August 2023 Newsletter

Dear Colleagues

I trust that Term 3 and Semester 2 have commenced well for you and you community.

As announced last newsletter, CaSPA has received a commissioned painting from Dr Miriam-Rose Ungunmerr Baumann who lives in Daly Waters in the Northern Territory. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miriam-Rose_Ungunmerr-Baumann

It is a beautiful painting which Miriam-Rose has called “Unity”. The painting is symbolic of Miriam’s Country, Community and CaSPA’s work around Australia. A copy of the painting can be seen below along with the commission outline, and Miriam-Rose’s explanation of the painting. CaSPA is very proud to receive this painting as a representation of our work for Catholic Schools.

The CaSPA Board looks forward to the full implementation of the Uluru Statement of the Heart. Reconciliation in Australia of First Nations People and non-First Nations People is an important social justice matter. The recent passing of the Referendum Bill to allow the vote regarding the Voice to Parliament for First Nations People will hopefully be a positive step forward for reconciliation.

A big thank you to the State Catholic Principals Associations who sent their President and Executive Officer to the CaSPA Combined Meeting in Melbourne on 24 July. This annual gathering of our 8 Associations is a great opportunity for colleagues around Australia to come together to share common topics and discuss contemporary education issues. This year we were truly blessed by having key presenters to our Combined Meeting: NCEC, AITSL, ACU and AERO. Please see the summary of their presentations in the Board Updates section of this newsletter.

In addition to the Combined Meeting, representatives from the CaSPA Board met with our 8 Partners in Melbourne on 25 July. This Partner’s Meeting has also become an annual event to show our appreciation of the wonderful support the businesses give CaSPA to enable our Awards, Professional Learning and Social Action activities.

Please remember to make contact with our Partners if you need quotes from their line of business.

Blessings to All

Ann Rebgetz
CaSPA President

Unity Painting – Commissioning Outline provided to Dr Miriam-Rose

CaSPA is seeking a painting which:

• brings together what creation spirit means for you together with Catholic spirit.
• represents your story of being a School Principal and leader in education and what this has meant for you in the context of your country and impact.
• will inspire CaSPA and guide us – so please tell your story and paint from the heart.  The painting will create a story, your story which will help all Catholic Secondary Principals come together, have a voice, and serve/ support others.
• will have a written message attached to it - a written message telling us about the story of the artwork will be important (just what you normally do).

Unity Painting - explanation

By Dr Miriam-Rose Ungunmerr Baumann 2023

At the base of the painting it illustrates that indigenous students have been invited and accepted to be enrolled in a Catholic Secondary College. 

The footprints represent that a smoking ceremony should take place for healing, reconciliation, and peace.

Around the footprints there is smoke and also some special leaves painted in brown.

The leaves that we use for the smoking ceremony are from Ironwood, the strongest and hardest tree that grows around the Top End of Australia.

Burning these leaves strengthens the spirit of individuals. The smoke replenishes your being.

The large circle in the centre of the painting is a yarning circle. A circle represents belonging which is a big thing for us culturally. The students need to feel that they belong, that everyone matters.

The six smaller brown circles are our mob, the Elders and family members who belong to the students attending the college.

The other six circles are the senior teachers and the Principal of the College.

They are meeting and listening to each other about how best to care for the students and to be aware of the issues our students may have. 

They are all working together as a part of a board that gets together to discuss how best to deal with the students in those schools.

With the experience I have had with sending kids to secondary schools outside of our community. I feel there isn't enough support for them, so I feel that this association should understand how to communicate with our people so that there is more understanding and chances for our kids to adapt to the new place with continual support, and family visiting them as often as possible.

This group should continue to walk with the students through their time at the college to prevent home sickness.

If staff are not sure how to deal with children who are having issues, they need to include aboriginal people particularly family and elders from where that student comes from. They can help the Principals understand about culture and ways to support the students to stay at the school in a loving and caring way.

The Cross in the middle of the circle represents Christ and Christianity
The rays of light is the Holy Spirit. Each of the three points at the top of the cross represents the three days that Christ rose from the dead. It's important in the Catholic schools that the kids receive a lot of pastoral care during their time there.

At the top of the painting are hands, they are welcoming hands which indicate that the students are welcome at the college to come and get a good education. There is also water painted in and around the hands which represents the welcome ceremony that we do for visitors to the Daly River. 

Our children need to be welcomed, supported, understood and especially made to feel that they belong by being connected to both the school and also their home and family. This can be achieved through walking alongside each other united, to create the best outcome for the students.

• Meeting with Coalition of Australian Principals (CAP) on 20 July to consult the Department of Education regarding the National School reform Agreement
• Australian Catholic University 2022 Principal Well-being Report and plans for 2023 was distributed to the State and Territory Secondary Principals Associations.
• Guest speakers presented at the Combined Meeting in Melbourne 24 July – Jacinta Collins (NCEC), Mark Grant (AITSL), Sarah Richardson (AERO). See details below.
• CaSPA Board representatives met with and had a Dinner at Sofitel Hotel with the 7 CaSPA Partners on 25 July in Melbourne.

• Continued liaising with SchoolZine and Athas Concepts to make amendments to the CaSPA Website
• Data Project for 2023 has been completed and infographics to be released at the Combined Meeting in July. These will be on the CaSPA website login section soon.
• CaSPA Board has finalised the focus of the research to be conducted by ACU to research the development of aspiring leaders.
• Next CaSPA Board Meeting to be held in Darwin 16 – 17 August. The CaSPA Board looks forward to meeting with NTCSPA and visiting the Bathurst Island schools.
• CaSPA preparing a research funding application with the Principals Australia Research Foundation (PARF). Research is planned for 2024.

Combined Meeting 24 July, Hyatt Place, Melbourne

Summary

State & Territory Reports

• CaSPA shared the results of the 2023 Data Project highlighting student enrolments around Australia and the average age and length of service of Principals. The PowerPoints will be available on the CaSPA Website login soon.

• George from Athas Concepts discussed the Branding processes CaSPA has engaged in over the last 2 years in relation to website, social media, publications, and email.
• Each State and Territory provided a detailed update of matters related to their Associations. Common topics around Australia included:
• Teacher shortage & recruitment issues
• Teacher & student wellbeing
• Vaping by students
• Future employment conditions – possible precedent being set in Victorian Catholic Enterprise Agreement
• Procurement of resources becoming more and more centralised in Catholic Education Offices
• Large scale Curriculum and HSC Review in NSW
• The SACE Board (South Australia) has developed and provided

Guidelines for using Artificial Intelligence (AI) in SACE Assessment and

Supervision and Verification of Students’ Work Policy and Procedures

• Principal wellbeing
• Demise of Catholic Church Insurances (CCI)
• Upcoming Voice Referendum in Australia

AERO Update – Sarah Richardson

• Engaging Classrooms research
• Outline of AERO’s work
• Classroom Management - evidence based approach.
• Future research areas to improve education

ACU Research Update – Theresa Dicke, HeeRa Ko, Paul Kidson

• Principal Health and Wellbeing Research
• Comparison of results compared to wellbeing factors in general population.
• Preventative measures for wellbeing.

AITSL Update – Mark Grant

• ATWD data
• Teacher shortage
• Future consultations

NCEC Update – Jacinta Collins

• Religious Freedom law update
• Teacher shortage

Numeracy project for Catholic Schools

Profiles of all the CaSPA Board are available on the CaSPA Website: https://caspa.schoolzineplus.com/current-and-past-board-members

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