With most students back at school, the Department of Education has ended its daily stakeholder briefings but there is still a regular flow of information from both health and education authorities with updates on many of the outstanding issues. 

QCEC is continuing to advocate with authorities on a number of issues, particularly around boarding schools, indigenous students in remote and discrete communities and non-essential school activities such as sporting competitions and music ensembles.  

We continue to send regular communications to Catholic School Authorities as information is updated and will hold weekly briefings via Zoom when there is new information to share.  

I once again thank everyone in Catholic schools in Queensland for their continued efforts to ensure continuity of learning for all students throughout this time.

It is great to see some of our staff being featured in the Department of Education’s Thank-you campaign.

See one of the videos here.

I would like to congratulate Queensland Catholic schools for their participation in National Reconciliation Week (NRW) from 27 May to 3 June. 

Queensland Catholic school communities joined people across the nation to pay respects to traditional custodians and celebrate the educational, cultural and spiritual traditions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. 

We have witnessed some inspiring messages portrayed by schools, as the event brought together people of many backgrounds to strive for equity and reconciliation across Australia.

QCEC has created a gallery of these moments in which schools highlight the importance of reconciliation as a nation.

You can view the gallery on the QCEC website here, or alternatively some of the photos have been provided below: 

Congratulations to Ray Celegato who has been appointed as principal of St Edmund’s College, Ipswich.

Ray is well known to both the St Edmund’s community and the wider Edmund Rice family.

He was Deputy Principal at St Edmund’s from 2015 until last year and has been Acting Principal for 2020.

Ray is an experienced leader in Catholic education in the Edmund Rice tradition, having previously held the positions of Acting Deputy Principal and Assistant Principal Staff and Administration at St Patrick’s College in Shorncliffe; and as Dean of Waterford and Acting Dean of Students at St Joseph’s College Gregory Terrace. 

We wish Ray all the best for his continued leadership of the College. 

Chloe Coombe from The Cathedral College, Rockhampton, was recently presented with a certificate recognising her selection as the representative for Catholic schools on the Queensland Ministerial Student Advisory Council. 

Chloe is one of 16 students from around the state who have the opportunity to share with the Minister for Education their perspectives on important education matters and the impact of broader issues on learning. 

Chloe will bring to the Council both the Catholic and regional perspectives and we wish her well.

My thanks also to our previous Catholic schools representative Ella Scotford, now a past student of St Rita’s College, Clayfield, for her contribution to the Council over the previous two-year term.

Caption L-R: Principal Rob Alexander, student Chloe Coombe and Diocesan Director Catholic Education – Diocese of Rockhampton Leesa Jeffcoat 

New dates have been set for the Plenary Council as a result of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The opening assembly will now take place in Adelaide on October 2021, with the second assembly scheduled for Sydney in April 2022. 

Although the delay is unfortunate, certainty surrounding travel and social distancing guidelines will become clearer in the lead up to the event in 2021. 

This week organisers released a series of six Discernment Papers.

Each paper provides a reflection on some elements of the relevant pastoral reality, articulates a theological vision, outlines a number of challenges to be overcome, suggests prioritised questions to be answered and develops some proposals for change. 

Nominations for the 2020 Spirit of Catholic Education Awards close on Friday 26 June. 

These awards are held annually to recognise people making an outstanding contribution within the Catholic education community. 

In 2020 we have seen some wonderful examples of innovation, creativity and community spirit that could be acknowledged through these awards. 

I encourage you to visit the Catholic Education Week website and nominate someone from your school community online here.

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

2020 Circulars 

056     2020 Capital Round 

057     Governance Challenges in Catholic Education