Klomp is the Dean of the Faculty of Science at CSU at Albury-Wodonga. He doesn’t usually buy lottery tickets, but may just break his own rule this week. He is available for interviews. Contact CSU Media.
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Vale Sheila Swain, AM


The Charles Sturt University (CSU) community was saddened to hear of the recent death of Mrs Sheila Swain, AM. Mrs Swain was first appointed to the Council of Mitchell College of Advanced Education, a predecessor institution of CSU, in 1981.  She became Deputy Chair in 1984 and was Chair from 1986 to 1988. The building housing the School of Nursing and Midwifery on the University’s Bathurst Campus was named after Mrs Swain in 2000. Mrs Swain was a councillor on Hunters Hill Municipal Council in Sydney from 1971 to 1991, becoming the first woman elected mayor of the suburb in 1980-82 and was re-elected in 1987-89. She was also active in the Australian Local Government Women's Association - as treasurer, secretary, president of the NSW branch and later national president. In 1986 Mrs Swain was named Outstanding Woman of the Year by the Australian Federation of Business and Professional Women, and in 1987 was appointed a member of the Order of Australia. In 1989 she established and funded four scholarships for female students at CSU suffering financial hardship.


Media Officer: Wes Ward
Telephone: 02 6051 9906

Media Note: More information of Mrs Swain’s life is found here.
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Leading Australian joins CSU Council


Dr Dawn Casey. Photo courtesy of Powerhouse Museum.Director of the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney and the former Director of the National Museum of Australia in Canberra, Dr Dawn Casey, PSM, FAHA has been appointed to the Charles Sturt University (CSU) Council. Dr Casey is the newest member of the University’s governing body following her appointment by the NSW Minister for Education and Training, the Hon. Verity Firth, MP, on recommendation from the CSU Council. Dr Casey, who is nationally and internationally recognised for her leadership of the Powerhouse Museum, the National Museum and the Western Australian Museum, has been appointed until June 2011. Dr Casey has made a major contribution to Indigenous policies and programs in Australia as well as to Australia’s cultural heritage, including. the establishment of the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation. She also initiated the joint Commonwealth-State response to the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody as a senior executive in the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet. Dr Casey’s appointment comes as the University celebrates the 20th anniversary of its establishment through the Charles Sturt University Act 1989. Read more here.

Media Officer: Fiona Halloran
Telephone: 02 6933 2207

Media Note: Further information about the CSU Council including membership is available here.
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Digging deep for a national tragedy


2009 residential advisers in Albury-Wodonga (l-r) Ms Sarah Clouten, Mr Andrew Mangan and Mr Martin Hill.Ahead of the official start of the academic year on Monday 23 February, students at Charles Sturt University (CSU) have raised almost $3 000 for the Victorian bushfire appeal. Ninety Residential Student Advisors from CSU at Albury-Wodonga, Bathurst, Dubbo, Orange and Wagga Wagga collected $2 883.70 for the Australian Red Cross appeal during training at the University this week. The money was raised when a ransom was paid by the student leaders for the return of props used during the training. The Residential Student Advisors were undertaking training as part of CSU’s Residential Support Scheme. “This initiative is a credit to these students from across CSU’s campuses. It exemplifies the widespread commitment to assisting Victorians after the great loss of life and property,” said Acting Vice-Chancellor Professor Lyn Gorman. Meanwhile, the Dean of the Faculty of Business, Professor John Hicks, has agreed to contribute $1 to the Red Cross appeal for every dollar donated by a Faculty of Business student up to $1 000. As other individual and group staff and student fundraising efforts get underway, the University cashiers’ offices on each campus are now donation points for the Australian Red Cross appeal. CSU is also offering its support to students affected by the Victorian bushfires. See here.
           

Media Officer: Fiona Halloran
Telephone: 02 6933 2207


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Pros and cons of genetically modified crops


As part of its mission to develop productive and efficient agricultural systems, the EH Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation,  an alliance between Charles Sturt University (CSU) and the Department of Primary Industries, is holding a working breakfast about genetically modified (GM) crops and their projected impact. Organiser and CSU post-doctoral fellow, Dr Rex Stanton, says the event is targeted at farmers, advisors and consultants and will feature two speakers who will share their international knowledge of GM crops. “Suzanne Warwick is a research scientist at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, who researches weed and crop evolution and is studying the environmental impact of commercially released GM modified canola crops,” he said. “Culcairn farmer and 2007 Nuffield Scholar, Mr Murray Scholz, will explain his recent study of the implications of herbicide tolerant GM crops on weed management in North America, Europe and South America.”
 


Media Officer: Fiona Halloran
Telephone: 02 6933 2207

Media Note: The breakfast will run from 8.00am to 9.30am on Thursday 6 November at the Conference Room, NSW Department of Primary Industries, Pine Gully Road, Wagga Wagga. Contact Dr Rex Stanton on (02) 6938 1618 to arrange interviews.
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HSC students search online for answers


CSU's Mr Bob Dengate.For NSW senior high school students, the Higher School Certificate is the ultimate challenge and when competing against thousands of other students for limited university places, the more resources they can access the better. In the past, the Internet has not been seen as a consistently credible source of information for materials, but now teachers are encouraging students to get extra help online. In 2007, the Charles Sturt University (CSU) hosted website NSW HSC Online delivered 13 million pages to users, offering information to students, teachers and parents, with 2008 figures indicating even higher access, despite slightly fewer HSC enrolments. CSU lecturer and NSW HSC Online project coordinator Mr Bob Dengate believes that students and teachers benefit greatly from the site. "With material for 48 HSC subjects, supplemented by advice on study strategies and the availability of past examination papers and markers' comments, figures for this month are expected to approach two million pages."

Media Officer: Holly-Amber Manning
Telephone: 02 6365 7813

Media Note: For interviews contact CSU Media.
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