October Newsletter
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President's Message
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NGS Super - Platinum Partner
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CaSPA Latest News
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Woods Furniture - Platinum Partner
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CaSPA Board Update
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PSW - Platinum Partner
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Social Action Application Announcements
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The School Photographer - Platinum Partner
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Response from Open Letter to the Prime Minister
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Rory's - Gold Partner
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Response from Letter to Minister Tudge
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Education Horizons Group - Silver Partner
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"In Praise Of Peace"
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FujiFilm - Silver Partner
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Leadership Articles Opinions re the Effects of COVID on Student Learning
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CCI - Silver Partner
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Principal Profiles
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2022 CaSPA Awards & Scholarships - Applications Open
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INSTALLING THE SZAPP
Dear Colleagues
My thoughts and prayers continue to be with the States and Territories which are currently affected by the recent lockdowns. As I said last month, the demands on Principals, school staff, students and families have been enormous during these challenging times. I hope that all States and Territories will be able to reopen soon in accordance with the recent Roadmaps announced by Australian Governments.
I was delighted to receive a response to the CaSPA letter sent to Education Minister, Alan Tudge, which was published in the September CaSPA newsletter. In addition, I also received a response from the Home Affairs Minister regarding CaSPA’s letter to the Prime Minister last month supporting an increase of places for the Afghan refugees. Please see the responses in this edition of the CaSPA newsletter.
On Monday 13 September the CaSPA Board met online with the Association Chairs and Executive Officers around Australia. It was unfortunate that again this year we were not able to meet in person but it was a fruitful two hours of conversation, especially hearing the updates from the Associations and the issues they are dealing with especially in regards to COVID and Salary negotiations.
Over the following two days the CaSPA Board held its scheduled Board Meeting online. It was a pleasure to hold discussions with Paul Colyer, Executive Officer of ACPPA. In the future the CaSPA Board is very keen to further explore a closer partnership with our Catholic Primary Principals. Further discussions will be held over the next few weeks. As an example of the collaboration, please see the invitation from ACPPA to join a Mental Health Webinar.
Congratulations to the three schools which will have their Social Action projects funded by CaSPA in 2022. Please see the section below for details and thank you to our generous partners whose sponsorship money has enabled this Social Action to take place.
On the last day of the Board Meeting, the CaSPA Board held the Annual General Meeting. For your information, please find the AGM Agenda, Minutes and Financial Statements in the Login section of the CaSPA Website.
I hope over the next few weeks you find some time to rest and relax during the term break in your State or Territory.
Blessings to all
Ann Rebgetz
CaSPA President
- Coalition of Australian Principals (CAP) – Meeting held online on 3 September. Mathew Johnson (ASEPA) to be the Convenor of CAP in 2021. The function and purpose of CAP was discerned during the meeting and a document will be signed by all Peak Principal Associations to formalise the coalition.Tanya Plibersek (Shadow Education Minister) joined the meeting and was open to enhance the Principal voice in education. Minister Tudge was also invited to the meeting but did not respond.
- Teach for Australia – Further Consultation on 12 September to promote leadership Pilot Program for Rural and Remote teachers and schools. Invitation sent to Associations to encourage aspiring leaders in regional / remote areas to participate in the program.
- PWC Consultation – Research survey distributed for DESE to review VET In Secondary Schools.
- Sponsoring the ACU / Phil Riley Research – CaSPA is hoping for a large number of Catholic Principals to participate to build up the Catholic data.
- VET Review – An invitation participate in the DESE Survey facilitated by PWC was sent to CaSPA Members.
- AITSL – CaSPA participated in the review of the Australian Teacher Workforce Data (ATWD) and provided feedback in an online interview recently.
Leading Through Uncertainty
This short course provides a unique framework to help you manage turbulence, leverage risk and make more informed decisions. It's made up of 4 modules, each 3.5 hours in duration so there's not a lot of time away from work. The learning is practical, rich and very relevant.
Each module is delivered by experts with extensive knowledge and significant experience.
PROMOTIONAL CODE ‘CASPA’ to receive discounted course fee
- ACPPA – Discussions at CaSPA Board Meeting on 14 September to discuss areas of partnership / collaboration and discern Catholic Education issues around Australia. Further discussions to be held with Ford Health regarding implementation of the wellbeing program around Australia.
