Dear ACEL colleagues,
I hope this newsletter finds you well.
This will be my penultimate newsletter, as I will be departing the ACEL ACT executive following the national conference this year. It has been one of the most rewarding endeavours to be the president of ACEL ACT and national director over the past few years, and I thank you all for your support! I hope in my last newsletter in the coming month to share some of the highlights.
Incoming ACEL ACT Executive
I would like to introduce the incoming ACT Executive who will take up their roles in October.
- Congratulations and welcome to two new executives to the ACT Branch Tracey Taylor and Maria O’Donnell.
- Welcome back Nicole Jaggers who previously served two terms on the ACT executive up until 2020.
- Tony Bracken, who is an outstanding educational leader and ongoing contributor to ACEL ACT has been a longstanding member of ACEL NSW. We have successfully coaxed Tony across the border, and he will now join the local branch as an executive member.
- And finally, I welcome back Sandra Darley, Melissa Planten, and Sandy Griffiths who will be serving their second term on the executive.
Please join me congratulating the new team.
Reflect, Rest, Reset
With the dynamic, fast paced and pressure-driven role we have as school leaders it is vital that we have strategies to decompress. This is especially the case for us as educational leaders, that according to Dr Adam Fraser, get interrupted every 7 minutes throughout the working day and must manage pressure on par with paramedics and banking executives.
As such, on Tuesday 25 July, the ACT Education Directorate held a leadership forum, with Dr Adam Fraser presenting on - Building a Sustainable Approach to Wellbeing. The key take-away from Fraser is that short but consistent bursts of recovery – activities that help you switch off, is one of the best mechanisms to ensure balance in our professional lives and improve our wellbeing and focus.
I encourage you, if you have not already, to explore some of Dr Fraser's work and trial some of the simple everyday strategies that he recommends. For example, it is in what he calls the third space, that we need to reflect, rest, and reset.
Each day we need to find time to:
- Reflect: What went well today? What did I achieve? How did I improve?
- Rest: What relaxes me?
- Reset: What is my intention? How do I need to behave?
For ACEL colleagues who were at the forum, here is a quick refresher on the third space which doubles as a good introduction for members not familiar with his work:
Currie Lecture
After a hiatus in 2022, ACEL ACT is once again holding the Currie Lecture this year.
Date: Wednesday 16th August 2023
Time: 6pm - 8pm (Canberra Time)
Venue: Australian Catholic University (ACU), Room 301.1.20, Veritas Building
This year join us to hear Professor Jenny Gore give the 2023 Currie Lecture on:
‘The possibilities of thinking comprehensively about schooling and school improvement’.
Professor Gore will draw on two decades of work to share her thoughts on the value of a comprehensive approach to:
- a model of pedagogy (that deepens our view and understanding of pedagogy)
- teacher development – addressing substantive, structural and relational matters
- the teaching workforce – including addressing recruitment, ITE, induction, recognition, leadership, casuals, and
- how research and evidence best inform educational practice and leadership.
This event is open to ACEL members ($55) and non-members ($60) and includes refreshments.
REGISTER NOW
ACT Leadership Awards
An ongoing theme in our local events this year has been a discussion around the profile of the teaching profession. Namely, shifting the narrative around the status of teaching and educational leadership in the public eye.
This shift starts from within the profession itself... and what better way to acknowledge the remarkable people that make up our profession than nominating a colleague for an ACEL ACT Award?!
Awards are presented across four categories:
- ACEL ACT Growing in Leadership Award
- ACEL ACT Excellence in Educational Leadership Award
- ACT Trish Wilks Award for Collaborative Practice
- ACT Fellowship Award
I hope you can find the time to nominate and recognise and empower those leaders in your school and/or community.
For more information on the awards and the nomination process, visit the link below.
LEARN MORE AND NOMINATE
Have a good month.
Kirk Zwangobani
ACEL ACT Branch President