Welcome back to another busy term of teaching and learning in our school communities. 

I know the resilience and adaptability that helped meet the challenges of Term 1 will again be the strength of our sector in Term 2.

There will no doubt be further challenges ahead as we move into winter with predictions there may yet be further waves to be experienced in the pandemic.

QCEC will continue to keep school communities updated as or when circumstances change.

In the meantime, I wish our school communities a successful and fruitful Term 2.  

The National Catholic Education Commission held its March meeting just prior to the start of the school holidays.

The Commission was briefed on election planning and, since that meeting, the election has been formally called.

NCEC is leading the election advocacy for the Catholic sector and is focusing on three main areas:

• Supporting school choice through recurrent funding certainty and better access to capital funding to improve learning environments
• Enabling faith-based education through appropriate legislation and education policy
• Delivering national priorities in areas such as mental health and wellbeing, early childhood education, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education.

NCEC has developed an election page on their website which includes links to resources to assist schools in advocacy at the local level.

QCEC’s Position Statement – Access to Catholic Schools During Election Campaigns can be found here.

The Australian Government has confirmed it will extend funding for the Non-Government Reform Support Fund (NGRSF) into the 2023/24 financial year.

Although QCEC is still awaiting direction from the Australian Government as to the specific programs NGRSF will support next year, previous funding has been vital to secure the following events for the Queensland Catholic education sector in 2022:

• Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on Student with Disability (NCCD)
• Highly Accomplished and Lead Teacher Certification
• Transition to NAPLAN Online
• State-wide and Catholic School Authority specific Professional Development events.

It is anticipated that the 2023/24 funding extension will enable QCEC to continue to provide events that support schools to deliver national and state reform initiatives.

Earlier this month, state and federal education ministers endorsed a new version of the Australian Curriculum.

The process of reviewing the curriculum began in 2020 and ran throughout 2021 with the aim of refining, realigning and decluttering the content of the curriculum within its existing structures and underpinned by the education goals of the Alice Springs (Mparntwe) Education Declaration (2019).

QCEC has been involved with the review from its inception through participation in reference groups and responses.

Thank you to all who participated in some way in this process.

It is anticipated that the updated curriculum will be taught in schools from 2023. However, a decision about the timing and nature of implementation in Queensland has not yet been made by the Queensland Government. A statement from the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority is available here.

Brisbane Catholic Education recently unveiled the name for its new school planned for Nirimba on the Sunshine Coast.

Notre Dame College will be a Prep to Year 12 co-educational school to cater for 1900 students.

The college will initially commence with Prep to Year 3 and Year 7 in the first year.

(Fr Joshua Whitehead of Our Lady of the Rosary Parish, Caloundra, and BCE A/Executive Director Dr Doug Ashleigh at the site for Notre Dame College, Nirimba)

Meanwhile, Toowoomba Catholic Schools has announced plans for a K-12 school at Westbrook.

The school will be built on a 10-hectare site in the growing Westbrook community and will be named St Francis Catholic College in honour of St Francis of Assisi.

(TCS Executive Director Dr Pat Coughlan and Bishop Robert McGuckin visit the site for St Francis College, Westbrook)

The Congregation for Catholic Education has released a new document entitled The Identity of Catholic Schools for a Culture of Dialogue.

The document underpins the identity of Catholic schools and the challenges faced while focusing on “the need for a clearer awareness and consistency of the Catholic identity of the Church’s education institutions throughout the world.”

Another key focus is around the prevention of ‘conflicts and divisions in the essential sector of education’.

Congratulations to all Queensland’s highest achieving QCE graduates, including the eight from Catholic schools who were recently acknowledged by Education Minister Grace Grace.

The students were recognised for their outstanding academic achievement in 2021.

Highest Achievement by an Aboriginal Student or Torres Strait Islander Student
Jasmine Armstrong - Mt St Michael’s College, Ashgrove

Distinguished Academic Achiever
Jasmine Armstrong - Mt St Michael’s College, Ashgrove
Caine Day - St Joseph’s Nudgee College, Boondall
Annabelle Hazelton - St Rita’s College, Clayfield
Hayden Lloyd - Padua College, Kedron
Geordan Papacostas – St Joseph’s College, Gregory Terrace
Patrick Perrier – Villanova College, Coorparoo
Darcie Spina – Gilroy Santa Maria College, Ingham
Zachary Thompson – St Joseph’s College, Gregory Terrace

I was recently appointed by the Acting Federal Minister for Education Stuart Robert to the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) Board.

