Yesterday Meg Macaulay, our Capital Programs Manager, and I had the opportunity to meet with Deputy Premier Steven Miles in his capacity as the Minister for Infrastructure and Planning to discuss issues around schools in new developments.

Independent Schools Queensland Executive Director David Robertson also attended.

QCEC has long advocated with government that planning for new schools should include all sectors at the earliest possible stage and that access to land at reasonable cost and in appropriate locations is a key issue that determines our sector’s ability to provide choice in education in new developments. Additionally, we have asked Government to ensure that the regulatory arrangements strike a more appropriate balance between required compliance and overly burdensome red tape.

QCEC will continue its advocacy with government to ensure the Catholic sector is engaged in these planning processes wherever possible.

The process of reviewing the Queensland Catholic Education Commission’s constitution is currently underway and yesterday the Commission’s independent Chair, the Hon. Margaret White AO, Chris Woolley (QCEC COO) and I met with the Bishops of Queensland as part of the consultation process.

The Commission’s functions are delegated by the bishops and our RI/PJP authorities and these discussions are an important part of framing the review of the constitution.

I look forward to continuing to work closely with the bishops and other delegating authorities and the Commission as we review the constitution and ensure it is fit for purpose going forward.

Online nominations are now open for the 2021 Spirit of Catholic Education Awards.

Catholic school communities in Queensland are encouraged to nominate individuals or teams (staff members, parents/carers or volunteers) who are making an outstanding contribution to the life of their school community. 

All Spirit of Catholic Education Award nominees will receive a certificate of recognition and this year’s recipients will be presented with their awards during Catholic Education Week which will be celebrated from 25-31 July 2021. 

To find out more about the awards and how to nominate click here.

Last week delegates from Catholic School Authorities (CSAs) attended the first NCCD Moderation Masterclass facilitated by QCEC at the ACU Leadership Centre in Brisbane. 

The masterclass identified core principles to guide ways of working when supporting school communities with NCCD moderation. Participants were asked to look at the research literature about moderation and use it to collectively develop a working definition of moderation.  This was followed by a review of the proposed QCEC NCCD cross-school moderation process scheduled for Term 2. 

The opportunity to work together, to share knowledge and experiences about NCCD moderation is invaluable. Given the increased profile of moderation within the National School Resourcing Board Review of the loadings for students with disability it is anticipated that moderation will require ongoing considerations and refinement. 

Tomorrow the QCEC Leadership Team will meet with the RI/PJP Principals who are new to their roles this year. The induction meeting provides an opportunity to brief Principals, who also represent Catholic School Authorities, on the role of the Commission, the Secretariat structure and the services provided to and on behalf of Catholic School Authorities.  

I look forward to welcoming Matthew Hawkins (Marlene Moore Flexi Schools), Michelle Kinnane (Xavier Flexi Schools), Samantha Jensen (Mount Alvernia College, Kedron), Michael Newman (Marist College, Ashgrove), and Deborah Ryan (St Ursula’s College, Yeppoon) at this time. 

The first meeting of all RI/PJP Principals for 2021 will be held on Monday 22 March. 

Brisbane Catholic Education celebrated the Bicentenary of Australian Catholic education during a livestreamed liturgy led by Bishop Ken Howell at St Mary’s Catholic Church, Ipswich recently.

These celebrations formed part of the campaign headed by the National Catholic Education Commission to pay recognition to the milestones we have reached as an Australian Catholic education community.

To find out more visit the NCEC’S celebratory website here.

The 2021 Peter Doherty Awards for Excellence are open to students, teachers and members of the school community with an interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).

The awards recognise students, teachers, schools, volunteers, mentors and organisations that demonstrate an outstanding and innovative contribution to STEM education in Queensland.

The awards are named after Professor Peter Doherty, a Brisbane-born Nobel Prize-winning scientist who was educated at Indooroopilly State High School and the University of Queensland.

Prizes will be distributed across eight categories and this year’s nominations close Wednesday, 17 March.

Winners will be announced at an awards presentation ceremony to be held on 13, August.  For more information click here.

A reminder to Catholic School Authorities that the National Day of Action Against Bullying and Violence is coming up on Friday, 19 March. 

Queensland Catholic schools are invited to support and participate in the campaign which advocates against bullying and violence to create positive change for school communities.

To find out more about the campaign and the resources available for schools click here.

Image source: NDA website

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

2021 Circulars 
 
021     Update to QCEC Model Student Protection Processes 

022     NCCD Cross-sector moderation 

023     Teacher suspensions and cancellations 

024     QCEC nominee to QCAA Maths and Science Subject Working Party 

025     2021 Spirit of Catholic Education Awards