Dear Reader,

Welcome to the first issue of Starlink for 2015! We hope the year has begun smoothly for you.

We've had a very busy start to the year, including planning a series of no fewer than 28 public workshops we'll be offering, spread throughout the year in several locations.

As usual, this month we're sharing a variety of items to whet readers' appetites. We hope you'll find something to your taste!

Cheers
Sue & Chris
BJ Seminars International

As you work your way through the Chart, you'll have several opportunities to evaluate your answers and ensure you are making the smartest choices. You can also stop and save your answers at any time, and come back and finish later. This allows you to finish the planning process in your own time – and gives you maximum flexibility so you can get input on your choices from staff, board members or other outside resources as needed.

At the end of the process, you will have a fully completed Smart Chart that links your organization's goals to the many strategic decisions necessary for a successful communications effort.

We've promoted Edutopia before in Starlink. Though it's a US-based site, we think it has some excellent resources and articles for teachers everywhere.

Here are just four we've selected to highlight in this issue of Starlink:

Teaching Students How to Control Insults

Social Media at School: Teaching Safety on the Virtual Playground

30 Techniques to Quiet a Noisy Class

8 Myths that Undermine Educational Effectiveness

The Australian Children’s Literature Alliance (ACLA) is an independent, not-for-profit organisation, founded in 2008 to champion and promote the transformational power of reading in the lives of young Australians. ACLA is a collegial and inclusive organisation with representation from across the field of children's and young adult literature.

One of ACLA’s primary activities is the development and management of the Australian Children’s Laureate program.

ACLA's vision is to: enrich the lives of young Australians through the power of story.

ACLA’s mission is to:
* Promote the value, importance and transformational nature of reading
* Influence the reading habits of Australian families
* Raise the profile of books in the lives of children and young adults
* Champion the cause of young Australians reading.

Download the beautiful Share a Story Calendar 2015 created by current Children's Laureate, Jackie French.

Kidsafe, the Child Accident Prevention Foundation of Australia (CAPFA), was established in 1979.

We are an independent, non-profit, non-government charitable foundation dedicated to the prevention of unintentional death, injury and associated disability to children.

Kidsafe operates at national, state and regional levels in cooperation with a variety of stakeholders including government, industry, schools, hospitals, the media, community groups, voluntary organisations and individuals.

Since Kidsafe's establishment, the number of children in Australia killed by unintentional injury has been halved. This has been achieved through collaboration with others to provide injury prevention programs, media campaigns and educational resources.