Yesterday the Commission held its first face-to-face meeting of the year which was preceded by a welcome to country from songwoman Maroochy Barambah and Mass celebrated by Archbishop Mark Coleridge.

The meeting was also an opportunity to welcome the newest Commission member, Dr Sally Towns, who took up her position as Executive Director of Brisbane Catholic Education earlier this month.

The Commission received a presentation on the findings of the Australian Early Development Census which provided information on the development of the youngest students in Catholic education.

The Commission also endorsed a new Position Statement on the Prevention of Occupational Violence and Aggression which will shortly be added to the QCEC website. The issue of aggression towards staff in schools is a growing one in Australia and this new position statement will assist Catholic School Authorities as they continue to ensure schools are safe workplaces.

With early voting underway and the election to be held on Saturday there have been a number of campaign announcements of interest to the education sector.

As expected education has taken a back seat in the campaign ahead of economic issues.

The National Catholic Education Commission continues to update its election page as promises are made here.

We have now been some months with an Acting Education Minister so we look forward to the opportunity to engage with a new Minister on a more permanent basis following the election.

Last week after attending my first AITSL board meeting, I was able to spend some time at AITSL’s Highly Accomplished and Lead Teacher forum in Adelaide. It was wonderful to spend time with these outstanding teachers from all sectors and jurisdictions. Their professionalism, passion and creativity were very evident as they engaged in the Summit program. Many insights were to be gained in the collaboration sessions as participants generously shared their experiences, challenges and initiatives.

As the number of certified teachers in our system grows it is important that these leaders in teaching are able to come together to share their ideas and experiences.

Teachers in Queensland Catholic schools considering certification can hear from some of our sector’s already certified teachers at the next #HATCHAT and #LEADFEED session on 7 June. See the QCEC Events section of this newsletter for more details.

The Queensland Government has embarked on its review of the Education (General Provisions) Act 2006. 

The proposed changes affecting Catholic schools are largely in the area of student protection, child safety and online abuse in school communities. Consideration is also being given to the meaning of “attendance” as expressed in the legislation to ensure it continues to provide sufficient flexibility to schools as they increasingly offer a variety of hybrid learning experiences for their students.

Consultations with QCEC and Independent Schools Queensland are ongoing.

My thanks to all Catholic School Authorities that provided input for our written submission to the review.

View the submission here.

QCEC is pleased to be hosting the NCEC Inclusive Education Network in our Boardroom today.

Representatives from around Australia have gathered for the meeting to share their experience and discuss issues associated with the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on Students with Disability (NCCD) and other aspects of Inclusive Education.

Thanks to QCEC Education Senior Education Officer Jeanine Gallagher for her work in coordinating this meeting.

Dr Doug Ashleigh, Deputy Executive Director – Learning Services Executive at Brisbane Catholic Education (BCE) has announced he will leave his current role in September after seven years at BCE and 40 years in Catholic education more broadly.

While we will farewell Doug more formally later in the year, I offer my thanks for his years of service to Catholic education in Queensland and particularly for his recent period as Acting Executive Director. This has been a most difficult time to lead through the pandemic and natural disasters.

We wish Doug every blessing as he plans the next stage of his journey.

Chief Financial Officers from each of Queensland's five diocesan education offices met with QCEC's finance team led by CFO Steven Jeffery in Brisbane today. The CFOs gathered to discuss needs based funding arrangements and the implications for Queensland Catholic schools.

QCEC's needs based funding approach commenced in 2001 and facilitates the State-wide distribution of Australian Government general recurrent funding to Queensland Catholic schools.

The arrangements have evolved over time to ensure their continued appropriateness and effectiveness and to ensure they meet accountability requirements and demonstrate transparency of school funding decisions.

Today’s meeting was an opportunity for all CFOs to focus on the system-wide approach to funding arrangements.

QCT Supervising Teacher Training - 31 May  
The Queensland College of Teachers is offering a professional development event for supervising teachers on Tuesday 31 May at the ACU Leadership Centre in Brisbane.  
 
The training day is designed for Queensland Catholic school teachers who are interested in supervising a pre-service teacher. Attendees will learn about the role of the supervising teacher, the importance of context, interpreting and evidencing Graduate Descriptors, feedback and reflective conversation and making judgements. 
 
A large focus of the training is on the Australian Professional Standards so this training is a wonderful opportunity not only for those interested in supervising a pre-service teacher but also those interested in applying for Highly Accomplished or Lead Teacher certification or those interested in mentoring graduate teachers. Funding is available to cover costs associated with travel and TRS. Register here. 

#HATCHAT and #LEADFEED Session - 7 June
Catholic school teachers aspiring to certification in 2022 and beyond, are being given the opportunity to meet some of the Queensland's Highly Accomplished and Lead Catholic teachers online. The next #HATCHAT and #LEADFEED session will be held on Tuesday 7 June at 3.30pm and there is still time to register. For more information click here.

Senior External Assessment - 14 June
Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority (QCAA) will speak with the Queensland Catholic sector in a dedicated session focussing on external assessment at 3.15pm on 14 June. This online opportunity will feature a presentation from QCAA on external assessment processes and learnings from the first years running external assessment in Queensland. The event will also incorporate 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.

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

2022 Circulars

045     Federal Census Post Enumeration Briefing Session Feedback Survey

046     Teacher Suspensions and Cancellations

047     ACARA Work Samples Project Australian Curriculum Version 9

048     QCEC 2021 Annual Report

049     Updated Federal Election Materials

050     National School Reform Agreement

051     Non-Government Schools Census 2022

052     Student Protection In-Service Day