THEAC Newsletter

Winter.  We tend to either love it or hate it.  No matter how much some of us may dread it, it has arrived on our doorstep as either a welcome or an unwelcome visitor for a season’s duration.  For those who look forward to the wonder winter brings, it’s a chance to bring out those colourful winter woollies and venture out into the cold to explore what nature has to offer us.  Whichever way you look at it, it’s here and here to stay for a while!  I like to look for the positives and, even though as I grow older, I find the cold harder to live with, I take comfort in the opportunities the winter season brings us.  Opportunities to snuggle up on the couch and read together, opportunities to dust off the collection of board games that have somehow got lost in the cupboard during the warmer months, opportunities to experiment with some good old fashioned comfort cooking, opportunities to have more time on the weekends (no kids cricket all weekend in my case!)  to explore this beautiful state that we live in or just curl up with a good book.  Winter brings with it a range of feelings from numb fingers and toes to excitement when the first dusting of snow creates a wonderful backdrop on our beautiful mountain that seems to hug the city of Hobart and surrounds below.

I hope that your home education program develops new areas of interest for your children as we head deeper into the cooler, shorter days that is Winter.  Make the best of the opportunities that it brings and enjoy the cosiness that winter provides to our families.  If you head out exploring, take a moment to stand and breathe in the crisp fresh air first thing in the morning and watch the condensation from your mouth float away and disappear.  Listen to the crunch under your feet as you step on the freshly frosty powdered ground.   Cherish the winter days that are filled with a bright blue sky sparkling above.  Create as many learning opportunities as possible for your children and by doing so you are creating many cherished memories for them of their learning journey.

On behalf of THEAC I would like to extend a warm welcome to Lisa Seddon who has been appointed as the Assistant Registrar.  We look forward to working with Lisa along with Jo Spencer (Acting Registrar) in the months to come.

It has continued to be a busy time for home education within Tasmania.  The number of registered students in home education as of June 1, 2023 was 1437 from a total of 834 families.  These numbers have remained consistent for over a year now and, compared to the same period in 2020, we have 277 more students from 177 additional families.  It is wonderful to see that home education has become a valid form of educating for so many new families within that time and we welcome you all to the home education world!

THEAC have continued to be kept busy with reviewing HESPs.  It is wonderful to see so many variations in programs that are tailored to the individual child’s needs.  Please remember that if you ever have any questions about HESP writing or home education in general, you can call the OER who are there to help.  If you have not yet received a copy of the document ‘Understanding the Standards’ please contact either Donna (north -6777 2548) or Belle (South-6165 6135) and they will happily email or post a copy. 

One way to help ensure your HESP writing process is as smooth as possible is to keep a good record of your program throughout the year.  Record keeping is essential to writing a detailed HESP.  There are so many ‘on the spot’ learning opportunities within a home education program that can easily be forgotten if they are not recorded.  These can be captured by way of photograph to trigger memories of the learning event, a journal, or a daily diary for example.  There are several different ways to record learning.  For tips on how to best record your learning program please ask your visiting Registration Officer who is there to help.

THEAC, in conjunction with the OER, are very excited to announce that we will once again be conducting two online seminars on Diverse Learning Needs.  These will again be run by Alison Hopwood (OT) and Catherine Silcock (SP) in term 4.  Dates will be made available shortly.  We received a lot of positive feedback from the previous seminars held in February and we hope the home education community finds the next ones equally as interesting and helpful.

THEAC would like to remind the home education community that the OER is experiencing a high workload so please be patient with the application/renewal process.  One way of helping to prevent a higher workload is to remember to submit your HESP on time.  This helps with the planning process within the OER and enables the workload to be distributed evenly and for each application/renewal to be reviewed in a timely manner.  The OER will send a letter when your HESP is due and plenty of time is allowed for its submission. 

As we continue to speed into the second half of the year, we encourage you all to take the time to enjoy the many learning moments you create with your children.  Not only are you providing learning opportunities, but you are providing them with an ‘album’ of memories which they will cherish for a lifetime.

Enjoy the learning path you are creating!

Denise Cox

THEAC Chair