I was one of the 278 members participating in the first general assembly of the Fifth Plenary Council of Australia last week, which was called to “develop concrete proposals to create a more missionary, Christ-centred Church in Australia” across the six themes of conversion, prayer, formation, structures, governance and institutions.

It was a unique experience, made perhaps a little more challenging by the need to move online due to COVID-19 restrictions. However there was a sense, as the delegates became more familiar with the technology and the process of spiritual discernment, of an opening up and listening to the many voices and perspectives expressed throughout the assembly. 

I was encouraged by the strong interest from delegates to participate in the discernment around education. It highlights the importance of our Catholic schools, preschools and universities in the Church's mission, while at the same time recognising the critical role of families, the parish and other key groups in the formation of our children and young people. 

There were many considerations raised through the discernment over the week which will be developed into concrete propositions to be put forward to the second general assembly to be held in Sydney in July next year. 

As the chair of the final plenary session, I had the task of seeking agreement from delegates on a concluding statement from the first assembly. In that statement there were a number of references to the need for 'listening' from both the assembly members as part of the discernment process, and the ongoing need for 'ecclesial listening' to form and inform how the Church lives its mission today. 

Leadership, particularly servant leadership is characterised by 'listening and connecting', as reflected in A Prayer for Leaders (below) which was shared in our staff prayer this week. I, like many of the delegates I had the opportunity to connect with, are hope-filled that our leaders across the Church will continue to listen and connect to each other and the many voices engaged in this mission as we head towards the second assembly. 

A Prayer for Leaders

Leadership is hard to define. 
Lord, let us be the ones to define it with justice. 
Leadership is like a handful of water. 
Lord, let us be the people to share it with those who thirst.
Leadership is not about watching and correcting. 
Lord, let us remember it is about listening and connecting. 
Leadership is not about telling people what to do. 
Lord, let us find out what people want.
Leadership is less about the love of power,
and more about the power of love.

Lord, as we continue to undertake the role of leader let us be 
affirmed by the servant leadership we witness in your son Jesus.
Let us walk in the path He has set and let those who will, follow.

Let our greatest passion be compassion. 
Our greatest strength love. 
Our greatest victory the reward of peace.

In leading let us never fail to follow. 
In loving let us never fail.

Anonymous

Jacinta Collins
National Catholic education executive director

The first general assembly of the Fifth Plenary Council of Australia was held virtually from 3-10 October. 

The 'spiritual conversations' of the assembly covered a broad range of thoughts and topics and the 278 members took part in the process of communal discernment and was the first plenary council to be held in Australia in 84 years.  

National Catholic Education executive director Jacinta Collins attended the assembly across six days and chaired the final plenary session. 

Pope Francis sent greetings and blessings from Rome, his message was read out during the opening session which said the Plenary Council “represents a singular ‘journeying together’ of God’s people in Australia along the paths of history towards a renewed encounter with the Risen Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit”.

Plenary Council president Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB said "it’s all been a marvel of technology; a mountain of superb work from so many people, and a maelstrom of words, insights, feelings, convictions and resolutions all with deep respect for each other, even and perhaps especially when we disagreed".

“But, above all, the assembly has been a monument to grace and faith, God’s grace and the Church’s faith in this fraught time," he said during the mass to close the Assembly. 

“Through the journey of the Plenary Council and this week’s assembly, the Word of God has come to us as a call, every bit as much as it did to the rich man in the Gospel we have heard,” he said.

Archbishop Costelloe said to members the first assembly had been an exercise in the process of 'synodality' which Pope Francis describes as “walking together”.

“We have been walking together this week and in rejoicing in that, and thanking God for that, we can also ask ourselves how well have we avoided the danger of walking alone, or only in a small group of like-minded people?” he said.

“This week we have tried to discern together how we, the Church, can become more fully a clear, unambiguous and effective sign of this communion,” Archbishop Timothy said in a statement. 

“All week we have been exploring together possible ways of re-casting ourselves, re-positioning ourselves, the Church in Australia, for this mission. And this exploration will continue," he said. 

The months between the first and second general assemblies of the Fifth Plenary Council of Australia are a time for “prayer, reflection, maturation and development”, noted in the concluding statement from the first assembly.

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The National Catholic Education Commission (NCEC) is hosting two virtual professional learning enrolment workshops for educators and leaders across Catholic schools and education offices.

The workshops will be facilitated by Strategy Coordinator Uby Faddoul from Catholic Education South Australia and members of the NCEC Enrolment Working Group. 

An enrolment toolkit resource has also been created for staff. 

Catholic schools across Australia will have access to the OECD PISA-based Test for Schools as a result of a partnership between the National Catholic Education Commission (NCEC) and Janison an Australian online assessment company, announced on 5 October. 

