On behalf of QCEC, I would like to pay tribute to Archbishop John Bathersby, who died in Brisbane on Monday following a period of ill-health.

Archbishop Bathersby was a long-time servant of the Church in Queensland as priest in the Toowoomba Diocese, Bishop of Cairns and Archbishop of Brisbane.  He was a wonderful supporter of Catholic schools and a great proponent of involving young people in the life of the Church.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the Bathersby family and with the clergy of the Archdiocese as they mourn his loss.

The Archdiocese of Brisbane has developed a video tribute Remembering Archbishop John Bathersby which can be viewed here.

The Funeral Mass for Archbishop Bathersby will take place at St Stephen’s Cathedral on Monday, 16 March at 11am.

We continue to update Catholic School Authorities as new information becomes available about handling the COVID-19 situation in school settings.

This is a complex situation and the advice from government agencies is being updated daily.

As well as sending out new information as it comes to hand, QCEC is holding weekly briefings with nominated representatives from all Catholic School Authorities so we can share our combined experience and ensure school communities are kept informed.

Yesterday the Queensland Government updated its advice for its schools and staff, formally announcing an international travel ban for all destinations other than New Zealand for all school/Department of Education student and staff travel until further notice. Today, the Australian Government added Italy to the list of countries for which travel restrictions apply.

QCEC is working closely with state and federal authorities on all aspects of COVID-19 to ensure our actions and communications are aligned with their advice. 

Following 10 months of negotiations with the Independent Education Union – Queensland and Northern Territory Branch, Catholic school employers have decided to move to have staff vote on a proposed new Enterprise Agreement.

The parties have considered their positions on all the issues under discussion and it is unlikely that further meetings would result in any changes to those positions.

It is expected that teachers and other school staff will be asked to vote on a proposal early in Term 2.

A video outlining the employers’ position is available here.  

EB Staff Updates can be found on the EB website along with minutes of the formal negotiation meetings. 

Nominations for the 2020 Spirit of Catholic Education (SOCE) Awards are now open.

The Spirit of Catholic Education Awards, including the Aunty Joan Hendriks Reconciliation Award are presented annually as part of Catholic Education Week celebrations.

Visit the Catholic Education Week website to find out more about the awards and how to nominate.

For those schools sharing content on social media about the SOCE awards and Catholic Education Week, please include #cewqld2020.

I was honoured to attend Lourdes Hill College’s International Women’s Day Breakfast last Friday, where former student and guest speaker Kerrie Hesse spoke about the importance of aiming high, making the most of your opportunities, creating your own future, managing disappointments and the importance of schools providing space for students to be themselves and realise their potential. The celebrations were a wonderful opportunity to pay tribute to the many achievements and leadership skills of women and the promotion of equality and advocacy in our school communities.

It was tremendous to see Catholic school communities across Queensland unite to honour International Women’s Day in their own separate events.

Some of these moments are captured below.

The last of the Highly Accomplished Teacher and Lead Teacher (HAT&LT) Certification information sessions are underway this week in Cairns, Townsville and Rockhampton.

These sessions are for teachers interested in seeking certification in 2021.

If you would like to find out more about the certification process, visit the HA&LT website here.

The NSSTAS Reference Committee met this week to discuss financial assistance for families transporting students to non-state schools.

The committee endorsed a proposal that the weekly threshold families pay before the Bus Fare Assistance Program rebate is provided to be set for Semester 2 as follows:

* Standard $30 (up from $25 in Semester 1 2020)

* Concession $25 (up from $20 in Semester 1 2020)

Schools may wish to update any promotional materials that refer to the threshold.

Applications for the NSSTAS open in May for Semester 1, and October for Semester 2.

Further information about the Scheme is available on the NSSTAS website.

This week we are launching QCEC’s microsite dedicated to celebrating 175 years of Catholic Education in Queensland.

In 2020 we are marking 175 years since the first Catholic school was established in an old government store in Elizabeth Street, Brisbane.

The Myer Centre now occupies the original school site on the corner of Elizabeth and Albert streets.

You can read more about this story in the news section on the microsite.

We encourage you to assist in promoting our microsite and navigate the resources and stories available to celebrate this milestone.

Visit celebrate.qcec.catholic.edu.au and don’t forget to use #celbrate175 with any future social media posts.

Neil Walters has joined the QCEC Secretariat in the Governance, Strategy and Corporate Services team.

Neil will be working with Willem Botha in the Business Assurance and Governance space.

He will be responsible for streamlining accountability and compliance processes across CSAs and the Secretariat.

Neil brings with him considerable experience in internal and external auditing, as well as financial management.

Neil has worked in large audit and accounting firms (including PwC recently).

Tickets are still available for Brisbane Catholic Education’s Gather 2020 conference.

The conference will take place from 23-26 August at the Royal International Convention Centre and aims to empower educators to assist in transforming students' lives.

For more information, or to register, click here.

World Teachers’ Day will be celebrated in Queensland on Friday 30 October 2020. 

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

2020 Circulars

027     NGRSF Annual Funding – 1^st Progress Payment 2020
028     Teacher Suspensions and Cancellations
029     Review of NAPLAN
030     2020 Spirit of Catholic Education Awards
031     2020 Term 1 Levies