![Rod Brooks and his daughter Madi, a year 7 student who was offered four school scholarships.](/web/20161125233340im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/u/7/p/2/image.related.landscape.380x253.gsu59s.png/1479772849762.jpg)
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![What is the Mannequin Challenge?](/web/20161125233340im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/k/k/p/z/image.related.landscape.300x200.gskkcx.png/1478578367866.jpg)
What is the Mannequin Challenge? Bizarre 'freezing' video craze sweeps the web
Planking was cool in 2010, we had the Ice Bucket Challenge two years ago and now Mannequin Challenge videos are sweeping the web.
![More than 7000 NSW primary and secondary students are tested each year.](/web/20161125233340im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/a/4/8/x/image.related.landscape.300x200.gsa1ih.png/1477550255510.jpg)
It's all academic
Scholarship entry to Sydney's elite private schools has become 'more challenging as student cognitive capacity has increased', says the man who sets key papers.
![Knox Grammar music scholarship student Kevin Fan with his mother Vivian Rong Xu.](/web/20161125233340im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/9/q/t/f/image.related.landscape.300x200.gs9qp3.png/1477376776576.jpg)
Passionate performers wanted
Gifted musicians and singers from around NSW are auditioning now for a fee-free education.
![Creepy clowns have been spotted across Victoria.](/web/20161125233340im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/g/n/0/t/5/5/image.related.landscape.300x200.gs0zin.png/1476308161680.jpg)
Creepy clown threats send private school into lockdown
A Victorian private school is the latest victim of the creepy clown craze that has frightened people in several incidents around Victoria.
![HSC student Roxy Sauerman said her mum Claire has been a source of emotional support as well as taking her to regular ...](/web/20161125233340im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/0/j/b/9/image.related.landscape.300x200.gryzh6.png/1476308718418.jpg)
"Don't be more stressed than your teenager": HSC advice for parents
It's a big day for more than 69,000 students across NSW schools sitting their first HSC exam, but a key message this year is directed at parents.
![You will survive the HSC ... in case you're wondering.](/web/20161125233340im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/0/o/z/8/image.related.landscape.300x200.gs0bn2.png/1476249174790.jpg)
A guide to surviving the HSC from someone who has lived through it
This week Year 12 students from all around NSW will sit their HSC exams. After a year of essays, assignments, and memorising a huge amount of content, it all comes down to this. Or at least that is what you are made to think.
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Special needs student's heartbreaking response to "What I wish my teacher knew"
A year eight student, with special needs, has penned a heartbreaking essay about the things he wishes his teacher knew.
![Until Australia builds a clear picture of initiatives and their outcomes, policymakers and educators will remain hobbled.](/web/20161125233340im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/l/2/w/a/image.related.landscape.300x200.grqd6c.png/1475107807770.jpg)
Talented students are neglected by our schools
It's a worry that Australians fret so volubly over the fortunes of our sporting elite yet the long, steady decline in the results of our best and brightest young students barely rates a mention.
![Banish stress with these tips that are going viral.](/web/20161125233340im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/i/7/e/b/image.related.landscape.300x200.gri77e.png/1474008112665.jpg)
Teacher's list of 101 ways to cope with stress is going viral
A teacher gave his students an incredible list of one hundred and one ways to cope with stress. The list has since gone viral – and it's not hard to see why.
![Natalie Hampton, 16, the creator of "Sit With Us."](/web/20161125233340im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/h/7/g/z/image.related.landscape.300x200.grh1zd.png/1473921744210.jpg)
This once-bullied teen has a simple solution so no one has to eat alone at school
Natalie Hampton spent most of her 7th and 8th grade school years eating lunch alone.
![Schools are working together to try and better protect their students from online abuse.](/web/20161125233340im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/g/n/f/w/4/3/image.related.landscape.300x200.grgv4v.png/1473979961835.jpg)
Brisbane schools work together to protect students from online attacks
Principals from schools across Brisbane came together on Thursday morning to find out how they could empower their students to better protect themselves online.
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