The Commission held its first meeting of the year last week on Tuesday 15 February and welcomed Chris Mayes as the newest member of the Commission, representing RI/PJP schools. 

Commission members received a briefing on the current state of the Queensland Catholic education sector including information on school characteristics, enrolments, student outcomes, finances and workforce. 

Members were also updated on the latest developments in Respectful Relationships Education, a topic that continues to generate public and media interest. 

The Commission also took the opportunity to map out its work schedule for the coming year.  

The National Catholic Education Commission (NCEC) also met last week.

A key topic for discussion was advocacy for Catholic schools in the context of the upcoming federal election. 

While education is not expected to be a central issue in the campaign, it is nevertheless important that both major parties, and the minor parties that could hold the balance of power, remain well informed about the contribution of the Catholic sector and its funding and program needs. As we move closer to the election, Queensland Catholic schools and parents will be asked to support NCEC’s advocacy and promotion of key messages through communication channels such as newsletters and, in some instances, parent forums.  

QCEC will be working closely with Catholic School Parents Queensland to support NCEC’s advocacy in the lead-up to the Federal election. 

Just over a week ago, along with QCEC Education Officer Dr Shannon O’Gorman, I had the opportunity to address the Queensland Parliament’s Mental Health Select Committee which is holding an Inquiry into the opportunities to improve mental health outcomes for Queenslanders.  

The hearing provided an opportunity to provide an overview of the significant work being done in schools to address mental health concerns and to advocate for Catholic schools to be given access to a number of programs, such as GPS in schools, which are currently only available in the state sector. A transcript of the hearing is available here. 

QCEC also made a written submission to the inquiry on behalf of all Catholic School Authorities.  

The submission points out that mental illness experienced by a young person, and/or their parent or carer, can be a significant contributing factor as to whether the student attends school and their level of engagement.

Among many other important points raised, the submission details the view that the provision of mental health support in schools should incorporate adequately funded positions that ensure students in need of mental health support, can at the very least, access a level of support within the safety of the school environment. 

Read the full submission on the QCEC website here. 

Yesterday I attended the installation of Tim Norton SVD as Auxiliary Bishop of Brisbane.

Bishop Tim will provide support to Archbishop Coleridge and Auxiliary Bishop and Vicar-General Ken Howell.

Bishop Tim has a special interest in multicultural communities which was evident in many aspects of his installation Mass and in the many ethnic communities represented in the Cathedral. 

We look forward to working with Bishop Tim in continuing to support Catholic schools in the Archdiocese.

Congratulations to the Honourable Martin Daubney AM who was installed recently as Australian Catholic University’s fifth Chancellor. 
 
I was fortunate to attend the installation Mass which was held at the Cathedral of St Stephen in Brisbane presided over by Archbishop Mark Coleridge.  

Martin has served church organisations, including Catholic schools, in a number of ways over many years and we look forward to continuing to work with him in his role as ACU Chancellor.

Image: Martin Daubney AM - source ACU website

I would like to congratulate Alison Stone who has recently been appointed Animator of Mission and Identity for Franciscan Schools Australia.

The newly established position of Animator will support and encourage Franciscan Spirituality within schools across the country.

Alison is well known to the Catholic education sector as a veteran educator and experienced senior leader.

 Image: Alison Stone

The period for local submissions for the global Synod of Bishops process has been extended, with responses now being received until 13 March.

One of the purposes of this extension is to allow for greater engagement from Catholic schools.

Submissions can be made through the online Synod of Bishops portal here.  

Queensland Catholic schools transitioning to NAPLAN Online, and those who have already transitioned, still have time to register for National protocols training.

Conducted by the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority, training is mandatory for schools transitioning to NAPLAN Online this year and optional for those schools that have already transitioned to NAPLAN Online.

The webinars will run until 11 March. To register click here.

Talk with a certified highly accomplished teacher or lead teacher 
Don’t miss your chance to take part in QCEC’s first online #HATCHAT and #LEADFEED session from 3.30pm - 4.30pm on 2 March. The online initiative is designed to complement the certification process by providing aspirants with the opportunity to hear individual stories of certified Queensland Catholic school teachers, ask questions and gain tips for their own certification journey.  You can register here. These events will continue throughout 2022.

Highly Accomplished and Lead Teacher In-Depth Workshops 
QCEC and trained diocesan facilitators will also be delivering in-depth workshops within each diocese, for teachers who intend to apply for Highly Accomplished and Lead Teacher (HAT & LT) Certification in 2022 and 2023.These online workshops look at the certification process in greater depth, building on the understandings gained in the introductory sessions. The in-depth workshop focuses on: 

• Unpacking the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST) 
• Planning the portfolio 
• Understanding the importance of Direct Evidence 
• Planning an Evidence Set 
• Annotating the Evidence Set 
• Stage 1 and Stage 2 Processes 

To find out more about the in-depth sessions or to register click here. Teachers in RI/PJP Schools are reminded that Jess Bradley is their certification consultant. Jess can be contacted via email at BradleyJ@brigidine.qld.edu.au.  

QCEC Student and Staff Wellbeing Forum 
Registrations are still being accepted from those interested in attending QCEC’s Student and Staff Wellbeing Forum on 18 March. We are delighted that Minister for Education, Minister for Industrial Relations and Minister for Racing Grace Grace will join us to welcome participants and introduce the Forum. Wellbeing is a particular area of interest for the Minister and we appreciate her interest in, and support for, the work that is being done on wellbeing in our Catholic schools.

The full-day event offers both in-person or online attendance and will showcase contemporary research and practice about wellbeing. 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.

NCCD events 
QCEC is facilitating a range of Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD) events throughout 2022. These activities include NCCD training, leading practice, cross-school moderation and reflection and planning workshops. This activity is supported by funding from the Australian Non-Government Reform Support Fund. 

The Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) has launched a dedicated webpage to support teachers and school leaders with their career journey throughout Term 1. 
 
The website houses numerous resources with curated AITSL content for all career stages. If you would like to find out more click here.

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

2022 Circulars 
 
010     Capital Assistance Round – Application Closing Date Extended 
011     Blurred Minds Vaping Drug and Alcohol Resources 
012     NSCP Funding 
013     ACARA My School Principal’s Portal Update 
014     Distribution of Grant Interest