- CaSPA Board Meeting – 14 & 15 September - online Board Meeting along with future collaboration discussions with ACPPA. COVID issues and Principal wellbeing were key topics of discussion.
- Combined Meeting – Held on 13 September online with Association Chairs and Executive Officers.
- Negotiating a contract with PIVOT – First draft of the survey for Principals regarding experiences especially in Remote and Rural schools.
- CaSPA Website – Work has commenced on rebranding and restructuring the CaSPA website to make it more contemporary. Work on this should be finished by the end of November 2021.
- Data Project – Structure and categories of the spreadsheet being redeveloped to be updated and relaunched later in 2021.
Profiles of all the CaSPA Board are available on the CaSPA Website: https://caspa.schoolzineplus.com/current-and-past-board-members
The CaSPA Board congratulates to St Aloysius College (Hobart), Emmanuel College (Warrnambool) and Thomas Carr College (Tarneit) for their outstanding applications for Social Action Funding ($5000) for 2022.
The Board decided that all submissions were worthy of the funding and CaSPA is very grateful to the generous Partners whose sponsorship money enables this social action to proceed.NSW's Gold Standard HSC is not fit for purpose in 2021
By Dr Peter Webster
Community contribution / August 3, 2021
During COVID-19 we have often been confronted with a sense of loss: we cannot travel, we cannot visit our families, we cannot go to work or teach our students face to face. For many, opportunity is nowhere.
In 2020, schools had to quickly pivot and adapt to a Home Learning Strategy when placed into lockdown. Schools had to rapidly prepare quality learning environments for students in a range of circumstances – how do we provide the technology? What about the lack of internet? What about children of essential workers?
Schools responded magnificently and supported students and their communities. In this same period the HSC continued to exist with a few minor modifications: COVID Risk Plans, the four square metre rule, NESA acknowledged teacher professional judgement in some major works, a delayed start of the HSC, and universities offered early placements.
For context, the HSC began in 1967 following the Wyndham Scheme reform of education. A total of 18,340 students sat the first HSC undertaking 28 courses. In 1967, the leaving age for students was 15 and many would leave early to pursue apprenticeships and other employment.
In 1977, the HSC results became 50 per cent exam mark and 50 per cent moderated school assessment. This was a significant step forward and acknowledged the work completed at school and the professional judgement of teachers.
In 2001, the HSC examinations were restructured into their current format. In 2010, the school leaving age was increased to 17. These changes have witnessed the HSC examinations turn into an enormous operation, and in 2020 this involved 76,310 students, 7500 markers and supervisors and more than 150 different courses.
Remarkably, the Gold Standard HSC has generally remained the same as it was 55 years ago with a combination of multiple choice, short answer and essay questions. Students get a mark and an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) – a mark that less than 20 per cent of students will use to access university.
The opportunity is now here to pivot and to develop new metrics to assess, credential and measure student success.
McGowan (2020) in The Adaptation Advantage states that our current students are now encountering the slowest rate of change that they will ever experience. Our students must now be educated and assessed in 'new-new' ways, as they prepare for a very different future.
In NSW, we are now in the second wave of COVID-19 with a much more infectious Delta strain and the Gold Standard approach that worked so well for the Berejiklian Government in 2020 is no longer as effective in 2021.
The similarities with the HSC are numerous. The Gold Standard HSC that worked extremely well for a previous generation, is no longer as effective for all students in 2021.
To cater for the 2021 cohort of students, this would be the first step in the journey to transformation of a 'new-new' Gold Standard HSC.
We need to move immediately to:
- School-based assessment marks for all subjects that reflect the skill and capabilities of students against a common grade scale;
- School-based final assessment marks would be reviewed and moderated by the NSW Educational Standards Authority (NESA); and
- Expansion of the pre-existing early entry pathways to university and other learning providers.
‘Utterly misleading’: Hattie slams learning loss rhetoric
By Sarah Duggan
Published September 9, 2021
Professor John Hattie has something to say on the waves of doomsday headlines that declare a crisis of learning is upon us.
