While the work of boards may not always be exciting, it is crucial to an organisation's functioning. This was evident over the past few weeks and at the recent board meeting in Brisbane. A significant effort has been made to revise ACPPA's constitution, providing clear role descriptions for both association members and board members. This clarity is vital because without a clear understanding of roles and responsibilities, our Board cannot function effectively. Changes included specific clarifications regarding the terms of Vice Presidents and the timing of the President and Vice President terms, to ensure a smooth transition when roles are passed on.

Our first day's meeting was held at the MultiLit office in Brisbane. This allowed us to view their office, have the connections drawn between program delivery and staffing and understand how they provide Tier 3 support to individual students. The MultiLit team also gave an extensive presentation, emphasising how they assist schools in the development of a multi-tiered approach to the development of reading. We are very fortunate to be partnered with a well-organised, education-focused business partner who comprehends the needs of schools, teachers, and children. Notably, we had a sizeable number of online attendees for the first MultiLit webinar held on Wednesday. To those who attended, we hope you found the information and resources shared during the presentation relevant and useful and we thank the MultiLit team for providing us with this free learning opportunity to all Catholic Primary schools.

During the two days, we also had the opportunity to meet with Dr Sally Towns, the Executive Director of Brisbane Catholic Education. She gave us a brief overview of some of the key initiatives and work done within Brisbane schools during her tenure. Additionally, she offered some excellent provocations that will assist us in updating and developing a new strategic plan later in the year.

In our previous newsletter, we mentioned the imminent release of principal well-being data. ACPPA has since obtained specific data about primary principals in Catholic schools from this dataset. This information is included in the current newsletter, which has also been distributed to your associations. We invite primary principals to use this data as a tool for reflection and initiating conversations about their challenging roles within your associations. This data has also been shared with the NCEC. Together with CaSPA, who possess a similar dataset, we aim to identify actions that can be implemented using this data at a national level.

This meeting marked the end of Kathy Neely's term as one of the two Board Directors representing New South Wales. This was Kathy's second stint on the ACPPA Board, having previously served when she worked in the Northern Territory several years ago. Her longevity signifies her dedication to making a real difference for principals within our Catholic primary schools. We extend our gratitude for her service and wish her success as she continues her role as a Catholic primary school principal.

As you continue with Term Two, remember to leverage the resources around you for support in your challenging school role. Make sure to be kind to yourself, allowing you to extend that kindness to those you lead. Also, use the Term Two holidays as an opportunity to refresh and reset. The dataset indicates that many of us are still working significant hours during school break time, which can be unsustainable for some.

Peter Cutrona

President