28 September 2018

Newsletter Articles

Introductory Word from CSPA Chair

Karl Rodrigues

While the national political landscape has been shifting, Catholic School Parents Australia continues to consistently advocate for parents with children in Australian Catholic schools. On August 15, I was very pleased to meet with Senator Birmingham, then Minister for Education. The Minister was receptive to CSPA’s national recognition that Carmel Nash (CSPA Deputy Chair), John O’Brien (CSPA Executive Officer) and I raised with him, and late in the meeting the Minister made encouraging comments about school funding. We reiterated that we were pleased that he was consulting with all school sectors.

Importantly, as expressed in congratulatory letters to new Prime Minister Scott Morrison and new Education Minister Dan Tehan MP, CSPA looked forward to the federal government continuing to consult with education authorities and national peak parent bodies towards attaining a resolution to outstanding school funding issues. We emphasized that CSPA was seeking school funding which demonstrates fairness and equity for all education sectors, and that we believed the collaborative working through of the recommendations from the National School Resourcing Board report chaired by Michael Chaney would go a long way towards achieving this.

Fast forward a week or two and we have been pleased to hear that Minister Tehan has addressed issues for many families in Catholic schools under the current funding model. CSPA is passionate about parents having the option to choose local, affordable Catholic education and we believe that many of the recently proposed changes to school funding have enhanced this option for the 20% of Australian families who choose a Catholic education for their children. The hyperlinked discussions below written by Dallas McInerney (CEO Catholic Schools, NSW) provides useful information in relation to school funding through the perspective of Catholic education.

At our 2018 Council meetings, members of CSPA Council have had the privilege to have received informative presentations from key professionals including Ms Kate Eversteyn, Director of Safeguarding – Catholic Professional Standards Ltd., Ms Lisa Rodgers, AITSL CEO and Lana Turvey-Collins (Plenary Council Facilitator). Please refer to later discussion of these presentations in this newsletter.

We have also enjoyed input from our key sponsor the Australian Catholic Superannuation and Retirement Fund. Greg Cantor (CEO) and Cameron Wood (Head of Marketing and Business Development) shared how they have moved to become more proactive around where they are heading strategically. They shared about the success of some of their products including LifetimeOne and ACSRF’s new website. CSPA is most appreciative of ACSRF’s continued support. I also note that another new sponsor, Catholic Church Insurance will have a presence at our final meeting of the year in October. Please refer below to information from these sponsors.

CSPA’s Core Values of Integrity, Respect, Faith and Inclusivity provide strong foundation and reference for our work. These values have been reinforced through a focus for prayer at council meetings. More recently our council has worked on updating various position statements and policies and it was agreed that the following preamble should be written into many of these.

Preamble : Catholic School Parents Australia (CSPA) believes that all children have the right to a quality education, allowing each child the opportunity to reach his or her potential. CSPA is committed to the belief that all children can learn and that school and family collaboration is essential to successful academic and developmental growth. Given this commitment, CSPA supports a variety of education and related support services that benefit the learning of all children.

As the federally funded CSPA Parent Engagement Research Project draws to a close it is timely to thank and encourage the writers who are working on the final production of each Parent Engagement Tool Kit component. I understand that this project has drawn upon the in-kind contribution of many members of CSPA council and the final components will be an excellent cross-sectoral resource on parent engagement for student learning for all Australian schools as students transition into primary or secondary school.

Funding Catholic schools adequately won’t deprive public schools.

A Catholic response to school funding fallacies

Catholic Church Insurance.

Some key happenings

Meeting with Senator Birmingham

Carmel Nash, John O’Brien and Karl Rodrigues met with (then) Education Minister Simon Birmingham on 15th August in Canberra. This was a most encouraging meeting with the Minister indicating he would follow up in further considering CSPA’s recognition as a national, peak parent body and he also initiated some supportive comment in relation to school funding.

Changes to CSPA council

Over 2018, there has been some movement in our CSPA council membership. Most recently, Brendan McManus (TAS) and Joe Monterosso (WA) have signalled their need to finish up with CSPA. Each have been valuable contributors to CSPA - Joe was an inaugural member of CSPA Council. In time, Joe and Brendan’s contributions will be formally acknowledged and their respective parent bodies will formalise their replacement.