"All these people (are) blowing up all this stuff and saying 'kids need specialist treatment'. If I was cynical, I'd say it was 'cha-ching' – all they see is the dollars from it, but that would be too cynical,” Professor John Hattie says.
Firstly, as the Laureate Professor from the University of Melbourne University points out, “contrary to expectations, forecasters, and purveyors of doom” we have actually seen very high levels of “value-added growth” during COVID teaching.
And despite widespread talk of gaping learning losses, Hattie cites evidence that shows learning trajectories have only marginally decreased during the pandemic. Yes, levels of student anxiety, depression and other mental health issues have risen slightly, but these have snapped back once schools reopened, he tells LeadershipEd.
“I don't want to pretend everything is rosy and wonderful. I think what's happening is typical human behaviour: we see incidents of some kids having quite a negative impact, and we generalise from those far too widely.
“Let's assume we don't have any lockdown, the best estimate is 10 per cent of kids have high levels of anxiety and depression anyway … and during lockdown, we're still going to have that 10 per cent – if not slightly more than that – even though in one (loneliness) study that we looked at, [these students] did better in lockdown.”
Hattie, the man behind the renowned Visible Learning framework, remains wary of the media blow up around losses in wellbeing, learning and general cries that students are being turned off learning and will need specialist interventions to recover.
“…all these people (are) blowing up all this stuff and saying 'kids need specialist treatment'. If I was cynical, I'd say it was 'cha-ching' – all they see is the dollars from it, but that would be too cynical,” he muses.
In fact, Hattie believes it’s deceptive to use ‘loss’ to describe students’ slightly lowered learning progress on average compared to previous years, because it suggests that learning has slid backwards or has gone missing, which us simply not the case, he says.
“There was a study in the Netherlands … I got angry with it. They found the same -.10 effect on learning and the headline was 'Students lose half a year's learning', and so they turned a very small ‘1’ into a very big headline because it got more mileage and press and all that … but I think that's just totally and utterly misleading.”
Re-working the old grammar of schooling
The expert says now is the time to ask why we have been so successful with COVID teaching, rather than mull on why we haven’t.
“I'm trying to convince governments to set up a commission to look at the reasons we are so successful, so that we can bring back those learnings into the old ‘grammar of schooling’.
“Ontario, stupidly, has passed legislation yesterday and asked schools to go completely online from there on - I don't think that's what I'm arguing at all. There are advantages to being in school, and I think we should learn from [our online learning experience].”
Hattie has identified some issues with the ‘old grammar of schooling’ that defines much of in-class teaching as we know it. There is definite room for improvement, he says, and the ‘new syntax of learning’ which has unfolded during lockdowns has much to offer on this front.
“The problem with [the old grammar of schooling] is that classes are dominated by teacher talk, and I want a balance of teacher talk and student talk,” Hattie says.
“Kids learn very, very quickly by age eight whether school is for them. That is, if they sit up straight, answer the teacher’s questions and do the work and they do it well, they are rewarded for being at school. Or, if they're not, they're seeing school as a place not for them.
“It should be the opposite: schools should welcome errors and not understanding and welcoming failure as part of it, and I guess what many parents learnt watching their kids during COVID teaching, is that it's not all about getting it right - if you got it right all the time the work is too easy.”
In his paper An Ode to Expertise: What have we learnt from COVID and how can we apply our new learning? which Hattie presented at the Victoria Education State Principals Conference this August, he notes that while the old grammar of schooling does serve many children, it leaves far too many behind. Many others, too, become disengaged from learning while in the classroom.
His analysis of approximately 16,000 classroom transcripts and many other classroom observation studies have led him to this conclusion.
“They hear teachers talking, but rarely do teachers hear students thinking aloud, and classes are dominant 80:20 surface (content, ideas, knowledge) to deep (relations, transfer). Lessons are full of activities, much ‘do-ing’ – and in a lot of ‘doing’ there can be little learning,” he writes.
“Students sit in groups and work alone, learn to look like they are listening, and are taught that mistakes illustrate their lack of ability and errors show their lack of attention to the teaching.
“Assessments are too often seen as end points, emphasize achievement over progress, lead teachers to predominantly provide ‘how am I going?’ feedback, and seen as motivators to invest in the work.”
