Last week, the ACPPA board met for the first time in 2023 at our Canberra meeting. The board welcomed three new members, Paula Sellars and Reuben Johnson representing the NT and Rachel Smith representing the ACT. We farewelled one of our longest standing members, Chris Golightly, the Queensland ACPPA representative since 2017. This meeting was also the first of our new EO, Gez Mulvahil and we look forward to her continued support of our board over the coming months and years.

The work of our meeting was broken into three key spaces over the two days.

Firstly, we listened to a presentation with the AITSL CEO, Mark Grant who outlined the strategic directions for AITSL in 2023 and how Catholic Principals can support the work being undertaken in the next 12 months.

Work in our afternoon session focused on our 2023 strategic intentions and priorities. In particular, significant work occurred within the subcommittee structure in developing the group norms and identifying the work of each group over the next 12 month period.

On Tuesday we had the opportunity to hear from the Federal Education Minister, Jason Clare, who met with the combined boards of ACPPA, IPSHA and AGPPA. The ongoing relationship with the Minister continues to be promising as is his willingness to engage in conversation with primary principals in the response to the teacher workforce discussions and future planning.

We also had the opportunity to meet for 90 minutes with a smaller group with the Opposition Education spokesperson, Senator Sarah Henderson, and raise issues regarding primary education that are relevant across the three sectors, whilst ensuring the Catholic voice was central to our discussion.

Please remember that the ACPPA Board works for all 1240+ Catholic Primary principals across Australia. If you have a question, query or suggestion then contact your State/Territory Director (details on our website) or our EO to bring your queries and questions to your national body.

Regards 

Peter Cutrona 
President

We welcome Gez Mulvahil to the role of ACPPA Executive Officer. Gez is a former Director and Vice President of ACPPA and has a long association with Catholic education in Victoria and the Northern Territory.

Based in Darwin, Gez is excited about the opportunities within this new role and looks forward to supporting the ACPPA Board and Principals in their work.

Gez can be contacted via email: eo@acppa.catholic.edu.au

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Project Compassion

Spanning across the six weeks of Lent, Project Compassion brings thousands of schools, parishes and supporters together to raise funds for the most marginalised communities around the world.

The theme of Project Compassion 2023 is ‘For All Future Generations’ and reminds us that the good we do today extends to impact the lives of generations to come.

By donating to Project Compassion, Caritas Australia, the Catholic Agency for International Aid and Development, can work with local communities around the world to end poverty, promote justice and uphold dignity.

Pick up a Project Compassion box or a set of envelopes or donate online via the Caritas Australia website at Project Compassion.

                 

Watch the films about some of 2023 Stories at Project Compassion Stories.

NAPLAN 2023

THE ACPConnect STORY

ACPConnect is proudly a joint initiative between Brennan Law Partners and ACPPA in direct response to the growing need for wellbeing support for Principals.

The idea of a tailored, purposeful and free wellbeing portal for Catholic Principals came to Brennan Law Partners after supporting various Principals in their role and noting the consistent feedback of heightened stress levels.

As avid supporters and strategic partner of ACPPA, Brennan Law Partners formally pitched the idea to the board in November 2019.

Since then, ACPPA and Brennan Law Partners have tirelessly worked to create a unique portal, by collating various relevant resources, designed to meet the needs of Australian Catholic Principals. ACPPAConnect was launched as a dedicated, tailored wellbeing portal for Catholic Primary school Principals across Australia

With support and engagement from Principals, conversations with diocesan offices and professional associations throughout the country, ACPPAConnect is growing and, in collaboration with CaSPA – Catholic Secondary Principals Australia, and LPA – Lutheran Principals Australia, will now be offered to ALL Catholic and Lutheran Principals in Australia, with the new name ACPConnect.

It is the aim of the ACPConnect team that through this centralised wellbeing portal Principals will feel more connected and better able to access resources that can support them to thrive.

By empowering and supporting leaders, we support schools to flourish. That is why we are here with the knowledge, guidance and resources so that you can become the best leader you can be.

The National Catholic Education Commission (NCEC) has launched a redesigned website to showcase Catholic education across Australia including a new resource centre, media centre, and directory to Catholic education peak bodies and school authorities.

Thoughts and Prayers

In this edition of eTOPICS we wanted to alert you to a resource for your spiritual wellbeing within the Australian Catholic Principals’ (ACP) Portal at ACPConnect. It is called “Thoughts and Prayers with Helen” and the resource is just that…. some thoughts and prayers based on the weekly scriptures from the lectionary, following the Liturgical Year.

