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Start Strong & Set the Conditions for a Successful Year Ahead

Hello all! It is a little late in the year to say ‘Happy New Year’ or ‘Welcome Back’ as I know many of you have been ‘back on deck’ for many weeks! That said, this is the first ACEL WA newsletter for 2026, so I will say I hope your year has started well and let you know that I am excited about a new year of possibilities and I look forward to connecting with members (new and old) this year.

In my role as a school leader (Associate Principal) at Dayton Primary School, I have focused on ‘Starting Strong in 2026’ with our team, with a relentless focus on things that matter most - being warm and demanding (relational with high expectations),and I thought it would be helpful to share an adaptation of this message with you all to encourage you to ‘Start Strong & Set the Conditions for a Successful Year Ahead’.

As you know, the beginning of a year is more than a calendar reset or a time to set new year’s resolutions that do not last beyond the first weeks of January! It is a strategic leadership moment, full of possibilities, where we set the scene for the year ahead. While our teachers establish routines and relationships in their classrooms, we as educational leaders set the tone, direction, and conditions that shape the work of entire schools, communities, and organisations.

Starting strong as a leader is less about getting things done and more about leading with intentionality and purposeful direction-setting. It is the deliberate act of creating clarity where there is complexity, stability where there is uncertainty, and optimism where there may be fatigue, and above all, letting our team know that we are there to support them on this incredible journey.

Like we speak about with our teachers at Dayton, a strong start for leaders often rests on a few common enduring principles:

• Connection before correction – investing time in relationships with staff, students, and community builds the trust required for meaningful change.

• Clarity of purpose – articulating the “why” behind priorities ensures alignment and reduces initiative overload.

• Consistency of message and action – predictability fosters psychological safety and strengthens credibility.

• High expectations with high support – balancing ambition with care enables people to stretch without feeling unsupported.

• Attention to culture – the language leaders use, the behaviours we model, and the moments we notice shape organisational norms more powerfully than policy.

• Intentional first impressions – early decisions, communications, and visible leadership behaviours establish patterns that echo long after the first weeks have passed.

Ultimately, starting strong is not about a flawless beginning; it is about a purposeful one. We are only a few days into the year at Dayton, and already we have had to reach deep into our bag of leadership goodies to ensure that we adhere to these principles so that the positive team culture we have created over past years endures in 2026. Culture does not create itself, as we shared with our team last week, it is the intentional actions of each of us on the team that works to build and maintain a positive culture, and we as leaders have the additional responsible of leading by example. When leaders begin the year with clarity, connection, and consistency, we create the conditions for others to do their best work, and that is where sustainable impact begins.

On starting the year strong, we are fortunate in WA to have an upcoming opportunity to set the scene for a brilliant year ahead at our Breakfast with the Minister event! Do not miss this exciting opportunity to connect with other leaders and be inspired by system leaders here in WA.

ACEL WA Breakfast with the Minister 2026

As we step into 2026, educational leadership across Western Australia is entering a defining moment — one that calls for clarity of purpose, collective responsibility, and disciplined focus on what matters most. Across government, Catholic and independent sectors, leaders are grappling with shared priorities: strengthening teaching quality, supporting a sustainable and skilled workforce, and ensuring every learner experiences success, belonging, and opportunity.

The work of educational leadership is increasingly complex. Diverse learner needs, workforce pressures, and rising expectations sit alongside the responsibility to prepare young people for a rapidly changing world. Yet this moment also offers opportunity. By learning with and from one another, deepening collaboration across sectors, and aligning system priorities with classroom realities, educational leaders can build momentum that translates into lasting impact for students, staff, and communities.

Join the ACEL WA Branch for a delicious hot breakfast and a collegial and future-focused panel conversation with the Minister for Education and educational leaders from across systems and sectors, titled – From Priorities to Practice: Leading with Clarity, Courage, and Collective Responsibility in 2026. This breakfast provides a valuable opportunity to reflect on shared priorities, explore current challenges and opportunities, and build collective momentum for the year ahead.

Speakers:

• The Honourable Sabine Winton MLA, Minister for Education; Early Childhood; Preventative Health; Wheatbelt

• Annette Morey, Executive Director, Catholic Education Western Australia

• Kris Stafford, Director Curriculum & Pedagogy, AISWA

• Steve Watson, Deputy Director General: Schools, Department of Education, WA

Date: Wednesday 25 February 2026
Time: 7.00am – 9.00am
Venue: Mount Lawley Golf Club, 1 Walter Road, Inglewood WA 6052
Cost: $60 members | $90 non-members

REGISTER NOW

New ACEL WA Members

This month we welcome both new and reinstated members to the ACEL WA fold. It is exciting to see our membership growing, and we look forward to connecting with you at an event in 2026 – hopefully at the breakfast in a few weeks!

• Julie Cairnduff, Mathematical Association of Western Australia

• Rebecca Neesham, Iona Presentation College

• Phil Collins, GuidedEd

• Matt Osborne, Department of Education WA

• Kathryn Campbell, Georgiana Molloy Anglican School

• Jenny Cole, Positively Beaming; Beam Consulting

• Barbara Watterston

• Adam Inder, Australian Education Research Organisation

• Melanie Langley, Department of Education WA

• Dale Mackesey, Department of Education WA

• Ron Gorman, Moerlina School

• Cindy Kerr, Department of Education WA

• Georga Gratteri, John Septimus Roe Anglican Community School

• Vanessa Scott, Joseph Banks Secondary College

• Thomas Jones, Joseph Banks Secondary College

• Nicole Blyth, Perth College

• Katy Howes, Perth College

• Luise Lowndes, Perth College

JANUARY ACEL WA LEADERSHIP BOOK CLUB

In January, we met for our ACEL WA Book Club to discuss ‘The Pruning Principle’ by Dr Simon Breakspear and Michael Rosenbrock. This was an enjoyable morning of rich conversation, and many helpful takeaways for those present. Dr Ray Boyd posted a reflection on his LinkedIn page following the session, which I will share below, as he eloquently analyses this book and the work of Peter Dewitt and Viviane Robinson.
 

Tracing the Through-Line:
Focus, Coherence, and Improvement at Dayton
by Dr Ray Boyd

For those who are interested in reading more like this from Ray, you can connect with him on LinkedIn.

I hope the month of February treats you well, and I look forward to seeing many of you at our breakfast event on the 25^th of February!

I am reachable by email if you have any questions, comments or just want to connect.

Rachael Lehr
ACEL WA Branch President