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- Happy Catholic Education Week
- QCEC Student Protection In-Service event
- Trade to Teach Working Group meeting
- Ninth Annual STEM Education Conference
- ICPA meeting
- New cohorts - Stuartholme School and Lourdes Hill College
- School Transport Reference Committee
- New principal appointment
- QCEC staff changes
- QCEC events
- Circulars
Yesterday I attended the official launch of this year’s Catholic Education Week, hosted by the Diocese of Toowoomba Catholic Schools Office.
It was a wonderful occasion to celebrate all the Catholic school communities in Queensland and to honour those who go above and beyond to serve those communities.
Mass in St Patrick’s Cathedral was a joyful celebration attended by students and staff from most Toowoomba Diocese Catholic schools along with representatives of many of our education partners including the Queensland Government, Queensland College of Teachers, and QCAA.
The Spirit of Catholic Education Awards presentation was a time to honour this year’s seven recipients, most of whom were able to attend in person to receive their awards.
My thanks to Dr Pat Coughlan, Executive Director, Toowoomba Catholic Schools, and all who were involved in organising this celebration.
Best wishes for all the CEW celebrations which are continuing right across the state through this week.
Below is a gallery of photos from the launch event and you can watch QCEC’s promotional video here.
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More than 200 people attended QCEC’s Student Protection In-Service Day on Friday.
I was pleased to provide the opening address for the event, which moved to online presentation in light of the ongoing COVID-19 wave.
During the event, many informative online and in-person presentations took place on the understanding of potential sources of harm to students, how schools can work with partners in government to promote student safety, and strategies for strengthening student protection within rapidly changing education environments.
We also had special in-person presentations from Fabian Colless and Steve Taylor from the Queensland Police Service’s Task Force Argos Sexual Crime Unit which focussed on dealing with online abuse, reporting abuse and harm, and what can be done to protect students.
My thanks to Chief Operating Officer Chris Woolley, Senior Policy Officer Patrick MacDermott, and other QCEC staff for the roles they played to ensure such a successful event. Thanks also to the QCEC Student Protection Reference Group for their ongoing work in this important area.
Photo: Chris Woolley (QCEC), Steve Taylor and Fabian Colless (QPS) and Patrick MacDermott (QCEC)
Last week I met with staff from the Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association (ICPA) to discuss the needs of students in rural and remote locations.
Items on the agenda included issues affecting boarding school students, reassurance and understanding for parents and students who have not undertaken online assessments due to connectivity and ensuring a balance of experienced and graduate teachers in rural and remote schools.
ICPA work with the Department of Education and other educational stakeholders to ensure rural and remote students are represented.
Guidance Counsellor John Dalton from Saint Mary’s Catholic College, Kingaroy, will conclude his role with the School Transport Reference Committee in August.
I would like to thank John for his time and dedication to the committee as he has assisted with many tasks linked to School Transport since 1997.
I am sure you will join me in wishing John the best for his future endeavours.
Image source: Saint Mary’s Catholic College, Kingaroy websiteCongratulations to Daniel Hodge who has been appointed as Principal of St Bernard’s Primary School, Upper Mt Gravatt commencing 2023.
Daniel is currently the Acting Principal of St Joachim’s Primary School, Holland Park and his leadership experience includes Assistant Principal Religious Education at St Joachim’s and Acting Assistant Principal Religious Education at Queen of Apostles Primary School, Stafford.
Photo source: St Joachim’s Primary School, Holland Park website
Read LessI would like to welcome Susan Skoien who has joined QCEC as Administrative Support Officer – Governance, Strategy and Corporate Services.
Susan comes to QCEC with a strong background in Catholic education, having worked as a Teaching and Learning Administrator, among other support roles at Padua College, Kedron since 2006. Susan also had experience working in support roles at St Rita’s College, Clayfield and originally commenced her career in teaching roles.