The resource is an aid to prayer and specifically to support the spirituality of Principals in faith based schools. From the feedback we have received, Josephine, who manages the portal and I have scheduled each upload to be viewed the week prior to the Sunday in the Liturgical Year. Principals have asked this so that they can use it for their own prayer or use it with staff if appropriate.

The idea for such a resource came from a weekly blog/memo that I used to write for my own staff each weekend. It was my way of grounding our work in the Gospels and an invitation to staff to be conscious of God’s loving presence in the daily work of the school with students and families.

Having just retired from Catholic education with 45 years’ experience as a teacher and leader, including two years as an ACPPA Board member (2018-2019) I look on this work as a way to still be connected to and contribute to the Principals Alumni. I also draw on my experience as Head of Mission in the Archdiocese of Hobart (2004-2012) and through my Ph.D. study which married my love of professional development and religious education.

The goal of the resource is to help us all to live a more contemplative life in the midst of the busy everyday rather than in a monastery or hermitage. I like to call it contemplative leadership because by living in the presence of our God and drawing on the fount of love and goodness that God is, we are able to fully respond to the invitation to give spiritual leadership in our communities.

Each blog is structured to help us to Learn about the Word with some background information, to Listen to the Word through Lectio Divina or meditation and to Live the Word through prayer and or action.

Our faith life is a journey and there are no experts in the spiritual world. We are all seekers. Preparing the blog each week helps me to reflect on the scriptures and feeds my prayer life too. As “Thoughts and Prayers” grows, I hope that others will share their thoughts and prayers with me and contribute ways that help us all to lead a more spiritual life.

I recommend this practical resource to you and invite you to make it your own.

Feedback can be given through the ACP Portal ACPConnect or through email at helen.healy12@gmail.com

As we move into the second half of Lent and prepare for the celebration of the Resurrection I will quote here from Pope Francis:

FASTING

Fast from hurting words and say kind words.
Fast from sadness and be filled with gratitude.
Fast from anger and be filled with patience.
Fast from pessimism and be filled with hope.
Fast from worries and trust in God.
Fast from complaints and contemplate simplicity.
Fast from pressures and be prayerful.
Fast from bitterness and fill your heart with joy.
Fast from selfishness and be compassionate to others.
Fast from grudges and be reconciled.
Fast from words and be silent so that you can listen.

Good wishes for a joyful Easter.
Helen

Dr Helen Healy
PhD; M.Ed; Grad. Dip. RE; B.Ed; Dip.T.

Catholic Education Northern Territory: Sacred Journey Art Project

As you enter the Chapel at the Northern Territory Catholic Education Office, you cannot miss the stunning images on the windows. The paintings on these windows are representative of the five Aboriginal Catholic Community Schools (ACCS) and three homeland centres in remote communities within the Diocese of Darwin. The project to design, paint and install these windows aimed to:

• give witness to the teachings of Jesus through positive relationships
• provide opportunities for spiritual formation
• capture indigenous spirituality and connectedness to the environment
• embed respectful cultural understandings

URBAN SCHOOLS:

The painting represents the schools in the Diocese with the Catholic Education Office central and represented by the heart....life flowing to the schools.

The schools are represented by the indigenous symbol for meeting place.

NAUIYU

Daly River, Nauiyu Community is situated on the Daly River, 250km south west of Darwin.

Water (Kuri) is significant to the Nauiyu community.The circle represents the sun, with rays of spurting water....water, the giver of life. Waterlily, crocodile and barramundi live in this water.

The dilly bag symbolises strong women and their place in the universe.

The smoke from ironwood leaves represents spirituality.

Finy represents sweat and the Goanna tracks represent nature.

WADEYE

Wadeye is located 400km south west of Darwin.

The Sun, the bright yellow half circle at the top centre, represents God the father, the Creator. Below that are two white doves representing his Son, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. God created all this land, giving each clan their plants and animals.

The community is Salt Water and Fresh Water peoples. Peoples from the plains, the woodlands and the ranges. This is represented in the following ways:

The lowest part of the window is brown for the land – woodland, jungle and ranges. Just above this is a band of deep blue for the fresh water peoples of the inland lagoons, rivers, billabongs and plains. Then there is a strip of sand and this merges into the blue of the sea, representing the peoples on the coast.

