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- President’s Report
- Term 1 State Council
- Professional Learning
- NSWPPA Website:
- Flourish
- Principal Well-Being
- Review of Merit Selection Processes – our Survey
- Review of the Use of the Principal Support Funds [the $50m]
- Visiting Local PPCs
- Fairer Funding for All
- Stronger Smarter
- Invictus Games
- The National Scene – APPA
- Schoolzine
Time is fleeting past so quickly – just so hard to believe that we are wrapping up Term 1 already but lots have certainly happened to fill in that time.
Working closely with the SPC, many of our colleagues have been heavily involved in giving robust feedback on some of the activities/initiatives such as the SBAR, HR salary tool, EfPT, Sick & FACS system, and Delivery Unit to name a few. We are being listened to as the DoE tries to improve the systems for us in our schools.
The long awaited “Striving for Excellence” document that has reviewed the operations of our Educational Services Division has just been released and there are no real surprises. Many of the recommendations have already been started on as projects.
We look forward to working closely with the Transformation team in Ed Services to deliver improved services for schools & we realise that it will take some time to deliver.
We should all have noticed in SchoolBiz an EOI for any of us to have a meeting with Assets, as part of the Review of Assets. Many of us have been complaining about some of the timing, the costing, the red tape, maintenance issues etc….so now is your chance to tell your story with recommendations on how we can improve the system. CEO Anthony Manning is genuine in wanting to know what has been happening & how we can improve the processes & procedures.
The School Leadership Institute has met recently and I’ll get our representative, Graeme Ross to make regular updates in this newsletter so we know what has been going on.
After the holidays we move into a brave new world with the re-structure of our Operational Directorates, additional DELs and hopefully a stronger focus on leadership development & support. Several of our colleagues have stepped into the role and we would expect a great deal of understanding of the current plight of our principals & workload issues in their interactions with colleagues.
On the issue of new DoE networks, just a reminder….the PPA will not be changing our organisation & we expect all members to remain in their current PPCs. Please note a paragraph later in this newsletter re changing PPCs.
I’m off to Singapore for the 1st week of the holidays visiting schools with LEAP. For everyone else, please enjoy the break, rest, look after yourselves and “smell the roses”.
For this Council both Presidents and delegates attended to get “the good oil” and we could also provide an induction for our new delegates & Presidents. With over 120 attending, we were able to bring everyone up to date together. Both groups will also attend our Term 2 State Council.
At your local PPC meeting delegates should have informed of you of the key inputs we had from:
- Joanne Jarvis – A/Director, School Leadership Institute
- Invictus Games & how schools can be involved
- Glenn Patterson – HR Salary tool
- Minister & Secretary
- Liana Downey – ED Delivery
- Schoolzine & our new website to “Go Live” after the holidays
- AGPPA & APPA information and
- Reports from all of our Reference Groups, Working Parties & Standing committees and our observers.
Art of Leadership
Due to strong demand a second Art of Leadership Course has been set up at Rooty Hill.
A small number of vacancies exist in this additional course which has been added because of high demand. The course dates are 19-21 November 2018 and 18-20 March 2019
The elements of this 6-day program are:
- A pre-workshop phase that prepares participants for the program through structured reflection
- Two x 3-day intensive workshops where the learning is practical, experimental and interactive
- A practicum phase between the intensive programs, where participants work in peer coaching groups
- Completing the 'Art of Leadership' workshop will contribute a total of 37 hours of QTC registered professional development addressing standards 3.1.4, 4.2.4, 4.3.4, 5.2.4, 6.2.4, 6.3.4, 7.1.4, and 7.2.4 from the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers towards achieving or maintaining LEAD teacher accreditation in NSW.
Vice President Lyn Davis provides the following update:
May is a very busy month for our professional learning offerings.
Next term the second Art of Leadership program will commence in Sydney on May 7.
On May 21 the Art of Leadership Masterclass will commence is Sydney.
The Flourish program will continue in Ballina on May 24.
On May 28 the Art of Leadership will commence in Newcastle and the NSWPPA Principal Credential will commence in Sydney.
Flourish in Castle Hill will continue on May 30.
FLOURISH PORT MACQUARIE
A small number of vacancies exist for this program which will be held on the following dates. 8 August 2018, 8 November 2018, 15 February 2019 and 13 May 2019
The Flourish Project will assist school principals in managing their well-being. This four-phase program includes research, intervention and re-testing. In partnership with Deakin University, research will be conducted to understand the work of principals including a ten day diary study.