National Catholic education executive director Jacinta Collins said the partnership will enable Catholic schools to engage in PISA for Schools with up to 50 Catholic schools participating in the pilot program this year.

“PISA for Schools aims to build teacher capacity and drive school improvement which contributes to our strategic priority of improving student learning opportunities,” Jacinta said in a statement.

“This is an exciting opportunity for our school communities to build on their existing data to understand how to best support their student," she said. 

PISA for Schools measures performance across three cognitive domains - reading, mathematics and science - and examines the ability of students to think critically and apply their knowledge creatively in novel contexts.

The assessment is delivered digitally on the Janison Insights Platform and includes a cognitive and student questionnaire, affording strong student voice.

OECD director for Education and Skills Andreas Schleicher said we know from experience that high quality assessment can generate meaningful data to guide change.

“With PISA for Schools we look forward to contributing to Australia’s vibrant school sector and learning more from participating schools about what it takes for students to reach their full potential,” he said.

Janison group executive Sara Ratner said PISA for Schools is being delivered for the first time across Australia in 2021, with a pilot program underway and a national rollout scheduled in early 2022.

“Janison is proud to be partnering with the Catholic school sector to provide them with reliable data to inform their aspirations for continual improvement,” Sara said.

Students at St Laurence’s College South Brisbane participated in PISA for Schools pilot program on 6 October. 

Principal Chris Leadbetter said approximately 220 of the 260 Year 10 cohort participated in PISA testing.

"PISA is an internationally-recognised test that allows schools to monitor academic performance," he said.

"The college will use data from the tests to inform the development of strategies to improve student learning.

"St Laurence’s College is most pleased to be involved in this initiative and I thank NCEC for assisting in facilitating this opportunity," Chris said. 

By collaborating with fellow educators in the 15+ countries that currently participate in PISA for Schools and working directly with the OECD, participating schools will have the opportunity to provide students with an education that is future-focused and global.

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Above: 2021 boarding captains and principal Ian Margetts from Mount St Bernard College, Herberton in the Diocese of Cairns 

On 17 September, the federal government announced the National Cabinet had agreed to the National Code for Boarding School Students.

The code provides state and territory governments with principles to develop COVID-safe travel arrangements to ensure boarding students and their families can navigate border restrictions and travel during school terms.

Particular consideration will be given to the complexities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander boarding students and the needs of their communities.

National Catholic Education executive director Jacinta Collins said this is long-awaited, good news for students and their families. 

"The code supports the importance of students’ ability to travel to and from their schools which will not only allow face to face learning to continue, it will enable students to return home as necessary.

"Catholic education across Australia looks forward to states and territories implementing the national code to assist in giving families the confidence to continue to access boarding school education for their children," she said.

Queensland Catholic Education Commission executive director Dr Lee-Anne Perry AM said the national code has given boarding schools some essential guiding principles to help the school communities plan for the movement of students to and from their homes.

"We have a number of boarding schools in Queensland attended by students from northern parts of New South Wales, the Northern Territory and even some from Victoria," Lee-Anne said.

"We were pleased to be consulted by Minister Bridget McKenzie in the formation of the code.

"The national code supports, and builds on, the work already undertaken in Queensland to simplify the arrangements for our interstate boarding students in these complex times," she said. 

Minister for Regionalisation, Regional Communications and Regional Education Senator Bridget McKenzie said the decision is a win for common-sense.

"The national code takes a clear, compassionate and practical approach to supporting the travel needs of boarding school students," she said in a release. 

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Following is an extract of an opinion piece first published by the Daily Telegraph on 7 October 2021 by Shadow Education Minister Tanya Plibersek.

Helping kids catch up on lost learning has to be an urgent priority for us all. If you didn’t learn last year’s lessons, next year’s lessons become that much harder. We can’t let the kids who have fallen behind get stuck there.

As Labor’s Shadow Education Minister, I’ve written to the federal Education Minister, Alan Tudge, about how we can help our kids catch up. Some state governments have pledged money towards individual tutoring for students, and this is a good start. But we need all levels of government to be pulling in the same direction.

For a start, Australia should be developing a national school catch up strategy. This should identify the students who have struggled over the past eighteen months – and it should direct extra resources to helping them. This needs to be on top of the Morrison Government’s Emerging Priorities Program, which pledged $25 million, but which has barely delivered any of its funding yet.

We should also be giving our year twelve students some certainty about what comes next for them. I must admit: out of all our kids, I feel most sorry for the seniors. They’ve missed out on the most – the study, the school formals, schoolies, part-time jobs and parties.

