This week we welcomed all students and staff back to the classroom to resume face-to-face learning.

Term 1 teaching and learning has taken a different approach for many of our schools over the past week but school communities have continued to overcome the many challenges brought on by the pandemic with resilience and strength.

QCEC will continue to provide COVID-19 updates to Catholic School Authorities and I have no doubt our school communities will continue to apply their resourcefulness and creativity to future challenges throughout 2022.

We have put together a video to highlight some of the special moments shared in our Queensland Catholic schools to mark the commencement of Term 1. View the video below.

There are a number of data collections that occur each year, some of them are government collections while others are to fulfil requirements that meet funding accountabilities or to provide statistical data for annual reporting on Catholic schools.

The State Census is the most significant data collection that occurs in the first quarter of the year. Due to the delayed start of 2022, the Non-State Schools Accreditation Board (NSSAB)  has made some changes regarding the attendance requirement for including students. Full details have been provided to all Catholic School Authorities (CSAs), however in summary, all full-time students will need to attend for at least six days between 7 February 2022 and 25 February 2022 to be eligible for inclusion in the Census, unless the absence is beyond the control of the parent, guardian or student (if living independently).

More detailed information regarding completion of the Census was provided to CSAs and school Principals in the 2022 Census letter and Instructions issued by the NSSAB on 1 February. 

To stay up to date with information about 2022 data collections, refer to the Reporting Timetable on the QCEC website here. 

Congratulations to eight Queensland Catholic school teachers who were successful in their application to take part in the Australian Government funded Future Leaders Program. 

The program is specifically designed for registered teachers working in regional and remote schools facing educational disadvantage. It helps prepare participants for the challenging yet rewarding roles in school leadership. 

The initiative was piloted in Western Australia and the Northern Territory by government and independent schools in 2021, and QCEC successfully advocated for the inclusion of Catholic schools in Queensland from 2022. 

The eight successful applicants are listed below and the first event will be held in April. 

St Patrick’s College, Townsville 
Lauren Newman 
 
Good Shepherd Catholic College, Mt Isa 
Stephanie Massey 
Trent Wilkinson 
 
St Kieran’s Catholic School, Mt Isa 
Lucy Pether 
Kate Andrews 
Taylor Andrews 
 
Emmaus College, Rockhampton 
Josefine Nembach 
Lynda Dowley

I would like to congratulate Sr Anne Hetherington rsm who this year received a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in the Australia Day Honours List for her service to the Catholic Church.

Sr Anne is a former teacher and Principal of All Hallows’ School, Brisbane, but has also served many other Catholic church agencies.

Sr Anne’s dedicated life of service has included work with Mater Hospitals, Sisters of Mercy Brisbane, Mercy Works, Mercy Aged Care and the Catholic Historical Society. She was instrumental in the establishment of the Mercy Heritage Centre and in the formation of Mercy Partners. 

She was a member of the Queensland Catholic Education Commission from 1977 to 2002, including a period as Deputy Chair.

The QCEC Secretariat recently farewelled Senior Education Officer Edwin Choi who finished up with QCEC last Friday to embark on a new career path with Independent Schools Queensland (ISQ).

We thank Edwin for his valuable contribution to Queensland Catholic education and wish him all the best in his new role in ISQ’s Teaching and Learning Branch.

#HATCHAT & #LEADFEED
QCEC is pleased to launch a new initiative for 2022. These new events offer opportunities for teachers aspiring to certification as Highly Accomplished and Lead Teachers in 2022 and beyond, to meet some of our Queensland Highly Accomplished and Lead Catholic teachers online.

Aspirants will be able to hear the individual stories of our certified teachers, ask questions and gain tips for their own certification journey.

These sessions are being scheduled each term for 2022. The first #HATCHAT #LEADFEED session will be held on Wednesday 2 March from 3.30-4.30pm. Registrations are open now via Eventbrite.

NCCD  
QCEC will facilitate a range of Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD) events throughout Term 1.

These activities include NCCD training, leading practice, cross-school moderation and reflection and planning workshops.

