Children are truly our future, which is why a Saint Mary’s club held an event last night to discuss the education of migrant children. The College club La Fuerza concluded its annual “Week of Action” Thursday with a discussion titled ‘Migrant Children and Their Education.’ Elizabeth Dennie, who recently completed her Master’s degree in Education Leadership at Saint May’s, led the discussion.  First-year student Fallon Brandis said she appreciated the chance to learn about migration from a new perspective. “I just think this is a really pertinent topic, especially in politics, and it’s so interesting to learn about the other side of migration,” Brandis said. Dennie told the group about her thesis for the Master’s program and her continued research titled ‘The Migrant Experience: Not Leaving Migrant Students Behind.’ She said she struggled to find information on this topic because there is relatively little available. Dennie shared several stories about her work with children and stressed the importance of dialogue between teachers, administrators and families to better the education of migrant children. She said the most important thing she learned in the process of obtaining her Master’s degree was to allow children to enjoy their youth.  “It sounds so stupid, but it’s so profound – kids are kids,” she said. “Let them be kids. If you look around society, everything is pushing kids to be older. They don’t know how to have fellowship.” Several education majors asked Dennie how to approach educating migrant students in their future careers. Dennie said it was important to develop relationships with the students in order to foster a love of learning that will bring with it academic success. Dennie also said it is important to see past possible ethnic differences when educating migrant children.  “A lot of times we let so much divide us when we are so similar,” Dennie said. read more

SO you’ve got a bit of money saved and you want to put it to work. You’ve decided property will be the best way to invest that hard-earned money, so now it is time to buy a place.But how on earth do you navigate the thousands of homes on the market?One thing for sure is any property investor is going to have to spend the time doing research and analysing suburbs, returns and how much effort you want to put in to the investment now, in five years’ time and in 10 years’ time.Bruce Holmes is a property consultant at Ormsby Realty and said there were four simple things to consider to help buy the right investment property.“When considering which property to buy, you are aiming for a property that will provide you with good rent returns as well as capital growth in the future,” he said. “It’s best to treat real estate as long term investment.” KEY POINTS Here are four key points to consider when buying your investment property.1. Choose the right area to buy in. This could mean buying in an area that you know well, said Mr Holmes. “Otherwise, do your research and thoroughly check the location that you are considering,” he said. More from newsCairns home ticks popular internet search terms2 days agoTen auction results from ‘active’ weekend in Cairns2 days ago“Try to get to know it as well as you know your own neighbourhood. Become an expert researcher, from vacancy rates and demographics to council spending and capital growth rates. “There are plenty of places on line where you can get this information or alternatively ask your agent to source this information for you.”2. Try to find a property that will appeal to a wide range of tenants. “Pick a property type that will suit the people who are actively renting in that area. For example, a small unit may be more affordable than a house, but if the local market is largely comprised of families, your investment property won’t appeal,” Mr Holmes said. “Niche properties have their place, but as an investor you want to appeal to the tenants that most want to live in your target area.”3. Choose a property that will require low maintenance. “For instance, houses with pools and large gardens need a lot of care and time. A similar home on a smaller block with a flat, grassed backyard is easier for your tenants to maintain. Find a property that is ready to rent out immediately (unless you have big plans to add value through renovating),” he said.4. Buy in a growth area. “You will have already found out what plans there are in the works for your preferred area. From this you can determine what its future looks like,” Mr Holmes said. “Government and council websites often have information on infrastructure project proposals online. It’s also prudent to keep an eye on any residential developments that could be going up near amenities, such as schools and shopping hubs.“If you do your research well, you will purchase a property that will have a steady income stream as well as prospects for capital growth.” . read more

Rassie Erasmus’s side open their Champions cup campaign against Racing 92 in Paris this Sunday.