Without options like travel or gap years, and with work harder to find, university applications have jumped since the pandemic began – without enough extra places to match the demand.

The Federal Government should consider stepping in here and funding those extra places, so no one who worked hard and got the marks misses out. It should also think about more TAFE places and apprenticeships, so there’s work and training at the end of this tunnel. We also need to provide targeted, sensitive and effective mental health support for young people. This isn’t an optional extra to education; it’s vital to ensuring our kids can learn and grow.

Over the past decade, we’ve had an overdue revolution in our understanding of mental health. It’s time we backed that up with actual resources, including in our schools. And of course, when age appropriate vaccines are available for younger children, we should make sure we buy enough doses and distribute them efficiently, including through schoolbased vaccination programs if possible.

It is often said that COVID is a more likely to be mild in children, but the effects of the pandemic have been very hard on young Australians. They have stayed home, largely to protect their parents and grandparents. It’s up to the rest of us to recognise that sacrifice – and to give them some much needed hope for the future.

Read the full opinion piece

To mark World Teachers Day and the Bicentenary of Catholic Education in Australia the National Catholic Education Commission presents the 'Faith in the future' Virtual Symposium on Wednesday 27 October 2021 3.00pm - 4.15pm AEDT. 

A keynote presentation 'This is the WORK!' will be delivered by Dr Lyn Sharratt, which will focus on alignment, focus and resolve to be the best teachers and leaders we can be to ensure every student meets and exceeds their potential. 

The keynote will be followed by a panel discussion moderated by Australian broadcaster Geraldine Doogue AO.

Dr Lyn Sharratt Dr Sharratt is a highly accomplished author, researcher and practitioner working in remote and urban settings worldwide. She is an advisor for International School Leadership with the Ontario Principals’ Council; is an author consultant for Corwin Press; and consults internationally, working with system, school, and teacher leaders at all levels in Australia, Canada, Chile, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Geraldine Doogue AO Geraldine Doogue is one of Australia’s most accomplished and versatile journalists, excelling in print, radio and television. She presented and reported for national news and current affairs television programs, as host of Life Matters, and Compass for 30 years in the challenging subjects of faith, spirituality, religion and ethics.

Above: Professor Francis Campbell and Kate Rayment

On 7 September, the Bishops Commission for Catholic Education announced the appointment of Professor Francis Campbell and Kate Rayment to the National Catholic Education Commission.

Kate Rayment will also take up the position of chair of the Faith Formation & Religious Education Standing Committee (FFRE).

Francis Campbell is the vice chancellor of the University of Notre Dame Australia and was previously the vice chancellor of St Mary’s University in London.

Francis has extensive experience in governance, advocacy and policy having earlier served in a number of senior diplomatic and government posts, including as a member of Her Majesty’s Diplomatic Service, the United Nations Security Council in New York, the European Union, as a policy adviser and private secretary to Prime Minister Tony Blair, and as Her Majesty’s Ambassador to the Holy See.

Kate Rayment is principal of St Scholastica’s College, Glebe. Kate has worked across the Catholic education sector in Australia for almost 40 years, serving in various leadership positions in a number of dioceses, most recently as the principal of McCarthy Catholic College, Tamworth (2009-2014).

Kate is currently the chair of the NSW Catholic Secondary Schools Association, a member of the Reference Group for the development of the new Stage 6 Catholic Studies syllabus, and a member of Catholic School NSW Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Reference Group.

She brings extensive experience in education, mission and identity, and Catholic leadership.

"I am delighted that both Kate and Francis have agreed to join the commission. They will take up their roles in October for a four-year term," Bishops Commission for Catholic Education chair and Archbishop of Sydney Anthony Fisher OP said in a statement.

"I extend my deepest appreciation to Sr Liz and Greg, and my congratulations and welcome to Francis and Kate," he said. 

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Above: Sr Elizabeth Dodds RSC and Professor Greg Craven AO. 

On 30 September, two National Catholic Education commissioners Sr Elizabeth Dodds RSC and Emeritus Professor Greg Craven AO concluded their appointments.

Chair of the Bishops Commission for Catholic Education and Archbishop of Sydney Anthony Fisher OP said the Bishops Commission gratefully acknowledges the substantial contribution of outgoing commissioners, Sr Elizabeth Dodds RSC and Emeritus Professor Greg Craven AO.

"Sr Liz has served on the Commission since August 2013," Archbishop Fisher said in a statement.

"As chair of the FFRE Standing Committee she has guided the work of this committee in the development of the Framework for Formation in Mission, the Religious Education Framing Paper and a number of formation resources.

"We have been blessed by her passion for learning that she happily and humbly shares with all those she encounters," he said. 