Please click on the following links to register for an upcoming NCCD workshop of your choice: 

NCCD 2022 Training   
NCCD 2022 Leading Practice   
NCCD 2022 Cross-School Moderation   
NCCD 2022 Reflection and Planning  

Registration for cross-sector moderation is to be managed by the Department of Education. More information about registration for these sessions will be provided in due course. 

This activity is supported by funding from the Australian Non-Government Reform Support Fund. 

Student and Staff Wellbeing Forum 
There is still time to register for the QCEC Student and Staff Wellbeing Forum on 18 March.

Wellbeing is a valued and much talked about subject in our Queensland Catholic schools and this forum showcases contemporary research and practice. Speakers will present on the following topics: 

• Wellbeing in a Catholic context
• Update to Respectful Relationship Education resources  
• How Ed-LinQ can support schools (detection and care of young people at risk of, or experiencing, mental health problems or mental illness  
• Recommendations for educators supporting young people with mental illness 
• School-based responses to vaping and other emerging drug trends  
• Teacher resilience 
• School Refusal 

Registrations will close at 6pm on 14 March. Register here.


Senior Assessment and Tertiary Entrance PD events 
The Queensland Catholic Education Commission has worked with the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority to deliver online Professional Development events specifically for the Catholic education sector in 2022.

The online PD covers a range of topics including Access Arrangements and Reasonable Adjustments (AARAs), applied syllabus subjects and external assessment. Registration for these events is available via the Eventbrite link here.

If you require further information, or have any questions about these events, please contact Hannah Orchard via email at hannaho@qcec.catholic.edu.au. 


2022 Highly Accomplished and Lead Teacher Certification 
The process for certification in 2022 is well underway, however QCEC and trained diocesan facilitators will continue to deliver introductory sessions and in-depth workshops within each diocese for teachers who intend to apply for Highly Accomplished and Lead Teacher Certification in 2022 and 2023. Registrations are open here. 

There is still time to submit abstracts for papers to be presented at the 2022 National Catholic Education Conference to be held in September 2022.

The conference provides an opportunity for Catholic schools to share their best practice in a range of areas including Catholic identity and mission, leadership and governance, school improvement and communication and community engagement.

All abstracts must be submitted by Monday 14 February. Find out more here.

Catholic School Authorities are encouraged to promote the 2022 Future Leaders Awards which are now open to nominations from Queensland Catholic school secondary students. (Please note these awards are run by the Future Leaders organisation and are not associated with the Australian Government’s Future Leaders Program mentioned earlier in this edition.)

The awards recognise and reward young Australians who have shown achievement, leadership and potential while also inspiring others to engage in community and environmental issues to make a difference. Award categories are listed below: 
 
Vivienne McCutcheon Environment Award  
Helen Handbury Leadership Award 
Future Leaders Writing Prize 
Future Leaders Future Justice Award 
Future Leaders Photography Prize 
 
For more information and to nominate click here.

Queensland Catholic school students in Years 5 to 8 are invited to take part in Emergency Management Australia’s Large Air Tanker (LAT) Naming Competition.

Entrants will get the chance to name the new National LAT that arrived in Australia in December 2021. The competition is open to rural, regional and non-metro schools with entries to include a written submission of 300 words or less on what the LAT should be named and why.

The winning class will have their nominated name displayed on the LAT and a chance to contribute to the signage design. They will also receive a visit from the Minister for Emergency Management and National Recovery and Resilience and a mention in the Australian Journal of Emergency Management.

Entries close Friday 11 March and school approval must be obtained before entries are submitted. For more information click here.

Stay up to date with the latest news and events by following our social media pages. You can follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

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

2022 Circulars 

005     Reporting Timetable 1st Quarter Update 
006     Emerging Priorities Program: Open Competitive Grant Opportunity 
007     Nominations for QCT Professional Standards Committee 
008     National Trauma Project: Stakeholder Consultations by KPMG 
009     Teacher Suspensions and Cancellations