South Australia Branch Messages

SA Branch News: October 2026

By Martyn Anderson posted 6 days ago
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ACEL National Conference 2026 The ACEL National Conference was held in Perth in early October under the theme Bold Leadership . While discussions explored artificial intelligence, innovation, future-focused learning, assessment, and educational transformation, they consistently returned to the deeply human qualities that underpin great leadership: trust, purpose, relationships, judgement, courage, belonging, and hope. Perhaps the most significant insight was that leadership in education remains, at its core, a profoundly human endeavour. Schools are places of relationships, students are individuals ...
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SA Branch News: May 2026

By Martyn Anderson posted 07-05-2026
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ACEL Branch Awards 2026 It gives me great pleasure to announce our ACEL SA 2026 Award Winners: Alby Jones Gold Medal Award Dr Neil McGoran ACEL SA Fellowship Awards Anna Mirasgentis Deb Dalwood Dr Michelle Kohler The Distinguished Contribution to research in educational leadership award Prof Simon Leonard ACEL SA Educational Leadership Award Angela Phillips Rebeca Huddy Roy Page Luke Ritchie Pip Field Emerging Leaders Award Kerry Proctor Lucy Warnock Simon Miller Ed McInnes ACEL SA Media Award Will Goodings We will celebrate these outstanding leaders at the ACEL SA Awards Ceremony on Tuesday, ...
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SA Branch News: March 2026

By Martyn Anderson posted 05-03-2026
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Dear ACEL SA, I hope the year has begun positively for you. One of the many strengths of ACEL is our shared commitment to celebrating the profession and recognising the outstanding leadership that exists across our state. Each year, you have the opportunity to acknowledge colleagues who are making a significant impact by nominating them for both the ACEL SA State Awards and the ACEL National Awards. These awards shine a light on the innovation, dedication, and excellence that characterise educational leadership in South Australia. As a profession, we are sometimes hesitant to pause and celebrate the exceptional work happening around us. Yet these ...
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SA Branch News: February 2026

By Martyn Anderson posted 04-02-2026
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Dear ACEL SA, I hope the year has begun well for you and that you found time over summer to rest and recharge. As we begin 2026, ACEL South Australia is delighted to share our first professional learning opportunities for the year. Building on the success of our inaugural ACEL SA Breakfast in 2025, we are pleased to welcome Dr Shyam Barr on Friday 13 March for a session exploring the relationship between AI, student agency, and self‑regulated learning. Dr Barr will unpack how AI can both support and challenge independent thinking, and offer practical strategies for leveraging AI to strengthen rather than replace students’ self‑regulation skills. The breakfast ...
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SA Branch News: October 2025

By Martyn Anderson posted 14-10-2025
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Dear ACEL SA, The recent ACEL National Conference in Sydney was a powerful reminder of the importance of staying curious, connected, and courageous in our leadership. It was also fantastic to see so many South Australians in attendance, contributing to the national conversation. One of the standout presentations was a provocative and entertaining presentation from Dr Sandra Peter and Dr kai Riemer both from the University of Sydney. They unpacked the rapidly evolving landscape of artificial intelligence and its profound implications for education, leadership, and society. Key Takeaways: AI is not what we expected. It doesn’t “think” ...
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SA Branch News: August 2025

By Martyn Anderson posted 05-08-2025
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Dear ACEL SA Members, Thank you to everyone who attended the ACEL SA Awards Evening , what a fantastic night of celebrating excellence in educational leadership across South Australia! It was a joy to honour our award recipients alongside their friends, colleagues, and families. We were privileged to welcome both the Minister for Education, Training and Skills, The Hon. Blair Boyer MP, and the Shadow Minister for Education, Hon. Heidi Girolamo MLC. Their presence and support for the outstanding work happening in South Australian education were deeply appreciated. A special highlight of the evening was the inaugural 2025 Alby Jones Oration, delivered ...
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SA Branch News: May 2025

By Martyn Anderson posted 06-05-2025
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Dear colleagues, It is with great pleasure that I announce the 2025 ACEL SA Award Winners. This year, we received a record number of nominations, a testament to the outstanding leadership and dedication exhibited in South Australia. Our 2025 Awards winners are: Alby Jones Gold Medal Steve Byrne ACEL SA Fellowship Heather De Blasio Marcel Rijken Dr Bev Rogers ACEL SA Education Leadership Award Dr Kylie Booker Marg Clarke Sylvia Groves Ian Kent The Distinguished Contribution to Research in Educational Leadership Award Dr Bev Rogers Pip Field Emerging Leaders Award Harvey Watson Candice Fergusen ...
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SA Branch News: April 2025