There will be four full day workshops conducted by Dr Adam Fraser each workshop a term apart. A large part of the program allows principals to learn and support each others development.
Dr Adam Fraser runs a global consultancy that conducts research and works with teams and organisations to improve their peoples’ performance and well-being.
To register please follow the link below limited spots are still available.
We have been working closely with Schoolzine to develop a better website for our Association. Vice President Ian Reeson (our new webmaster) and the Social media manager Simon Mulready have a huge task to get us ready for our new communication. More details to follow but it is looking like the beginning of Term 2 is when we will GO LIVE!
Our Term 2 Flourish sessions get under way soon:
May 25 – Ballina
May 30 – Castle Hill
June 5 – Sutherland
June 29 – Broken Hill
Dr Adam Fraser, provided the following summary of brilliant results from the 120 who have completed the course so far:
They were more efficient |
17% reduction in time required to complete admin & compliance |
They were more focused |
27% decrease in the number of overall interruptions they experience |
As a result they are getting to the things that make the school better & get better student outcomes |
27% increase in the amount of time spent on people development |
They are spending more time with their family |
22% increase in work-life balance |
They are looking after themselves more |
Recovery behaviours (things that help them be more refreshed & less stressed) increased by 24% at work and 16% outside work |
Best of all they are healthier versions of themselves which means a happier & more functional school |
Pressure felt at work reduced by 18% |
They perceived that the culture of the school has improved |
13% increase in how supportive they felt the culture of their school was |
I attended the Sutherland PPC Flourish 2nd meeting where Deakin University’s John Molineux presented the data from the diary studies.
At State Council we discussed with Presidents and delegates if there was any interest in other groups wanting to commence Flourish. Both Queanbeyan & Central Coast have indicated they are interested. The model doesn’t have to be exclusive to one PPC …a couple could join, all we would need is a “champion” to help organise. Anyone else??
Executive have also looked at other options & delegates should discuss this with you.
At the recent roadshow, and during State Council, the Secretary was quizzed on the inordinate delay that is occurring with EPAC investigations. Our concerns are around the delay in obtaining the allegations made when Principals are taken out of their school and the enormous impact that is having on the welfare of our colleagues as they sit in limbo waiting to address any allegations. The presumption of innocence, fair treatment and levels of support were robustly discussed. We continued with the Minister in the same vain. Vexatious complaints and complainers were also mentioned as we seek a solution to those often debilitating processes as well.
Both the Minister & Secretary understand where we are coming from & are open to reviewing processes. Deputy Secretary Murat Dizdar has followed up on some individual cases for us in an effort to hasten the process and look after the wellbeing of our colleagues.
Review of Merit Selection Processes – our Survey
Many thanks to the 464 principals who completed the survey on the HR merit selection processes. The data is currently with our HR Reference group who will be forming a position paper based on the results. We were asking about possible improvements that would ensure the best person gained the position through merit.
Review of the Use of the Principal Support Funds [the $50m]
Many thanks to the 669 principals who responded to this survey. We will be spending time over the holidays analysing the full set of data and breaking it down into the various principal classification categories to note any differences in usage.
Broadly usage was:
SASS |
49% |
327 |
Business Manager |
10% |
64 |
Release for a teacher/ Executive |
24% |
162 |
Community of schools initiative (shared resource) |
0.75% |
5 |
other |
16.6% |
111 |
Executive members have been out and about visiting local councils, spreading the “good oil” and listening to stories & re-assuring colleagues. If you wish for an Executive member to attend your local Council meeting, please use the contact details at the end of the Newsletter.
Wagga Start Up Conference:
Deputy President Roby Evans & I attended this combined conference which also featured many of the Department’s senior Officers. They were keen to highlight some of the DoE’s initiatives and future directions as well as answer questions. Organised by the Wagga PPC, it was a great start for the year.
Sutherland:
Illawarra South East Combined Conference
This was the first of our combined Regional Conferences, held for the first time in Canberra at ANU. Principals from Wollongong, Shellharbour, Batemans Bay & Queanbeyan gathered to hear some great speakers including Dr Susan Carland and the Deputy Vice Chancellor Prof Hughes-Warrington.
Tamworth and Moree:
Deputy President Robyn Evans and I travelled to Tamworth PPC and Moree PPC and visited Tamworth South PS, Moree PS and Moree East PS. We were warmly welcomed by the Tamworth South choir singing in English and the local Aboriginal language for the Tamworth meeting.
