December 2024 Newsletter

Dear Colleagues

I trust the end of the year activities and recruitment processes are going well for you and your community. I also hope that your end of year community celebration events go well too.

Thank you to all of our Principals who completed the CaSPA Survey during November. The response rate was outstanding and CaSPA looks forward to sharing the results and analysis with you during 2025.

On behalf of the CaSPA Board I would like to sincerely thank Darren Atkinson (Vic) for his dedicated service as CaSPA Director. His wisdom and commitment have contributed much to CaSPA’ work and advocacy. I wish him well for 2025 and beyond.

May I also express my good wishes to all of the Principals who are either retiring or moving to a non-Principal role next year. Thank you for your leadership, commitment and service to your community as Principal. May God’s blessings be with you as you transition to the next phase of your life. I also extend good wishes to those Principals changing schools or roles.

In conclusion, I wish you all a very Merry Christmas. I hope you have a truly restful break and my very best wishes for the New Year.

Blessings to all

National Principals Representative Group

We had another meeting with the Federal Minister for Education last Friday in Sydney. We sought as a group commitment to financially support a Principal Supervision initiative as well as support of Principals and schools in the media as schools are targeted for many social shortcomings. I will transcribe my notes and publish them on our website.

ACARA

We had a Principals Representative Group meeting with ACARA and were informed of the release of the new site. It will be 5.00am 4th December 2024. New features provided such as school location maps. Extra measures put in place to prevent the release of League Tables. Schools that are making a difference is a new tab. National Report on Schooling will be released on 18th December 2024 (Voc Ed/Attendance a feature)

Best wishes

Dr Stephen Kennaugh GAICD

CaSPA President

The October board meeting has just been held in Adelaide and included the joint meeting with our Primary Principal Colleagues from Australian Catholic Primary Principals Association and working on a joint strategy to advance the principal wellbeing agenda in all jurisdictions.

CaSPA is proud to have sponsored this important research to highlight the barriers women face and suggest strategies to help level the playing field in educational leadership. https://lnkd.in/gnKSJcc9
Female teachers need greater support to become school leaders
Female educators face substantial personal, social, and systemic obstacles that prevent them from rising to senior leadership roles in schools, new Australian Catholic University (ACU) research shows.
The barriers are even higher for female teachers from minority groups who face additional layers of discrimination based on race and ethnicity.
The Empowering Women for Principalship: Strategies for Aspiring Leaders report, led by ACU’s Institute for Positive Psychology and Education and based on an analysis of 55 international peer-reviewed studies, has highlighted the causes behind a significant underrepresentation of female school leaders in Australia, and globally.
In addition to highlighting barriers women face in becoming school leaders, the research, funded by Catholic Secondary Principals Australia, also identified strategies designed to support career advancement including creating strong support networks and environments that foster leadership potential among female educators.
Study Chief Investigator Associate Professor Theresa Dicke said the disproportionate representation of female school leaders was particularly concerning given the highly feminised nature of the teaching profession.

 

Catholic call to include Snapchat in social media ban for kids under 16 

15 November 2024

https://cathnews.com/2024/11/15/catholic-call-to-include-snapchat-in-social-media-ban-for-kids-under-16/ 

CaSPA Queensland Director and Head of the Queensland Catholic Secondary Principals Association says Snapchat, the popular digital platform mostly used by young Australians, must be one of the apps facing age restrictions. Source: News.com.au.

Snapchat may be able to dodge the Albanese Government’s plan to ban social media for kids under 16.

Communications Minister Michelle Rowland confirmed yesterday that Snapchat could get around the age restrictions if it successfully argued it was a messaging service rather than a social media platform. But Queensland Catholic Secondary Principals Association director Dan McMahon said Snapchat should not be allowed to skirt the ban.

“I’ve gotta say I’m a bit gobsmacked by that, I find that extraordinary,” Mr McMahon told television news program ACA yesterday. “Of all the social media platforms that I deal with … Snapchat is one of the most common ones. “Not everyone on Snapchat is an online bully, but in my experience every online bully uses Snapchat. It’s just such a great tool to weaponise harm.”

