Welcome to the June edition of succeed.  With the end in sight for this semester, I am sure this finds you all deep in the throes of marking and reporting. "What holiday?" I hear you moan...

I recently had the privilege of visiting two passionate educators at Wagga Wagga Christian College. Middle School Coordinator Heather Mansley and Principal Hugh MacCallum showed me their campus and discussed their 'blue sky' planning for a new Middle School precinct. They would certainly welcome input from anyone who has recently embarked on Middle School developments, as they are keen to "learn from others' mistakes", as well as to hear about successful implementation of concepts and design. Considering our first twitter chat @MyEdOz was about learning spaces, this is an ideal opportunity to share your experiences with Heather and Hugh. Members helping members...brilliant!

Click here to email Heather.  

I also commend the recently published June edition of the Australian Journal of Middle Schooling. It is again chock full of great articles and is the first edition compiled by our new editor, Anne Coffey. Look for it in your inbox. Congratulations Anne and thanks to the contributors. The sharing of knowledge and practice is vital for our growth as practitioners. Much gratitude must also go to Association President, Deb Evans, who has worked tirelessly for many years as Journal Editor, and has overseen the growth of our flagship publication.

Our second APCAS (Asia Pacific Conference for Adolescent Success) in Singapore is fast approaching. Presenter abstracts have been reviewed and program planning is being finalised. The second of our featured conference speakers, Adelaide-based clinical psychologist, Dr Tom Nehmy, headlines this edition of succeed. Check out his article below. See also the conference flyer and register for what is going to be a fantastic conference.

On behalf of the Association Executive, all the best for a happy, safe and well-deserved break.

Matt Atkinson - Vice President

Read the 2nd APCAS (Asia Pacific Conference for Adolescent Success) program here.  Find out who is speaking and what exciting events we have planned for the weekend.

Adolescent Success have recently partnered with Furnware, QLD Edventures and Resilient Youth Australia.  These fantastic new relationships mean that our members recieve all the benefits of our partnership.  Click the logos below to find out more about each partnership and how you can benefit.  

Is it healthy to be happy 24/7? Should we deny our children the opportunity to feel distress? Award winning psychologist and researcher Dr Tom Nehmy is the founder of the Healthy Minds program, which is aimed at improving resilience and well being in adolescents. He is one of the featured speakers at our  APCAS in Singapore in September. Click below to read his article and access his webpage.

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Do we actually know what works when it comes to improving the quality of education in schools? 

Maxine McKew speaks with John Hattie about what we need to be doing to improve the quality of education in Australian schools – and the kind of debates we really should be having.

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Leaders in many cases "go quiet" in times of crisis and change, with the result that employees are left wondering what is going on. When we don't have enough information, our brains seek "cognitive closure." Much of the time, it doesn't end well. Nancy Duarte and Patti Sanchez discuss how both message and delivery must be well-considered by leaders as they weather the change process, and at the same time inform their workers.

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An organisation's culture is its basic personality, the essence of how its people interact and work. However, it is an elusively complex entity that survives and evolves mostly through gradual shifts in leadership, strategy, and other circumstances. Can it be changed? Should it be changed? How and why? And who is responsible? Read below to see where your work environment can improve and what sort of process should be undertaken.

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Two amygdala acting as our brain's "smoke detector" trigger our "fight or flight" response when we feel stressed. At this point complex decision-making disappears, as does our access to multiple perspectives. But can we reduce this from happening? How do we remain calm in the face of conflict? Read more below.

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All parents want the best for their child but in an age of so much information it is hard to know what to do. Former highschool principal and mother of three, Cathy Quinn, suggests, through research, that there are six evidence-based strategies that have an effect on student achievement and well-being.

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With our June edition of the Australian Journal of Middle Schooling now out, we look forward to gathering your stories and photos for the November edition.

If you have any photos of your school, students or events which you'd like to submit please click here for the copyright release form.

This is a great way to showcase your school and students.

Many thanks for your support; it's shaping up to be a great publication!

Please email either our journal editor Anne Coffey at anne.coffey@nd.edu.au or executive officer Angela White at angela@adolescentsuccess.org.au.

There has been an admission on the part of many that the world has changed, and that like most other parts of society, schools are going to have to change with it.

So what do educators, parents, policy makers and others need to fully understand about this moment in order to think in transformative ways about education?

Parent, author, speaker, instigator and blogger about the Web, Will Richardson, discusses these realities.

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Why doesn’t education change? Largely because the vast majority of adults involved in it lack both the experience that makes change imperative and the understanding of what something different looks like, according to educator and writer, Ira David Socol.

In this article, Ira discusses the need for greater change-understanding in 'new-new' teachers and 'old-new' teachers who are hired in schools. 

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The latest Exploring Teens magazine has been published and, again, it is filled with excellent content for parents and teachers.  Subscription is free.

Adolescent Success is pleased to partner with this incredibly valuable publication.

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Choice -- The Ultimate Tool for Engaging and Empowering Students

Six of the best sex education programmes around the world

Silent heart attacks 'as bad as symptomatic heart attacks'

The growing need for developing (the right) STEM skills

Talking to your best friend is sometimes all the therapy you need...

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