CSPA’s Recognition in the Catholic Church

Catholic School Parents Australia is pleased to be recognised as a Catholic private association of Christ’s Faithful by the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference. Consequently, CSPA is recognised in the Church as a private juridicial person, with all the rights and obligations of private juridicial persons as determined by all the relevant norms of canon law. These rights were outlined in a Decree from the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference.

Input from AITSL [Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership]

Earlier in the year, CSPA made a submission to the National Review of Teacher Registration and a number of members participated in follow-up forums nationwide. This provided a context for the August presentation by Lisa Rodgers (AITSL, CEO) who shared of her extensive, national professional experiences in New Zealand and Australia. A key sharing was around an extensive New Zealand research study which considered, for example, the comparison of additional education resourcing to further assist potentially disengaging students in upper primary-junior secondary with welfare payments for disengaged youth post-school. In some instances, this represents a finite quantum of education funding versus a life-time of support through welfare payments. Within this context, the benefits of parent engagement for student learning were brought into fine focus and the current missed opportunities through a lack of parent engagement studies in pre-teaching graduate courses were discussed. Both Lisa and CSPA members look forward to each being able to assist the other through on-going professional relationship.

Karl Rodrigues (CSPA Chair) thanks Lisa Rodgers (CEO AITSL) after her presentation to CSPA councillors.

2020 Plenary Council Process with Lana Turvey-Collins

At a recent meeting of council, the 2020 Plenary Facilitator, Lana Turvey-Collins, gave an update and also took CSPA council members through a process which is being used across Australia. There are two versions of the process one for youth and one for adults. The process had four parts: Step 01: Pray Together; Step 02: Read Question and Reflect; Step 03: Share and Listen; And Step 04: Pray and Respond. The starter question of What do you think God is asking of us in Australia at this time? elicited a variety of reflection, interpretation and response. Through this activity, CSPA Councillors became familiar with the process for future reference and use. Lana’s information sharing also updated CSPA councillors re the broad stages leading up to the Plenary Council. At the moment, and through until March next year we are in the Open Dialogue and Listening stage. Session #1 of the Plenary Council runs from 11 – 17 October in 2020 and the Plenary Council Session #2 is in May 2021.

Carmel Nash (CSPA Deputy Chair) thanks Lana Turvey-Collins (2020 Plenary Facilitator) after her process with CSPA Council.

Catholic Professional Standards

CSPA was pleased to make a formal response to the survey on the draft of the National Catholic Safeguarding Standards for Catholic Professional Standards Ltd (CPSL). A presentation by Ms Kate Eversteyn (Director of Safeguarding – CPSL) was informative and well received by CSPA members at the May meeting and reinforced the resolve to have the voice of parents at the heart of the content and construct of these historical standards. Below is an extract from the preamble of CSPA’s response.

“Catholic School Parents Australia (CSPA) commends the work of CPSL in drafting the National Catholic Safeguarding Standards in response to the Royal Commission. The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Sexual Abuse Report and the Australian Human Rights Commission National Statement of Principles for Child Safe Organisations provide key references which, through the National Catholic Safeguarding Standards, need to profoundly and compellingly inform the work practices of all personnel, especially those who work with children, young people and vulnerable adults within the broader workings of the Catholic Church.”

Karl Rodrigues and Siobhan Allen (CSPA) with Ms Kate Eversteyn (Director of Safeguarding – CPSL) after her input to CSPA Council.

The NCEC, ACPPA, CaSPA and CSPA Catholic Education Group

The Catholic Education Group consisting of representatives from the National Catholic Education Commission (NCEC), the Australian Catholic Primary Principals’ Association (ACPPA), Catholic Secondary Principals Australia (CaSPA) and Catholic School Parents Australia (CSPA) continues to meet regularly. More recently, key discussion items have included: the complexities, challenges, lobbying and strategic intent around school funding; strategizing for the next federal election; the 2020 National Catholic Education Conference; models of governance of Catholic schools in Australia; meetings with politicians; the data strategy report on the Australian Teacher Workforce; the biographical dictionary of Australian Catholic educators; the 2020 Plenary Council and updates from the Faith Formation and Religious education Standing Committee.