Archbishop Anthony said Professor Craven AO has been one of the Church’s most outstanding lay leaders, having served the Church in Australia in a variety of ways over many decades, including as a member of the NCEC on and off for more than 20 years.

"Greg has played an enormous role in the strategic and policy directions of Catholic education in Australia.

"His strong advocacy and his regular public commentary on any number of topics has also contributed to the evangelising mission of the Church through education and beyond.

"I extend my deepest appreciation to Sr Liz and Greg," he said.

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On 14 September National Catholic Education executive director Jacinta Collins joined Edmund Rice Education Australia executive director Dr Craig Wattam for their 'in conversation series' to celebrate the bicentenary of Catholic education and mission into the future.

The conversation focused on the priorities for the National Catholic education as Jacinta works within her role as executive director, Bishops Commission for Catholic Education executive secretary and as a member of the Advisory Council for Australian Catholic University’s public policy think tank.  

Jacinta discussed how she has drawn from her experiences in her former roles as Australian parliamentary leader and Labor Senator for Victoria who served over a 25-year period in a number of portfolios, and prior to entering parliament as a social worker and union official. 

Jacinta said the strategic priorities for the National Catholic Education Commission are broadly faith, excellence and access.

"My approach is about building common purpose, in Catholic education we have this fantastic 200 year story about what has been achieved in education in Australia to honour, preserve and build upon," Jacinta said during the conversation. 

"It's this common purpose that I hope at a national level, we can maintain and build upon across our state and territory commissions, Religious Institute and PJPs, embracing the rich heritage we have been given. 

"Catholic education is well placed in the next 200 years," she said. "There is much we can do together and better, with faith, as is our theme, into the future."

EREA's in conversation series has included interviews with a range of Church leaders
as they offer insights from their unique perspectives and life experiences, including 
Archbishop of Melbourne Peter Comensoli, Homeboy Industries Los Angeles USA founder Fr Greg Boyle sj and Senior Australian of the Year 2021 and Catholic educator Dr Miriam-Rose Ungunmerr Baumann.    

On 2 September the National Catholic Education Commission joined the Australian Catholic Anti-slavery Network (ACAN) to commit to assessing and addressing modern slavery risks in operations and supply chains.

NCEC joins a growing number of Catholic education bodies including state and territory commissions, education offices, Religious Institute and Ministerial PJP authorities, and universities, to join as an ACAN participant. 

ACAN brings together Catholic entities to leverage their collective purchasing spend, share resources and coordinate action to manage modern slavery risk across their industry sectors.

National Catholic Education executive director Jacinta Collins said joining ACAN will enable Catholic education to engage in reporting requirements and to address risks of modern slavery.

The ACAN emerged as a key recommendation from a conference in July 2019, organised by the Sydney Archdiocesan Anti-Slavery Taskforce in order to support Catholic entities to comply with the Modern Slavery Act 2018.

The Sydney Archdiocesan Anti-Slavery Taskforce chair John McCarthy QC said today the risk that a product or service is tainted with exploitation and forced labour somewhere in the supply chain occurs in almost all industries.

"All countries are affected and so too are the supply chains of Catholic entities in Australia," he said in the ACAN's 2020 compendium of modern slavery statements.

Assistant Minister for Customs, Community Safety and Multicultural Affairs James Wood said I’m really encouraged to see the collaboration that’s happening across the supply chains of Australia’s largest Catholic organisations - in education, health and aged care, dioceses and community services, finance and investment sectors.

"Collaboration across industry groups and sectors is vital to addressing modern slavery," Minister Wood said in a video message.  

"I’d like to say a big thank you to the 40-plus Catholic organisations in the Australian Catholic Anti-slavery Network."

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Catholic Education Western Australia celebrates the bicentenary

The third edition of the commemorative Faith in the Future magazine, which highlights stories and coverage of the Bicentenary of Catholic education in Australia, is out now.

The magazine includes:

• Celebrating Family Week
• Historical: Goulburn schools strike and the impact on Catholic school funding
• Historical: The first religious orders to establish Catholic schools in Australia continued
• New commemorative book, From Humble Beginnings
• Your stories: Reflections from our bicentenary partners and more

A final edition of the special magazine series will be published on 9 December. Send us your bicentenary celebration stories via ncec@ncec.catholic.edu.au

PRE-ORDERS CLOSE ON FRIDAY 5 NOVEMBER

From Humble Beginnings: Commemorating 200 years of Catholic education in Australia features a history of the oldest existing Catholic school in each Australian diocese. The commemorative book is full colour and includes historical and contemporary images of the schools. It is available in paperback and hardcover versions and would make a great addition to school libraries or as a bicentenary memento.