We discussed some of the current happenings, local issues and implications for the many small schools.
We visited Moree East PS, one of our Connected Community schools, to see first-hand how the school and community were working together to meet the needs of their students and achieve great results. Principal Lorinda Potter proudly showed us through the bespoke designed school and discussed the many and varied approaches enacted at the school.
Vice-President Terry Fisher and Treasurer Rob Walker attended the launch of the Fairer Schools Funding campaign at Parliament House Canberra on Tuesday March 23. Rob provided the following information:
The campaign is being led by the AEU and has the support of each state teachers’ union representing public education. There were around 120 principals, teachers, parents and union members in attendance. They were from the 18 targeted seats – flown in from all parts of Australia. NSWTF President Maurie Mulheron, NSWSPC President Chris Presland and NSW Federation of P&Cs President Susie Boyd were also in attendance. Media captured clips from principals, teachers and parents and the leadership of the organisations where they told the story of the difference the Gonski funding is making for kids in our schools and the difference the missing funding would make.
Parliamentarians present included Bill Shorten, Tanya Plibersek, Mark Dreyfus, Richard Di Natale, Sarah Hansen-Young and Lee Rhiannon – there were quite a number of others in attendance from Labor and the Greens. After the launch we moved into Parliament House where a group (including Terry and Rob) attended a Labor Caucus meeting and spoke in a more detailed manner of the difference the funding is making. Following this we broke to meet with local members. I met with the Deputy Speaker of the House, initially with a colleague, parent & union organiser, and then individually for about half an hour. I had some excellent data on the change in results of kids in school directly brought about by the Gonski funding and put this together with data we have on how schools have used the money plus some clarity on what our concerns are regarding the current funding arrangements. This last point – the clarity about our concerns, was particularly well received and there were a number of questions so that the key issues we are tabling could be identified.
The igiveagonski website has been re-branded to Fairer Schools Funding. The major push remains the delivery of the original Gonski – a needs based, sector blind funding model that sees the schools resource standard delivered to 100% for each child. We need all principals to keep their school communities informed of the use to which the funds are being put and the difference the missing funding would make (we have received only 36% of the Federal Government full Gonski commitment which is delivering only 17.5% of the SRS to students of public schools). The Federal Government have committed to lift their contribution to 20% of the SRS for each school over the next 6 years. It’s a very long way short of what is required. Principals are asked to support community members in attending meetings with local members explaining the difference the funding is making and the difference the missing funding would make. This is particularly important as we are moving toward a Federal election.
On March 28 the Stronger Smarter Institute launched it’s inaugural Western Sydney Leadership Programs to more than 50 educators at the Pullman International Hotel in Sydney Olympic Park. They were addressed by Stronger Smarter’s Founder and Chair Professor Chris Sarra, ambassador from the Parramatta Eels and the Indigenous All Stars Team Bevan French and CEO Darren Godwell. The Institute will run monthly Leadership Programs throughout 2018 in Western Sydney.
The networking and launch event follows on from its first cohort of graduates who completed the Stronger Smarter Leadership Program in 2017. Principal David Smith was one of the first group as was Rebecca Challenor Principal of Lansvale East Public School. Here David reflects on his learnings state they were transformational.
The video screenings were followed by a Q&A with Briar Road Public School Principal, Tammy Anderson, David Smith from Fairfield Public School and Rebecca Challenor Principal of Lansvale East Public School. Guests included former graduates of the Leadership Program plus participants from the current Leadership Program being held at the Sydney Olympic Park Education Centre, Field Tower. The programs will be held there throughout the rest of the year.
See the Stronger Smarter Website for more.
APPA is combining with Stronger Smarter to conduct this Leadership program over the two phases in Sydney. Phase 1 : June 25-28 and Phase 2: September 5-6 for a cost of $3,000. The program is available to all principals, executive, regional staff, aspiring leaders, teachers, ATSI staff, parents & community who are interested in developing their leadership skills in their school/workplace.
On behalf the Executive, Robyn Evans, Rob Walker, Lyn Davis, Diane Robertson, Louise Green, Ian Reeson, Terry Fisher, Jackie Malecki, Mark Pritchard, Andrew Stevenson, John Mularczyk and myself thank you for your awesome efforts in Term 1. We are here to support you and our contact details are on our website.
cheers
Phil Seymour
PRESIDENT
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