By Martyn Anderson posted 02-04-2025
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A huge thank you to all who nominated outstanding educators for our annual ACEL SA Awards. These awards continue to be a highlight of our year. As a sector, we often fall short in recognizing the excellence that exists within our schools. ACEL and its branches play a key role in celebrating the great work that teachers and leaders are doing. Schools are frequently portrayed as being in crisis in the media. However, ACEL takes pride in shifting this narrative by shining a spotlight on the outstanding contributions of our educators. We are in the process of determining this year’s award winners and will be announcing them soon. We encourage as many ...
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SA Branch News: March 2025

By Martyn Anderson posted 04-03-2025
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Dear Colleagues, I hope your year is off to a fantastic start. Thank you for your ongoing involvement in ACEL, we truly appreciate your support. We’re thrilled to invite you to our upcoming Hot Topic event with Dylan Wiliam, taking place in person at St Peter’s College on Thursday, 3 April. This is a rare opportunity to engage directly with one of the most influential voices in education. Whether you’re exploring the future of learning, knowledge, or tackling current challenges in schools, Dylan will share global insights, research-backed strategies, and practical solutions. To register please click here . ACEL membership is not required to attend, ...
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SA Branch News: February 2025

By Martyn Anderson posted 05-02-2025
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Dear Colleagues, I hope your year is off to a fantastic start and that you had a chance to recharge over the summer break. We’re thrilled to announce an upcoming Hot Topic event hosted by the SA Branch on Thursday, April 3, at St Peter’s College featuring none other than Dylan Wiliam! Stay tuned for more details in the coming weeks, but in the meantime, please save the date for this incredible opportunity to hear Dylan speak in person. A huge thank you to AISSA for their collaboration in bringing Dylan to Adelaide. Many of you will be familiar with his work, Dylan is an Emeritus Professor of Educational Assessment at University College London ...
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SA Branch News: December 2024

By Martyn Anderson posted 05-12-2024
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Time flies! It’s hard to believe we are already at the end of the year. It’s been an exciting year for ACEL SA especially with the hosting of the national conference . Other highlights for 2024 have included: The Professionals Network & National Conference Launch, featuring Barb Watterson, Pasi Sahlberg, Glenn Savage, and Anne Dunstan who explored the theme of reimagining the profession. Hot Topics with Dr. Selena Fisk and Dr. Jared Cooney Horvath. The SA Schools Equity Summit, in collaboration with sector heads and the Minister for Education. The ACEL SA Awards Night. A heartfelt thank you to our enthusiastic ACEL SA Branch Executive ...
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SA Branch News: October 2024

By Martyn Anderson posted 08-10-2024
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Dear ACEL Members, I hope you had the opportunity to attend the ACEL National Conference in Adelaide this week. It was a remarkable event, sold out and filled with engaging discussions and insight. As Associate Professor, Glenn Savage noted, this is the premier educational leadership conference in Australia. A huge thank you must go to ACEL CEO, Dr Barbara Watterston, and the amazing ACEL team she leads. The work they do behind the scenes is incredible to deliver a truly outstanding event. During the conference, Michael Murphy, a member of the ACEL SA Branch, captured and recorded interviews from the various presenters, and we look forward to sharing ...
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SA Branch News: September 2024

By Martyn Anderson posted 03-09-2024
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ACEL SA Annual Awards Celebration On Thursday, August 29, ACEL SA hosted a memorable evening at the Sanctuary, Adelaide Zoo, to honour the distinguished winners of the ACEL SA Awards for 2024. The event provided a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the remarkable achievements of educators across South Australia. We were delighted to be joined by the Hon. John Gardner, Deputy Leader of the Opposition and Shadow Minister for Education, Training, and Skills, as well as Kevin Richardson, a long-time supporter of ACEL and former ‘Alby Jones’ Gold Medal Awardee, who graciously presented the awards. As mentioned in the previous newsletter , our ACEL SA Award Winners ...
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SA Branch News: August 2024

