President's Message

Greetings to all our Principals,

The onset of April sees the regular rhythm of the school year thumping along; Opening Masses complete, Lenten observances commenced, schools opened for the 2026 intake, enrolment data being crunched, splashing around with swimming carnivals. Never a dull moment, and yet there is more, the irregular, a rare cyclone hitting so far South on our Eastern Seaboard and an ailing Pope to name a few. Our thoughts and prayers are with the principals, teachers and students in areas affected by Alfred. We also pray for our Pope to return to good health and at the same time applaud his persistent advocacy for peace on the world stage, if anything he has been more vocal than usual.

Ministers Principal Round Table 

On Friday 14 March I met with the Principal Round Table group (Presidents of all Principal Groups in the Country) to discuss with the Federal Department of Education as part of the Anti-Bullying Response Task Force. We discussed the need to have a joint definition and understanding of what Bullying is, what could support look like?, shared responsibility and context, past studies into values education and bullying and using this collective wisdom, and how do we future proof this?. More think tanks to come.

Amplify Teacher and Leadership 

AITSL have requested members of the CaSPA Board to consult as part of the Amplify Teacher and Leadership (ATL) project they are conducting as a joint venture with Deakin University. This was scheduled for Monday 24 March.

International Confederation of Principals News

President Stephen Kennaugh to represent CaSPA as the elected delegate in New Delhi India this September at the Members Council Meeting. In 2026 ICP will hold its next Conference in Auckland NZ. 

Our first in-person CaSPA Board meeting was held in Hobart in March with a focus on strategic planning. Our thanks to Dr Neil Carrington for facilitating the strategy portion of the meeting. It was wonderful to be joined on the Monday by CPAT President, Ms Fran Baccarin and for our Tuesday meeting by Stuart Ralph, CPAT, who is Principal at St Brendan Shaw College in Devonport.  Our next in-person Board meeting will be in Perth at the end of May.

Following are a few of the takeaways from a briefing conducted by the NCEC on Tuesday March 18, we look forward to the flow on of support materials for the upcoming Federal Election.

Best wishes

Dr Stephen Kennaugh GAICD

CaSPA President