Happy Australian Primary Principals’ Day!!! Your leadership matters – it matters more than you imagine!! Thank you for the injection of energy you bring through your front gate each and every day! Thank you for stepping up to all that comes across your desk and through your office door. Never underestimate the value of the incidental and spontaneous conversations you have with students, staff and your community. Stand still for a moment too and reflect on your last interaction with a colleague – smile and celebrate the difference you make to them too. Today we recognise Principals across Australia with national recognition – NSW Principals are without doubt the finest.

This week I attended the Metropolitan South and West Conference | The Joy of Connection. It was brilliant – Deb Summerhayes and her team of Directors Educational Leadership along with the very talented Natalie Mansour |Principal Glenmore Park PS collaborated and codesigned the initiative and brought together the brilliant program of the most amazing speakers and colleagues from the field.

Janene McPherson and Lucy Martin opened the two days with such beautiful narratives through their Acknowledgement of Country – they were truly captivating.
Deb Summerhayes then set the scene and contextualised the brilliant work of the Principalship, she was followed by the amazing Dr Helen Timperley, Dr Adam Frazer and Professor Ann McIntyre. Their presentations gave clarity, vision, and optimism.

Talk about inspiring!!!

We also heard from Bohdan Balla Gow with a focus on High Potential and Gifted Education | The social emotional domain – certainly a point of clarity on how we identify, nurture and harness the social and emotional skills and expertise of our students. Our colleagues from the field inspired us all: - Maria Sotiropoulos, Sarah Williams Primary |Primary and Jennifer Hardwick, Catherine Argyle, Tim Lloyd, Lyndy Clowry, Belinda Giudice and Bashar Hanna | Secondary, who gave us great insight into the brilliant work being done in their schools with students at the heart.

Thank you to each and every one of you!

To be in the room with some 250 others was simply the best – ABSOLUTELY the joy of connection!!! Connection matters as does common purpose and joy for what we do each and every day!!!!

It was the absolute bright spot of the week for me!!!

What was yours?