By Martyn Anderson posted 31-07-2024
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Dear ACEL SA Branch, I hope you’ve had a fantastic start to the new term. I am delighted to announce the recipients of the ACEL SA awards for 2024: ‘Alby Jones’ Gold Medal Award Anne Dunstan ACEL SA Fellowship Award Warren Symonds ACEL SA Educational Leadership Medal Cezanne Green Paul Belton Yvette Swaalf ACEL SA Media Award Dr. Deborah Netolicky The Pip Field Emerging Leaders Award Matthew Rotolo We are excited to celebrate these outstanding achievements at our awards ceremony, which will take place at the Sanctuary Adelaide Zoo on Thursday, August 29. We warmly invite all our members to join ...
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SA Branch News: April 2024

By Martyn Anderson posted 01-05-2024
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Dear ACEL SA Members, On Wednesday, May 1, we're thrilled to host a Hot Topic event featuring Dr. Jared Cooney Horvath. Renowned as a neuroscientist and educator specializing in human learning, memory, and brain stimulation, Jared brings a wealth of expertise. With experience conducting research and lecturing at Harvard University, Harvard Medical School, and the University of Melbourne, his work has been published in the New Yorker, the Economist, the Atlantic, and the New York Times. We're incredibly fortunate to have Jared join us in person. During this event, he'll share thought-provoking insights into our learning processes, the development of ...
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SA Branch News: March 2024

By Martyn Anderson posted 04-03-2024
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Dear ACEL SA Members, Greetings from the ACEL SA team. I was at a conference last week and I heard a leader describe the school year as four 100 metre sprints. It’s a hard to believe we a halfway through the first sprint! Our recent ACEL SA Professionals Network Event and National Conference Launch, held at the Unley Oval Community Hub on Thursday, February 22, saw a fantastic turnout from both our members and non-members with all sectors represented. Featuring an outstanding panel, including Glenn Savage, Pasi Sahlberg, Anne Dunstan, and Dr. Barbara Watterston, the event delved into the theme of 'Reimagining Education,' with an emphasis on reimagining ...
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SA Branch News: February 2024

By Martyn Anderson posted 06-02-2024
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Dear ACEL Members, I hope you have had a great start to year and you managed to have a break over the summer. As an Executive branch we are really excited about what 2024 holds for ACEL. It is with great pleasure that we announce our inaugural event of the year—the 2024 ACEL SA Professionals Network Event and National Conference Launch. As well as Glenn Savage, Anne Dunstan and Dr Barbara Watterson, we are now honoured to also welcome Pasi Sahlberg. Pasi is a Finnish educator, teacher, and author and has advised schools and education system leaders around the world. He is currently Professor of Educational Leadership at the University ...
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SA Branch News: December 2023

By Martyn Anderson posted 05-12-2023
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Dear ACEL SA Members, It's evident that ACEL SA has once again had another exciting year. We're thrilled to have hosted several well-attended ‘Hot Topics’, featuring presenters who generously shared their insights. Some highlights from our events included: A thought-provoking conversation between Deborah Netolicky and Summer Howarth exploring future alternatives for educational leadership. Bec Clements and Grant Small presenting on leading school improvement and fostering culture change in primary schools. Dr. Brendan Bentley and Conor Keneally shedding light on cognitive load theory and augmented reality in a science classroom. As we look ...
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SA Branch News: November 2023

By Martyn Anderson posted 02-11-2023
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Dear ACEL SA Members, I am honoured to serve as the ACEL SA State President and as a national Board Member. For those who may not be familiar with me, I currently hold the position of Director of Teaching and Learning at Immanuel College. Working alongside me in the SA Branch, I have the privilege of collaborating with a dedicated team that includes Michael Murphy, Christine Haynes, Julie Tarzia, and Brendan Toohey. Together, as a branch, we are enthusiastic about providing opportunities to advance the cause of educational leadership in South Australia. I'd like to take a moment to express my appreciation for the incredible work done by Warren Symonds, our ...
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SA Branch News: September 2023

By Warren Symonds posted 14-09-2023
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As we find ourselves hurtling through another term, the ACEL National Conference looms on the horizon, offering an invaluable opportunity for educational leaders like you to participate. The conference, as always, boasts an impressive lineup of speakers and provides a platform for networking with peers. However, this year is particularly special, as ACEL commemorates a significant milestone - our 50th anniversary. This occasion prompts us to pause, reflect on our journey thus far, acknowledge our achievements, and, with eager anticipation and curiosity, chart a course for the next fifty years of educational leadership. The conference kicks off on Tuesday, September ...
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