“Education is an extraordinary, transformative power,” were the stirring words from Mr James Merlino, the Former Minister of Education and Deputy Premier of Victoria at the annual Catholic Education Sandhurst Leadership dinner this week.
As the keynote speaker, Mr Merlino delivered the Monsignor Peter Jeffrey Oration focusing on both the privilege and responsibility of educational leadership.
“It is through education that we break out of the cycle of intergenerational poverty and disadvantage. It’s through education that we achieve our own individual aspirations and goals, and what we dream of doing. Most of those things will be achieved through education,” he said.
“It is through education that we prosper as a society. Education is a noble profession; it is a profession with moral purpose. Our job, no matter what role we have in education, is to find that spark that is within every child.”
These words, from a man who chose the Victorian Education Portfolio and served as Minister of Education for nine years, were heard clearly by each person in the room. There was a sense of pride from the educators in the midst who made up the majority of the audience. Mr Merlino went on to say that education is a connector like no other, and that all of us can think of that one teacher, or more, who we will never forget.
“You need to remind yourself that there are people in the community who think of you that way,” he said.
The keynote address from Mr Merlino was a fitting tribute following the Commissioning Mass for new Principals and Catholic Educational leaders, as well as the Commitment Ceremony for new School Advisory Board Chairs at Christ the King Church in Shepparton.
Bishop Shane Mackinlay presided at the Commissioning Mass which was concelebrated by a number of Sandhurst Priests who joined in the celebration at St Mel’s Parish. Candles and bibles were presented to each of the newly commissioned leaders as they were officially welcomed to their new roles within Catholic Education Sandhurst.
During the dinner, Bishop Shane Mackinlay also officially launched the CES Ltd Strategic Plan 2023 - 2027.
The Leadership Day continued on Wednesday, March 29 at Kialla with a presentation from the Chief Executive Officer of the Victorian Curriculum Assessment Authority (VCAA), Mr Stephen Gniel.
Mr Gniel presented an insightful look into the world of curriculum assessment, providing a candid presentation which acknowledged the challenges of recent years due to COVID-19, floods and bush fires, and the impact it has had on students, teachers, and broader communities. Mr Gniel also spoke at length about the ATAR, NAPLAN and other well-known assessment measurements.
One thing was very evident from the outset of Mr Gniel’s presentation, and that was his passion for education and his desire to provide continual improvement in the assessment area.
“There is a lot for us to do in assessment, and the most important assessment for a teacher, and for a child is narrow and focused,” he said.
“It’s not at the subject level; it’s really about the narrow piece they are learning; the developmental piece that tells teachers that they know the standard of the first piece of the information, and they are ready to learn the next piece that we want them to understand.”
Mr Gniel was generous with his time, answering questions from the group about a range of topics. The question-and-answer transcript will be provided to schools in next week’s edition of Communication Matters.
A full day of presentations detailed important updates and information for Principals and school leaders, covering a range of areas including the CES Ltd Delegations Framework Review, Deputy Principal selection and appointment procedure, and a detailed update on the EBA negotiations.
In the afternoon Chief Catholic Mission and Teaching Officer, Chris Hayes provided a presentation with team members about the Catholic Learning and Teaching Approach. Further presentations from Ryan Neville, ICT Lead and Mon Chalker, Procurement and Contracts Advisor were the final items of the day. These updates provided a chance for Principals to learn more about the services that the Catholic Education Office provides, and to share information about directions within these specialty areas.
The annual Leadership Gathering is always a wonderful celebration for Catholic Education Sandhurst, bringing together Principals, CES Ltd Board members, Priests, School Advisory Chairs and CEO staff as we acknowledge new and existing school leaders for the important role they play in the life of the CES Ltd community.