I look forward to the opportunities this role will provide to bring the perspective of Catholic education and the non-government sectors more broadly to AITSL.

To find out more about current AITSL Board members and their roles click here.

Applications for the Non State Schools Transport Assistance Scheme (NSSTAS) will open on 1 May.

The NSSTAS provides financial assistance for families transporting students to non-state schools in Queensland.

To find out more about the NSSTAS and eligibility requirements click on the link to view the short introductory video below.

Nominations for the Spirit of Catholic Education (SOCE) Awards will close on 8 May and Queensland Catholic education communities are reminded to get their nominations in on time.

The SOCE Awards, including the Aunty Joan Hendriks Spirit of Catholic Education Reconciliation Award, are presented annually as part of Catholic Education Week (CEW) celebrations in Term 3. 

The awards recognise those who are making an outstanding contribution within their Catholic education community. Nominate an outstanding member of your Catholic education community here and view our video below to hear from 2021 recipient Fr John Boyd-Boland.

Registrations are now open for the National Catholic Education Conference to be held in Melbourne from 4-7 September.

The event will provide Catholic educators with an important opportunity to network and learn from leaders in Catholic education.

The conference will be held both live and virtually at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. 

QCEC VET Forum
QCEC will host a VET Forum from 19-20 May at the Australian Catholic University (ACU) Leadership Centre in Brisbane. The two days will provide a rich and varied program to deliver quality professional development and conversations.

Day 1: Choice of industry site visits to showcase in action the diversity of roles industry offers and the expectations of employers for young people choosing vocational education and training to build the skills and capabilities for these pathways.

Day 2: Keynote speakers and workshops.

Registrations are now open - click here.

Date Claimer: Student Protection In-Service Day
The QCEC Student Protection In-Service Day will be held on Friday 22 July at the ACU Leadership Centre in Brisbane. This is an excellent opportunity to find out about the latest information on student protection and strategies for keeping children safe. The hybrid run event will allow for either in-person or online attendance and further details about the agenda and registrations will be provided soon.

Highly Accomplished and Lead Teacher Certification 
Queensland Catholic school teachers considering applying for Highly Accomplished or Lead Teacher Certification still have time to register for the workshops being held during Term 2 in each diocese. To find out more click here.

You can watch a short video to find out more about the benefits of certification below.

Term 2 #HATCHAT and #LEADFEED Session
After a successful inaugural session held in Term 1, QCEC is pleased to be able to offer a #HATCHAT and #LEADFEED session for aspiring highly accomplished and lead teachers again in Term 2.  

This one-hour online session will be held on Tuesday 7 June 2022 at 3.30pm. Registrations are now open via this registration link. 

Senior Assessment and Tertiary Entrance (External Assessment) 
The third Senior Assessment and Tertiary Entrance event (External Assessment) will be held on Tuesday 14 June from 3.15-4.30pm.

This online opportunity will feature a presentation from the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority on external assessment processes and learnings from the first years running external assessment in Queensland. The event will also feature masterclasses, which give teachers the opportunity to share their learnings from marking external assessment pieces to assist with the preparation of students and teachers.

To register click here. 

NCCD Cross-School Moderation events 
QCEC is delivering a range of Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD) events throughout Term 2. The NCCD Cross School Moderation workshops are suitable for teachers who have completed a within school moderation and are relatively new to NCCD moderation. To find out more or to register for an event near you click here. This activity is supported by funding from the Australian Non-Government Reform Support Fund.

QCT Professional Development events
Queensland Catholic school teachers are invited to attend in-person and online professional development opportunities hosted by the Queensland College of Teachers from May to August.

These no cost PD events will cover a range of topics. Click on the links below to find out more and register:

31 May 2022 - Supervising Teacher Training (in-person) - Brisbane cbd
1 June 2022 – Transitioning to Full Registration and Registering your Practice (online)
19 July 2022 – Professional Boundaries (online)
3 August 2022 – Australian Professional Standards for Teachers: a whole school approach (online)

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

2022 Circulars

025     NAPLAN Online Key Developments
026     NABERS Rating Tool for Schools – Information Session
027     QCEC Student Protection In-Service Day
028     Feedback on Women’s Safety and Justice Taskforce Discussion Paper 3
029     Federal Election Advocacy
030     QCT Professional Development Events 2022
031     Review of Education (General Provisions) Act 2022
032     Flood Support Funding
033     National VET for Secondary Students Strategy
034     Federal Budget 2022-23
035     Extension of Non-Government Reform Support Fund
036     Teacher Suspensions and Cancellation
037     Catholic Education Week Official Launch Event Locations 2023-2027