As we continue to pray for rain, our thoughts are with all communities that have, in some way, been affected by the Queensland bushfire tragedy. 

St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Stanthorpe, was forced to close on Monday this week to protect the safety of staff and students but was fortunately able to re-open on Tuesday. 

With Queensland facing an ongoing bushfire threat and coming into storm and cyclone season, it is important that any school closures are included on the Department of Education’s school closures website. 

Valuable information on disaster preparation and recovery for schools can be found here. 

Last week I met with newly elected Labor Senator for Queensland Nita Green to discuss a variety of education issues. Catholic School Parents Queensland Executive Director Carmel Nash also joined the meeting. 

As part of QCEC’s ongoing political advocacy I will be meeting with all Queensland Senators who were elected at the 2019 Federal election, most of whom are new to the Senate.  

It is important that when it comes to critical votes in the Senate these Senators have a full appreciation of the views of the Catholic education sector.  

Photo: QCEC Executive Director Dr Lee-Anne Perry, Queensland Senator Nita Green and Catholic School Parents Queensland Executive Director Carmel Nash 

Thank you to all the teachers who took the time to attend the Queensland Catholic Education Commission’s (QCEC) Cross Authority Senior Assessment Moderation Day at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre last week. 

The Moderation Day saw around 130 teachers gather to discuss senior secondary assessment under the new Queensland Certificate of Education. 

Future moderation days will be hosted by QCEC in 2020 with a focus on supporting teachers and students to prepare for external exams and summative assessment practices.   

QCEC acknowledges the funding provided by the Australian Government through the Non- Government Reform Support Fund to support the day.  

Photo: Queensland Catholic school teachers with QCEC Executive Director Dr Lee-Anne Perry 

Last week I had the opportunity to join members of the Catholic Secondary Principals Association at their annual conference in Townsville and to speak to them about Leading Change. 

As we look to the near future our Catholic schools face a barrage of issues such as religious freedom, fallout from the Royal Commission, the Modern Slavery Act and other legislative changes they need to be ready to deal with.

Other broader education issues were also covered such as flexible alternatives to traditional schooling including virtual schools; fostering student attributes including social entrepreneurship and a sense of global place; understanding the impact and utility of AI and increasing datafication in schools; and recognising and responding to the increasing influence of ‘edu-businesses’, ‘start-ups’ funded by venture capitalists, and wealthy philanthropists.  

I also shared with Conference participants some research around the perceptions of Catholic schools, as well as looking at enrolment trends in Queensland and discussing the funding landscape going forward.  

Congratulations to all the Catholic schools in the Townsville region who took part in the many activities that were held in conjunction with the regional sittings of the Queensland Parliament last week. 

These events provided an opportunity for some students to have face to face conversations with the Premier and the Education Minister while for others it was a chance to get a greater understanding of how parliament operates.  

My thanks to Townsville Catholic Education Executive Director Jacqui Francis and the students and staff at Southern Cross Catholic College for also hosting a visit by the Shadow Education Minister Jarrod Bleijie during the regional Parliament. 

Photo: St Margaret Mary’s College students with Minister for Education Grace Grace MP at the Schools Engagement breakfast. 

Photo: Ignatius Park College students with Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk at the Townsville Enterprise Business Breakfast 

Photo: Year 6 students from Holy Spirit Catholic School, Cranbrook, visiting the educational display. 

Photo: Shadow Minister for Education Jarrod Bleijie (left) visits Southern Cross Catholic College, Annandale. 

The 2020 Capital Grant round will open on 1 October.  

Catholic School Authorities are invited to apply for grants from the Australian Government Capital Grants Program and State Government Capital Assistance Scheme.  

The aims and objectives for both grant programs are set out in the Capital Programs guidelines available on the QCEC website. 

QCEC will hold information sessions around the state from 10 October to provide further information about new processes for Capital Grant applications. 

More information about these sessions is contained in Circular 2019/095 sent out on 5 September. 

I would like to congratulate Queensland Catholic school staff who have been nominated for their excellence in education as part of the Queensland College of Teachers (QCT) 2019 TEACHX Awards. 

These awards recognise the achievements of teachers, school leaders, deputy principals and school principals across the state. 

QCT has so far published nominees in two categories. Congratulations to all nominees, including the following from Catholic schools: 

Outstanding Contribution to Teaching category: 

• Cajetan Goves, Emmaus College, Rockhampton  
• Leann Hansen, St Francis Catholic Primary School, Tannum Sands 
• Michael Senior, Ambrose Treacy College, Indooroopilly 

 Innovation in Teaching category: 

• Adam Juang, St Patrick’s College, Townsville 
• Catherine Wilson, St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School, Bundaberg,  
• Elizabeth Wilson, St Francis Catholic Primary School, Tannum Sands 

Winners will be announced on 24 October. 

There will be a further meeting of the Single Bargaining Unit (SBU) in Brisbane tomorrow as we continue the EB9 negotiations. 

Catholic school employers are keen to have a new Enterprise Agreement approved and in place as soon as possible. 

EB9 developments are being regularly updated via the EB website.  

Queensland Catholic school teachers ventured to North Lakes on Friday to take part in the first information session for the 2020 round of Highly Accomplished and Lead Teacher (HAT and LT) certification for teachers, hosted by Brisbane Catholic Education. 

Those who missed the first session can still attend, with more sessions scheduled in September and October to provide information on the process for certification. 

To register for a session please click on the links below: 

Brisbane South (Thursday 12 September) 

Rockhampton (Monday 16 September) 

Townsville (Tuesday 17 September) 

Toowoomba (Wednesday 9 October) 

Queensland Catholic schools are encouraged to save the date and register for the 2020 National Catholic Education Conference. 

The Future is Listening conference aims to bring together school communities to plan for the future of Catholic education across Australia. 

The event will take place from 6-9 September at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. 

I welcome your participation in a short survey regarding this year’s Spirit of Catholic Education Awards and Catholic Education Week resources and activities.  

The survey will be open until Friday 20 September 2019. 

Click here to complete the survey. 

Register your school for this year’s Day for Daniel Fun Run. 

Local Schools Community Fund – Applications close 30 September  

Missed a Circular? Below is a list of Circulars that have been issued recently. Use your login to access them.  

089 School Electrical Safety Information 

090 New Failure to Report and Protect Offences 

091 HAT & LT In-depth Information Sessions 

092 HAT & LT Assessor EOI 

093 Eligibility for External Infrastructure Subsidy Scheme for Capital Projects 

094 2020 Capital Applications Opening of Round 

095 Capital Application Information Session