Unexpected findings
Although concerned about the dominant rise of social and emotional learning (“that whole business and movement coming into schools that’s tried to take over the space, which I think is unfortunate”), Hattie has some encouraging news when it comes to the professional wellbeing of principals and teachers during COVID.
Data provided by The Flourish movement throws up some unexpected findings here, he says.
“We know that collective efficacy; teachers working together, critiquing each other, is amongst the most powerful thing schools do, and it's really, really hard to do.
“But what happened in COVID, is principals turned completely and started to worry about the teachers: are they doing okay? Have they got the right support? Are they talking to the right people? And so you saw more collective efficacy in COVID than you do in regular teaching.”
Hattie says this is a “dramatic shift” in how many schools run.
“The analogy we use is that … the principals put the oxygen masks on the teachers before the kids…”
According to a study by The Flourish Movement, principals reported an increase in social and supervisory support from SEILs (Senior Education Improvement Leaders) during the pandemic, as well as less interruptions. Their wellbeing, psychological capital, work-family balance and recovery at home and work also saw swings in the positive.
Hattie says he was “really surprised” by the findings that came from Victorian principals and the level of supervisory help they received from their SEILs.
“They did the same thing: they started to worry about how well their principals were going and their welfare, in my jargon, they switched to ‘triage their system’- working out only what their biggest problems were, how they could get that help in.
“And that's just a remarkable finding that we typically don't have in a regular school, where most principals are very reluctant to tell anybody else about what's not working so well for them,” Hattie says.
Educators must claim their expertise
Let’s get back to the grim headlines.
Fuelling Hattie’s criticism of the ‘learning loss’ rhetoric is the fact that it undermines the incredible expertise and effectiveness school leaders and teachers have demonstrated during online learning.
There is a ‘silent ode’ to educators’ expertise at the moment, and Hattie wants this to change.
“Every time I ask teachers about their workload in COVID, they felt it was an incredible amount of workload, and it was – to convert. But if you go onto their Facebook pages … they're quite open about how much easier working from home is, they don't have the usual distractions.
“Like in Japan, for example, it's almost by law illegal to interrupt a class, but in Australia they're interrupted all the time ... and teachers have all these obligations at lunchtime and at morning tea – at home they don't.
“They're not online in a sense every minute of the day. So when I go on their Facebook pages, and I looked at about 100 - 200 of them, they're all saying 'this is so much easier’. But they won't say that in a survey, because they know they’ll get in trouble.”
School leaders and teachers have one job to do now, Hattie says.
“…Every time someone says ‘there was learning lost last year’, I want you to look at their eyes and say ‘no, we did a bloody good job.’”
Source of both Articles: Newsletters@EducationHQ.com
Name: Sean Mangan
Current School: St Andrew’s Catholic College - Cairns
Previous Position: Assistant Principal (Learning and Teaching)
First Year as a Principal: 2015
Year of Birth: 1968
My big picture for my current school is to continue to provide excellent educational outcomes for all students. Whatever pathway a student chooses, supporting them to succeed and seeing the rewards of that success. To foster a community of learning which includes students, staff and parents.
The Joy of Principalship is: to see the whole community come together for significant events and to see achievements and growth in measurable educational outcomes.
Favourite Book: A Whole New Mind – by Daniel Pink
Favourite Food: Seafood
Interests / Hobbies: Swimming and Study/Reading
My Favourite Well-Being Strategy: Swimming, Time with family, Church, Yoga.
Advice for a Beginning Principal:
Work on being present - staff, students and parents really appreciate you being visible. Despite how busy you are and how office bound the job can demand, leadership by presence is important. Try to schedule into your day, time at the school gate, in the yard, and in the classroom. The role of Principal comes with significant responsibility, authority and respect (often underestimated) that can take time to appreciate.
Favourite Leadership Quote: “Develop a passion for learning, if you do, you will never cease to grow.” – from Anthony J D’Angelo.
What Title would you give to your TED Talk or Book: “A Leader never stops learning and remember the highs and lows are just as important in your journey”
Name: Shana Bennett
Current School: Rostrevor College – First Female Principal of the College
Previous Position: Deputy Principal, Sacred Heart College
First Year as a Principal: 2012 – Catholic Primary School
Year of Birth: 1974
My big picture for my current school is: Building upon the legacy and rich tradition of Rostrevor College!
