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As a school leader, I used to find Mondays tough. Even after shaking off the “Scary Sundays”, that creeping feeling that the weekend was ending and the week’s challenges were lining up, Monday mornings often felt like stepping straight into a storm. The emails, the planning, the student needs, the unexpected fires to put out… all before the first coffee had even kicked in.
Five years ago, virtual reality in education was often seen as little more than a novelty—a "carrot" for engagement or a tool for entertainment. Today, the conversation has completely changed. VR is now a powerful tool for differentiation, building student confidence, scaffolding complex topics, and encouraging deep exploration.
When I first joined Toolbox Education, what struck me wasn’t just the depth of the psychology, but it was how human it all felt. Yes, we teach mental health skills. But what makes them stick is how we deliver them and in a way that cuts through, connects, and lands with students. That’s what Toolbox is all about.
From lunchbox leftovers and classroom snacks to canteen prep and school events, food waste in schools adds up quickly. But with the right mindset and tools, it becomes something much more powerful. A catalyst for learning, behaviour change, and long-term sustainability.
Children today spend significantly less time engaged in unstructured, playful activities than previous generations. Research indicates that they now experience only half as much outdoor free playtime as children did in the 1970s (Mullan, 2019).
As a former principal, I get it. Student achievement. Data. Targets. Pressure. The relentless push to measure what matters—and sometimes, what doesn’t. But over the past few years, my focus has shifted. Through my work on teacher and principal flourishing, I’ve explored what it means to lead with purpose, protect staff well-being, and sustain school culture without burning out.
In today’s classrooms, teachers face a complex and fast-paced environment where decisions are made every few seconds. These decisions—ranging from instructional choices to behaviour management—are shaped by a mix of cognitive load, emotional state, and prior experience.
I’ve spent enough time in schools to know that behind every principal’s polished newsletter photo is someone who’s holding a lot, sometimes too much. The 2024 ACU Principal Occupational Health, Safety and Wellbeing Survey didn’t exactly sugar-coat it: school leadership is approaching a breaking point.
One of the subtler challenges in schools today is: students are researching more than ever, but often without knowing what research actually is. They know how to look things up. They’ll go to Google, ask ChatGPT, scan a few headlines or click on the first few links. These sources may even mimic authority, but they rarely invite scrutiny. And that’s the issue.
Yes, we understand what burnout is. We’ve seen it in our staffrooms. We’ve felt it in our calendars, our shoulders, and our sighs at the end of a long week. That creeping exhaustion that no long weekend can fix. The feeling of caring deeply and still wondering if it’s enough. We’re not short on effort. We’re short on air.
Exhibiting at the National Education Summit is a valuable opportunity to connect directly with passionate educators, school leaders, and education decision-makers from across the country. But standing out from the crowd and achieving long-term ROI requires a solid plan – our media partner Education Matters share their insights below.
As the demand grows for innovative, future-focused education, Hologram Zoo, developed by Axiom Holographics, is emerging as a groundbreaking tool for schools. Designed to immerse students in the world of cutting-edge technology, Hologram Zoo bridges classroom learning with real-world application—bringing STEM concepts to life in a captivating, hands-on way.
Literacy is more than just reading and writing—it’s a gateway to opportunity. In today’s fast-paced, information-rich world, core literacy skills are essential for accessing knowledge, participating fully in society, and achieving personal success.
Often when we talk about the mental health issues associated with digital technology, we focus on the extremes – sextortion, radicalisation and body dysmorphia. But behind these headline-grabbing harms lies a quieter crisis: the everyday mental strain technology places on young people.
I used to think good leadership meant carrying it all every crisis, every deadline, every difficult conversation. That’s just what leaders do, right? We steady the ship, hold space for others, and keep everything moving.
During the course of the Summit, NGS Super will be doing 5 minute power sessions at their booth, number C08, and those topics will include heading towards retirement contribution, and are you on track?
Teaching is one of the most meaningful professions in the world – and also one of the hardest. In the past few years, we’ve seen a global shift in education: from academic catch-up to collective burnout, from wellbeing rhetoric to a real need for systemic support. But too often, educator wellbeing is treated as an afterthought.
In schools, relationships form the bedrock of daily interactions. Whether it’s between teachers and students, staff and families, or among colleagues themselves, education is inherently relational. Educators are drawn to this profession because they care deeply about people, growth, and connection.
As an exhibitor at the National Education Summit (NES), you’re already positioning your brand at the forefront of Australia’s education sector. But to truly maximise your investment, it’s essential to amplify your presence before, during, and after the event.
If you’ve worked inside a primary or elementary school lately, you’ll know: the classroom is changing. Children today are navigating a world more complex, connected, and emotionally demanding than ever before. Academic skills still matter, of course – but they’re no longer enough. More and more, educators are asking: What can I do to help my students thrive?
With upskilling posing a challenge, hybrid work debates still unsettled, and a new generation of education professionals entering the field, here’s what you need to know for 2025.
The question stopped being “ask the librarian” and became “ask Google.” Discovery services made full-text content available, not just citations. That was transformative. AI now adds yet another layer—people aren’t necessarily searching for the original content anymore. They’re asking a model to synthesise or generate a specific answer. Now it’s “ask ChatGPT.”
Eight schools from Brisbane Catholic Education (BCE) involved in a pilot Writer's Toolbox programme have achieved NAPLAN growth rates eight times higher than state counterparts. The schools, a diverse mix across the Brisbane Diocese, used Writer's Toolbox to lift student writing results, as well as develop student thinking skills and confidence.
A Personal Reflection on Literacy, Teacher Training, and the Urgent Need for Change
As I reflect on my journey as both an educator and a mother, one phrase continues to echo in my mind: I didn’t know what I didn’t know.
There’s a lot of information out there about super, but how do you know what applies to you? What information is relevant? Super can be complex, but we believe it doesn’t need to be. Improving your knowledge and understanding of super is always going to be one of the best ways to effectively manage your savings and maximise your retirement savings.
What if we stopped designing school culture around what staff can endure and instead built it around what helps them flourish? We talk a lot about student wellbeing, and rightly so. But here’s the truth: when the adults in the building are not flourishing, the whole school feels it.
Library interventions are big, powerful marketing campaigns designed to create a lasting impact on patron behaviour and mindset. In school libraries, they can be used to promote library engagement, increase use of a service or product and help students forge a positive self-identity as a reader.
In a world where seconds matter, access to advanced medical care should not be a luxury—it should be the standard. As educators, parents, and health professionals, we all share one unshakable commitment: to protect our children and provide them with a safe environment to learn, grow, and thrive.
It’s time to make coffee. Take a breath. Maybe take a walk on the beach. And reflect. Some leaders burn out not because they’re doing too much—but because they’re not protecting their energy.