Each clan now living in Wadeye come together as one people in Jesus, represented by the central circle. Each clan is represented by one of their totems, a plant or animal. This central large circle is a waterhole, the place of life. Within this waterhole are the seven waterholes of the life offered us in the seven Sacraments. The blue circle represents Baptism, and the small circles each of us who are baptised. The purple circle is the sacrament of Reconciliation which has five smaller circles, representing the five wounds of Jesus. It is through his wounds we are brought healing and reconciliation with God and one another. The white circle represents the Eucharist, in which Jesus feeds us with himself and sends us out to love one another. The red circle is Confirmation, which reminds us of the tongues of fire coming on the disciples at the first Pentecost. But now, we have God’s spirit, his flame of love burning in our hearts and are his disciples. The ochre circle representing marriage and the two circles of love between a wife and husband. The green circle is priesthood with a cross of circles – The priest is important now for us as the one who offers us the sacraments of life. Finally, the circle the colour of the earth, with a cross, reminds us of the anointing of the sick which strengthens us along the journey towards the final return to our country.

BATHURST ISLAND

Bathurst Island is one of the Tiwi Islands located 70km to the north of Darwin.

This painting represents community and personal faith and spirituality:

“…she threw the soil up to create the stars, moon and sun…”
‘…blind woman created the sea and all the animals…”

The composition incorporated the 4 skin groups within the community:

Takaringuwi – Mullet
Mantimapurla – Rock
Warntarringuwi – Sun
Miyartuwi – Pandanus

LTENTYE APURTE

Ltentye Apurte is a community located 80km southeast of Alice Springs.

This image represents Santa Teresa’s own spirituality and faith.

The painting represents the Santa Teresa landscape, with the Eucharist central while the community is overlooked by the Holy Spirit.

The rainbow comes from the dreaming and story of creation.

The rugged mountains are placed central with the cross indicating the very sacred place where the spring is to be found.

The footprints are leading to the Church.

KATHERINE

Matthew 13:47-50 is creatively represented in the Artwork ‘The Fishing Net’

47 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; 48 when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad. 49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous 50 and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Two figures: represent two angels and indigenous peoples.

Red Banner: The traditional head piece for Aboriginal people that symbolise the halos of each angel.

The fish: Unite in the centre of the painting to portray a gathering of every kind. Katherine is a meeting place for Aboriginal people: stingrays represent the salt water people, barramundi & long neck turtle represent fresh water people.

Blue: Water (in particular the Katherine River)
Brown: Land
Yellow: Sun and Kingdom of Heaven

Credits: Thank you to Sr Catherine Mead, Robyn Craig, Sherri Bryers and staff within Catholic Education Northern Territory for providing content and images.

*Images used with permission.

For further information about Catholic Education Northern Territory go to their website at Catholic Education Northern Territory

The recent release of the data from 12th version of The Australian Principal Occupational Health, Safety and Wellbeing Survey highlights the increasing pressures faced by Principals across Australia.

The data shows the increasing complexities of the role and the additional stressors being placed upon school leaders.

The recommendations for professional associations are:

1. "Seek feedback as to how to best support members
2. Continue advocacy with government and employers on the positive

recommendations from the Productivity Commission and National Teacher Workforce Action Plan in line with the results of the report"

This article in The Cathollic Weekly represents t4he views of some principals worign within the Catholic sector.  The Catholic Weekly: ACU Principal Stress Survey

Please contact your State or Territory Association if you have feedback, (contact details on ACPPA Website) or the ACPPA Executive Officer.

Don't foget to access wellbeing resources via ACPConnect.

The MacKillop Family Services Program ‘Stormbirds’, provides an opportunity for children and young people who have experienced a natural disaster, to share their experiences of change and loss in safe and creative ways and learn skills for adapting and recovering. A trained Companion facilitates all programs, providing a safe and creative way to explore feelings and memories.

Last year, students from St Anthony’s Primary School in Kingscliff, on the NSW North Coast experienced floods and rising waters in their community. Through their participation in the Stormbirds sessions at school after these events, the students identified that they were comforted by the calm and confident reassurance from those who came to their aid.

The students got to thank their local SES and the Australian Army at a school assembly. The rescuers and their representatives were presented with cards that the children had made to show their gratitude.

Further information about The MacKillop Family Services’ Stormbirds Program can be found at MacKillop Family Services.