The Joy of Principalship is: Making a difference in the lives of young people, their families and the school community. Also – knowing that no two days are the same!
Favourite Book: Don’t really have one…
Favourite Food: Hot Chips with loads of chicken salt!
Interests / Hobbies: Gym, beach walks
My Favourite Well-Being Strategy: Daily exercise, mediation and beach walks
Advice for a Beginning Principal: Be kind to yourself
Favourite Leadership Quote: To be outstanding get comfortable being uncomfortable
What Title would you give to your TED Talk or Book: What’s the worst that could happen?
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Name: Sharyn Quirk
Current School: Brigidine College, Randwick
Previous Position: Assistant Principal, St Clare’s College, Canberra
First Year as a Principal: 2019
Year of Birth: 1966
My big picture for my current school is: Enabling young girls to achieve their potential and be significant in life. Each girl must be developed in accordance with their own capabilities. Although success is something often focussed on, I identify many elements of success within the high school setting as a short term vision. If we accept that all students develop at differing rates, influenced by environment, associations and opportunity, the more important longer term aspiration that I can instil in the girls is for them to achieve significance in their lives. It is a concept not bounded by the temporal restrictions of high school or personal development. It is also a concept that does not have attached to it the need to be first, rather the prospect of leading others through actions, words or individual measure. Walking with each girl through their years of high school enables me to know and understand each of them—not as a number—as a person who has immense potential to provide a contribution to society in the future. The ‘when’ is not as important in the immediate time frame and can introduce artificiality to achievement. The ‘what’ into the future, and at a point when they are genuinely ready, is the true expression of an effective education designed to make people feel that they can be extraordinary.
The Joy of Principalship is: Identifying with people and watching them grow and develop. This includes students, teachers and support staff. It is also about creating opportunity for students to think more critically and for teachers to have opportunity for professional development. I also consider a measure of my joy and significance as a Principal has two components. First, the willingness of students to want to remain engaged with me into the future. This tells me that their education has nurtured the appropriate balance between learning and development—a balance that is built on trust and respect. Second, the opportunities afforded members of my staff to seek outside the immediate school environment, including promotion opportunities. An important component of my role is to grow and nurture people within my control. It is a role not just restricted to students. Finally, but by no means least, my engagement with the school community—past and present—parents, and the parish enliven within me both joy and opportunity to communicate the values of this school, including its spiritualty and charisms. I value all these connections.
Favourite Book: Condi: the Condoleezza Rice Story by Antonia Felix
Favourite Food: Italian
Interests / Hobbies: Travel, spending time with my family, singing, playing the piano, playing music for Sunday Mass
My Favourite Well-Being Strategy: Relaxing with and valuing the surrounds of family and our pets.
Advice for a Beginning Principal: First, do not lose sight of the fact that being a Principal is a privilege and honour. It should never be viewed as a rite of passage along a career continuum. Rather, it is an appointment that attracts extreme responsibility. Second, know it will be lonely. All people, no matter their position, need to be mentored and have avenues for expression, outside of the accepted school environment. Understand where these avenues are and develop these relationships. Finally, you must care for all people without fear or favour. Natural tendencies to gravitate to more popular persuasions and persons need to be resisted. Set example and do what is right, not that which may be easy.
Favourite Leadership Quote: I have two: First, “Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure” Marianne Williamson. Second, “The best teachers are those who show you where to look, but don’t tell you what to see” Alexandra Trenfor.
What Title would you give to your TED Talk or Book: The merit of significance!
2022 CaSPA Awards and Scholarships – Applications Open
DUE DATE HAS BEEN EXTENDED UNTIL OCTOBER 30th 2021
CaSPA is very proud to announce the launching of the 2022 Scholarships and Awards.
Nomination Forms have been sent to all State and Territory Catholic Principal Associations and can be viewed at the following link on the CaSPA website: https://caspa.schoolzineplus.com/introduction
Please remember that all awardees to be eligible are expected to attend the 2022 Conference to receive their award in person.