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

• November 4 meeting with Raymond McHale regarding the Mission Australia Youth Survey results to soon be released.
• November 7 Stephen Kennaugh and Mick Egan attended the Catholic Education Stakeholders Forum in Melbourne in person.
• November 12 CaSPA Marketing and Branding meeting with Athas Consulting
• November 13 CaSPA Conference Sydney meeting with ACSP and BCC Management
• November 20 Stephen Kennaugh and Mick Egan attended the MySchool briefing with ACARA
• November 22 Stephen Kennaugh attended the Minister’s Principal Reference Group meeting in Sydney.
• November 22 Mick Egan attended the CaSPA NSW meeting to brief on the 2026 Conference.
• November 27 Combined ACPPA and CaSPA Wellbeing meeting attended by Michael Lee, Elizabeth McDougall, Dan McMahon and Mick Egan

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At the July Conference a number of Principals generously agreed to be filmed to give us a snapshot of profiles across the nation. In the coming newsletters we will share links to these.

The next profile is Rhett Bowden our NT CaSPA Director.

View the video: https://vimeo.com/1033285451

Name: Stuart Ralph

Current School: St Brendan-Shaw College

Previous Position: Deputy Principal St. Patrick’s College

First Year as a Principal: 2023

My big picture for my current school is to provide a contemporary education for students in grades 7-12 that meets the needs of every student in my care, where they learn skills and knowledge that prepare them for the future.

The Joy of Principalship is: Working and leading people.

Favourite Book: Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown

Favourite Food: Steak- eye fillet pepper sauce

Interests / Hobbies: Fishing/gardening/fitness

My Favourite Well-Being Strategy: Running / Gym

Advice for a Beginning Principal: Your personality is your greatest strength

Favourite Leadership Quote: Seek first to understand and then be understood

What Title would you give to your TED Talk or Book:  Each day, you are leading by example

Nominations for the 2025 Prizes are open until 17 December 2024.

Since our last correspondence, we’ve added new promotional items for you to download and share from the Prizes Content Hub.

In the toolkits, to help you encourage nominating, you will find short video messages from:

• Australia’s Chief Scientist, Dr Cathy Foley AO
• science teaching Prizes nominator, Dr Marguerite-Evans Galea AM
• serial Prizes nominator, Mark Stickells AM
• 2024 Prizes recipients.

On the Content Hub itself under ‘Downloadable resources’ there is now a short PowerPoint presentation with key information about nominating for the 2025 Prizes. If you would like a presentation specific to the science teaching prizes, please let us know.

• You can nominate someone you know for the science prizes at business.gov.au/scienceprizes.
• You can nominate someone you know for the science teaching prizes at business.gov.au/scienceteachingprizes.

By nominating a scientist, research-based innovator or science, technology, engineering or mathematics teacher for a prize, you are acknowledging the value they are contributing through their work.

Are you ready to embed the science of learning and evidence-informed instruction into everyday practice in your school? Looking to cultivate the next generation of instructional leaders? Teach Well invites you to join our 2025 Masterclass Series in High-Impact Instruction —a chance to harness the collective efficacy of your educators and accelerate student outcomes.

As a leading social enterprise, Teach Well supports systems, schools, leaders, and teachers in translating educational research, including the science of learning and science of reading, into daily classroom practice.

Our Proven Impact

Our unique programs have accelerated student learning for more than 5,000 teachers and 500 schools across Australia. Since 2019, our Masterclass Series has the highest impact rate of any course in Australia in improving student outcomes:

• 99% of teachers reported changing their teaching practice.
• 97% of educators would recommend the Masterclass to colleagues aiming to enhance student outcomes.
• 83% of teachers achieved unprecedented academic progress for their students.
• Read more about our impact here.

Exclusive Offer for CaSPA Members

For 2025, Teach Well is extending a special offer to all CaSPA members and their schools:

• Enrol 4 teachers and receive a 20% discount on course fees.
• Additionally, get a free place for a senior school leader to ensure strategic alignment and support for instructional improvements school-wide.

See our 2025 Brochure for more details.