The Minister for Education, the Hon. Dan Tehan MP and Ms Tanya Plibersek MP have been invited to the final meeting of the Catholic Education Group in early November.

(l to r) Paul Colyer (ACPPA), Brad Gaynor (ACPPA), Andrew Watson (CaSPA), John O’Brien (CSPA), Frank Fitzgerald (CaSPA), Carmel Nash (CSPA) and Ray Collins (NCEC) at the August meeting in the offices of CSPQ in Brisbane.

Sponsors

Catholic School Parents Australia continues to be most appreciative of the on-going support of the Bishops Commission for Catholic Education through collaboration with the National Catholic Education Commission. Also, the generous on-going support of the Australian Catholic Superannuation and Retirement Fund (ACSRF) and most recently Catholic Church Insurance (CCI) assist in making the work of CSPA Council possible.

Catholic Schools Guide

Greg Campitelli (Director, Catholic Schools Guide (CSG)) has indicated that in 2019, The Catholic Schools Guide will celebrate their 10th Anniversary. Their theme will be ‘Educating for the Future’ and will showcase how Catholic schools are preparing our students for life beyond the classroom for careers not yet invented. To celebrate this, CSG are delighted to announce the inaugural Catholic Secondary Schools ‘Educating for the Future’ Expo - Victoria.

The Expo, designed to showcase Catholic Secondary education, will take place on Sunday 31 March 2019 at the Catholic Leadership Centre in East Melbourne. The day will commence at 9.00am and conclude at 5.00pm. CSG is anticipating that at least 60 Catholic colleges will be exhibiting. CSPA were pleased to be invited to this Expo.

Council Meeting Dates

The remaining CSPA Council Meeting for 2018 is on October 27 and 28 in Brisbane at which Fr Frank Brennan SJ will be a guest presenter. Hugh Easton (CCI Regional Manager, North & East) will also be in attendance. Meetings for 2019 are scheduled for February 23/24; May 25/26; August 24/25 and November 9/10.

CSPA Parent Engagement Project nearing completion

[This project is funded by the Australian Government Department of Education and Training through the Grants and Awards Programme 2015-16 to 2018-19].

CSPA’s partnership with the University of Southern Queensland (USQ) and the Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth (ARACY) has worked effectively. Across this second half of 2018, evidence from the project, together with other international research findings, are informing the generation of Parent Engagement Tool Kits which will outline contemporary parent engagement strategies for principals, teachers and parents. Professor Sue Saltmarsh is also in the process of generating several research papers informed by the project data. A team of CSPA writers is drafting the tool kit components, which by early 2019 will become available to all Australian schools through a designated website. CSPA has grown through this process and much has been learned and in time, many will be thanked for the roles they have played and continue to play.

Word from a Sponsor

Catholic Church Insurance

CSPA is appreciative of new sponsorship from Catholic Church Insurance (CCI) which has offices in every State and Territory across Australia. Please refer to the hyperlink below which has more information regarding CCI.

A space in which CCI has been most supportive is around the health and well-being of Catholic school Principals – please refer below to the recently released report entitled Education Insights: Catholic Principal Health and Well-Being Report. CSPA commends CCI for supporting this research as CSPA is keen to play a key role in supporting and promoting the health and well-being of school Principals. We believe our CSPA research into effective strategies to engage families in their child’s learning and well-being, as they transition into their first year of schooling and/or secondary schooling, will assist in nurturing the health and well-being of principals, parents and their children.

Catholic Church Insurance.

Schoolzine

Schoolzine is proud to be a digital partner and supporter of CSPA - Parent Engagement Account.

Schoolzine has been an industry leader in digital school communications for 14 years. They are dedicated to customer service, product development and understanding the school landscape that keeps them at the top of the industry. Schoolzine’s Parent Engagement Platform consists of 3 packages, an eNewsletter, Mobile App and Website offering. Purchased separately or together, they guarantee each package will make engaging with parents easy and even enjoyable for a school of any size. Schoolzine addresses the need for media-rich, interactive content that engages parents.