10 May 2017

Newsletter Articles

Francis and Benedict: two popes, two divergent approaches to Islam

When Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI addressed the question of Islamic extremism he did so during a speech at a university in his Bavarian homeland where, as a priest and professor, Joseph Ratzinger had worked decades earlier. That 2006 address in Regensburg, Germany, was a theological master class on the relationship between faith and reason. But it also angered Muslims who object to Benedict citing a 14th-century Christian emperor who claimed that the Prophet Muhammad had only brought the world things that were "evil and inhuman." Moreover, Benedict also delivered his message to Islam from afar.

Francis, on the other hand, has made it his business to try to build bridges with the Muslim world with the energy of a missionary. That approach was on display during his 27-hour trip to Egypt, viewed as the leader in the majority Sunni Islamic world, and a nation that is making a serious — though controversial — effort to crack down on extremist-inspired violence. So, important to Francis, in fact, is the "personal encounter" with Muslims that the pontiff put his own safety at risk by going to Cairo, a trip that took place less than three weeks after 45 worshippers were killed in bomb attacks on two Egyptian churches.

CONFERENCE UPDATE

The conference registrations will be closing on 17th May so you don’t have long to register, if you have not done so already. If you are coming in on Tuesday evening for dinner you will need to book the restaurant and if you have a large group (8 or more) that you are booking for, you will need to choose from a set menu. Smaller groups can choose from the main menu. The Restaurants are Red salt (fine dining) and Lovedale Bar and Grill (more casual). You can book HERE

If you would like a personalised calendar for your school one of the sponsors has asked for you to bring along a USB with a photo of your school and they will print it up for you to take home from the conference.

AUSTRALIAN STUDENTS CHANCE TO FLY TO ANTARCTICA (FED)

An Antarctic experience of a lifetime is on offer for Australian students who win a national competition to name the nation's new icebreaker vessel, with a flight to Antarctica on offer to the winning entry. Up to 12 students will fly to Antarctica for a day, becoming the first children to set foot on the icy continent as part of the Australian Antarctic Program. The winning students will fly from Hobart to Australia's Wilkins Aerodrome where they will meet Antarctic scientists, as well as expeditioners living and working at nearby Casey research station.

ENGAGINGING PARENTS IN SCHOOLS: A project with joint Catholic School Parents Australia and ACPPA

Principals have your say! How do you support parent engagement practices in your school?

By participating in a short Primary or Secondary school survey, you can support improved understanding of effective parent engagement.

The survey findings will help develop resources to assist principals across all sectors to gain practical ways of engaging parents in their children’s education.

Get involved to ensure your sector has its say. This research is being undertaken in partnership by Catholic School Parents Australia, the Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth and the University of Southern Queensland.

Improving the mental health and wellbeing of principals

CCI would like to announce their collaboration with the Institute for Positive Psychology and Education, Australian Catholic University on the Australian Principal Health and Wellbeing Survey. Finding ways to better understand the working lives of Australian principals and how this impacts their health and wellbeing is the impetus behind, School Principals' Health & Wellbeing: What Makes a Positive Difference, a research study conducted by the Institute for Positive Psychology and Education (IPPE) at Australian Catholic University (ACU). Over the five years since its inception in 2011, Associate Professor, Dr Phil Riley, and a team of researchers at ACU have gathered information relating to the occupational health, safety and wellbeing of principals and school’s leaders across the country. Approximately 40 percent of Australia's 10,000 principals, deputy principals, assistant and vice-principals have already participated, many multiple times; 13.3 percent of those are from Catholic schools and colleges. "This research is about improving the mental health and wellbeing of school principals," says Dr Riley. "At the top level, it provides us with a picture of the current state of Principals' health, which can be used to educate organisations, bodies and policy makers about the impacts of changes and initiatives within the sector."

2017 APPA NATIONAL CONFERENCE in BRISBANE

The 2017 APPA National Conference is being held in Brisbane from 12 September to 15 September and registration is now open to primary school leaders from across the country. With a theme of Agility, Creativity, Legacy and expecting up to 800 delegates, the APPA Conference brings together national and international speakers including Saroo Brierley whose story A Long Way Home inspired the award-winning movie Lion, Dr Anthony Muhammed, Holly Ransome, Dr Jason Fox, Linda Kaser and Stephen Murgatroyd.

I encourage you to register early, take advantage of the Early Bird Offer and select from the wide range of available Master Classes. I look forward to seeing you in Brisbane come September!

APPA Conference

APPA PRINCIPAL HEALTH AND WELLBEING: POLICY TO PRACTICE SURVEY

APPA is conducting a national survey of principals and other school leaders on the impact of employer and system policies on principal health and wellbeing. Titled Principal Health and Wellbeing: Policy to Practice, the survey builds on Dr Phil Riley's pioneer work in this area and takes around 20 minutes to complete, maybe a little longer if you'd like to add in a few comments.

The survey will collect responses with the aim of identifying and advocating for those policies that help make a positive difference to a principal's workload, and health and wellbeing. Note that the survey is not about comparing, identifying or naming individual principals, schools or systems but it will benefit from a broad range of responses from the Catholic sector in New South Wales.

The survey will be open until early May and can be found here.

Please spend a little time voicing your views on this important issue for us all.

Schoolzine

Schoolzine is proud to be a digital partner and supporter of ACSP NSW - Association of Catholic School Principals in NSW Inc.

Schoolzine has been an industry leader in digital school communications for 10 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.

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