Our Work with Catholic School Systems

Teach Well has partnered extensively with Catholic school systems across Australia, delivering high-impact instruction in diverse settings. Our recent collaborations include:

• The Catalyst Project for Catholic Education in the Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn.
• Supporting over 350 schools and 2,000 teachers in the Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools to bring their Vision for Instruction to life.
• Providing instructional coaching to support Ochre Education resource implementation with Catholic Education South Australia.

• Six years of supporting Catholic schools in Western Australia.

What School Leaders Are Saying

“The best professional learning that I have experienced in 34 years of teaching.” — Mark Utley, Deputy Principal, Coodanup College

“I think these days are extremely beneficial and I really appreciate the opportunity to engage with this learning. I think the days give a great start for teachers to make some significant adjustments to their pedagogy through clearly provided examples which will greatly enhance student learning.”

— Ainslie McIntosh, Learning Consultant, Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools

"Thank you for everything you taught us! I truly believe my teaching has improved tremendously and I will be forever grateful." — Mary-Jane Logan, Teacher, St Clare's College Canberra

Get Started

Please submit your Expression of Interest: https://teach-well.au/cspa/

For more information: Phone: 0411 499 485
Email: info@teach-well.com.au

We look forward to supporting your school’s journey toward high-impact teaching and transformative student outcomes.

Rationale

CaSPA will provide the opportunity for a member of an affiliated State or Territory Association with an opportunity to be involved in Professional Learning. It is hoped that through involvement in this program the Association member will have the opportunity to engage in professional learning that may otherwise not take place. This Scholarship gives witness to the social teachings of the Catholic Church by supporting those who are in need.

The rationale for the Professional Learning Scholarship is that CaSPA and its Corporate Partners are aware of the difficulties individual Principals can face particularly in rural, remote and low socio-economic contexts. 

Application Form is on the CaSPA website under “Awards”.

Criteria

The application for the Professional Learning Scholarship needs to address the following guiding principles:

Linked to educational and / or leadership professional learning.

Established Financial need.

Timeframe needed 

Needs to show benefit to school / community / students.

Cost details.

At the conclusion of the Professional Learning, the recipient will be required to provide a detailed written summary to the CaSPA Board. In addition, the recipient may possibly be required to present learnings at the following CaSPA Conference.

Applications need to be made to the local association, which will decide on the applications to be submitted to the CaSPA Executive Officer and Board. A decision will then be made to award one recipient with the CaSPA Professional Learning Scholarship. 

The closing date for applications: 16 May 2025

Funding for the Professional Learning Scholarship will be funded through the funds provided by the generous CaSPA Partners.

Rationale

CaSPA will provide the opportunity for a member or an affiliated State / Territory Catholic Principals’ Association to be involved in Social Action. It is hoped that through involvement in this program the member or association will have the opportunity to engage in prosocial Action that may otherwise not take place. The Social Action gives witness to the tenant of the Catholic Church by supporting those who are in need or marginalised. 

Pope Francis has asked many times during his Papacy to support and work with those at the margins: “Go forth and reach out to all people at the margins of society! Go there and be the Church, with the strength of the Holy Spirit.”

The rationale for the Social Action is that CaSPA and its Corporate Partners are aware of the difficulties individuals or groups face due to ethnicity, remoteness, financial hardship or gender. The project will enhance the Church’s social teaching and provide an opportunity for members who are in need.

Examples of possible projects are: support of Aboriginal education opportunities in remote Australia, support of schools or educational institutions in the South Pacific, support and development of teacher education in Papua New Guinea. The preference is for Australian needs or our near neighbours. 

Criteria

The application for the Social Action Funding needs to address the following guiding principles:

Linked to educational and / or leadership professional learning.

Established Financial Need.

Established Social Need.

Timeframe needed (up to 3 years).

Needs to show benefit to school / community / students.

Cost details ($5K limit).

Preference for local region in or around Australia.

At the conclusion of the Social Action Project, the recipient will provide a detailed written summary to the CaSPA Board. In addition, the recipient will be required to present learnings at the following CaSPA Conference.

Applications need to be made to the local State or Territory Catholic Principal association, which will decide on one proposal to be submitted to the CaSPA Board. A decision will then be made to award one recipient with the CaSPA Social Action Funding. 

The closing date for applications: 16 May 2025

Funding for the Social Action will be funded through the funds provided by the generous CaSPA Partners.